A special set of circumstances led to a special night for Bishop O’Dowd High guard Paris Austin on Wednesday.
The Boise State-bound senior set school records with 43 points and 12 3-pointers in a 108-77 win over Piedmont.
Austin’s big night came as the Dragons moved 6-foot-11 forward Ivan Rabb to point guard for the game and were forced to play with a smaller rotation than normal after a recent grueling trip back East.
“He was very confident and all the shots he took were good ones,” O’Dowd coach Lou Richie said.
Austin has already been congratulated for his feat by the previous school record holder, Jasen Powell. Now a trainer with the Los Angeles Clippers, Powell scored 41 points in three quarters for the Dragons in 1990. Rabb scored 40 in a game two years ago as a sophomore.
“Of all the records in the Bay Area, to have the scoring record at Bishop O’Dowd is pretty special,” Richie said. “Ivan did a great job of finding his best friend and it just kind of worked out. There a was a lot of attention on Ivan and Ivan is a great facilitator.”
Austin’s 24 attempts from beyond the arc were also a school record. He played 29 minutes.
The Dragons, fresh off a third-place finish at the prestigious Pro Bass Tournament in Missouri and a Martin Luther King Day victory over national No. 3 Wheeler-Georgia in Massachusetts, only suited up eight players against Piedmont. Two of the players that sat were starters.
“There were some injuries and some other things,” Richie said. “It just felt like last night was the right time to take care of them.”
Richie also thought it was a good time to give Rabb, one of the top recruits in the country, a break from battling inside. The senior responded with 14 assists and just three turnovers.
Rabb’s assists may also be a school single-game record. Richie can’t remember anyone ever having more in the 14 years he has been with the program.
As a team, O’Dowd hit 18 3-pointers and was one point away from tying the school record for most points in a game.
“The kids had fun and that’s the most important thing,” Richie said. “We’re trying to find a game within the game and still try to be respectful to our opponent.”