OAKLAND >> When Oakland Tech stepped onto the Oakland High floor, it was greeted by large photos of Wildcats legend Damian Lillard on each wall, and his jersey hung above the main doorway.

Instead of attempting to channel the Oakland icon by outscoring the Wildcats in a high-tempo affair with the Oakland Athletic League title on the line, Oakland Tech gritted out a stop-and-start 60-50 victory on Wednesday night.

Despite being the Bulldogs’ 31st consecutive regular-season league victory and sixth straight over their rivals, Ardarius Grayson still savored an OAL championship and rivalry win the Bulldogs have come to expect.

“Playing this game and being a champion every year, it’s really big and it is something that we should enjoy, and not just something we let pass by,” Grayson said.

Oakland Tech (21-5, 8-0) had beaten Oakland (18-7, 6-2) a few weeks earlier in a 52-44 thriller.

Despite playing in a game where many of the players often stood still more often than they tried to make baskets — the teams combining for 58 free throws — Tech guards Chase Millheim and Grayson never seemed to stop moving.

Grayson led all scorers with 17 points, darting into any opening he could find. When he wasn’t putting the ball in the basket, the senior guard dished out six assists and played his trademark above-the-rim defense.

Meanwhile, Millheim scored 12 points and hit three 3-pointers but arguably made his biggest impact as an on-ball defender. The tenacious point-of-attack stopper stripped several Oakland ballhandlers in the first quarter and set the tone for the rest of the night.

“I’m a short guard, and I’ve had to work hard my whole life to just play good defense,” Millheim said. “If I get a steal, I feel really good for the rest of the game.”

Oakland had not played in a week, and the Wildcats certainly looked rusty to start in a game that Tech never trailed.

The Bulldogs went up by as much as 17-6 in the first quarter thanks to Grayson’s drives and a couple of 3-point makes by forwards Xan Meyer-Plettner and Jasen Davis.

Oakland, which got a team-high 13 points from shifty guard Da’Sean Armstrong, cut the deficit to 19-13 by the end of the quarter but saw the Bulldogs take a 36-26 lead into halftime after Tech steadied itself.

The Bulldogs led by double digits for the majority of the second half, owing much of that to Oakland’s inability to make free throws. The Wildcats drew contact regularly and were rewarded with an unguarded shot from the stripe.

They missed 14 of them, and eight clanked off the rim in the third quarter alone.

The Bulldogs were hardly marksmen from that spot either but made a more respectable 20 of 29.

Up next is the section playoffs, which has seen Tech face Oakland for the title in the past few seasons.

Barring an upset by a very capable Fremont-Oakland team, the two juggernauts from Alameda County’s biggest city should once again duke it out in the postseason.

“I’m looking forward to the playoffs a lot,” Millheim said. “I love playoff games.”

O’Dowd’s Green breaks school record

Bishop O’Dowd has a storied basketball history, with former NBA players such as Brian Shaw and Ivan Rabb among those to have worn the Dragons jersey.

Among a decorated list of names, senior guard Josh Green now stands alone at the top of O’Dowd’s list for most points scored in a single game after he put up 47 points in a 85-43 victory over visiting San Leandro on Wednesday night.

“He shot great and his teammates really found him and supported him,” O’Dowd coach Lou Richie told the Bay Area News Group.

Green’s point total broke Naseem Gaskin’s previous record of 44, which was set during the 2017-18 season.

“Naseem’s dad was at half court the whole game and he was the first person that Josh went to celebrate with in the stands after he broke the record,” Richie said.

Green was incendiary from the opening tip, scoring 19 points in the first quarter. The senior guard made 10 of 19 three-pointers against the Pirates.

Green is no stranger to torrid shooting performances. In a NorCal playoff victory over Los Gatos last season, Green made five 3-pointers in the third quarter to break the game open.

O’Dowd improved to 14-10 overall and 6-2 in West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division play. San Leandro dropped to 3-21, 0-9.