Ardarius Grayson didn’t have a great first half.

The usually heady Oakland Tech star had four turnovers and struggled to connect from the outside as league rival Fremont-Oakland kept the 6-foot point guard at bay.

But when it mattered most on Wednesday night, Grayson was as clutch as they come.

Grayson scored 23 points – 12 in the fourth quarter – to lead Tech to a gritty 68-54 road win. The Bulldogs outscored Fremont 16-5 in the final period, shutting down the Tigers’ above-the-rim offense.

“It was an ugly game, but Ardarius is a gamer,” Tech coach Karega Hart said. “He knows how to play with pace and pick his spots.

“This game of basketball is beautiful because any team can win on any night. The game was close, and we were in a dog fight. So I’m happy to come out on top. I’m happy we played a better fourth quarter.”

It was a back-and-forth match for a majority of the game, with Tech not having full control until late. Emotions were high in this rivalry game, despite Tech having the edge over Fremont for the better part of the last decade.

“They don’t like us and we don’t like them. It’s a rivalry,” Grayson said. “Every time we play, we know it’s going to be a tough game, so we just had to play through it.”

Saddiq Alarbesh was second in scoring for Tech with 13 points. Xan Meyer-Plettner had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds to go along with two blocks.

Fremont point guard Roy Bishop Jr. was the best player on the floor for his team as the Berkeley transfer had a team-high 16 points.

Independence 65, Piedmont Hills 35 >> Independence and Piedmont Hills went into Wednesday night’s game in a first-place tie. Traditional rivals to boot, the expectation was for an intensely competitive contest in front of a packed house at Piedmont Hills.

Well, the packed gym lived up to its billing and the intensity was certainly on display. But after a close first quarter, Independence blew the doors off with a 19-2 run to end the half and kept the pressure on in a blowout victory.

The 76ers are now in first place alone at 5-0 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Santa Teresa-West Division, and 12-6 overall. Piedmont Hills is 10-7, 4-1.

“The kids wanted it,” Independence coach Lemz Gajardo said. “They got what they wanted. I’m happy to see them display the team that they are in practice playing on a huge stage in a packed gym.”

The win was the team’s eighth in a row.

“It’s a good feeling but the job’s not finished,” Gajardo said. “We’re only halfway through the season so we’ve got to keep it up. Hopefully we can ride this momentum and consistency throughout the rest of the season.”

Brady Caligagan’s 3-pointer gave the Pirates a 15-14 lead before Independence went on its game-altering run to close the half. Joshua Villanueva had nine points during that 19-2 blitz, had 17 at halftime and finished with 26.

“I play with all the people I grew up with,” he said. “I play for them and I play for my family as well. Our key was our movement and playing as a team. We all trust each other and we all love each other with a bond that started last summer.”

No. 9 Moreau Catholic 66, James Logan 30 >> Moreau notched its 10th straight win over Logan with a thumping on the road. Kellen Hampton dropped a game-high 23 points and Dominic Walker added 10. Moreau (16-4, 9-0 Mission Valley Athletic League) travels to Mission San Jose on Friday. Logan is 7-14, 4-5.

Alameda 76, San Leandro 34 >> Alameda extended its West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division win streak to five after blowing out San Leandro at home. Ethan Sapitula had a team-high 15 points. Senior Sage Kopelman totaled 12 points for Alameda, which improved to 14-6, 5-0. San Leandro dropped to 3-16, 0-4.

Berkeley 69, Bishop O’Dowd 65 >> The Yellow Jackets snapped their three-game losing streak as they beat WACC Foothill Division rival on the road. Junior Donte Joseph led Berkley with 16 points and Kavi Jivan had 15. O’Dowd sharpshooter Josh Green totaled 21 points, followed by Brandon Roundtree who had 19. Berkeley improved to 8-11, 3-2. O’Dowd dropped to 11-9, 3-2.

Homestead 56, MacDonald 40 >> Senior Brian Chou turned in another high-scoring performance as he totaled 21 points to lead Homestead over MacDonald on the road. Homestead junior Will Hamburger added 12 points. Sophomore Dominic Hunt had a team-high 12 points for MacDonald, which dropped to 7-9 and 0-8 Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division play. Homestead improved to 15-3, 7-1.

Los Gatos 64, Los Altos 26 >> Three players scored in double figures for Los Gatos as the Wildcats defeated Los Altos in dominant fashion. Junior Zach Otoupal had a game-high 15 points and Ethan Oppenheimer and Anthony Martin each had 10 points. Los Gatos (13-5, 4-3 SCVAL De Anza Division) is slated to host Wilcox on Friday. Los Altos dropped to 6-12, 1-6.

Santa Teresa 67, Westmont 65 (OT) >> Santa Teresa stunned visiting Westmont in overtime behind 19 points from senior Evan Guillermo. Westmont came into Wednesday’s game second in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division, but is now tied with Willow Glen behind first-place Christopher. Senior Ryan Yee totaled 15 points for Westmont, which is 14-5, 5-2. Santa Teresa improved to 9-10, 3-4.

Girls basketball

No. 2 Acalanes 72, No. 11 Clayton Valley 25 >> In a battle between the top two teams in the Diablo Athletic League, Acalanes proved its head and shoulders above the rest. The Dons jumped out to a 42-12 lead by halftime on Wednesday night and didn’t look back. Lexi Le had a game-high 17 points for Acalanes, which included five 3-pointers. Dulci Vail totaled 14 points and Karyss Lacanlale had 11. Acalanes improved to 21-1, 8-0. Clayton Valley dropped to 16-6, 7-1.

No. 12 Oakland Tech, 60, Fremont-Oakland 11 >> Oakland Tech rolled to its fifth straight Oakland Athletic League win with a 49-point rout of Fremont. Sophomore Payton Henderson led all scorers with 12 points. Tech improved to 13-7, 5-0. Fremont dropped to 0-9, 0-4.

Alameda 63, San Leandro 22 >> Alameda made quick work of San Leandro, defeating the Pirates convincingly on the road in a West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division showdown. Freshman Mia Borja led Alameda with 22 points. Juliana Johnson added 13 points and six steals. Alameda is 13-7, 2-2. San Leandro dropped to 10-9, 0-4.

American 53, Newark Memorial 45 >> Sophomore Shirina Shi turned in a 22-point performance to lead American to its fourth straight win. Freshman Anika Batra totaled 16 points and Leann Wang added nine for American, which improved to 16-4, 6-3 MVAL. Angelina Baca scored 21 points for Newark, which is 7-14, 1-8.

Aragon 45, Hillsdale 38 >> Aragon stunned Hillsdale, which came into Wednesday’s game tied for first in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division. Jayda Parangan led the Dons with nine points and Daisy Pantoja Beltran had eight. Junior Kiara Nitao scored a game-high 11 points for Hillsdale, which dropped to 17-3, 6-2. Aragon improved to 7-13, 2-6.

Moreau Catholic 42, James Logan 35 >> Moreau’s balanced offensive attack gave it the edge over Logan at home. Junior guard Elisa Ortega scored 12 points, Emma Ma had nine and Jennifer Schroeder had seven in the win. Junior guard Iwalani Lealao had a team-high 12 points and Mauriah Mchenry scored 10 for Logan (11-8, 5-4 MVAL). Moreau improved to 14-7, 9-0.

San Mateo 43, Woodside 30 >> The Bearcats won their seventh straight Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division game as they defeated Woodside at home. Violet Macavoy had a game-high 12 points to lead San Mateo, which is now 15-4, 7-0. Woodside dropped to 8-9, 4-3.