SoCalHoops CIF State Tournament News
SoCalHoops CIF State Tournament News
NorCal CIF State Regional 1st Round
Boys' Game Details--(Mar. 8, 2000)
NorCal? Oh, it's the other half of the bracket. . . Here's what happened in the first round for the boys' in the NorCal Regionals for all the divisions, except D-I.
| Boys Division II Game Details | Boys Division III Game Details | BoysDivision IV Game Details | Boys Division V Game Details |
Newark Memorial 58, Tracy West 46 -- The Wolf Pack (27-7) had its season come to an end after Newark Memorial (30-0) jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back. West was led by Andy Sansaver (14 points, including four 3-pointers) and Jeremy Cook (10). But the Wolf Pack couldn't match Newark's Matt Rasmussen, who scored a game-high 25 points. On a night when Newark didn't play its 'A' game, Matt Rasmussen was there to make sure the Cougars got what they came for--another victory. Rasmussen had a game-high 25 points, 18 rebounds and five steals to carry Newark into Thursday night's semifinal game against unseeded Woodside at a site to be announced today. Woodside knocked off fourth-seeded Shasta, 71-64, Tuesday night. Newark improved to 30-0 with the win while West ends its season with a 27-7 record. Newark is now two wins away from the Division II state championship game. Rasmussen set the tone early, scoring seven straight points as Newark bolted out to a 9-0 lead. The final three points of Rasmussen's run came after he stole the ball, raced the length of the court, made a layup despite being fouled and converted the ensuing free throw. West finally got on the board when Andy Sansaver drilled the first of his four 3-pointers, but Newark reeled off the next six points for a 15-3 lead. The Cougars led 20-10 after the first quarter as their stifiling defense allowed West very few good looks at the basket. WEST (fg ft-fta tp)--Savoy 3 1-1 7, Shular 1 2-3 5, Owens 2 2-3 6, Sansaver 4 2-2 14, Cook 3 4-6 10, Roycroft 1 0-0 2, Sherrill 1 0-0 2, Baron 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 11-15 46. NEWARK--Rasmussen 10 5-6 25, Lash 0 2-2 2, Chandler 5 0-0 11, Erickson 7 0-0 14, White 2 0-1 4, Hoffman 1 0-0 2, Hunter 0 0-0 0, Best 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 7-9 58. 3-point goals--Sansaver 4, Shular, Chandler. Total fouls--West 13, Newark 17. Fouled out--none.
Woodside v. Shasta-- Members of the Woodside High School boys basketball team got on the Internet to find out anything they could about No. 4-seeded Shasta before Tuesday night's Northern California Division II quarterfinal game. They must have found a lot, and it paid off. The No. 5 Wildcats (28-6) beat the host Wolves 71-64 in front of a packed crowd at Shasta's gymnasium. Tuggi Smith, a 6-0 senior guard had an 18-point performance for the Wolves (25-2). Woodside's Robert Powell, a 5-9 senior guard finished with a game-high 33 points. The game went back and forth from the beginning. By the fourth quarter, Shasta held a meager 53-49 lead heading into the final period. The two teams traded baskets and with 5:20 left to play, and the Wolves took back the lead 60-59 when Colin Carr hit a 3-pointer. Woodside's Roderick Cooper — a sophomore starting in his first NorCal game — hit a 3-pointer just 20 seconds later. The two traded baskets, and with 2:31 left in the game, Powell scored to give the Wildcats a 66-64 lead that held for the remainder of the game. The Wolves had several opportunities — including three missed free throws — in the final two minutes of the game. Woodside opened the game with a 14-5 run to close out the first quarter and took a 23-16 lead into the second period. But the Wolves put together a 15-2 spurt that took up more than five minutes of the second period to pull ahead 33-30. Shasta held a thin 35-34 lead heading into halftime. Carr, who finished with 14 points, hit a pair of 3s and Tuggi Smith added another as the Wolves outscored the Wildcats 18-15 in the third quarter and took a lead into the final period. Blake Evers had 17 points.
Hayward 60, Folsom 57--Rickey Peterson scored all six of Hayward High's points in overtime to lift the Farmers to a 60-57 win over No. 3 Folsom in the first round of the CIF/Northern California boys basketball playoffs Tuesday night. Hayward (28-4) will play at No. 2 St. Francis (26-4) -- a 74-58 winner over Chico -- in Thursday's 7:30 p.m. semifinal. Folsom finished 27-7. Peterson, who finished with 10 points, also had three rebounds in the fourth quarter and four more in the overtime to account for all of his boards. Hayward was up 54-48 with 34 seconds left in regulation when Eric Boyce (17) hit a 3-pointer for Folsom. Hayward's inbounds pass was picked off and Mike Cuevas (11) nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 54-all with 29 seconds to play. Neither team scored the remainder of regulation. Hayward had a chance to win with six seconds left, but Jerome Tatum (12 points) missed two free throws. Jamar Tatum finished with 16 points for Hayward, while Rickey Williams had 12.
St. Francis 74, Chico 58--The Lancers (26-4), ranked eighth in Northern California, advanced to Thursday semifinal round and will host Hayward, a 60-57 overtime winner over Folsom, at 7:30 p.m.The Lancers (26-4) trailed by seven at halftime, thanks to a 25-point second quarter by the Panthers (19-9). After surrendering a 25-point second quarter to Chico, St. Francis desperately needed someone to find a rhythm on offense. It didn't take long for Chase Lyman to find his shooting touch. The senior forward got the Lancers going by scoring the first 10 points of the second half, including two three-pointers. After that, St. Francis' depth and size took over and the Lancers defeated visiting Chico 74-58 in a Northern California Division II tournament opener. With his team trailing by seven, Lyman buried a three-pointer to ignite a 10-0 run by the Lancers. St. Francis grabbed a 34-33 lead when Lyman nailed his second three-pointer with 5:45 left in the quarter. On the following possession St. Francis senior guard Ryan Hensel made a steal, and on the break, passed the ball from near midcourt to a cutting Lyman, who scored the layup. Chico could not match the depth or size of the Lancers, and that played a pivotal role in the second half. St. Francis senior Pat Dennehy, a 6-foot-10 center, scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. St. Francis doubled Chico's offensive rebounding effort, 16-8. The Lancers broke the game open by scoring six points in a span of about 30 seconds late in the third quarter. Hensel scored following a steal, then two more Lancers' steals led to quick baskets by Kamao Shaw and Matt Lemos. Relying on its starters for most of three quarters -- none of whom was taller than 6-3 -- Chico got into foul trouble late in the game. Midway through the fourth quarter, Jeff Racen fouled out with seven points. And about three minutes later, Panthers point guard Jason Coleman was called for his fifth foul. Early on, Chico's offense was virtually unstoppable. The Panthers scored 25 points in the second quarter, including a stretch when they scored on nine consecutive possessions. Chico sank 9 of 14 field goals in that quarter and led 33-26 at the half. Chico 8 25 9 16 - 58 St. Francis 14 12 24 24 - 74. Chico-Rauen 7, Coleman 4, Benson 9, Land 16, Cross 10, Arneson 12. St. Francis-Layman 14, Lemos 4, Shaw 8, H. Dillard 4, J. Dillard 5, Dillihan 2, Bienemann 9, Denny 16, Chiotti 2.
Del Mar v. Natomas--Marc Q. Jones, coach of the top-seeded Division III boys basketball team in Northern California ran the emotional gamut Tuesday night, agonizing over the fundamental details of top-seeded Natomas High School's 66-58 home conquest of No. 8 Del Mar of San Jose in a NorCal regional opener. Natomas survived a tightly called game with the usual cast doing its thing. Del Mar kept pace for the better part of three quarters, a credit to sticky officiating and the poise of Del Mar under rookie coach Brad Quinet, who transformed a 6-19 wreck into a near-upset NorCal outfit. But the Nighthawks proved to be too athletic, particularly with their Big Three of Mareceo Rutledge (15 points), Gerald Johnson (14) and Damian Carter (13). The swing players ran the floor, drove the lane and attacked the baseline. David Martin went head-to-head with Del Mar's 6-foot-6 center Steve White, who offered good skills, a three-inch height advantage, even a beard. White scored 19, but he only had six of those in the second half as Martin and Brian Videau worked him over. The Nighthawks pulled away when Johnson hit a pull-up jumper, Martin had a put-back and Carter went baseline to make it 58-52 with 2:04 to play. Rutledge scored on a one-handed runner from the baseline and made the foul shot for a 61-52 lead with 1:37 left.
Del Norte 50, Enterprise 47--Despite their loss in the North Coast Section championshipSaturday, the Del Norte High boys were able to keep their Northern California Division III basketball playoff hopes alive by edging the Enterprise Hornets, of Redding, 50-47 on Tuesday. For the Warriors, it was a tale of two halves. Del Norte grabbed an early lead with a strong first half, only to get bogged down in the second by a strong zone defense from Enterprise. Enterprise was able to close a 10-point lead to just three in the final seconds of the game, but their last second attempt to tie would fall short. A Buck Pierce 3-pointer in the final minute proved pivotal for Del Norte. A big offensive rebound by Spencer Hoke late in the game, also helped the Warriors hold on. The win for the Warriors moves them 25-3 overall and puts them in the semi-finals of the Northern California tournament on Thursday night against top seeded Natomas, of Sacramento, a winner over Del Marr, of San Jose, on Tuesday. Behind Pierce, who led all scorers with 22, Del Norte stormed out to an early 18-8 lead at the end of the first period. Enterprise would make a strong push toward the end of the second period, but the Warriors would hold on and carry the 10-point lead into the break. The Hornets (18-9), came out playing like North Section champs. By making a defensive adjustment to a match-up zone, the Hornets slowed the pace and took away the Warriors inside game. Enterprise used their defense to spark its offense and chipped away at the lead. Consecutive 3-point baskets closed the lead to four with 4 minutes remaining. The Hornet zone, that held Webster to just two points in the second half, forced the Warriors to turn to their outside game down the stretch. Once again, Pierce and point guard, Jamie Ortega, answerd the call. They combined for seven treys. Pierce hit his most important 3-pointer of the night with 1:40 remaining, the basket pushed the Del Norte lead to five.
Archbishop Mitty 78, Redding Foothill 64 --Whatever game plan the Mitty boys basketball team had coming into its playoff game against Redding-Foothill, it all changed after the first two quarters. Foothill's Odell Qualls and Ryan Miller were unstoppable for the first 16 minutes, scoring 30 of the Cougars' 34 points. So the plan in the second half was simple -- shut down Foothill's biggest guns. Although the Monarchs' defense didn't completely stop Miller and Qualls, it did enough to secure a 78-64 win in a quarterfinal game of the Northern California tournament at Mitty. No. 3 Mitty (17-14) will play Pleasanton-Foothill, a 58-45 winner over Oakmont-Roseville, in the semifinals on Thursday at Mitty. The key to Foothill's revival was Juaune Armon. Miller and Qualls both finished with 27 points. Not only did Armon step up on defense, he also came to life offensively in the third quarter, sparking Mitty on an 11-2 run. With the score tied at 41, Armon scored back-to-back three-point plays to put Mitty up by six. After a three-point basket by Mitty's Danny Arias, Armon dunked home a rebound to put Mitty ahead 52-43. Miller triggered an 8-0 run near the start of the fourth quarter to pull the Cougars to within 63-58 with 5:34 left. The teams traded baskets in the next three-plus minutes before Foothill's Travis Young was called for an intentional foul on Armon. Armon sank both free throws, and Mitty was on its way to the semifinals of the NorCal tournament for the first time since 1993.
Pleasanton Foothill 58, Roseville Oakmont 45-- The Falcons rode a stellar defensive effort in the first half along the way to a 58-45 victory. The Falcons will host a semifinal game Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 3 Archbishop Mitty (17-14), which beat Foothill-Redding, 78-64. Foothill lead 24-22 at the half, but went the final 2:56 of the half without scoring, letting Oakmont close up a six-point Foothill lead. Mike Hoefs was the key in the first half for Foothill, sandwiching a pair of muscle-shots underneath around a 3-pointer from the top of the key, scoring seven points in the second quarter. In the third quarter, the Falcons began to pick up the tempo and the result was some easy baskets. E.J. Costello scored on a breakaway, taking a nice pass from Steve Stewart and Stewart added a follow shot for a six-point Foothill lead. But Oakmont countered with four straight to cut it back to 28-26. But the Falcons kept the pressure on, putting together a 6-2 run to go up 34-28 with 4:34 left in the quarter. Oakmont hit four free throws to cut it to 34-32, but a 6-0 run to close the quarter, featuring four points from Stewart to end the third quarter with the Falcons up 40-32. Stewart -- often overlooked on a team of scorers -- turned in his second straight solid game on the offensive end. He finished the night with nine points, but was also a force on the offensive boards. After setting a school record for most wins in a season and claiming their first North Coast Section Division III title, the Falcons accomplished another first Tuesday night -- reaching the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Region semifinals. Forward Mike Hoefs scored 16 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, to help second-seeded Foothill beat Oakmont-Roseville 58-45 in the first round. Despite their success this season, the Falcons (27-4) have made a habit of making things difficult for themselves, and their game with the Vikings (20-12) was no different. Thanks to a 10-of-29 shooting performance and eight turnovers in the first half, Foothill could manage only a 24-22 lead after two quarters. But the Falcons went to a more up-tempo attack in the second half, and it started to work near the end of the third quarter. With 3:30 left in the third, Foothill went on a 6-0 to turn a 34-32 lead into a eight-point advantage. Oakmont couldn't get closer than seven points after that. Leading 47-39 with five minutes to play, the Falcons used an 11-3 run to put the game away, capitalizing on five Vikings turnovers along the way. The Falcons now will prepare for Thursday's matchup with Central Coast Section champion Archbishop Mitty-San Jose in the state quarterfinals. The furthest Foothill had advanced before this was in 1988, when the Falcons were the North Coast Section runners-up and were eliminated in the first round of the Northern regional. The loss was Oakmont's second straight in the first round of the Northern regional. Last season, the Vikings fell to top seeded El Cerrito 65-45. The Vikings won the Northern regional in 1994 before losing in the state championship to East Bakersfield. Foothill guard E.J. Costello was just 5-for-16 from the field but still managed 13 points. Teammate Jay Chess added 10. Joel Henning led the Vikings with 14 points, and teammate J.C. Katerkamp added 13, with 11 coming in the second half.
Modesto Christian 81 Carmel 52--Modesto Christian defeated Carmel 81-52 in a first-round game in Modesto. Modesto used a a full-court pressure defense and a relentless transition game to take a 37-29 lead at halftime, then tacked on an 18-6 third quarter to clinch it. Modesto Christian forward Chuck Hayes scored 18 points, grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds and had seven assists. The Padres' disciplined attempt at an out-of-character, halfcourt offense and a 2-3 matchup zone defense bought them a 16-16 first quarter. Modesto Christian nodded its respect, then found its stride and ran, jumped and muscled Carmel out of the building, which was filled to bursting at both baselines. The Crusaders went ahead 37-29 at halftime thanks to an aggressive inside offensive push and a strong transition game created off man-to-man, full- court pressure defense. Chuck Hayes powered MC's thrust in the half's final two minutes, scoring on near-identical baseline spin moves for layups from the right side at 1:48, :53 and :10 on three consecutive trips down the floor. Meanwhile, the Padres' frustration went on view as guard Travis Moran sent up a 16-foot air ball from 18 feet out 27 seconds before the halftime horn. Moran's leadership and fluid penetration had struck a hopeful note for the Padres in the first quarter, when he drove the lane for two graceful layups, scored another on a breakaway and tacked on a free throw, and knocked down a 3-pointer from the right side to account for 10 of Carmel's 16 points. In the third quarter, the Crusaders kept up their fullcourt pressure, now featuring a two-man trap following the inbounds pass. There went Carmel's last shred of composure, as MC outscored the Padres 18-6 and coasted home. Gone, too, was the lithe Moran, who banged his shoulder against MC power forward Brad Watkins and hit the floor in a writhing heap. The Crusaders coupled a 50-22 rebounding advantage with four scorers in double figures: Watkins (19), Hayes (18), guard Jeff Porter (15) and forward Marc Pratt (12). Hayes swept the boards for 16 rebounds and had seven assists. Watkins and the mostly airborne Pratt each had 13 rebounds.
St. Mary's 65, Gridley 59--Perhaps too much has been made of homecourt advantage. AfterTuesday night's CIF/Northern California Division IV boys basketball quarterfinal, the tremendous value placed on the privilege of hosting a first-round playoff game can be seriously questioned. Visiting St. Mary's High appeared completely unfazed by both its extended afternoon bus ride and the overflow crowd at Gridley's Farmer's Hall, as the Panthers scored the game's first 11 points and upended No.4 Gridley 65-59. The Panthers now travel to Modesto Christian (31-4) -- the top Division IV team in the state -- for a Thursday semifinal game. Modesto Christian beat Carmel 81-52 Tuesday. St. Mary's dominated the opening five minutes of play with an aggressive zone defense and an effective fast-break offense, but allowed Gridley to claw back and challenge throughout much of the contest. Gridley got a big-time performance from power forward Jason Parker, who scored 31 points, but his efforts were rendered useless by a balanced Panthers attack that saw three players score in double figures. Senior forward Kellen Dixon led St. Mary's with 21 points, while Ebon Glenn and DaShawn Freeman contributed 15 and 12, respectively. Things went downhill quickly for Gridley in the first quarter, as it failed to convert on any of its first nine possessions. It trailed 11-0 before finally scoring with 3:10 left in the quarter. Parker's putback ignited the Gridley crowd and propelled the Bulldogs to a 10-2 quarter-ending run. The Bulldogs evened the score at 27 near the end of the first half, fell behind by three, and then tied it again at 31 when Trenton Tamgani canned a 3-pointer from the right wing just before the close of the half. St. Mary's quickly established a five-point lead at the start of the second, and got too many easy baskets in the final 12 minutes to put an end to any hope of a Gridley comeback. The victory sends St. Mary's (26-6) to Thursday's semifinals against No. 1 seed Modesto Christian (31-4), an 81-52 winner over Carmel (26-7) on Tuesday. To get out of Gridley (70 miles north of Sacramento) with their state title hopes intact, the Panthers had to put together a strong fourth quarter and rely on Kellen Dixon. The senior forward, who has been the Panthers' bread-and-butter player during the playoffs, led St. Mary's with 21 points. The Panthers led 51-46 going to the fourth quarter. Once the period began, each time it appeared the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (23-7) would make a run, the Panthers had an answer. St. Mary's built a nine-point lead on center Victor Venters' putback with just over five minutes to play. But Gridley cut the deficit to 57-51 on a 3-pointer by Eric Noogeveen with four minutes left. Dixon came right back and nailed a jump shot. A minute later, the exact same sequence occurred. The Bulldogs closed the lead to five, but Dixon fired back with a jumper to push the lead to 61-54. Although Gridley center Jason Parker, who led all scorers with 31 points, nailed two 3-pointers in the final minute, the Bulldogs never got within six points. St. Mary's guards Ebon Glenn and DaShawn Freeman had 15 and 12 points, respectively, making up for a tough shooting night in Saturday's 61-52 loss to Tamalpais, when the pair combined for 11 points. St. Mary's 13 18 20 14 - 65 Gridley 10 21 15 19 - 59 St. Mary's-Glenn 15, Freeman 12, Harris 5, Venters 6, Dixon 21, Straus 0, Moore 6, Sharper 0, Parham 0. Gridley-Quiring 2, Hoogeveen 10, Sligar 6, Parker 31, Brown 3, Tamgani 3, Tripp 4, Collins 0.
Palma 74, Colfax 69 (OT)--Palma let a 10-point fourth-quarter lead slip away but recovered in overtime, pulling out a 74-69 victory over visiting Colfax in the first round of the Division IV NorCal playoffs Tuesday night. With the win, the third-seeded Chieftains (25-2) will travel to second-seeded Tamalpais High (30-2) of Mill Valley for a 7 p.m semifinal Thursday. The Chieftains will attempt to get past the semifinal round for the fourth consecutive season. In the past three years, the Chieftains have lost all three games by a total of nine points. Coupled with 23 turnovers, the Chieftains racked up 25 fouls in the game, which they paid for late. Chieftains center Jason Brunson, the game's leading scorer with 17 points, fouled out in overtime, leaving a void that the Falcons exploited in the waning moments. With Brunson out, center Nick Katsuleres, who finished with 16 points, single-handedly kept the Falcons close in overtime. In the overtime, the Chieftains scored the first points on a tip-in by Brunson with 3:48 left. Rowland followed with a three-pointer to give the Chieftains a 67-64 lead with 2:33 left. Dylan Milner of No. 6 Colfax had a putback with six seconds to go in regulation to send the game into overtime. In the extra period, E.J. Rowland and Low Amaral each hit three-pointers as the Chieftains outscored the Falcons 12-7. Jason Brunson and Amaral led Palma with 17 points. Nick Katsuleres had 19 points for Colfax, Keith Lynch and J.P. Greco 15 each. Senior point guard Nate Ray had 13 in his final game for Colfax (25-9).
Tamalpais 66, Oroville 46--The Oroville Tigers exited the NorCal State Playoffs Tuesday night, but made a statement first. The Tigers (18-10), seeded seventh, fell to No. 2 Tamalpais (30-2), 66-46, but were within 12 until the final four minutes of the game. A highlight for the Tigers was Casey Corbaley's slam dunk. It was the first Oroville dunk of the year. The Tigers' Terry Dunn shut down Tamalpais' Michael Tabb, holding the 6-foot-5 standout to just 5 points, 19 below his average. Inside, 6-2 Doug Courtemanche used physical play to contain 6-10 Jair Belbuis to just 6 points. Bryan Defares, a 6'-3" SG, scored 24 points. Everyone in the Redwood High gym could hear Oroville coach Bob Schmautz screaming to his player to take a few steps away from Tamalpais point guard Bryan Defares. Schmautz knew exactly what would happen if one of his Tigers got too close - 6-foot-4 Defares would take a couple long surprisingly quick strides and create havoc as he zoomed down the foul lane. But a defender can only back up so far. At some point he had to take a stand, where Defares predictably burst past to add to his game-high 24 points or to his collection of assists in Tam's 66-46 victory in a Northern California Division IV playoff game. The Red-tailed Hawks, ranked No. 3 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, meet Palma in a NorCal semifinal tentatively set for Redwood High at 7:30 p.m. Palma defeated Colfax 74-69 in overtime. After Defares' first two steps, Schmautz's Tigers were in big trouble. And if they did catch up to Defares or double-team him, it was easy pickings for him to pass to an open teammate. After all, he was eye-to-eye with Oroville's tallest player. The only player on the floor who kept pace with Defares was backcourt mate Marc Wallace, who had 20 points and scored seven of his nine baskets on fastbreaks. It seemed that way in the second half as his speed turned a basketball game into a one-man track meet. For all the accolades due Tam's backcourt, co-coach Michael Evans didn't come close to feeling satisfied afterward. The final outcome never was in doubt as Tam led 18-10 and 32-19 after the first two periods. But that mainly was because Tam's significant height advantage at every position rattled Oroville's shooters to distraction and swallowed up any sloppy passes. In their halfcourt offense, however, the Hawks were as stagnant as a stalled car. Their tall, rangy frontline wasn't moving without the ball, 10 turnovers were committed, 3-pointers were being hoisted up far too often and season-leading scorer Michael Tabb had only one basket on a night he totaled just five points. Except at the beginning of the third and fourth periods. Defares contributed a steal and an assist, and Wallace outraced the Tigers for two fastbreak baskets as Tam broke loose with seven straight points to open the second half. Suddenly the Red-tailed Hawks were up by 20. When Oroville crawled back to 50-34 after three periods, Defares and Wallace burned them again during a decisive 11-3 spurt. Oroville's only lead was 4-0 due to a technical called against Tam for dunking during warmups. Before play had begun, Jermaine Netter sank both technical foul shots, then Oroville was awarded the ball and scored on the game's first possession. Oroville 10 9 15 12 - 46 Tamalpais 18 14 18 19 - 66 Oroville - Barker 2, Waugh 4, Corbaley 5, Plunkett 2, Hastain 2, Dunn 6, Day 0, Saechao 0, Papa 0, Courtemanche 5, Krampitz 0, Netter 7, Smith 13. Tamalpais - Chen 3, Smith 4, Tabb 5, Wallace 22, Defares 24, Scott 2, Belbuis 6.
Calvary Temple 79, Westwood 44--The Warriors blitzed an overmatched Westwood team 79-44 in the first round of the CIF Northern California Division V playoffs at the Warriors' gym. The victory sets up a rematch of last year's NorCal Division V final between Calvary (28-5) and Hoopa Valley (29-3), which defeated Eastside Prep of Palo Alto 69-55 in another first-round game. Calvary, the No. 1 seed, will host the semifinal at 7 p.m. The Warriors have not been challenged in the postseason. In fact, Tuesday's rout was the third time in the postseason Calvary has won a game by 35 or more points. In its five playoff games, Calvary has won by an average of 39 points. Calvary coach Bobby Cole said the idea of moving up next season has been floating in the back of his mind. Westwood coach Phil Bryant, who developed a relationship with Cole in previous summer camps, was thankful the final score wasn't worse. "We know what the score could have been," Bryant said. "Calvary has all the parts -- a good inside game, good shooting and a very good defense. Our only hope was to spread the floor against them and run our offense. But their defense was just too much for us." It was never close. Calvary took advantage of the mismatch by relying on its superior talent and defensive pressure to bury the Lumberjacks (26-3) early. Leong, a 5-foot-11 senior guard, scored eight of his game-high 21 points to ignite the Warriors' decisive 24-11 first-quarter blitz. Jackson, a 6-4 forward, added six of his 17 points, including a breakaway dunk to cap the spree. Westwood opened the game with a fullcourt press before realizing there was no hope of keeping up with Calvary's quickness. The Lumberjacks managed to pull as close as 30-18 on Aaron Smith's 3-pointer, but Calvary's defense cashed in on three straight turnovers, and took off for a 44-23 halftime lead capped by Leong's halfcourt bomb at the buzzer. The rest of the game was left to the reserves as Calvary's bench also looked strong against Westwood's starters. "Our kids were a little intimidated out there," Bryant said. "We can compete in our area where a lot of the athletes there are the same (skill level). But Calvary is the type of team capable of exposing a lot of weaknesses, and they did that tonight. These kids aren't used to seeing a team like that."
Hoopa Valley 69, Palo Alto Eastside Prep 56--Eastside Prep found itself in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, and Hoopa Valley pulled away late to win 69-55 in a first-round game at Palo Alto. Eastside Prep point guard Calvin Brown and power forward Kiazi Malonga each picked up their fourth fouls early in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors were able to stretch a six-point lead into their winning margin. Hoopa Valley was led by Adam Ponikvar's 23 points, 10 of which came in a three-minute stretch in the third quarter when the Warriors took control of the game. Fifth-seeded Hoopa improves to 29-3. The Warriors will advance to the Nor Cal semifinals Thursday against the winner of the game between top seed Calvary Temple, of Modesto, and No. 8 seed Westwood. Eastside broke a 38-38 tie to take a 42-38 advantage in the third quarter. That's when Ponikvar took over. The senior forward stepped out to bury two 3-pointers, scored on a tip-in, then broke away for a transition basket to account for his 10-point outburst that gave Hoopa a 48-42 lead with 1 minute, 34 seconds left in the period. Junior guard Joe Smith had two hoops to finish the Warriors 14-0 run that ended with them on top 50-32. Hoopa trailed 34-32 at halftime, in large part due to NCAA Division I prospect Calvin Brown who had scored 14 points. Smith finished with 22 points. Brown, however, scored on five points in the second half to end with 19. Hoopa used more than just a trapping defense to win in the second half. Coach Inker McCovey left forewards Joe Marshall and Jason Smith, who keyed Hoopa all season, on the bench. In their places he opted for quick guards Willie Lamebear and Robert Jackson. Lamebear finished with 10 points for the Warriors. Jake Gilliam had nine.
Brookside Christian 54, Redding Mercy 52 (OT)-- A dismal performance from the free-throw line did in the Warriors as Mercy fell in overtime. The Warriors (26-2) converted 11-of-24 attempts from the charity stripe. Nate Moffett led Mercy with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Ben Perak added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Brookside of Stockton made eight 3-pointers, including five by Thomas Caveness to overcome a good defensive effort by the Warriors (26-2) at Foothill High School in Palo Cedro. Mercy was 11-of-24 from the free-throw line compared to Brookside's 12-of-25 performance. Caveness made two quick 3-pointers in the extra period to give Brookside a lead it wouldn't give up. A 3-pointer by Mercy's Nate Moffett trimmed the lead to one with 23 seconds left in overtime. Moffett led Mercy with 26 points with seven rebounds while Ben Perak had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Warriors held a 35-28 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Zack Liggins' only 3-pointer of the game capped the comeback by Brookside (22-7). Caveness led Brookside with 21 points. Mercy 9 13 13 7 10 - 54 Brookside 9 9 10 14 12 - 52 Mercy-Chu 0, Maloney 0, Benoit 5, Perak 12, Kinkel 4, Moffett 26, Ehrensuard 0, Bjorkland 4, Wolff 1. Brookside Christ.-Yabro 15, Cavinis 21, Greemillion 4, Wilson 2, Liggins 8, Harring 4.
Branson 61, Valley Christian Dublin 30--For the first eight minutes Tuesday night it appeared as if the first round of the Division V California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional boys game could be an upset in the making. But that wasn't to be as Branson-Ross defeated Valley Christian 60-31. The No. 7 seeded Vikings (17-12) came out strong in the first quarter, scoring the game's first points on a drive to the basket by senior Brett Gadd. But guard Gene Barnes responded immediately for the Bulls by sinking a 3-pointer at the 5:43 mark. Valley Christian continued to play well and took a 4-3 lead after a basket by Ike Graham inside. But that was the last lead of the game for the Vikings. Gadd, the Vikings' leading scorer at 21.7 points per game, was held to 11. Branson (27-1) began to take advantage of a sagging Valley Christian defense and grabbed the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Biko Eisen. The Bulls escaped with a 12-11 lead after the first quarter. Branson kicked its man-to-man pressure up a notch to open the second quarter and held Valley Christian scoreless for the entire period. Two 3-pointers by Eisen, including one at the buzzer, helped the Bulls take a 31-11 lead at intermission. The second half featured more of the same from Branson. Barnes led the way, finishing the third quarter with eight points. The junior guard was too quick for Valley Christian, and he ended the quarter on a drive to the hoop that resulted in a three-point play, building the lead to 47-18. Barnes finished the game with 16 points.
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