Battle-tested Riordan cruises in section quarterfinal

Playing in the West Catholic Athletic League can be brutal, but come playoff time, playing against that high level of competition becomes beneficial for the league’s teams.

First-year Riordan coach Joe Curtin witnessed the benefits Saturday in a 69-33 Central Coast Section Division 3 quarterfinal win over Hillsdale-San Mateo at St. Ignatius.

The second-seeded Crusaders (14-11) came in refreshed, confident and extra energetic, especially on the defensive end.

Hillsdale (16-10), the seventh seed, didn’t score more than nine in any quarter. Following an 18-5 Riordan run in the second, this one was over.

David Sonnier came off the bench to lead Riordan with 12 points. Jelani Clark added 10.

The Crusaders advance to semifinal play Tuesday against third-seeded Mills-Millbrae (21-6), a 44-34 winner over Soquel (15-12).

“We’re ready,” Curtin said. “We’re prepared. Time away from the WCAL really helped get our legs underneath us and our minds right.”

Riordan went 4-10 in league, but didn’t play poorly. The Crusaders lost a buzzer-beater to league champ Bellarmine, lost by five to Serra and by six to Mitty and Sacred Heart Cathedral, all on the road.

“Those losses drain a team,” Curtin said. “You question yourselves.”

On top of that, they lost the team’s top long-range shooter ( Justice Turner, broken leg) and tallest player (6-foot-6 Gage Cross, broken arm) at midseason.

That was at the same time they gained 6-3 guard Watidaishe Mukukula, a transfer, and Chimae Ugbaja, who returned from injury.

“It took a while to jell,” Curtin said. “We struggled, but then had a couple big wins.”

Then top scorer James Chun broke his nose and Clark hurt his wrist. Riordan ended WCAL play on a three-game skid. Saturday, the Crusaders looked and felt like a new team.

If all goes according to plan, they will face top-seeded Sacred Heart Cathedral in the final. Curtin said he was surprised the Irish got the No. 1 nod over the Crusaders. The teams split two meetings and each was 13-11 in the regular season.

“I thought we played a little tougher nonleague season,” he said. “But really it doesn’t matter as long as we’re (Nos.) 1 and 2. We got Mills first and they’ve won 21 games. We’ll be ready.”

Colby Vasquez had 19 points for Mills in its win. The Vikings allowed a bucket in a 5:42 span of the fourth quarter after the game was tied at 30. Andrew Schumacher had 19 points for Soquel.

Sacred Heart Cathedral 79, Saratoga 60: At St. Ignatius, sophomore Bryce Monroe scored 29 points, E.J. Neal added 16, Amin Oglesby had 11 and Elijah Flowers had 10 for the Irish (14-11), who took a 25-15 lead after one quarter and never relinquished it. Monroe made 11 of 18 shots, including two three-pointers. He added four assists. Neal Ayenger had 15 points and 14 rebounds for eighth-seeded Saratoga (15-11), which also got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Will Turpin. The Irish will play fourthseeded Monterey (18-7), a 68-44 winner over Soledad (14-13), in Wednesday’s semifinal at St. Ignatius.

NORTH COAST SECTION

Division 4: Former Riordan coach Rich Buckner, back in San Francisco, led sixth-seeded St. Mary’s-Berkeley (16-13) to a 62-50 quarterfinal win over third-seeded Stuart Hall (19-11) at Kezar Pavilion. Darius Jackson had 22 points, Jason Roche 20 and Caleb Dawson 13 for St. Mary’s, which used a 24-13 run in the third quarter to take control. Miles Amos had 26 points for Stuart Hall. … Fifth-seeded LickWilmerding (23-6) fell behind 9-0 but got 17 points from Allen Wilson, including two big three-pointers down the stretch, to win 52-46 at fourthseeded Piedmont. Dylan Moser, Luca Cavan and Walter Lum combined for 24 points for the winners, who now get top-seeded St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda, a 74-61 winner over Fortuna. Luke Barrett had 15 points for Piedmont (19-9) . ... Second-seeded St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo won 51-30 over Healdsburg . ...

Division 5: Julian Manyika had 20 points, Charley Moore 18, Max Fried 11 and Spencer Spivy 10 as top-seeded University (28-2) defeated ninthseeded Head-Royce of Oakland 77-45 at Kezar Pavilion. University will play Redwood Christian-San Lorenzo (21-8), a 45-41 winner over San Domenico (20-9). … Second-seeded Branson-Ross (27-3) defeated 10thseeded Bentley-Lafayette 60-30 at College of Marin and will play Urban (15-14), a 60-38 winner over St. Bernard’s (13-10).