Williams' 27 points lifts Wildcats boys basketball to upset of Giants

The combo of Charles Williams and Joe Hammond took the lead for Marin Catholic during Saturday's 67-64 thrilling victory over visiting Redwood.

“I'm proud of our kids for bouncing back after a sub par performance Friday night,” Marin Catholic head coach Mike Saia said. “We played as a team “

Both teams were coming off losses Friday night in the MCAL opening night, as Marin Catholic lost to Archie Williams and Redwood fell to Branson. The Wildcats set a solid pace early on Saturday, with the Giants challenging for the lead throughout, as a bounce of the ball, a rebound, or a basket could have tipped the balance either way in the final minutes. Redwood tried to set up for one final shot as the clock ticked down, but Marin Catholic grabbed the ball as time expired.

Williams scored from everywhere on the court for 27 points, to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Hammond ran the team, contributing eight points, five rebounds and three steals for the Wildcats, who earned their first league win of the season. Jake Ryan added 13 points.

Jake Vasquez led Redwood with 18 points, followed by BJ Fisher with 12 and Bjorn Ryning with 10.

• Archie Williams used a flurry from 3-point range to build an early lead en route to a 68-47 win against Marin Catholic on Friday night. Owen Bugas paced the Peregrine Falcons (87, 1-0) with 23 points, adding eight rebounds, four 3-pointers, and three assists. Grady Stewart also

made four 3-pointers as part of a 22-point, five-assist performance. Brian Wright had seven points and 10 rebounds. MC (5-11, 0-1) was led by Jake Ryan's 16 points.

• Travis Flick's 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds on the clock sealed Novato's 5755 win against San Rafael on Saturday. Flick finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, while Josh DeVore added 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Andrew Halsing tipped in 12 points for Novato (8-8, 1-0). San Rafael's Gio Brovelli scored a game-high 32 points.

Flick scored a team-high 20 points as Novato used a fourth-quarter rally to move past Terra Linda 5956 on Friday night. The Hornets trailed 47-39 heading into the final frame but closed the game on a 20-9 run. DeVore had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Hornets. Dominic Scafani had six points, eight rebounds, four steals, and was key to Novato's comeback according to coach David Blair.

• Four Tam players scored in double figures as the Red-tailed Hawks started hot early and held on for a 74-65 victory over San Marin on Friday night. Tam led by 10 at halftime, but the Mustangs rallied to cut the gap to just three points, 53-50, by the end of the third quarter. Nabhi Abbushi and Logan Raven led Tam (8-4, 1-0) with 18 points each, followed by Auvin Cole's 16 and Jase Peterson's 11. Nick Cubley paced San Marin (9-8, 0-1) with 22 points and Grant Meens scored 16 points.

• Previously undefeated St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma lost to Ukiah, 4437, in Friday's North Bay League opener. The Mustangs (16-1) led 17-15 at halftime before Ukiah (12-5) surged ahead in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats, ranked 11th among North Coast Section Division 2 teams, earlier defeated Archie Williams, but lost a close game to Tamalpais.

Girls basketball

Archie Williams led wire to wire in Saturday's 61-50 victory over host Alhambra at the Alhambra New Years Shootout. Gia DeBok earned player of the game honors with a 22-point effort. Allegra di Carpegna added 14 points, while Lila Peterson scored 11 from outside. The Peregrine Falcons are set to host Branson on Tuesday.

• Marin Catholic hurried to a 65-28 victory over Archie Williams in Friday night's MCAL opener. The Peregrine Falcons answered the attack from the defending champion Wildcats with six points each from DeBok and Peterson, as well as freshman Reese Patton.

• Abby Bartholo hit a clutch 3-pointer in the second overtime as the San Marin High girls basketball team came all the way back for a 57-54 victory against Tam in the MCAL opener for both teams on Friday night. The Mustangs (114, 1-0 MCAL) trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half. Emma Rogers scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Mustangs. Bartholo and Quincy Dean both scored 12 points. Dean also had 11 rebounds.

• San Marin defeated Ygnacio Valley, 53-44, in Saturday's Alhambra New Years Shootout. The Mustangs (12-4) are scheduled to face MCAL rival Marin Catholic on Tuesday.

• Summit Shasta handed the Branson School a 53-41 non-league loss Saturday.

• Justin-Siena controlled the game from the outset in Saturday's 58-27 non-league win over Terra Linda. The Trojans return to MCAL action Tuesday against Tam.

Prep wrestling

Archie Williams senior John McKenzie (19-4) stood on top of the podium after he pinned San Marin senior Akio Suzuki (17-6) in the 152 pound final at the Contest of Champions on Saturday.

San Marin's Jordan Gardner (177) took second place, Jordan Christensen (192) finished fifth and Zack Brownstone (159) placed sixth at their weights. The Peregrine Falcons' Nello Marcucci (287) took sixth place.

Redwood junior Alexander Berkowitz placed second after losing a 10-5 decision to Sutter's Keenan Parkhurst in the 141-pound final at the Joe Rios Invitational on Saturday.

Redwood senior 147-pounder Luana `Stathopoulos placed third at the 24th annual Napa Valley Girls Classic on Saturday. Stathopoulos (18-2) earned a 6-0 decision over junior Audrey Segura (244) of Redwood-Visalia.