St. Ignatius recovers in time to win regional opener
It's that time of year: Every game now brings the possibility of it being the last for any high school senior fortunate enough to reach the CIF basketball playoffs.
That is what was on the mind of St. Ignatius senior Rory Kenneally entering overtime, after the No. 3 Wildcats had allowed 14thseeded Clayton Valley Charter to charge all the way back from an 11-point second-half deficit in their home gym. With a 43-37 overtime win on Tuesday, St. Ignatius escaped and advanced to the second round, where it will host No. 6 Lincoln-Stockton on Thursday.
“I've just been playing for all these guys for like 10 years now,” Kenneally said. “I didn't want that to be our last one together.”
St. Ignatius opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers by their starting backcourt, senior Ryan Conroy followed by senior Giancarlo Toledo, to open its widest lead of the game, 2514, just moments after intermission. Toledo finished with 13 points on three 3-pointers to lead St. Ignatius, including a pair of free throws in overtime, while Conroy added six.
In the slow-trodding game, the 11-point chasm looked massive.
But St. Ignatius' offense dried up, and Clayton Valley began clawing away.
The seniors on the other side had something to play for, too.
A 3-pointer from senior guard Anthony Karmann with 4:30 to play gave Clayton Valley its first lead, 29-27, since early in the first quarter, capping a 15-2 run to flip the game in the Ugly Eagles' favor. James Moore, his senior backcourt mate, gave them a 35-33 advantage with 51 seconds left in regulation after swiping a pass and running the length of the floor for the go-ahead layup.
Senior Jeremiah Dargan, Clayton Valley's 6-5 leading scorer, was unstoppable at times and finished with a game-high 14 points. But he didn't score in the overtime period — Clayton managed only one basket in OT — meaning the Ugly Eagles' surprise season is over. They claimed the first NCS Division 1 title in school history last weekend.
UPSET WIN AT THE CAPITAL CITY
Granada (17-8), the 10th seed in the CIF Division I Northern Regional tournament, traveled to No. 7 GrantSacramento on Tuesday and won 59-51, handing the Pacers only their fourth loss in 29 games. The Matadors, who scored the final eight points of the game, trailed 26-22 at halftime and stayed close in the second half. Granada's Kam Johnson broke a 51-51 tie with a two-point floater with 1:33 remaining. Andrew McKeever scored on a layup with 39 seconds left to extend the Mats' lead, and the 6-foot11 junior also produced the final two points of the game with free throws. Granada will travel again to face No. 2 Inderkum-Sacramento on Thursday at 6 p.m.
LYNBROOK BOYS CONTINUE OUTSTANDING POSTSEASON
The host Vikings (21-7) edged Burbank-Sacramento 73-70 in a Division III boys first-round game. Lynbrook, the No. 7 seed, took the lead for good with a three-pointer for a 66-64 advantage in the fourth quarter. On Saturday, the Vikings won the first Central Coast Section boys basketball title in its school's 57year history, a 70-64 victory over Christopher.
Girls basketball FRESHMAN CLUTCH AGAIN FOR LOS GATOS
With eight seconds left against No. 13 Lick-Wilmerding, Los Gatos' Nicole Steiner stole an inbounds pass and converted a layup for the winning points in a 52-51 comeback victory for the No. 4 Wildcats (25-3) in this Division II first-round game. Steiner, a freshman, finished with a game-high 23 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. In the CCS Division I championship game on Saturday, Steiner produced a game-high 18 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds in a 53-26 win over Homestead.
Belle Bramer added 15 points for host Los Gatos against Lick-Wilmerding. The Wildcats suffered a big loss when starter Casey Brennan broke her collarbone two minutes into the game, Los Gatos coach Sara Quilici Giles said. “The girls played so hard and wanted to do it for Casey!” the coach wrote in a text to the Bay Area News Group.
Lick-Wilmerding (21-7), which led 45-35 entering the fourth quarter and 27-23 at halftime, was paced in scoring by Dominique Cabading (22 points).
Los Gatos will host No. 5 San Joaquin MemorialFresno Thursday at 6 p.m.
BIG FOURTH QUARTER IGNITES ST. IGNATIUS
Facing down the possibility of being upended in the opening round of the NorCal Division I regionals, the third-seeded St. Ignatius girls team turned it up a notch in the final quarter to advance over No. 13 Marin Catholic, 60-48. With the post presence of Claire Untalan (15 points) and clutch shots by Brigette Mahoney (17 points), the Wildcats outscored MC 30-17 in the fourth quarter, matching their scoring total from the previous three periods. With the win, St. Ignatius (19-8) advances to the second round, where on Thursday it will play No. 6 Vanden (26-3).