Vallejo High boys basketball fall at home
Redhawks only trailed by two points at halftime
Redhawks trailed by just two at the half, but can’t pull off upset. St. Pat’s boys win big at home.
Although Vallejo High was the No. 16 seed in the North Coast Section Division II playoffs, the Redhawks had visions of pulling off an upset when they trailed No. 1 San Ramon Valley by just two points at the half at Bottari Gym.
However, the top-seeded Wolves went into the locker room at the intermission and then decided to pump the brakes on all the Cinderella-themed talk.
In the second half San Ramon slowed the game down to the pace of a DMV line, and used its physicality and strength while taking away Vallejo’s fastbreak offense. The Wolves did all of this to the tune of a 61-46 first round win on Tuesday evening.
The loss for the Redhawks (1613) ended their season that saw them go 9-3 in the Tri-County Athletic League while also win
ning their league tournament, which gave them a first-round home game in the NCS postseason.
“What (San Ramon) did was they picked up the defensive pressure very well in the second half,” firstyear Vallejo head coach Andrew Johansen said. “They made an adjustment by doubling off the pick and roll and we had seen a lot of success from the pick and roll from the top. They made that adjustment and we just couldn’t get back on track with just four points in the third quarter.”
The loss meant the end of a stellar senior year for Tri-County Athletic League Stone Division co-MVP Deven Johnson, who scored 24 points in the loss. Johnson had 16 points in the second quarter, but the Wolves adjusted well to him in the second half.
“What they did in the second half is they double teamed me so it was kind of hard to pass the ball or drive past them,” Johnson said. “So they switched the game plan. It’s not like we weren’t ready for it, but it did seem to catch us off guard. It’s a playoff game and a lot of the players on this team have never been
in a playoff game before … Plus they took away all our fast break options by always getting back (on defense). So we couldn’t really run the fast break like we usually do. They knew what to do against us.”
At the start of the first quarter the Wolves (19-8) busted out to a 10-2 lead thanks to great defense and two layups from Brady Bowman, a post move by Tyler Isaak and another layup by Isaak off a steal. Vallejo got to within 12-10 after a 3-pointer from senior Jeremiah King, but San Ramon closed out the quarter on a 4-0 run thanks to a 3-pointer from Isaak.
Isaak had eight points in the first quarter and finished with a team-high 22 points.
In the second quarter Vallejo caught fire as Johnson opened the period with a jumper and moments later he hit a 3-pointer to cut it 16-15. Johnson surged the Redhawks even more a few moments later, converting on a three-point play and then nailing backto-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 26-all.
“I mean he did what’s he’s been doing all year. That’s what he does,” Johansen said about Johnson. “You give him space, put him in the right spot and he’s an amazingly fast
athlete. I haven’t seen a guy be able to stay in front of him all year.”
Johnson said his big second quarter was due to that good game plan.
“We knew that if they switched their biggest player on to me, I was just going to attack them oneon-one,” Johnson said.
Just when Vallejo seemed to have the momentum, San Ramon took it right back. The Wolves went on an 11-2 run to end the period, sparked by seven more points from Isaak.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s brother Daylan, known for his strong rebounding skills and hustle, had to sit out for a good portion of the third and fourth quarters due to foul trouble. The Redhawks were also missing star player Jaquan Edwards, who sat out due to a broken leg suffered last week against Pinole.
“The fact we were down only two at the half despite his foul trouble says a lot because he barely played,” Johansen said about Daylan Johnson. “It was only a matter of time when you don’t have the heart and soul of this team like Daylan is, that it’s gonna catch up to you.”
San Ramon took advantage of its height and muscle even more in the fourth, especially Pat Deely, who
hit a jumper and then a layup to make it 50-34. A 7-0 run by the Wolves later in the period helped put the game away at 60-40. Isaak hit a long-range 3-pointer and also had a tip-in after a steal during the spurt. From that point on, San Ramon milked the clock for the win.
“We were very prepared for this game against a very quality opponent. and we knew it was going to be a big challenge,” Johansen said. “But we were prepared for that and gave them a good game. And that’s part of the experience of getting over the hump. You have to be able to compete with these good teams to show that yes, you are for real.”
Johansen said he expects to keep moving forward in 2020-21.
“It’s only the beginning,” the Redhawks head coach said. “The guys on the way out, they get to know they laid the foundation. Meanwhile, all the young guys coming back, we’re going to keep building. That’s what this year was about, laying down the foundation. We expect to be competitive again because we put in the work and we don’t take any short cuts.”