KENTFIELD, Calif. – Since 1988 University-San Francisco has won four Division 5 CIF North Coast Section championships, one in the tenure of current 16-year head coach Randal Bessolo, but this year with the NCS point system the Red Devils were moved up to Division 4.
Now, after an impressive 80-67 Division 4 title-game victory in front of a packed house on the road at top-seeded Marin Catholic on Saturday, and in a game in which the No. 3 seeded Red Devils never trailed, University (25-7) has captured a fifth NCS championship and second for Bessolo.
“It’s the first in D4 and any time you do something for the first time its special,” said Bessolo.
The bottom line in this game was the host Wildcats had no answer for Joey Kennedy. The highly-regarded 6-6 junior power forward, who was playing in his ninth game since coming back from a knee injury, finished with a double-double 26 points (two three-pointers and 12 rebounds with six blocks and four steals. Not surprisingly, the Red Devils have not lost since his return.
Kennedy showed his prowess right from the start. He scored the game’s first five points on a basket and a three-pointer and University was off to the races.
University led 18-13 after one quarter and 37-29 at halftime. The visitors took their biggest lead at 51-33 late in the third quarter, but Marin Catholic closed the third on a 10-0 run to get the closest they had been since 22-15 in the early second quarter.
From there however, the Red Devils opened the final period on an 8-2 run and after that the closest the host Wildcats would get would be 11 points on two occasion’s midway in the fourth quarter.
“This is something we’ve been working for the whole season,” Kennedy said.
“I’d say this season has had the most adversity, off the court and on the court with me and other players,” Kennedy continued. “To get this win is everything.”
Not only was Kennedy out with what was originally thought to be a serious knee injury that turned out to be non season ending, but several players at various times were out with COVID.
Another player that played a big role in the victory was Grant Lyon. The senior guard had all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter and two of his five assists in the final stanza. Lyon was also charged with guarding Marin Catholic standout Kyle Winters.
Two other Red Devils were in double-figure scoring with 12 points apiece, sophomore Cole Boake and junior Roman Leraris.
“This is new for us. We’re a Division 5 team,” Lyon said. “This is our first D4 banner and it feels great. We’ve been working hard for this.”
Winters, who is being looked at by some smaller colleges, did everything he could and finished with a game-high 26 points with six rebounds. Winters hit two of his three three-pointers and had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, but it just wasn’t enough.
The only other Marin Catholic player in double-figure scoring was Noah Deitch with 12 points, but the 6-6 senior center only had two rebounds. Senior football star Charlie Allen came off the bench to lead the Wildcats in rebounds with seven, but University won the battle of the glass with a 34-27 rebounding advantage.
“We’ve been filling it up since I came back,” said Kennedy when asked if he thought the team had some momentum. “We’re gunning and ready.”
University may be ready and rolling but in what seemed like the norm for the state CIF Regional playoffs, the Red Devils were given the No. 10 seed in Division II and are on the road at a St. Francis team coming off three straight losses.
Meanwhile Marin Catholic (22-9) was awarded the No. 4 seed in Division III and in a strange twist they get a home game on Tuesday against Christopher-Gilroy.
“We may have done ourselves a disservice by winning tonight,” said Bessolo with a sheepish grin. “But we don’t care, we enjoy the moment. One of our mottos is ‘we don’t care’ if we’re on the road we don’t care, we don’t care what division we’re in. Whoever we play has got to play us and we’ll be ready.”
