SAN RAMON – Dougherty Valley came alive in the second half, sending Heritage packing in an NCS Division I first round playoff game, 74-50.
Justin Masilang scored 21 points with four three-pointers and Aidan Sevilla added 19 points with five three-pointers for seven-seed Dougherty Valley (19-8), while Ezra Manjon paced 10-seed Heritage (18-9) with 22 points. With the win, the Wildcats move on to the quarterfinals to face second-seeded Dublin, which dusted off Arroyo 88-60 a few miles south.
The first quarter saw six lead changes, with neither team taking more than a three-point advantage. Heritage scored the first seven points of the second and had a seven-point lead on three different occasions in the latter half of the period; but a Masilang triple from the corner following a couple of free throws after a technical foul shaved the lead to two to end the half.
In the final three-and-a-half minutes of the third, Masilang and Sevilla combined for three treys, and terrific ball movement by the Wildcats spurred a 13-6 run. Masilang’s last three on the night opened the fourth, and Dougherty Valley maintained a double-digit lead thereafter. The Wildcats had 13 assists on 16 baskets in the second half, versus three on eight in the first.
“We rebounded the heck out it, we didn’t give them second and third shots,” Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen remarked. “So that kept us in it in the first half. And then we got back here and figured it out together. When we share it, we’re pretty tough to guard. I think that’s we did really well in the second half.”
“We had a tough stretch there in the third quarter where the ball stopped going in the hole,” Heritage coach Carly Perales stated. “A couple of three’s from them kind of opened it from a close game to eight or ten…so that’s kind of when the tide turned.”
David Wong tallied 11 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists for Dougherty Valley, and Donovan Sevilla chipped in 12. Charles Stanford added 11 points for the Patriots. Manjon was a steady presence for Heritage, scoring at least five points in every period.
For the Patriots, it marked the end of a transition year. First-year coach Perales took over the reins of a defending Division I NCS champ from long-time coach Pat Cruickshank.
“I just told them how proud I was of everything they did this year in terms of how much work and time and effort they put into this season,” Perales said. “And being a new coach coming in with a new system, how they were willing to buy into that.”
Perales also praised UC Davis-bound Manjon. He recalled opening the gym on Saturdays for the point guard who has been instrumental in Heritage’s successes in the last two years.
“He’s the total package as far as athletic ability, basketball IQ, and then the work ethic to propel himself and really hone his game.”
Dougherty Valley lost to Dublin at home just one week ago, 73-58. Against common opponents, the Gaels are 10-2 and the Wildcats are 10-5. Dublin defeated Heritage by a similar score in a December game.
