With a whirlwind two weeks ahead of us to determine state champions in basketball, we take a quick look at the top first-round games in all divisions, except the Open, which begins on Wednesday in the quarterfinal round.
Division I
(12) Bishop O’Dowd (21-8) @ (5) San Leandro (24-5), 7 p.m.
Considering that each of the first two meetings were decided by just two points on late baskets, an encore is completely deserved. The teams return to the site of Junior Maile’s buzzer-beating layup to settle their series. Keshad Johnson gets tons of attention, but San Leandro has other game-changers as well, including Maile and junior forward Ciri Sawyers.
(13) San Joaquin Memorial (21-10) @ (4) Dublin (25-5), 7 p.m.
Jalen Green against Robby Beasley is enough to draw people to the Gaels’ gym on Tuesday night. Green does the lion’s share of the work for the Panthers, but he’ll need at least some support from the rest of his starting lineup. A strong performance by 6-foot-11 center Braxton Meah would go a long way towards making it a successful trip for the Panthers, but he’ll have to deal with Dublin forward Grant Manning.
(9) Folsom (25-6) @ (8) Riordan (18-8), 7 p.m.
Despite losing in the CCS Open Division Semifinals, the Crusaders are the only team from the field to have a first round game at home. They’ll welcome in a Folsom team led by Tiler Fears, DeShawn Lynch and Jalen Scott. Riordan found success late in the season with smaller lineups, thanks to the strong play of Donte Henderson and Dominic Wilson off the bench. Point guard Bryce Monroe played one of his stronger games in a CCS semifinal defeat to Bellarmine, scoring 27 points.
(11) Bellarmine (20-7) @ (6) Moreau Catholic (24-7), 7 p.m.
Bellarmine’s tremendous defense will be tested in Hayward by a Mariners team that loves to spread the ball out and balance scoring. Between Amil Fields, David Hector, D.J. Johnson, Max Anderson and just about everyone else on the roster, Frank Knight’s team often sees four players in double-figures, if not more.
Division II
(11) St. Ignatius (13-13) @ (6) St. Joseph Notre Dame (19-7), 7 p.m.
Two defense-first teams will battle in Alameda, with SJND looking to slow the Wildcat duo of Neal Begovich and Wrenn Robinson. The on-court matchup is an interesting one, especially considering how up-and-down St. Ignatius has been, but the real story is the coaching matchup between Don Lippi and one of his former players, SI head coach Rob Marcaletti.
(9) Serra (17-9) @ (8) St. Patrick-St. Vincent (20-11), 7 p.m.
Entering the state tournament on a season-long four-game losing streak, it’s officially now or never for the Padres. Serra has gotten strong play from Parker McDonald and Cade Rees all year, but what really decides how far the Padres can go is their secondary scoring. Rees and McDonald are usually each good for 15-20, but the supporting cast needs to lend a helping hand. The same could be said for the Bruins, who have a strong top three in Dishon Jackson, Akil Edwards and Jalen Scott. Jackson did not play in last Wednesday’s NCS Semifinal loss to Campolindo.
Division III
(11) Mountain View (23-4) @ (6) Central Catholic (23-9), 7 p.m.
Length will certainly be a factor on the court for both teams, with Mountain View star forward Sam Tobin and athletic guard Jailen Daniel-Dalton at the forefront against Myles Clayton, a 6-foot-6 sophomore. MV’s 7-1 center, Will Dominguez, played one of his more dominant games in Saturday’s CCS Division II Championship win over Leland, scoring 12 points and taking away the lane on defense.
(9) Manteca (21-10) vs. (8) Monterey (22-4), 7 p.m. at CSU Monterey Bay
Monterey allowed just 31 points in Saturday’s CCS Division III Championship victory over Aptos, jumping out to a 16-3 lead and never looking back. The Toreadores have four tremendous offensive weapons in twins Mohammed and Mohanid Adam, Evans Charles and Tahjae Ordonio, while the Buffaloes have their own twins, Domonick and Isaiah Victor. They’re two of Manteca’s three double-digit scorers, along with Jorge Cedano (14.0 ppg).
(13) Leland (24-3) vs. (4) Stuart Hall (27-5), 6:30 p.m. at Kezar Pavilion
Both the Chargers and Knights will be looking to redeem themselves after disappointing performances in section championship games. After being held to just four points on Saturday, Leland star Sohan Kshirsagar is expected to play an inspired game against a Stuart Hall team that can counter him with all sorts of excellent defenders, including Miles Amos, Nigel Burris and Spencer O’Brien-Steele. Guards Alex Byrd and Tomas Wolber can also lock down opposing scorers.
(14) Piedmont Hills (22-5) vs. (3) University (23-9), 8 p.m. at Kezar Pavilion
The last game of the Kezar tripleheader features a Piedmont Hills team that has been stuck in low-scoring, grind-it-out games lately and a Red Devils squad that comes into the state tournament on fire. They have the exact same seed as last year, when they beat a 14th-seeded Patterson team in triple overtime and needed OT to top Foothill-Palo Cedro before bowing out against eventual champion Pleasant Valley.
Division IV
(9) West Campus (23-7) vs. (8) Mission (21-9), 5 p.m. at Kezar Pavilion
With Mission’s run-and-gun style against a Warriors team averaging 70.1 points per game, the scoreboard at Kezar should light up tonight. Junior point guard Quincy Taylor averages over 17 a night for West Campus, while Ben Knight averages 19.5 for the Bears and has put up four games of 36 or more on the year.
(10) Cupertino (16-10) @ (7) Oakland Tech (22-9), 7:30 p.m.
While Oakland Tech guard Jacob Harris can light it up, Cupertino will be looking to slow the Bulldogs down. The Pioneers did a great job of that on Thursday before ultimately falling to Piedmont Hills, using only their five starters for all 32 minutes.
Division V
(10) Paradise (21-8) @ (7) Argonaut (20-11), 7 p.m.
Considering the devastation the Paradise community suffered a few months ago, which forced the school’s football team to exit the playoffs, there’ll be even more support for the Bobcats than usual as they try to embark on a Cinderella story. They travel to Jackson to face the reigning Division V champs, with Joe Lawrie and Lleyton Rice looking to lead the way for the visitors.
(11) Durham (19-10) @ (6) Lincoln (21-10), 7 p.m.
Freshman point guard Jordan Aquino will get his first taste of the state tournament against a Trojans team that has a winning record on the season despite being outscored on the year. Durham averages 51 points per game while allowing just over 54.3. The Trojans were on a nine-game winning streak before Friday’s loss to Mt. Shasta in the Northern Section Division 5 Championship, and their most recent loss before that was to Williams in double OT.
