In Division I, Pittsburg upset Logan and Berkeley earned another trip to the title game. Divisions II and III saw heavy favorites Carondelet and Dublin, and Miramonte and Bishop O’Dowd, respectively, punch their tickets to a championship appearance. In Division IV, St. Mary’s had little trouble putting away Piedmont but Salesian needed a last-second basket to squeak by Cardinal Newman. And Division V will see Valley Christian take on St. Joseph Notre Dame.
Here’s a look behind at the semifinal and a look ahead at the final match in each division.
DIVISION I
Friday at St. Mary’s College, 6:00
No. 2 Berkeley (20-9) vs. No. 4 Pittsburg (23-5)
Pittsburg defeated No. 13 Foothill, No. 5 Mission San Jose, and No. 1 James Logan, 54-49. Seuvahnia Kuka scored 29 points, Adorah Buggs added 14, and the Pirates went on a key 15-2 run to close out the third quarter, as Tony Gonsalez reports.
Berkeley defeated No. 15 American, No. 7 Castro Valley, and No. 3 Clayton Valley Charter, 61-42. Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Xinavane Forman added 18, and the Yellowjackets limited the Ugly Eagles to 16 second-half points, as Justin Lafferty notes.
The Final: Pittsburg’s last NCS title came in 1977; Berkeley has earned a trip to the title game in five of the last six years alone. The Yellowjackets have the more experienced coaching staff and big-time point guard Welch-Coleman. Pittsburg finds different players to contribute but the largest burden to score will be on Kuka. Each team beat Castro Valley—Berkeley did so twice, by 24 and by eight; Pittsburg did so by 17. Each team had close contests against Deer Valley. The Yellowjackets won by three, the Pirates split with a one-point loss and a seven-point win. If the Pirates has one more inspired performance in them and can keep key players out of foul trouble (they were already down two players due to injury in the semifinal), we could see an upset and the end of a nearly-40 year drought. Prediction: Berkeley by six.
DIVISION II
[boldNo. 1 Carondelet (27-2) vs. No. 2 Dublin (25-3)
Saturday at St. Mary’s College, 6:00
Carondelet defeated No. 16 Concord, No. 8 Ukiah, and No. 13 Novato, 75-25.
Dublin defeated No. 15 Analy, No. 7 Montgomery, and No. 3 Windsor, 60-30. Milan Moses was one of four Gaels in double figures, with 17.
The Final: Despite only being a seed apart, Dublin will need a huge performance to stop the red-hot Cougars. Moses has the capability to light it up, while Carondelet regularly receives a balanced attack from a stable of proven starters. Carondelet is on par with Miramonte, which beat the Gaels by 16 in one game and 37 in another. The only common opponent is Foothill, and one result—a Carondelet victory by 11—gives Dublin some hope considering the Gaels’ six-point victory. But the other Cougar win was 51. That’s an average of 31, well more than Dublin’s six. Expect an entertaining, but not necessarily a close, contest. Prediction: Carondelet by 18.
DIVISION III
Saturday at St. Mary’s College, 2:00
No. 1 Miramonte (27-2) vs. No. 2 Bishop O’Dowd (21-8)
Miramonte defeated No. 16 Del Norte, No. 8 Campolindo, and No. 4 Moreau Catholic, 80-33. Sabrina Ionescu had 14 points and six assists, and Jordyn Bryant tallied 10 points and 12 boards.
Bishop O’Dowd defeated No. 15 Albany, No. 7 Hercules, and No. 3 Acalanes, 74-35. Salihah Bey scored 18 points and Myah Pace added 14 points and seven assists.
The Final: Most of O’Dowd’s losses came in December against mighty opponents. Breaking down the common opponents, it’s clear these two teams were not only destined to be finalists but are probably going to be engaged in a very close match. The good news for Mats fans is that in every case the margins favor their team: versus Berkeley, 24.5 in two games against 20 in two games; versus Bishop Manogue 34 against 32; versus Santa Rosa 45 against 37; and versus Acalanes 45 in two games against 39 in one game. The Dragons almost certainly must limit Ionescu to get a “W,” but the wild card may be Asha Thomas, who is a sparkplug but returned to the court only a few games ago after a big knee injury. Prediction: Miramonte by three.
DIVISION IV
No. 1 Saint Mary’s (23-7) vs. No. 2 Salesian (27-3)
Saturday at Albany High School, 7:00
Saint Mary’s defeated No. 8 Marin Catholic and No. 4 Piedmont, 81-50. Kennedi Villa scored 17 points, and Ma’Ane Mosley and Keana Thompson had 14 apiece. The Highlanders got as close as eight in the third quarter before a Panther run put the game away, as Stephanie Hammon reports.
Salesian defeated No. 7 Lick-Wilmerding and No. 3 Cardinal Newman, 57-55. Jordan Hobson’s put back with 1.6 seconds to go gave the Pride the victory, Howard Senzell notes. Kian McNair scored a team-high 18 points.
The Final: This is the teams’ third straight meeting in the NCS championship game. (Saint Mary’s won last year’s, 65-57, though the Pride defeated the Panthers in NorCals). In head-to-head this year, Salesian won at Contra Costa College, 57-54; Saint Mary’s won 53-42 at Albany High School; and Saint Mary’s captured the TCAL-Rock final at El Cerrito High School, 62-59. The common TCAL opponents is a wash, and Salesian did not fare as well against Piedmont (a four-point win). It will just come down to who plays the slightly better game, and it will be a pleasure to watch the chess match between coaches Nate Fripp and Stephen Pezzola. Prediction: After seeing these teams battle it out multiple times over the past four seasons, I can’t call it.
DIVISION V
No. 1 Valley Christian (27-4) vs. No. 3 St. Joseph Notre Dame (20-11)
Valley Christian defeated No. 16 St. Vincent de Paul, No.8 Redwood Christian, and No. 5 San Domenico, 56-29. Alyssa Lorenzo had 17 points.
St. Joseph Notre Dame defeated No. 15 Hoopa Valley, No. 6 Bay School of S.F., and No. 2 University, 50-37. Alyssa Gable scored 16 points.
The Final: Back on January 24, Valley Christian defeated the Pilots on their home floor, 60-53. Nina Bessolo had 22 points and 11 rebounds in that game for the Vikings, while Gable poured in 19. Common opponents also favor Valley Christian, 6-0 versus 4-2. Both Pilots losses came to University, which the Vikings defeated by 30. But the other opponents were blow out wins in all cases. Valley Christian has the edge, but an upset is not out of the question. Prediction: Valley Christian by 11.
