Turns out the revamped round-robin format for the Central Coast Section Open Division basketball playoffs only elongated the wait for de-facto semifinals.
The top-four seeds in both the boys and girls brackets took care of business Monday night, though one team got more than it bargained for.
Here’s a look at an eventful night in the Bay Area:
SACRED HEART PREP SURVIVES SCARE
The only boys’ basketball team in the Open Division not from the West Catholic Athletic League looked in dire straits near the end of a disastrous first quarter as second-seeded SHP, playing at home in Atherton, trailed 25-6 against upset-minded St. Francis, the No. 6 seed.
Gators coach Tony Martinelli could feel the grey hairs growing by the minute before his team stormed back to win 69-55.
“They were sprouting up a little quicker than normal,” Martinelli said with a laugh. “I don’t know, with this team you know the offensive firepower is there, so as long as it didn’t get too far out of hand and it was early enough in the game you felt like if we could tighten things up defensively we could get back in the game.”
Trailing 41-27 at the half, SHP went on a 22-5 run in the third quarter and never looked back.
Belmont University-bound Aidan Braccia led the team with 17 points, and fellow senior Emmer Nichols added 16 points.
Kevin Carney pitched in 10 points for the Gators (23-3), and Jake York sank a trio of 3-pointers off the bench in front of a packed crowd.
“Just the level of school spirit over the last year has really just shown us what COVID did to everybody,” Martinelli said. “Everyone is just so excited to be out and just watching anything at times.”
Wednesday’s semifinal in Atherton will be a rematch of SHP’s 57-47 victory over Archbishop Riordan on Dec. 4.
The third-seeded Crusaders (18-8) crushed No. 7 Bellarmine 75-33 to earn a chance to qualify for the championship game.
A tight 10-9 contest after the first quarter, Riordan led 34-18 at the half and rolled from there.
King-Njhsanni Wilhite led all scorers with 20 points, as the Crusaders seek a return to the CCS Open Division title game after falling to Archbishop Mitty in overtime last year.
To get there Riordan must avenge a loss to SHP, which got its wake-up call on Monday.
“We’re definitely going to have to be better starting the game,” Martinelli said. “That goes without saying, but it’s another team that we beat already and that comes with a little more intensity from the other team’s end and we have to be ready for that.”
He added: “We have to understand what’s on the line. A trip to the Open final, that’s what we’ve been playing for and talking about all year. To not just get there, but to win. And to do that we have to beat a really good team, and thankfully it’s in our place.”
PINEWOOD PREVAILS AT PALO ALTO
When the CCS office determined Pinewood’s gym insufficient in size to host an Open Division girls game against lower-seeded Palo Alto, it meant the Los Altos Hills-based school would play a road game.
It didn’t matter as the third-seeded Panthers shot 16-of-27 from beyond the arc en route to a 77-45 rout at No. 7 Paly.
“We’re not going to lose any games shooting that well,” Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler said.
Washington-bound Elle Ladine led the way with 34 points and 10 rebounds in front of her future coach in the Pac-12.
“Her best game as a Pinewood player,” Scheppler said. “Not even close, without a doubt. In terms of efficiency, how she got her shots, just played a great all-around game.”
He added: “She’s the best player in Northern California, it’s not close when she plays like that. The whole package.”
Pinewood (21-1), last year’s Open Division champion, will travel Wednesday to San Francisco for a rematch with St. Ignatius, the only team to defeat the Panthers during the regular season – 59-54 on Dec. 11.
The second-seeded Wildcats (18-7) cruised past Sacred Heart Cathedral 61-36. Sabrina Ma paced the Wildcats with 20 points, and Claire Untalan contributed 10.
Scheppler understands why his team must hit the road Wednesday as a lower seed, sort of.
“It was deserved,” he said. “The first criteria should be head-to-head. Even though our record is better, their losses are two to Mitty, two to Carondelet, throw in a St. Mary’s of Stockton. They deserve that.
“Now, in a normal year, I wouldn’t give a crap if we were the 3 seed. This year I care, because what it does it mean? Home court. This year it’s different. Most CCS Open years you’re playing at Piedmont Hills or Santa Clara or wherever … and it doesn’t matter.”
MITTY SET FOR ANOTHER DOUBLEHEADER
The No. 1 seeds in the Open Division brackets will once again pull double-duty on their campus Wednesday.
On the boys’ side, Mitty didn’t blink during a 57-42 victory over No. 5 Serra.
The Monarchs (22-4) comfortably led 36-20 at halftime.
“The guys were focused tonight and came out with some force to start the game,” Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said. “We were taking the right shots and sharing the ball. The ball had some good pop and energy to it, so we were getting some great looks and knocking them down. And defensively we were pretty connected. Just a great overall performance from our guys.”
Three players cracked double digits in scoring – Derek Sangster (16), Jaiden Paran (13), Isaiah Cabebe (12).
Next up is another matchup against fourth-seeded St. Ignatius, which got 24 points and five 3-pointers from GianCarlo Toledo-Rivera in a 68-49 romp over No. 8 Valley Christian.
“We’re excited for the opportunity,” Kennedy said. “We know that we have a huge, tough challenge battling S.I. because they’ve given us two great games and it’s always tough to beat a team three times, so we know we have our work cut out for us.”
On the girls’ side, Mitty didn’t waver in a 69-39 triumph over No. 5 St. Francis.
The Monarchs (25-1) were led by senior guard Sienna Guttadauro with 20 points. Sophomore Morgan Cheli added 11 and junior Elle Hanson chipped in 10.
Wednesday, Mitty will host No. 4 Valley Christian (20-6), which routed eight-seeded Half Moon Bay 74-23.
Source: www.mercurynews.com