OAKLAND – After winning the 2022 Division III state championship last March, Oakland Tech’s girls basketball coach Leroy Hurt sat in the winner’s press conference and told the room “We’re a D-I school, we should be with the D-I teams.”
Tech had just won its second Division III title in four years, and the Bulldogs had also made it to a Division II final in 2020, which was canceled because of the pandemic. The team felt as if they had proven themselves to be too good for the lower levels of competition.
On Thursday night, Hurt’s girls showed the state that their confidence was warranted. Now the No. 2 seed in NorCal’s Division I, Tech breezed by perennial title contender Pinewood 63-37 in the quarterfinal, and allowed only 12 points in the second half.
Oakland Tech beat McClatchy-Sacramento 62-50 in the first round on Tuesday, and up next is a Saturday home game against San Ramon Valley, a team Tech defeated 70-45 in early January.
“We’re proving it,” Hurt said. “Winning here is going to be tough for any team coming here.”
Leading 41-30 heading into the fourth quarter, Tech proceeded to bury a six-player Pinewood team with one layup after another. Senior Jada Williams was unstoppable in the open court, scoring four layups in five possessions as the lead grew ever larger.
Most of those fast-breaks were started by a disciplined man-to-man Tech defense that didn’t let Pinewood score a fourth-quarter basket until there was under two minutes left in the game. Every Pinewood cut, handoff and misdirection was immediately covered by the Bulldogs.
“We couldn’t run our sets with any degree of fluidity or polish, because their defense had us well-scouted,” Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler said.
Tech scored the first 19 points of the quarter, a run broken up by a Pinewood free throw with 1:50 left in the game. By that time, the celebrations had already begun in the packed Tech stands and on the Bulldog bench.
“We call it the ‘doghouse’ for a reason,” senior guard Mari Somvichian said concerning the standing-room-only crowd. “We feel like the whole town is supporting us.”
Pinewood was able to stay with Tech for the first half, buoyed by a defense that held Tech without a point for the first four minutes of the second quarter. When Ava Uhrich nailed a three-pointer, Tech’s lead was down to 18-16.
Although Pinewood kept things close for the rest of the quarter, Tech never relinquished the lead. Jhai Johnson put back a layup, and then Nia Hunter made a three-pointer to push Tech’s lead back to seven points. The team went into the locker room with a three-point lead, and then took over in the second half.
Erin Sellers and Jada Williams each scored 11 for Tech (27-5), Jala Williams scored 10 points, and Taliyah Logwood scored eight. Pinewood’s Uhrich scored 18 points and made four three-pointers.
Scheppler’s team, who had three players out with ACL injuries and another three ineligible to play after transferring in, seemed to run out of energy in the second half. Pinewood (17-12) had defeated Acalanes in the first round of the playoffs.
“I’m so proud of the girls,” Scheppler said. “I’m happy for and proud of my team.”
A few minutes after teammates carried her off the floor in celebration, Somvichian was matter-of-fact when describing Tech’s plan for the next few days.
“We’re coming for our respect,” Somvichian said. “I don’t think anyone thought we could hang in Division I, but we’ve already won two games. We’re going to keep our heads down, stay humble, and keep on going.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com