CCS playoffs: Menlo-Atherton boys, Los Gatos ladies end many years-prolonged basketball title droughts

Two Bay Region significant university basketball programs ended decades-extended dry spells Saturday when they gained Central Coastline Section Division I titles.

The Menlo-Atherton boys and Los Gatos ladies, at extensive very last, hoisted championship trophies.

Listed here are the information:

Menlo-Atheron 70, Everett Alvarez 64

In his 10th yr at the helm, M-A coach Mike Molieri crossed a person product off his bucket list.

For the 1st time considering the fact that again-to-back Division II boys basketball titles in 1988-99, the Bears claimed a CCS trophy.

“An wonderful experience in the locker room for this group in general, especially the seniors, right after what they’ve endured these past two a long time,” Molieri explained. “We were conversing about, ‘You fellas are chasing history’ – and they just challenged themselves and experienced the will to win.”

Soon after a tumultuous week that saw CCS sanction the 3rd-seeded Bears (20-6) for unsportsmanlike habits from learners who stormed the court right after a buzzer-beating victory in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, M-A was determined to close its drought on the highway as a lower seed at Salinas.

“It was this kind of a dynamic ecosystem,” Molieri stated. “Very hostile, but in a excellent way, in a aggressive way. And we felt we could get by way of it, just in the fourth quarter we went again to our blueprint, which is defense.”

No. 4 Alvarez (23-4) is not immune to controversy, with a malfunctioning shot clock at its health club in the course of the quarterfinals versus Palo Alto forcing an abrupt close when a referee waived off an clear buzzer-beating shot to force time beyond regulation.

“It was functioning,” Molieri claimed of the shot clock, with a snicker.

M-A, which trailed 58-53 early in the fourth quarter, went on a 13-2 run that involved a clutch 3-pointer by senior Ryan Anderson with under 3 minutes remaining.

Jalen Williams led the Bears with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 helps and 6 steals, while Anderson concluded with 15 details, 7 rebounds and five assists.

Three other M-A players cracked double digits: Connor Cadigan with 11 points, as well as Johno Cost and Doug Adams with 10 apiece.

“We were being making an attempt to do significantly in the 1st and not staying affected individual on offense,” Molieri stated. “We knew we could rating on them, my worry was preserving ourselves additional affected individual, which we at last did in the fourth quarter.”

Los Gatos 53, Homestead 26

In a defensive performance for the ages, the host Wildcats received the program’s to start with CCS women basketball title in 40 yrs.

Major-seeded Los Gatos (24-3) realized a rarity in segment championship basketball games: it shut out an opponent for an total quarter. Homestead (19-7), the No. 3 seed, scored all of its 2nd-50 percent details in the remaining two minutes of the activity.

“That’s our major factor,” stated Los Gatos freshman Nicole Steiner about her team’s protection. “Our defense fuels our offense.”

Steiner grabbed 11 rebounds and also scored a sport-large 18 factors, such as 8 of her team’s 11 factors in the third quarter. Teammate Belle Bramer included 11 factors and a match-large 12 rebounds alongside with 4 steals. Equally players had four assists.

Jeannette Grasty, the only senior in Los Gatos’ starting up lineup, sank a trio of 3-tips in the very first quarter and 4 in the activity for 12 details. Los Gatos, which in no way trailed, led 16-7 at the conclusion of the initial quarter and 32-17 at halftime.

“My shot’s been off the past few of game titles, but I just always convey to myself to not permit that get in the way,” Grasty said. “Tonight, I was hitting them.”

Los Gatos has seven underclassmen on its roster and only 3 seniors, so its foreseeable future is vibrant.

“I’m so, so joyful and just so proud of my team,” Los Gatos coach Sara Quilici Giles claimed. “All we desired was effort and hard work currently, and I genuinely felt like they gave it their all for the overall sport, and they performed so difficult.”

Tatum Leuenberger scored a crew-high 9 points for Homestead.

– Phil Jensen

WBAL sweeps lower divisions

The West Bay Athletic League savored a effective night time.

Woodside Priory hosted a doubleheader in Division V on its Portola Valley campus as the No. 1 seed in the two of Division V brackets. The boys defeated No. 2 Stevenson, 53-42, while the ladies upended No. 3 Crystals Springs, 42-32.

In Division IV, it was Menlo School that swept the titles.

The boys returned from Salinas with a 63-58 victory at top-seeded Palma that required some last-minute heroics. The No. 3 Knights finished the game on a 10-run as sophomore Sam Reznik banked house a 3-pointer for the go-in advance rating.

Menlo junior Lucas Vogel concluded with a group-large 17 points together with four assists and 6 rebounds, Daniel Solomon included 14 factors and Reznik experienced 11 factors, 4 rebounds and three steals.

“We had to fight for each one bucket, every single single perform, everybody stepped up,” Vogel explained. “It was huge. We were down, and we just clawed back again at the finish.”

PAL goes 4 for 5 in title video games

The Peninsula Athletic League was assured two champions as the finalists in Division II and III for the women featured 4 of its teams. The only issue was regardless of whether the boys from Burlingame could prevail in the Division III title match. At the rear of 20 factors from Jacob Yamagishi and a different 14 from Will Uhrich, not to point out nine helps from Sean Richardson, the next-seeded Panthers pulled off a 54-46 victory more than No. 4 Aptos. … No. 4 Lynbrook traveled to Gilroy and returned dwelling a Division II boys winner immediately after a 70-64 earn at No. 2 Christopher. … On the girls’ aspect, No. 2 Aragon toppled best-seed Hillsdale, 52-47, in the Division II closing. Meanwhile, No. 1 Capuchino churned out a 36-29 triumph over its neighbor, No. 6 Mills, to assert the Division III trophy.