Boys Division I
GRAYSON LEADS OAKLAND TECH PAST REDWOOD
Redwood’s Semetri Carr, headed on a Division I scholarship to Cal, lived up to his hype with 38 points at Oakland Tech. But Ardarius Grayson came out on top in Tuesday’s showdown of talented point guards.
Grayson spearheaded an all-around attack as Oakland Tech chopped down the Redwood Giants 71-57 in Round 1 of the CIF NorCal Division I regional. Grayson finished with 16 points, 13 of which came in the second quarter. He forced Redwood to double-team him, which opened up looks for his teammates. He also defended Carr well, forcing Redwood’s star to get Grayson off of him with screens.
Oakland Tech coach Karega Hart praised his leader’s ability to control the game by not just scoring. Grayson finished with nine assists.
“Ardarius played tough,” Hart said. “He got into early foul trouble. I think he responded well and got his teammates into the game. In my opinion, he had a great floor game. Of course TT (Carr) is a talented scorer, and he got downhill way too much for me. But overall, our team defense was really good.”
Related Articles
High school girls soccer rankings, March 5, 2025: Bay Area News Group top 10
Moreau magic! Mariners knock off No. 6 Dougherty Valley in OT thriller
High school boys soccer rankings, March 5, 2025: Bay Area News Group top 10
Piedmont neutralizes Oakland Tech’s height advantage, wins NorCal opener in a stunning rout
Weathering early Valley Christian surge, visiting Oakland High finds its footing and overpowers Warriors
Caleb Rollins scored 16 for Oakland Tech. Jasen Davis contributed 14 points.
The Bulldogs head to Sacramento to face the No. 1-seeded Inderkum Tigers (21-2) in the second round on Thursday at 7 p.m. Oakland Tech lost 80-59 at Inderkum on Jan. 20.
“We got our work cut out for us,” Hart said. “But I’m real confident going into the next game. Definitely prepared to win.
– Devin Bradshaw
SAN RAMON VALLEY WITHSTANDS EARLY ADVERSITY
Just an hour before tipoff, SRV got news that its star point guard Mason Thomas had a 102-degree fever.
Thomas still suited up and gave the Wolves all he could, but the Danville school needed to find a way to win Tuesday’s game against Fresno powerhouse San Joaquin Memorial without Thomas at 100%.
SRV found a way.
The Wolves won 61-56 behind a full team effort.
“It was impressive to see guys understand when the season is on the line, you have to be able to do your job,” SRV coach Brian Botteen told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday.
The teams were tied after the third quarter, and the Wolves held on to a one-point lead with just under 30 seconds left in the game. Senior Luke Isaak and Thomas drained their free throws to seal the win.
“Mason gave everything he could, but the other guys on the bench helped out as well,” Botteen said.
SRV will host a home game, but not in its own gym as the Wolves will play No. 13 Liberty, which upset No. 4 Clovis North on the road, at Monte Vista High School on Thursday because of a scheduling conflict.
– Nathan Canilao
ST. IGNATIUS DIGS OUT OF DOUBLE-DIGIT HALFTIME DEFICIT
Just how they drew it up.
Most coaches would prefer not to go down 13 points. Especially with their season on the line, and especially in the other team’s gym.
But adversity is always around the corner this time of year, and St. Ignatius found a way to surmount it in Dublin on Tuesday. Facing the No. 7 Gaels on their home floor, No. 10 SI won 65-62, surviving a late 3-point attempt by Jaiden Jones to secure the victory.
SI (21-8) actually went up 65-56 in the fourth quarter and had to hang on for dear life down the stretch. Vince Crisp led all scorers with 23 points for the Wildcats.
Cameron Anderson paced Dublin (24-8) with 21 points, and Jones contributed 19. Senior captain Miles Pollard added 10 points in his final game with the Gaels, as well as six rebounds and five assists.
– Christian Babcock
Boys Division II
MITTY EDGES BRANSON IN 6 VS. 11 TILT IN SAN JOSE
On paper, there wasn’t a huge gap between No. 6 Archbishop Mitty 59 and No. 11 Branson 55, and that proved to be the case on Tuesday night in San Jose.
The Monarchs eked out a close one over the visiting Bulls, winning 59-55. The nip-and-tuck win kept Mitty (15-13) above .500 this season. Grayson Jalal (23) and Caeden Hutcherson (17) were the leading scorers for the Monarchs.
The Monarchs finished the season with a losing record in the WCAL but still managed to secure a spot in the CCS Open Division, securing an automatic qualifying spot in the NorCal playoffs. So far, they’re paying it off.
Branson dropped to 21-11 as its season came to an end. NJ Gray (21) and Heath French (15) were the leading scorers for the Bulls.
– Christian Babcock
Boys Division III
THE KING’S ACADEMY KEEPS ROLLING
When TKA has it going, the Knights are hard to stop.
Pleasant Valley found out the hard way as top seeded TKA crushed the Chico school 68-47 to advance to the second round of the Division III playoffs.
“We’re tough to guard,” TKA coach Cameron Bradford told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday. “On any given night, one of the guys can go get 20.”
Caedmon Dickson had a game-high 16 points and junior Xavier Barnett totaled 14.
TKA will have homecourt throughout the NorCal playoffs and will host No. 9 Aptos on Thursday.
“We’re just going to stay locked in and take it one day at a time,” Bradford said.
— Nathan Canilao
Girls Division I
CARONDELET SQUEEZES PAST ST. FRANCIS AT HOME
This time of year, seeds can be deceiving.
No. 14 St. Francis and No. 3 Carondelet battled in Concord on Tuesday, and the hometown Cougars did just enough to survive and advance, winning 62-57.
The Lancers (18-10) found themselves in an 18-9 hole after one quarter and down 39-24 at the half. But they rallied in the second half, winning the final two frames 18-13 and 15-10.
The huge comeback attempt just ran out of time. Sophie Holmes led St. Francis with 20 points, followed by Maia Jimenez with 11.
Carondelet (26-6) was paced by Celeste Alvarez’s 18 points.
– Christian Babcock
O’DOWD SCORES UPSET IN THE CITY
The Oakland-San Francisco professional sports rivalry may not be a fixture of Bay Area pro sports anywhere, but it’s alive and well in the prep ranks.
Another chapter was written on Tuesday in the City, when No. 11 Bishop O’Dowd knocked off No. 6 Archbishop Riordan 45-39 in a classic grind-it-out affair.
The Dragons (20-8) now move on to face Carondelet in the Division I quarterfinals. Riordan’s season ends with a record of 19-9.
– Christian Babcock
Girls Division II
CALIFORNIA MAKES QUICK WORK OF LOS GATOS
The Grizzlies took care of visiting Los Gatos early to cruise into the second round Division II playoffs.
California took a 20-7 lead in the first quarter and didn’t look back as Trinity Chu scored a game-high 19 points to lead the San Ramon school to the win.
The Grizzlies will host Redwood on Thursday.
– Nathan Canilao
