Sports briefs: Redwood claims top seed in NorCal playoffs

The Redwood High boys water polo team was selected to the NorCal Division II playoffs for the third consecutive season in a row and netted the top seed for the second year in a row when brackets were released on Sunday.

The Giants (24-6), three-time defending North Coast Sections Division I champions, are set to open their NorCal run with a home game at 5 p.m. Tuesday against No. 8 Merced (30-2).

Redwood is fresh off a 16-8 victory against Alameda on Saturday to win the section title. Merced is also coming off a section-title win, defeating Ripon 17-2 to win the Sac Joaquin D-II tournament. The Bears won four games en route to the championship by a combined score of 73-11.

San Marin, still celebrating the first section title in program history following a 9-6 win against James Logan on Saturday in the NCS D-III championship game, was slotted in as the No. 5 seed in the NorCal D-III playoffs.

The Mustangs (19-9) — led by the trio of Brogan Corridan, Beckett Corridan, and Daniel Volker — open up against No. 4 Turlock (19-12) at 5 p.m. Tuesday at a location still to be determined as of Sunday evening.

Turlock qualified for the NorCal playoffs after making it to the semifinals of the Sac Joaquin D-I playoffs. The No. 6 Knight lost 13-12 to No. 2 Rocklin.

Men’s basketball

Darius Best poured in 30 points to help host Dominican University cap off a perfect opening weekend with a, 89-61 victory against Cal Poly Humboldt at the West Region Tipoff Challenge on Saturday night.

Best, along with teammate Sargent Jeffery, was named to the all-tournament team for the Penguins (2-0). Jeffery and Michael Wilson scored 15 points apiece for Dominican, which scored 54 points in the second half after trailing 36-35 at the break.

Women’s basketball

Mahliya Wilson scored a game-high 30 points as Dominican secured an 84-70 victory against host Merced at the PacWest Challenge on Saturday night.

Wilson made 12 of 27 shots, adding six steals for the Penguins (2-0). Alyssa Alvarado added 22 points and Kaylyn Buchanon scored 14 and had five steals. Julianne Cotterill tied for game-high honors with 15 rebounds. Dominican led 43-30 at the half.

Women’s soccer

Former Tam High standout Yuna McCormack scored the opening goal as Florida State began its journey through the NCAA Division I tournament with a 4-0 win against Samford on Friday.

Mill Valley’s McCormack scored in the 11th minute — her fifth goal of the season — then the Seminoles (11-2-4) scored three times in the second half to put the game away. Florida State faces Lipscomb in the second round on Thursday.

• Former Branson School standout Lena Sugrue played the full 90 minutes and had an assist to help lift Tufts into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA D-III tournament following a 2-0 win against Wesleyan on Sunday. Maren Jones (Tam) played 44 minutes off the bench, getting off three shots with one of them on target. Tufts faces Middlebury College on Saturday.
• Mari Rode (Archie Williams) had a goal and an assist for Middlebury in the first round of NCAA D-III playoffs then Chloe Swindle (Marin Academy) added an assist in the second game as Middlebury made it to the Round of 16. Rode scored her second goal of the season in the 16th minute against Westfield State then got her assist in the 66th minute on Saturday. Swindle and Stella Espinasse (Tam) started both games for Middlebury.
• Patricia DePalma (Branson) and Imogen Jenkyn (Marin Academy) started both games as Pomona-Pitzer moved into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA D-III tournament following wins against St Joseph’s University Long Island on Saturday and University of Puget Sound on Sunday. Pomona-Pitzer is set to face Washington and Lee University in the next round.