NCS basketball playoffs: Friday’s surprises, trends and more
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Newark Memorial controls paint, topples Washington
As the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter Friday at Washington-Fremont, Nay’Veon Reed’s jump shot from the key bounced on the rim before going through the net. It was symbolic of Newark Memorial’s success in the key during a 61-46 victory over third-seeded Washington in this NCS Division II boys quarterfinal.
Reed finished again and again near the hoop, finishing with a game-high 24 points in only three quarters (he sat out the entire second quarter in foul trouble).
“We couldn’t contain the post,” Washington coach Michael Tripp said. “Nay’Veon’s good, he’s a beast.”
The 6-foot-4 Reed scored 14 of the Cougars’ 22 points in the first quarter on six field goals and two free throws as Newark Memorial (20-8) held a nine-point lead entering the second quarter. He added five field goals in the second half.
“I always felt it was my game, since the tip-off,” said Reed, a junior.
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Newark Memorial led by at least seven points through the final three quarters. Chance Carlton, another junior, scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and A.B. Gilchrist added 10. Newark Memorial lost to Washington 65-56 on Feb. 4, but flipped the script 17 days later.
“We defended better, and we scored inside,” Newark Memorial coach Craig Ashmore said. “We dictated some of the tempo, dictated possessions.”
Washington’s storybook season ends
The Huskies, after finishing 12-15 last season, won a share of a league title for the first time in 25 years last week.
After winning an opening-round NCS Division II playoff game 71-55 over visiting Vintage on Tuesday, the Huskies (21-7) saw their season come to an end.
“They fought all the way to the end,” Tripp said of his squad. “Our season was spectacular.”
Washington wasn’t able to counter Newark Memorial’s dominance inside the paint, and the Huskies made only four 3-pointers in the game. Two of those came from senior Stevie Murata, who scored 12. Jorren Edmonds, a junior, paced the Huskies with 15 points, including 9 for 10 from the charity stripe.
Newark Memorial takes step forward
None of the current members of the Newark Memorial boys squad were in high school the last time the Cougars advanced past the NCS quarterfinals. That was in 2016, when Newark Memorial lost to El Cerrito in the Division II final.
But Newark Memorial finds itself in the Division II semifinals this season after dispatching of league rival Washington.
The last two seasons, the Cougars also faced a league rival in the quarterfinals (Moreau Catholic), but lost both times.
Tripp wasn’t thrilled about facing Newark Memorial in the quarterfinals. “I would have liked to see them in the upper bracket,” he said. “These guys, I think they will go all the way. They’re good. It’s hard to defend the big guy (Reed) inside.”
Granada blazes new trails
It might not seem like much to traditional basketball powers such as Dublin or Bishop O’Dowd, but for the Granada boys it’s been almost a quarter-century since it has reached the North Coast Section semifinals. At any level. So the second-seeded Matadors had a right to be pumped after beating visiting No. 7 Mt. Eden 46-36 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Division I playoffs.
Granada (23-5) will host again Tuesday night when No. 11 Deer Valley (19-9) pays a visit at 7 p.m. Deer Valley beat Bay Valley Athletic League rival Heritage 60-42 — the No. 14 s Friday night to advance.
Strictly from a basketball standpoint, this was not one of Granada’s better games of the season. The Matadors led 19-16 at the half, and 31-29 entering the fourth quarter. That third period was especially tense as the lead changed hands five times. Granada finally took control with a 7-0 run that put them up 43-34. Jayden Johnston, who led Granada with 13 points, drained a pair of two-point baskets and Ryan Barney hit a 3.
“The idea of it being the playoffs and the fact we haven’t been able to get to this point fr so long, it’s kind of making it a little bit tougher,” Granada coach Quaran Johnson said. “But you have to give Mt. Eden credit. They were here for a reason. They had to win a big game against James Logan in overtime. So give them their props.”
Granada making some history
Although MaxPreps records only go back to 2004, people at Granada said the last time the Matadors got this far in the playoffs was 1996. Mt. Eden’s defensive strategy caused many of Granada’s problems, especially in the first half.
“Our offense wasn’t clicking and they were sagging on me,” said Lance Rodriguez, one of Granada’s better shooters.
Rodriguez hit a pair of big baskets in the third quarter, each giving Granada one-point leads.
“They kind of turned up the heat on defense, getting more aggressive,” Rodriguez said. “We just adjusted.”
Big night for the No. 1s, 2s
The top two seeds in Divisions I, II and III — boys and girls — are through to the semifinals, some barely breaking a sweat Friday.
Not a single game that included a Top 2 seed finished in single digits, with the closest being second-seeded Granada’s 46-36 victory over Mt. Eden in Division I.
The No. 1 seed in boys D-I — De La Salle — pounded College Park 78-45.
Ditto for the No. 1 seed in D-II, San Ramon Valley, which pancaked Tamalpais 69-27.
Branson, the No. 1 seed in D-III, won by a more pedestrian 17 points over Kennedy-Richmond.
The biggest rout among the girls’ top seeds was No. 2 San Ramon Valley’s 78-31 victory over Clayton Valley Charter in D-II.