Northern California roundup: Bishop O'Dowd makes case for best ever

DUBLIN, Calif. — Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.) High School girls basketball coach Kelly Sopak resorted to a lot shrugging Saturday, especially in the third quarter.

And after his team's 77-48 North Coast Section Division III title-game drubbing at the hands of Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), the Matadors were all smiles while posing for pictures with the second-place trophy.

Who could blame them? What else are you going to do when you lose to perhaps the greatest girls basketball Northern California has ever seen. The Matadors (27-2) played hard, played well and fought right to the end. But simply on this night, and probably most, were no match.

Led by the dynamic backcourt Asha Thomas and Ariell Bostick, who combined for 34 points and seven three-pointers, the Dragons (26-3)toyed with the 27-2 Matadors who some believe is the second best team in the Bay Area.

With Thomas (21 points), a 5-5 sophomore, and the 5-4 Cal-bound Bostick (13) hitting from the perimeter, life was simple for the frontcourt of Cal-bound K.C. Waters (12), Duke-signee Oderah Chidom (11) and Virginia Tech-bound Breanna Brown (seven points, 10 rebounds).

O'Dowd very much looked like the team ranked No. 1 nationally heading into the year by MaxPreps.com. The Dragons are now No. 12 in the Xcellent 25 national rankings and No. 10 in the MaxPreps Freeman computer rankings.

"That's the best team I've ever seen," Sopak said. "I don't mean Northern California, I mean the best team I've seen in person. Especially when they're shooting like that."

Shooting and running was supposed to be Miramonte's game but the Matadors, who didn't play poorly, just were run off the court, especially in the third when O'Dowd was unstoppable, scoring 28 points. It hit four threes, two by Thomas and even with the 6-4 Chidom in foul trouble, the 6-2 Waters had three interior buckets.

"We're hard to matchup with anyway, but when Asha and Ariell are shooting like that, we're really tough," Waters said.

O'Dowd will no doubt be the top Northern California Open Division seed when selections are made today. Miramonte, which got 17 points from superb freshman Sabrina Ionescu, will either stay in Div. III or be pulled to the Open.

"Wherever they put us is fine," Sopak said. "I think this tells us where we are with the state's elite."

MORE NCS GIRLS: Natalie Romeo had 18 points and Amy Harioka and Christina Chenault 14 apiece as top-seed Carondelet (Concord) (25-3) breezed to an 84-56 Div. II title win over a tough and skilled Clayton Valley (Concord) squad (22-6), which got a game-high 25 points from Ashley Allen. Carondelet, which will almost assuredly be called up to the Open Division at NorCals, went on a 24-9 run in the third quarter to put this one away. ... In Division III at Albany High, Gabby Green scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds leading St. Mary's (Albany) (28-4) to its fourth NCS title in five years with a 54-48 win over Salesian (Richmond) (26-6), which defeated the Panthers in last year's championship. Mariya Moore had 15 points and Kian McNair 13 for Salesian, which made 7 of 22 free throws. Zavana Negron added 10 points for St. Mary's. ... In Division I, Angela Rigo had 15 points and Amanda Daily 13 as Monte Vista (Danville) (24-5) defeated top-seed Heritage (Brentwood) 50-42 at St. Mary’s College. A 15-3 run in the third quarter was pivotal for the Mustangs, who split two earlier meetins with Heritage, which got 18 points by Lexy Campbell. … In Division V, Nina Bessolo had 20 points and 12 rebounds as Valley Christian (Dublin) posted a 51-40 win over International (San Francisco) (28-4), which got 27 points from Shayna Mehta.

NCS BOYS: As well as Bishop O'Dowd's girls looked, the Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) might have played better in an 89-78 Div. III win over El Cerrito at Dublin. It wasn't all Ivan Rabb either. The 6-9 post, considered the top sophomore in the country, had 25 points and 10 rebounds, but fellow sophomore guard Paris Austin had a career high with 27 points and Michael Perri 19 and Dominic Gomes 12. After falling behind 20-14 after the first quarter, O'Dowd scored 24, 26 and 25 the next three quarters. It was the Dragons' second highest total of the season. Marcellus Pippins had 13 points and Tyrell Alcorn 11 for El Cerrito (22-10). .... In Division IV play at Albany, Cal-bound Jabari Bird and Montana-signee Mario Dunn had 20 points apiece as Salesian (Richmond) scored a 65-34 win over Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) (29-3), which got 10 points by Kenny Love. It was the third straight title for Salesian and fourth in five years. ... In Div. V at Albany, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) (22-11) won its third straight title and fourth in fifth year with a 44-38 win over University (San Francisco) (24-8). Temidayo Yussef and Mark Voisenat had 10 points apiece for St. Joseph, which held University to just 14 first-half points. University, which got a game-high 14 points by Jack Gale, fought back from an eight-point deficit to take a 33-32 lead, but the Pilots closed on a 12-5 run. ... In Division I, Deer Valley (Antioch) won its first NCS crown 73-65 over top seed San Leandro  behind 27 points from UNLV-bound Kendall Smith and 22 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks from Kentucky-bound and McDonald’s All-American Marcus Lee. Dejon Burdeaux had 19 points for San Leandro (23-6), which beat Deer Valley earlier in the year. … In Division II, Joey Frenchwood had 30 points, Chandler Rockwell 16 and Jo Jo Zamora 14 leading Newark Memorial (23-7) to a 74-60 win over Dublin (24-6), which got 18 points from Joe McGlaston.

SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION BOYS: Sheldon (Sacramento), ranked No. 22 nationally to open the season, won its fourth consecutive title with a 60-57 Division I victory over Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) at Sleep Train Arena. Washington-bound Darin Johnson had 21 points including a soaring dunk to help clinch it. Antonio Lewis added 14 points and nine rebounds for Sheldon (25-3), the defending NorCal champions which will almost assuredly be called up to the NorCal Open Division. Cole Nordquist had 19 points and Malik Thames 18 for Pleasant Grove (24-6), which lost for the third time to Sheldon this season. … In Division II, talented and deep Antelope repeated as SJS champions with a 70-63 win over Grant (Sacramento) as Gabe Bealer had 24 points and seven rebounds offsetting a 27-point, eight-rebound effort from Grant’s De’Sean Parsons. Rashard Thornhill had 14 points including a key 3-pointer in the final minute to seal it. … In Division III, Modesto Christian (27-3) won its 15th SJS title with a 66-54 win over Sierra (Manteca) behind 20 points from T.J. Wallace and 14 by Raymond Bowles. It was Modesto Christian’s 13th crown in 14 seasons. Sierra (27-5) got 19 points from Guillermo Nunez and 17 by Emmanuel Elijah. … In Division IV, Connor Morningstar had 12 points and Rosendo Amaya Wood nine points and 14 rebounds leading Summerville (Tuolumne) (25-3) to its first SJS title with a 63-52 win over Liberty Ranch (Galt) (22-9), which got 24 points from Michael Meserole.

SJS GIRLS: In Division I, St. Mary's (Stockton), No. 15 nationally in the Freeman rankings, captured their 14th SJS crown, but first at Division I with a 63-47 win over Kennedy (Sacramento). Brijanee Moore had 27 points and seven steals and unique Coleman added 15 for St. Mary’s (29-2), while Katie Lee had 12 points and Lynette Johnson 17 rebounds for Kennedy (24-6). St. Mary’s will undoubtedly be called up to the Open Division. … In Division II, 6-4 post Ayanna Edwards had 11 rebounds and seven blocks and junior Chaya Durr contributed 27 points as Sacramento (27-4) rolled to a 48-37 win over Florin (Sacramento) (22-9), which got 17 points and nine rebounds from Daijah Joe-Smith. … In Division III, Alicia Gonsalez had 18 points and eight rebounds, Niel Valmores had 15 points and Ana Burch added seven points and 12 rebounds as Christian Brothers (Sacramento) (24-7) scored a 61-56 win over Vanden (Fairfield) (27-4), which got 17 points by Mariah Williams. … In Division IV, Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) (27-2) made 13 of 15 free throws in the final quarter and got 19 points by Erika Bean and 18 from Ashlee Jones to defeat Bear River (Grass Valley)50-40. Kaitlyn Reina had 19 points and nine rebounds for Bear River, which made its 14th section title appearance (10 wins). It was Bradshaw Christian’s fifth SJS crown.

CENTRAL COAST SECTION BOYS: In the Open Division at Santa Clara University, top-seed Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (25-5) beat Serra (San Mateo) (25-5) for the third time in four tries to capture its fourth straight CCS crown with a 55-46 victory. All four crowns were with Aaron Gordon in the middle. Gordon finished his CCS career in style with 24 points, 23 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks. Mitty will no doubt be pulled up to the Northern California Open Division tournament while Serra, which got 11 points from Sean Watkins, will either go Open or Division II... In the Div. I finals at Santa Clara High, Bellarmine (San Jose) (19-9) held off a late change by Santa Teresa (San Jose) (17-11) to post a 49-43 win. The Bells were in charge intil a 12-1 run by the Saints cut the lead to one late in the fourth quarter but Grant Vermeer (12 points) kept Bellarmine in front for good. Jason Garabetian led Santa Teresa with 14 points. ... In its seventh CCS Section championship game appearance, Burlingame finally got it done. Connor Haupt scored a game-high 20 points, Nick Loew had 17 and MikelFloro-Cruz added 11 as the second seed Panthers won their first-ever section title, beating fifth seed Santa Cruz 54-51 at Foothill College-Los Altos. Burlingame (21-8) broke through after losing in six previous finals appearances (2003-05, ’09-11), five to West Catholic Athletic teams. The other loss came to a powerhouse Santa Cruz squad in the ’05 title game. “It’s a great honor to be a part of the first Burlingame team to win it all,” Haupt said. “We’ve had a lot of great players before us, guys like Drew Shiller, Peter Pappageorge and Rodrigo Puliceno, who I played with. We were ready to get the school that first title.” Were they ever. Diving for loose balls and fighting for rebounds, Burlingame led by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter before fending off a furious Santa Cruz (19-11) rally. Walker Nodine’s pull-up jumper from the right elbow gave the Cardinals a 44-43 lead with 4:02 remaining — the Cardinals’ first advantage since late in the first quarter — but a baseline drive from Haupt and a putback from Will Dobson allowed Burlingame to reclaim the lead for good. Kaijae Yee-Stephens finished with 14 points and Kiree Hutchings had 13 for Santa Cruz. ... In Division II, St. Francis (Mountain View, Ca) (12-16) defeated Willow Glen (San Jose) 56-46 at Santa Clara High behind the three-point shooting of Khalid Johnson (15 points) and strong play from Michael Lauck (17 points). ... In Division IV, Menlo (Atherton) (20-7) defeated Half Moon Bay 46-41 at Foothill College, thanks to 15-of-19 free-throw shooting, compared with 8-for-20 by HMB (22-7). Bobby Roth had 13 points and Liam Dunn 11 for Menlo, and Enrico Nuno led HMB with 14.

CCS GIRLS: In Div. III at Foothill College, Burlingame (28-2) defeated Branham (San Jose) 62-48 behind the 3-point shooting of Dana Michaels (17 points) and strong play from Lauren Rally (16 points). The Panthers trailed just once, in the opening minute of the game, before cruising to their first section championship since winning the CIF state title in 1988. Nina Newman added 10 for Burlingame, which received five 3-pointers from Michaels, all in the first half. ... In the Open Division at Santa Clara University Kelli Hayes had 24 points leading Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (24-6) to a 41-32 win over St. Francis (Mountain View (21-8), which got 12 points by Jennifer Lucian. .... In Div. I at Santa Clara High, Gunn (Palo Alto) (19-6) won its second straight title with a 47-24 win over San Benito (Hollister) (16-12). Olivia Tapia had 12 points and Claire Klausner 11 and with a 24-5 lead at halftime, this one was pretty much over. … In Div. II, Presentation (San Jose), which finished fifth in the WCAL, captured the title with a 49-34 win over Woodside as Courtney Danna had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Maddie Guidoux added 12 off the bench. Madison Michelis (10 points, 17 rebounds) and Tiianna Williams (11 points, 15 rebounds) had big games for Woodside. … In Division IV, USC-signee Drew Edelman had 23 points and 20 rebounds leading Menlo (Atherton) to a 53-32 win over Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton). It was Menlo’s fifth CCS crown.

OAKLAND SECTION: It was a double celebration for the McClymonds basketball programs Thursday night at Merritt College. The boys (20-7) won their fourth Oakland Section championship since 2007 with a 52-49 victory over Oakland. Oakland Athletic League MVP Tahjee Williams scored 21 points to lead McClymonds (Oakland), and sophomore guard Michael Walker made big plays down the stretch, including a go-ahead three-pointer that made it 50-49 and two free throws to seal it. "It's hard enough to beat a team two times, but three times is awfully tough and we knew it would be," McClymonds boys coach Brandon Brooks said. "We didn't play our best, but we got the job done."... Two hours earlier, the McClymonds girls (25-3) won their first section title in almost four decades by defeating Oakland Tech 47-40. Gabby Gaines led a balanced attack with 12 points, Breannie Robinson controlled the paint, and Romanalyn Inocencio controlled the offense. London Robinson had 18 points for Oakland Tech (21-6).

SAN FRANCISCO SECTION: For the entire fourth quarter and three overtime periods, the more than 1,500 fans at Kezar Pavilion stood, screamed, winced and cheered. Mission's (San Francisco) 78-71 win over Lincoln (San Francisco) for the San Francisco Section championship was more than a little wild and woolly. It left players, coaches and fans exhausted and searching for words. Ultimately, the guard play of Antoine Porter (23 points) and Kevin Murray (22) was enough to wear down Lincoln to win their second straight SFS title and third in four years. The game featured 18 lead changes and 10 ties after intermission. "I've been involved and seen basketball games my whole life, but I've never seen anything like this," Mission coach Arnold Zelaya said. ... Lincoln's 6-foot-7 junior Seth Snoddy was in great position all night and had a team-high 22 points. His 6-2 forward in the block Davion Telfor added 18 points and tenacious and quick Demetrius Williams , a 5-9 guard, had 15 points.... In the girls, Katarina Lum had 21 points and five steals, and Hana Murphy added 10 rebounds and seven points to lead Lowell (San Francisco) (26-5) past Galileo (San Francisco) 51-42 at Kezar Pavilion for a section-record fourth straight girls title and 17th overall. ... Galileo (26-6), down 43-30 heading into the fourth, used a 13-3 run to close to 46-40 with 3:10 left, but Kelly Wong drilled a long three-pointer to put Lowell back in control. Kim Fun had 17 points and Cassidy Chan and Karen Wong nine each for Galileo.
Boys — 1. Salesian. 2. Mitty. 3. Sheldon. 4. Bishop O'Dowd. 5. Modesto Christian. 6. De La Salle. I think Newark Memorial and Serra can compete with any of these squads, but not enough firepower to compete with the Southern California schools. Plus, neither has won a state title. Let them battle it out at Division II and make that a Grade A tournament. Deer Valley would be a great addition but it doesn't meet the criteria and coach Lechet Phillips told me yesterday his team won't petition up.

Girls — 1. Bishop O'Dowd. 2. St. Mary's-Stockton. 3. Carondelet. 4. St. Mary's-Berkeley, I'm sure this won't happen and the commissioner's will fill out the field but there is a giant drop off after these four. Mitty will likely get picked with all its success and another CCS title, but it's been riddled with injuries. And if you pick Mitty, you have to pick Miramonte which beat the Monarchs. Miramonte should be able to try to win a first state Division III title. Same for Salesian at Division IV.

Look at calhisports.com thinks and Jimmy Durkin at the Bay Area News Group.

Information gathered from superb reports from the Contra Costa Times, Sacramento Bee, Modesto Bee, San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News.