Article 433: Mitty moves onto semi-finals

3/13/2016

Mitty was able to rally several times to force the game into an overtime session against Whitney that the Monarchs dominated to win 63-56 in the second round of the Division II NorCal playoffs.

The Monarchs jumped out to a 19-12 advantage in the first quarter as sophomore Riley Grigsby made three 3-point shots. The Wildcats roared back in the second quarter with accurate shooting and pressing defense to lead 34-29 at the half. Each team made six 3-point shots in the half but Whitney had ten free throw attempts, eight more than the Monarchs.

The game was tied at 34 early in the third quarter but the Wildcats pulled ahead 44-38 towards the end by taking advantage of their height and Mitty’s foul trouble in the interior. Whitney had leads of 51-46 (3:23 left) and 53-50 (0:33 left) but missed on a double bonus that led to a Riley Grigsby 3-point tying shot. In overtime, Whitney played tight by missing several looks in the paint while Mitty was more fluid in winning 63-56.

Mitty never looked flustered and played to their strengths that included their wing players, Grigsby and Kyle Peterson, and post players, Mike Diaz and Nick Labruna. The Monarchs return their top three scorers in the game next season (Grigsby 28 points, Peterson 10 points, and Diaz 8 points). Mitty goes to 15-13 and advances to the regional semifinals.

Whitney led most of the game after midway through the second quarter. The Wildcats played more aggressively by getting the Monarchs into foul trouble. However, Whitney shot 13-of-23 from the line while the Monarchs were 8-of-14 in free throws. The Wildcats missed several free throws in the second half of the final quarter. In the overtime session, Whitney played tight and mustered only three points. The Wildcats finish the season 25-7 and return several productive guards for next season.

The Monarchs face El Cerrito in the next round with a battle of the wings, Grigsby against Montana commit Sayeed Pridgett. Both teams came into this season with high hopes but each has 13 losses. The winner gets to face the survivor of Serra and Antelope.

Player of Note:
Riley Grigsby 6-foot-5 Wing Archbishop Mitty (2018): Grigsby had a game high 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting including seven 3-point shots. The sophomore had several timely shots that pulled the Monarchs back into the game. Grigsby has good length and versatility to play the wing position.

Article 432: Castro Valley gets road win

3/10/2016

Since the NCAA Men’s Division I tournament went to the 64 team format in 1985, the 8 vs 9 game has been the most evenly opening round matchup with the eight-seed winning 53.4 percent of the games. On Wednesday evening, No. 8 Piedmont Hills did not follow that trend and lost to No. 9 Castro Valley 56-54. The Trojans move on to play top seed Bellarmine on Saturday in the second round of the Division I bracket.

Both teams started the game hot from the perimeter as Castro Valley and Piedmont Hills made five and three 3-point goals respectively in the first quarter. But the Trojans used their size and athleticism to take a 23-13 advantage at the end of the quarter. The teams went cold in the second quarter as neither made a perimeter shot. The Pirates used their scrappiness to cut the deficit to 33-25 at the half.

Piedmont Hills trailed by double digits for the first part of the third quarter before heating up from the perimeter to trail 44-42. In the final quarter, the Pirates came as close as one point. Castro Valley’s shaky free throw shooting gave the Trojans the eventual 56-54 score as Piedmont Hills’ last possession half court shot did hit the board and rim.

Castro Valley’s starting five has four players 6-foot-3 and taller who are of the athletic guard or wing types. The team’s rotation does not have true post size but was much bigger than the Piedmont Hills program that was undersized with 6-foot-1 being their tallest player in the rotation. The Trojans won in rebounding, block shots, and in free throw attempts but the Pirates were more accurate in their perimeter shooting and more aggressive in the dribble drives to the basket.

Piedmont Hills end the season at 21-7 but did win the CCS Division I title. Castro Valley goes to 19-11 and faces the 19-8 Bells in San Jose. The Trojans will need to use their versatility and athleticism to keep it close with Bellarmine.

Player of Note:
Daniel Bessolo 6-foot-5 SF Castro Valley (2017): The junior was tallest player in either starting rotation as he led the Trojans in rebounding and block shots during the season. Bessolo’s skills are varied as he had three key block shots to prevent easy layups, had several rebounds including a few offensive ones, and made a nice mid-air put back. He scored 14 points but contributed in all facets of the game.

Article 431: WCAL sweeps CCS Open Division

2/27/2016

The public schools gave a valiant effort but were overwhelmed in the end by their private West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) opponents in the opening round of the bottom half of the Central Coast Section Open Division bracket. Santa Cruz led most of their battle with St. Francis but ran out of gas in overtime to lose 68-58 in the opening game at Piedmont Hills. Menlo-Atherton from the Peninsula South League kept it close with WCAL opponent Archbishop Mitty but ended up losing 47-42.

The eight seed Santa Cruz from the Santa Cruz Coast League rushed out to a 19-9 first quarter lead on accurate perimeter shooting. St. Francis caused many turnovers but could not convert nor make a perimeter shot. The top-seeded Lancer offense settled down in the second quarter as they hit two 3-point shots to trail 30-23 at the half.

The Lancers worked all the way back to a 41-39 advantage at the 1:40 mark in the third quarter before the quarter ended at 41-41. Despite being shorter and having less depth, Santa Cruz was on the verge of winning as the Cardinals led 56-51 with 57 seconds left. The Lancers made a timely 3-point shot and then converted on a layup on a turnover from the following in-bounds. The teams exchanged one free throw and exchanged turnovers with Santa Cruz getting blocked on a breakaway to end regulation at 57-57. Without any interior offense and no longer making their perimeter shots, Santa Cruz got blitzed in the four minute overtime session to lose 68-58.

Both Menlo-Atherton and Archbishop Mitty were evenly matched up in terms of size and depth. The first quarter was a 12-12 tie while the Bears were able to take a 24-22 lead at the half. Menlo-Atherton scored half their points on four 3-point shots while Riley Grigsby accounted for 12 points for the Monarchs.

Menlo-Atherton kept shooting from the perimeter but only made one more 3-point shot in the second half. Despite this, the Bears led 35-34 after the third quarter but the lack of offense caught up to them in the fourth quarter as Mitty lived at the free throw line as the Monarchs had 23 attempts compared to nine for the Bears in the game. The contest was still tied 38-38 midway in the final quarter before the Monarchs pulled away 47-42.

Players of Note:

Curtis Witt 6-foot-3 PG St Francis (2016): Witt was a stabilizing factor on the offense as he scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting including three 3-point shots. His perimeter game gave him several driving opportunities. The Lancer frontcourt was bailed out by the guard play, especially from Witt.

Kaijae Yee-Stephens 6-foot-2 G Santa Cruz (2016): In a losing effort, Yee-Stephens led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-27 shooting as the Cardinals had eight total points from their front court. The Lancer defense keyed on the perimeter, which caused Yee-Stephens to put up several contested shots. He has a quick release and suspends well mid-air to create some shooting space.

Riley Grigsby 6-foot-5 Wing Archbishop Mitty (2018): With Ben Kone injured, Grigsby was the offensive focal point for the Monarchs. He has a nice high perimeter release while having good length to get to the basket quickly. He had 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with two 3-point shots.

Nick Labruna 6-foot-5 PF Archbishop Mitty (2016): The brawny forward played to his strength, which was staying in the post and making contact. The senior led all scores with 15 points on 3-of-5 shooting including nine free throws.

Blake Henry 6-foot-7 PF Menlo-Atherton (2016): Henry led the Bears with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting but took a few ill-advised perimeter shots when he was the biggest post player for Menlo-Atherton. With Kone out, Henry had the height advantage in the post and was able to convert on a few nice post moves but could have taken advantage more times.

Next up:

Mitty will try to avenge the two losses against St. Francis from the regular season, 62-60 and 67-55. The Lancers have the size and depth advantage against the Monarchs. The Monarch backcourt will have their hands full on both ends.

Both Bellarmine and Serra, WCAL members as well, also advanced in the upper half of the Open Division bracket. Serra won both meetings during the regular season.

Both games will be on Tuesday starting at 5:30 PM at Independence High School.