HAYWARD — With its season on the verge of extinction, Moreau Catholic found a way to survive and advance.
The fourth-seeded Mariners held off visiting Alameda 56-51 in a wild North Coast Section Division II quarterfinal on Saturday night that could have gone either way down the stretch.
Moreau moves on to play at top-seeded Montgomery-Santa Rosa on Wednesday.
Alameda finished 18-10.
“It feels good just because it’s a local game, the crowd was packed, a lot of local kids were here,” Moreau coach Frank Knight said, noting his friendship with Alameda coach Miles Tarver. “It was just a good game to play somebody from a good league. Play some tough talent. We like that kind of game. It shows people that our league is not that bad.”
The finish was nail-biting close.
Tied 51-51, Moreau went ahead 52-51 when Dominic Walker made 1 of 2 free throws with 90 seconds left.
A missed 3-pointer at the other end, followed by another misfire near the basket, kept Moreau in front.
Then Cole Loud threw down a thunderous dunk in transition to widen the margin to three. Alameda was then whistled for an offensive foul on its next possession.
Moreau, which controlled the first quarter and held Alameda to six points in the third period, was back in command, this time for good.
Isaiah Clendinen’s two free throws with 15.6 seconds left completed the scoring as Moreau (21-7) prevailed in its closest game since beating Redwood 51-49 in an MLK showcase at De La Salle on Jan. 15.
Jalen Arnold (12 points) was the only Moreau player to score in double figures. But the Mariners had five players with at least eight points and six with at least six.
Fifth-seeded Alameda got 16 points from senior Jacob Hodges and 12 from Sage Kopelman.
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“You work hard all season and every game you look for growth,” Tarver said. “The way we came out, Moreau came out really strong. The game could have got away from us. But the kids settled down, stayed the course and fought back and got in it. Had a couple of times we could have taken the lead late. Just came up a little short. Congratulations to Moreau.”
Now Moreau — motivated by its absence in some rankings, including the Bay Area News Group’s, and its No. 4 seed in the playoffs — will get a chance to play the division’s top seed.
Knight welcomes the opportunity for his team.
“We use it as motivation because we know we’re not a four seed,” said Knight, whose team has won 16 in a row. “We’re better than that. But sometimes you’ve got to do it between the lines. We have our chance right now. We’re going to the one seed. We’re going to their place. We’re going up to Santa Rosa. That’s the way we want it. We want to take the crown from the king.”