BOYS: WHY CALIFORNIA, NOT DOUGHERTY VALLEY, MADE OPEN
The North Coast Section has gone all in on competitive-based playoffs for all sports starting this school year. The intent is to make each of its playoff divisions as balanced as possible. But in doing so, the section has all but taken the human element out of its seeding process, instead relying almost exclusively on MaxPreps’ computer rankings. Yes, there can be tweaks here and there once teams are placed into a specific division. But there can’t be movement from one division to another based on head-to-head results. That is why the California boys made the Open Division on Sunday and Dougherty Valley did not, even though Dougherty Valley beat California by 29 points during the regular season and by 16 in last week’s East Bay Athletic League playoffs. According to MaxPreps, the top six NCS boys teams on Sunday were De La Salle, Salesian, San Ramon Valley, Dublin, Liberty and California. Dougherty Valley was seventh. So California will play at third-seeded San Ramon Valley in a first-round game on Thursday, knowing that it already has secured a spot in the NorCal regionals as one of the NCS’s six Open teams. Dougherty Valley, the top seed in Division I, will have to win three playoff games to make it to NorCals. In the new format, the finalists in Divisions I through V advance, as will the winner of a third-place game in each of those divisions. – Darren Sabedra
- NCS basketball schedule: Dates, times for opening round
GIRLS: SALESIAN ALSO BENEFITS FROM MAXPREPS RANKINGS
Salesian is no stranger to the NCS Open Division playoffs. But this season, even the Pride didn’t expect to be included in the section’s top bracket. In an email to the media about his team’s playoff qualification, coach Stpehen Pezzola said, “Well, a bit of a surprise, but Salesian girls are in the NCS Open Division Playoffs.” The Pride’s resume includes a 21-point loss to Clayton Valley and a 20-point loss to Bishop O’Dowd. Neither of those teams made the Open. But Salesian had the sixth-best computer ranking in the NCS, behind Acalanes, San Ramon Valley, Carondelet, Cardinal Newman and Piedmont. So Salesian is in the field, which includes an automatic berth into NorCals. Even better for the Pride, they will play at home on Thursday against third-seeded Carondelet because of an NCS bylaw in which league champions host first-round games. Salesian won the TCAL Rock. Carondelet didn’t win the EBAL. – Darren Sabedra
BOYS: DLS, SALESIAN PRIMED FOR A REMATCH
The NCS Open Division bracket featured no surprises at the top, with De La Salle the No. 1 seed after winning the EBAL tournament in convincing fashion, and Salesian placed No. 2 following its customary demolition of the Tri-County Athletic League. The stage is now set for a rematch of last season’s Open Division title game, one that Bill Mellis’ all-time great Pride team won 52-43. … Salesian (25-2) brings back several key players from last year’s squad, including guard Elias Obenyah and Carlton Perrilliat, who are now leaders. Leon Powe Jr. and Isaiah Davis have excelled in larger roles too. … De La Salle’s Alec Blair has been one of the greatest players in program history, topping the program’s all-time scoring list. He led the Spartans (25-4) past Dublin, San Ramon Valley and Dougherty Valley en route to the EBAL title. … Is this the year DLS captures its first NCS Open crown? The Spartans have lost Open championship games to Aidan Mahaney-led Campolindo, Ryan Beasley and Connor Sevilla-led Dougherty Valley and last year’s incredible Salesian the past three seasons. … If DLS and Salesian reach the final, it is not yet known where the game will be held. NCS commissioner Pat Cruickshank told the Bay Area News Group that Saint Mary’s College is not available for the final, and that a championship venue is yet to be finalized. – Joseph Dycus
GIRLS: ACALANES, SRV TEAMS TO BEAT
Will veteran experience trump youthful energy? The probable NCS Open final will answer that question if the seeds hold and senior-heavy Acalanes, the No. 1 seed, takes on No. 2 San Ramon Valley and its seniorless team. … Acalanes is led by explosive point guard KK Lacanlale, who can score 30 just as easily as she can drop 10 assists. Ariana Hallstrom and Sophie Chinn would be top scoring options on most other NCS teams, and Dulci Vail brings interior muscle in the post. … There is no argument against Acalanes as the top seed, with the Dons having wins over Pinewood, St. Mary’s-Stockton and a 72-57 victory over San Ramon Valley en route to a 27-1 record. … SRV was expected to take a step back after graduating its entire starting lineup, but instead went 25-3 in the regular season. Sophomores Carly Stern, Ella Gunderson and Hania Bowes have been exceptional, and freshman guard Kaitlyn Mills has been a revelation. … Monte Vista transfer Alyssa Rudd has stood out as an all-around force at forward. … The teams are led by two of the East Bay’s premier coaches. San Ramon Valley’s John Cristiano was last season’s Bay Area News Group coach of the year. Margaret Gartner won state titles at Carondelet and has now turned Acalanes into a powerhouse. – Joseph Dycus
BOYS: MOREAU CATHOLIC PATH TO A TITLE
In the NCS’s new playoff format, all teams are placed in a base division and are allowed to move up or down two levels at most, unless they are placed into the Open Division. One team that benefited immensely from the new setup is Moreau Catholic, a Division IV team by base, a D-I squad in talent and the No. 1 seed in D-II in reality. … No other program in the bracket has a perimeter-scoring talent quite like Kellen Hampton, a smooth 6-foot-7 wing who can score at all three levels and is committed to the University of the Pacific. .. But Moreau (21-5) is more than just a one-man team. Dominic Walker is a dynamic forward who complements Hampton in the frontcourt, and Isaiah Clendinen and Kareem Jackson are playmakers in the backcourt. Moreau’s top competition will likely be third-seeded St. Mary’s-Berkeley, which has the size and athleticism to match up with the Hayward school. – Joseph Dycus
BOYS AND GIRLS: TOO MANY TEAMS?
You don’t have to be great to make the NCS playoffs. In fact, some teams didn’t even need to be average. Eighteen of 96 boys teams and 11 of 86 girls teams across seven divisions have sub-.500 records. Not a problem, according to Cruickshank. “You can qualify by having a .500 or better record overall, in league, or in base division. One of those three ways. If you did away with one of them you’d have less teams with losing records but also less than full brackets. This gives more of our students an opportunity to compete in the championships.” – Joseph Dycus
BUZZER BEATERS
If there’s a team that could go on a surprise run, it might be eighth-seeded Ygnacio Valley in boys Division I. The Wolves have a top-tier lead guard in Antonio Kellogg and a bevy of size and athleticism. Should the seeds hold, the Wolves will take on Dougherty Valley in the second round. YV took Open powerhouse Salesian to the brink in a 71-65 defeat early in the season. …. No. 2 Bishop O’Dowd’s opener in girls Division I will see the Dragons face American’s 25 point per game scorer Shirina Shi. … For the second year in a row, the Head-Royce boys got a tough draw. They’re the No. 16 seed in Division II, one season after getting the No. 16 seed in NorCal Division III. … In girls Division III, No. 10 Monte Vista (12-15) is a dark horse candidate to go from a losing record to an NCS title. Naliyah Sefidi and Kennedy Whyte are both big-time scorers for the Mustangs, who play in the tough EBAL. – Joseph Dycus