Tall order for three Empire teams

<p>After talking with various coaches about his team's opening-round opponent, Analy coach Brett Page has come to this conclusion: No one expects the Tigers to win.</p><p>And Montgomery coach Tom Fitchie sounded less than hopeful when discussing how to match up with his first-round foe, “We'll just have to figure it out,” he said.</p><p>Finally, Montgomery girls' basketball coach Steve Bell is bracing the Vikings for a date against a track team in high tops.</p><p>Three Empire basketball teams will begin their quest for a deep run in the NorCal Regional playoffs tonight. And if this represents their first step, it's also fair to wonder if it might also be the end of the road.</p><p>In Analy's case, its role as the undersized underdog will feel quite familiar. After winning the school's first North Coast Section title as a No. 5 seed last year, the second-seeded Tigers were upset by No. 6 Miramonte in the NCS semifinals this season.</p><p>Analy (29-2), seeded No. 11 in Division III, travels to meet No. 6 Center (26-3) at Antelope High School. And if the Tigers — winners of 25 straight prior to their semifinal loss — haven't been underdogs this year, they also haven't towered over the competition with a starting lineup that averages 5-foot-11.</p><p>A lack of height isn't an issue for Center, which will trot out five starters averaging 6-4. Six-foot-8 center Connor Haysbert (14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds) and his brother, 6-7 junior forward Chad Haysbert (10.9, 8.0), have at least 11 inches on Analy's leading scorer, 5-8 junior point guard Max Fujii.</p><p>But the Tigers' up-tempo, havoc-producing style could take its toll on the depth-starved Cougars, who used six players in a triple-overtime loss to Vista del lago in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals.</p><p>Analy always wants to run. And Page acknowledged their style could be their salvation tonight.</p><p>“I'm hoping so. I've heard from a couple of people that they basically play six guys,” Page said. “We'll try to run and press and keep the tempo up. We want to have a game with full-court craziness.”</p><p>Montgomery (23-7), seeded No. 11 in Division II, will also have no shortage of height-related issues when it travels to meet No. 6 Oakmont of Roseville (22-7).</p><p>Oakmont's starting lineup averages 6-5 and the Vikings' leading scorer is 6-8 senior Tony Gill (18.7 points, 10.5 rebounds), who has an outside jumper to match his inside presence. Montgomery will counter with 6-9 junior center Ben Freeland, its only regular starter over 6-2.</p><p>Fitchie got a first-hand look at Gill when he saw Oakmont lose to Woodcreek, 45-44, in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals Saturday. Gill was limited to 12 points and 12 rebounds, but his potential to do far more damage was clear to Fitchie.</p><p>While Oakmont is impressive, there are flaws that can be exposed. Similar to Center, the Oakmont Vikings also lack depth — Fitchie hopes Montgomery can get Oakmont into foul trouble — and aren't accustomed to such a high-pressure stage. Prior to this year, the Vikings hadn't had a winning record in five straight seasons, a stretch during which it had a record of 36-92.</p><p>Three years ago, the Montgomery girls' basketball team met St. Francis of Sacramento in the first round of NorCals and won, 49-40. Vikings coach Bell recalls the Troubadors liked to run and evidently not much has changed.</p><p>St. Francis, winners of seven Sac-Joaquin Section titles, was the No. 1 seed in the SJS playoffs but lost to No. 3 Vallejo, 67-64, in the title game.</p><p>Five-foot-6 junior guard Jolise Limcaco, who hit five 3-pointers and had 23 points against Vallejo, is one of the ringleaders of the Troubadors' perpetual-motion attack.</p><p>“They like to pressure you up and down the floor, that's still their program,” Bell said. “... They're the type of team that can put a lot of points on the board in a hurry if you have any type of mental or physical lapse.”</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Eric Branch at 521-5268 or eric.branch@pressdemocrat.com.</p>