NCS basketball roundup: Montgomery girls cruise in opener

Tuesday night's North Coast Section Division 2 opening-round game was a relaxing affair for the host No. 2 Montgomery girls basketball team, as the Vikings drubbed No. 15 Richmond 66-15.

The suspense was over early as the Vikings (22-6) took a 12-0 lead in the first few minutes and led 21-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Montgomery led 36-8 at halftime to put the game out of reach for the Oilers (14-17).

“We didn't let our guard down in the second quarter. I've seen a different type of focus in the kids, especially the seniors, in the past few games,” Montgomery coach Darryl LaBlue said. “Tonight we made the extra passes. The girls were locked in to start the game.”

Montgomery will host No. 7 Newark Memorial in a quarterfinal game Friday at 7 p.m.

“The kids understand what is in front of them and what they need to do,” LaBlue said. “It was definitely a good first (playoff) game. We were really unselfish tonight.”

Vikings senior Ashleigh Barr surpassed 1,000 points for her career with her game-high 23 points.

Casa Grande 52, Antioch 48, OT

The host No. 3 Gauchos (17-9) put together a furious fourth-quarter rally to stave off an upset by the No. 14 Panthers (10-16) in a Division 2 matchup.

Antioch led 38-29 to start the fourth, but Casa Grande won the quarter 17-8 and overtime 6-2. The Guachos will host a quarterfinal Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 6 Rancho Cotate.

“Something clicked in the fourth quarter,” Casa Grande coach Dan Sack said. “The girls just dug deep down and decided they didn't want this to end.”

Casa Grande was led by Ashley Casper (19 points), Jamie McGaughey (14 points) and third-string point guard Mazin Dahmani (4 points, 7 steals, 4 assists), who was pressed into service due to injuries to the Guachos' first- and second-string point guards.

Antioch was led by Miakala Thomas with 13 points.

Rancho Cotate 58, Hayward 48

In a Division 2 game, the host No. 6 Cougars (20-9) defeated the No. 11 Farmers (7-13) by effectively employing a full-court defensive press.

“We wore Hayward down at the end,” Rancho Cotate coach Mario Newton said. “We won the rebounding battle. We were a little scrappier and getting most of the 50-50 balls.”

Keyonee Neal (20 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals, 7 blocks) had a mammoth game for the Cougars.

“It was a beautiful night for Keyonee. She played really well in transition and hit two threes late in the game,” Newton said.

Hayward was led by Jojo Tagiai with 20 points.

Boys basketball:

Montgomery 54, Cardinal Newman 47

In an unusual third consecutive matchup between the teams, the visiting No. 10 Vikings (16-12) were victorious in a Division 2 game over the No. 7 Cardinals (21-8). The teams split four against each other this season.

Montgomery plays No. 2 De Anza in El Sobrante in a quarterfinal Friday at 7 p.m.

“We took care of the ball a lot better tonight. We had 12 turnovers tonight - last game versus Cardinal Newman we had 19 turnovers,” Montgomery coach Zac Tiedeman said.

Cardinal Newman was outscored 13-2 in the first quarter.

“We lost the game in the first quarter. We weren't ready to play. We were flat,” Cardinal Newman coach Tom Bonfigli said. “There are no excuses. We have nobody to blame but ourselves. It's a disappointing way to end our season.”

Piner 73, Sonoma Valley 63

The host No. 4 Prospectors (26-2) won their 15th game in a row as they defeated the No. 13 Dragons (16-11) with clutch free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter in a Division 3 game.

“We hit our free throws down the stretch,” Piner coach Mike Erickson said. “Sonoma shot really well. Any time you can win and advance, you'll take it.”

Piner hosts No. 5 Miramonte (Orinda) Friday at 7 p.m in a quarterfinal.

Piner was led by Adonis Gutierrez (22 points, 9 rebounds) and Isaac Torres (14 points, 10 rebounds).

Sonoma was led by Dom Girish with 23 points.

Las Lomas 69, Santa Rosa 51

It was a tough night for the visiting No. 13 Panthers (13-14) as a dismal third quarter led to the loss to the No. 4 Knights (18-9) of Walnut Creek in a Division 2 contest.

Santa Rosa lost the third quarter 23-4 and fell short in its fourth-quarter comeback bid.

“We came out in the second half and just didn't execute. We turned the ball over a ton. Las Lomas got a lot of easy buckets on turnovers,” Santa Rosa coach Madison Lott said. “It was very disappointing. “

The Panthers were led by Braden Leslie with 13 points.

The Knights were led by Cooper Wise with 20 points.