NCS basketball roundup: Cardinal Newman boys upset in 1st round

The third-seeded Cardinal Newman boys basketball team suffered a shocking 64-57 home loss on Tuesday night in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 2 playoffs to 14th-seeded Las Lomas, and the Cardinals' stellar season came to a screeching and sudden end.

“No excuses - we had the lead in the fourth quarter and we didn't close it,” Cardinal Newman coach Tom Bonfigli said. “We didn't come out playing very hard. We didn't come out with a lot of energy.”

Las Lomas (12-15) was clearly the underdog, but Bonfigli said the team was better than its record reflected.

“Maybe our kids underestimated Las Lomas a little bit. Give Las Lomas a lot of credit. They shot the ball exceptionally well. I knew that coming in,” Bonfigli said. “They were the better team tonight.”

Cardinal Newman (22-6) had a 46-43 lead going into the fourth quarter but was outscored 21-11 in the quarter.

“We haven't been outscored in the fourth quarter all season,” Bonfigli said. “You don't give up 21 points in the fourth quarter and win a playoff game.”

Cardinal Newman was led by Mason Friesch (17 points) and Nathan Capurro (10 points).

After the loss, Bonfigli reflected on the Cardinals' season, which included going undefeated in the North Bay League-Oak Division and winning the league title - and the surprise of going out in the first round of the playoffs.

“You always want to play longer in the playoffs. We didn't play well enough to do it. It was a tough way to end the season,” Bonfigli said. “We had a phenomenal regular season.”

TAMALPAIS 52, MONTGOMERY 50

In a Division 2 game at Montgomery, the 11th-seeded Red-Tailed Hawks upset the sixth-seeded Vikings by hitting an inside bucket in the lane with two seconds to play.

“Tamalpais made the shots when it mattered,” Montgomery coach Zac Tiedeman said. “We had a good first half, good pace and control.”

Montgomery (18-11) lead 26-19 at halftime but couldn't hold the lead in the second half.

“In the third quarter we played uncharacteristically and made some turnovers. Tamalpais was getting easy transition baskets,” Tiedeman said. “You could feel the momentum change toward Tamalpais in the third quarter.”

Montgomery was led by Harvey Rouleau with 20 points and Emosi Tuinabewa with 9 points and 6 rebounds.

Tamalpais (15-12) was led by Devon Dyer with 22 points.

“We got better as the season went on. There was a little bit more of a learning curve at the beginning of the season,” Tiedeman reflected. “All in all, it was a successful season.”

In girls games:

MONTGOMERY 51, EL CERRITO 25

In a Division 2 game, the third-seeded Vikings easily defeated the 14th-seeded Gauchos (13-18) to move on to the quarterfinals.

Montgomery (22-6) took a 20-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

“We got off to a really good start. The kids were ready to go,” Montgomery coach Darryl LaBlue said. “We got some good inside shots. Defensively, we did a really good job in the first quarter.”

Trinity Hawkins (14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals) and Ashleigh Barr (12 points, 4 steals, 5 blocks) led the Vikings.

Montgomery will host sixth-seeded Rancho Cotate in the quarterfinal Friday at 7 p.m.

UKIAH 51, CASA GRANDE 37

The visiting ninth-seeded Wildcats (15-13) ambushed the eight-seeded Gauchos (18-12) in a Division 2 game and will move on to the quarterfinals. Ukiah will play at top-seeded Miramonte on Friday at 7 pm.

Against Casa Grande, Ukiah had a big third quarter - winning it 17-9 - to propel the Wildcats.

“Ukiah came out shooting and played pretty well in the first half. They had a lot of composure,” Casa Grande coach Dan Sack said. “Our pressure didn't affect them at all. Ukiah also did a nice job on the boards. We didn't get many second shots.”

Ukiah also won the battle in the key.

“We gave up a lot of inside buckets in the second half,” Sack said. “When Ukiah got open shots, they converted.”

Ukiah was led by Lani Lincoln with 14 points.

Casa Grande was led by Trinity Merwin with 16 points and Samantha Dedrickson with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

RANCHO COTATE 62, NEWARK 48

Host Rancho Cotate defeated visiting Newark Memorial in a Division 2 game by sending waves of players at the visiting Cougars, who could not handle the swarming host Cougars.

“We wore Newark Memorial down. That was the plan. We pressed a lot,” Rancho Cotate coach Maria Newton said. “We turned up the energy in the second half. We sent a lot of girls out there; it was a constant rotation.”

It was the first time in Rancho Cotate girls basketball history that the team won a first-round NCS home game.

Rancho Cotate (25-4) was led by Kiera Johnson (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Keyonee Neal (11 points, 11 rebounds).

Samantha Aemos (14 points) led Newark Memorial (14-13).