A dozen basketball and soccer teams were able to navigate their way through the first week of the North Coast Section playoffs to remain in contention for a section title.
The six basketball teams have already clinched their spots in next week’s NorCal playoffs while the six soccer teams likely need wins in the semifinals to guarantee themselves a place. All six soccer teams are on the road in the next two days while four basketball teams are hosting semifinals.
A pair of Redwood wrestlers also won section titles on Saturday.
Hidalgo had a hat trick, with two penalty kicks and a free kick taken from long range, to lift the Bulldogs to a wild 3-2 victory over Marin Academy in the Division III quarterfinals on Friday night. Hidalgo’s second penalty kick gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead inside the final five minutes of regulation. Marin Academy immediately sprang to life, scoring twice within about a two-minute span to bring the Wildcats level. Hidalgo got his third goal on a free kick in the 80th minute as the No. 9 Bulldogs upset the top-seeded Wildcats. San Rafael hits the road to face No. 4 Ukiah on Tuesday night.
Leary, playing up top as a striker after beginning the season as a right back, had a pair of assists to help Marin Academy take out Encinal 2-1 in the NCS D-III quarterfinals on Friday. Leary’s first assist went to Elie Mascott in the sixth minute and her second went to Cami Colpitts in the eighth. MA continues its postseason with a road game at Cardinal Newman on Tuesday night. MA defeated the Cardinals 2-1 in last year’s semifinal.
Franchetti was one of three Wildcats to score two goals last week, netting both of hers in a 4-1 quarterfinal win against No. 6 Justin-Siena. Franchetti also had an assist to Sloane Carey in a 3-1 win against International. Carey and Brianna Frade scored a goal in each game for No. 3 MC, which heads to Beach Chalet #2 on Tuesday to face No. 2 Urban in the D-IV semifinals.
Sullivan produced a goal and an assist in both games last week as the No. 7 Peregrine Falcons remained alive in the D-III playoffs. Sullivan set up one goal and scored another as Archie Williams survived a 4-3 overtime game against No. 10 Campolindo in the first round. Sullivan assisted Chala Rosenthal on the opening goal against No. 2 Piedmont in the quarterfinals then gave Archie Williams a 3-0 lead with a goal inside the first 20 minutes. Archie Williams went on to win the game 3-1 and faces No. 3 Analy on the road on Tuesday night.
Both played scored three goals across two victories last week to move No. 4 Tam into the D-II semifinals. Costle scored twice in an opening-round, 4-1 win against Montgomery and tallied another in a 5-1 quarterfinal win against Newark Memorial. Willard netted all three of her goals in the quarterfinals. Honorable mention to MCAL player of the year Maren Jones who scored twice against Montgomery. The Red-tailed Hawks face top-seeded Casa Grande on Tuesday night.
Hsieh was involved in every goal for the Bulls last week, including an overtime winner in a 1-0 victory against No. 14 Livermore in the first round. Hsieh assisted Catrin Howell to open the scoring in a 2-1 quarterfinal win against No. 11 Northgate then scored the eventual winner in the 45th minute. No. 3 Branson hits the road to face No. 2 Las Lomas on Tuesday.
Amborn outscored both of San Domenico’s opponents singlehandedly last week, averaging 35.5 points per game as the No. 2 Panthers moved into the D-V semifinals. Amborn scored 35 points in a 61-31 win over No. 15 Redwood Christian then scored 36 in a 64-27 quarterfinal victory against No. 7 Hoopa Valley. Amborn and the Panthers stay home for Tuesday’s semifinal against No. 3 Mt. Diablo.
Denler, a sophomore center, had one of her best games of the season to help Redwood take down San Marin, 44-33, in the D-II quarterfinals on Saturday. Denler had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds as the No. 1 Giants defeated the No. 9 Mustangs for the third time this season. Redwood hosts No. 5 Foothill at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Butler scored 14 of his team-high 20 points in the second half as Branson rallied for a 62-50 win against No. 6 Clayton Valley Charter in the first round of the Open Division playoffs on Wednesday. Branson trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half but tied the game late in the third quarter then dominated in the fourth. The No. 3 Bulls travel to play No. 2 De La Salle in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
McFadden led a balanced scoring attack as a well-rested MC team made short work of Campolindo, rolling to a 69-23 win in the D-III quarterfinals. The top-seeded Wildcats had a bye in the first round. Eight different players scored five or more points for MC, led by the MCAL player of the year in McFadden, who scored 10.
Bugas scored a game-high 32 points — including a clutch three-pointer in the final two minutes — to lift the No. 2 Peregrine Falcons to a 74-67 quarterfinal win against No. 7 Albany on Friday. Bugas also paced the team with 16 points in a 57-45 first-round win against Encinal. Archie Williams hosts No. 3 Piedmont in the D-III semifinals on Tuesday.
Early produced a 21-point, 10-rebound stat line to lift No. 5 San Domenico to a 64-54 victory at St. Vincent De Paul of Petaluma on Saturday night. The Panthers face top-seeded Head-Royce in Oakland on Wednesday night.
Hamzia entered the NCS 134-pound bracket as the fifth seed but came away with the gold medal after winning five consecutive matches. Hamzia won his final three matches by decision, including a 6-5 victory against top-seeded Carlos Vasquez of De La Salle in the semifinals.
Stathopoulos entered the NCS girls tournament as the top seed at 140 pounds and lived up to that billing, going 4-0 with victories in the first round each time. Stathopoulos received a first-round bye then picked up three of her four wins in under two minutes. Stathopoulos’ longest match came in the semifinals, a 2-minute, 31-second win against Addyson Munoz of Clear Lake.
