OAKLAND, CA – Bishop O’Dowd put on a beautiful display of basketball Thursday night at Laney College, with an array of knock-down jumpers, smooth fast breaks, crisp passing, smothering defense, and dunks as the Dragons defeated Dougherty Valley 86-60 in the quarterfinals of the CIF NCS Open Division playoffs.
Cal-commit Monty Bowser had 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for No. 3 O’Dowd (20-7). The rest of the starting lineup shone as well. Marsalis Roberson electrified the crowd in particular and finished with 17 points, five boards, and four assists. Tai Phillips contributed 13 points and four dimes, Jalen Lewis had 11 points and five rebounds, and Ryzon Norris chipped in 10 points and had three steals.
“We came out focused, we executed…we were able to take advantage of some of our height advantages,” O’Dowd coach Lou Richie said. “We have guys that can really fly and get up, and that changes the momentum of the game. For us and the crowd, that was important.”
No. 6 Dougherty Valley (22-6) again sorely missed star Robby Beasley re-injured a sprained MCL on February 13th and hasn’t played since. The Wildcats lost their fourth straight overall and are 0-3 including the game in which Beasley suffered the injury. The University of Montana-bound shooting guard leads the Wildcats in every major category – 23.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.6 steals.
“It’s unfortunate I can’t play, and it does hurt (not to),” Beasley said. “I do what I can to support them and help us win.”
Aidan Sevilla paced Dougherty Valley with 20 points, while Robby’s younger brother Ryan Beasley poured in 18 and Jacoby Lacey tallied 10. But the Wildcats needed far more to overcome the depth and athleticism of the Dragons.
Bishop O’Dowd raced off to a 23-3 start fueled by a trio of three-pointers, buckets in the paint, and multiple second-chance opportunities. The Wildcats closed the quarter on an 8-1 run but lost the remaining periods by four, five, and four points.
“We came out with intensity and the coach stressed us moving the ball,” Roberson said.
While O’Dowd only struck once more from downtown, in the second half in particular it took on a high-wire act that simply delighted the crowd that was essentially a home crowd even though it was played on a neutral floor. A couple of dunks by Robinson put emphatic exclamation marks on the Dragons’ advantage, and he had three three-point plays in the fourth to put a final stamp on the game.
The bench didn’t need to get too involved, though it’s worth noting that Aaron Anene provided a nice spark with five points, a rebound, an assist, and emotional energy in the third quarter.
“Credit our guys, they didn’t stop,” Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen remarked. “But they’re just too deep…and they’re bigger than we are and without all our guys we were up against it. We know they were going to play above the rim but I don’t think that really rattled us. We didn’t shoot well.”
Bishop O’Dowd has now won 15 straight, having last lost to St. John Bosco at the Catholic School Challenge. Richie recalled how “People definitely had some questions, there was a lot of whispering,” but stated “As long as we’re being good teammates, we have a chance to go far. Our true test will come in whatever game we play and we get behind.”
The Dragons, who can count themselves as one of two winners in the inaugural NCS Open Division, will meet No. 2 Salesian on Saturday at Pinole Valley High School. It will be part of a double-header as the Pride girls play Cardinal Newman.
“(Being in the Open) feels the same but as we keep on going it will feel different,” Bowser said. “We can’t wait for the challenge.”
