Trailing by two points early in the second quarter, at home against 11-seed Hayward, Miramonte exploded from outside the arc to trigger a game-changing run before cruising to the 73-53 victory in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 3 playoffs.
Down 19-17 in the second, Niyi Olabode hit three straight treys to spark a 14-0 run for the Matadors, who would carry a 12-point lead into the half. Olabode scored 18 points to lead Miramonte, with all of them coming in the first half. Jayson Fernbacher heated up in the second half, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the final two quarters, while Matt Meredith chipped in nine points.
Miramonte will head to three-seed St. Patrick-St. Vincent on Friday, as the Bruins cruised easily past Rancho Cotate, 79-45.
Tam stuns Montgomery
Devon Dyer hit the game-winning shot for 11-seed Tamalpais, which stunned six-seed Montgomery 52-50 in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs.
Dyer led the Red-Tailed Hawks with 22 points, while Tyler Reed scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Tam will now get to host 14 seed Las Lomas, which ousted NBL-Oak champion and three seed Cardinal Newman in the first round, 64-57.
Monte Vista holds off Freedom
A pair of late three-pointers from visiting Freedom added some drama, but Monte Vista hit its free throws down the stretch to hold off the Falcons, 61-59, in a Division 1 first-round game.
Freshman Jordan Pope drained one for Freedom with under a minute to play, making it a one-point game, but both Matt Musselman and Jack Stallard hit both free throws for the six-seed Mustangs, pushing the lead to five points before Trevon O'Neal hit a final three for the Falcons.
Monte Vista will now head to James Logan on Saturday night.
James Logan survives strong Napa effort
Despite going unbeaten in the inaugural Vine Valley Athletic League, Napa was buried in the seeding thanks to some bad non-league losses early in the season. The Grizzlies showed they were indeed a much improved team, but three-seed James Logan held them off for the 85-76 victory on Tuesday night.
Brett Thompson scored 24 points while cousin Brahjon Thompson added 19 points in the win. The Colts will host Monte Vista in their small auxiliary gym on Saturday night, since the NCS wrestling championships take place in their main gym.
Redwood gets balanced effort to beat Vallejo
Four-seed Redwood picked up a methodical 64-53 win over Vallejo to open the Division 2 playoffs, advancing to face San Lorenzo in the quarterfinals.
Senior Miles Squiers led the way with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Jack Gerson and Jake Mathews added nine points each.
Around the playoff horn
Top seed Bishop O'Dowd was not fazed by having to go on the road in the first round, as the Dragons bolted to a large lead early before cruising past Benicia, 75-40. O'Dowd led 27-2 at one point in the second quarter, after the Dragons scored the first 14 points in the period. They host Bethel in the Division 2 quarterfinals, after the Jaguars ousted Santa Rosa in the first round, 68-57.
San Marin trailed by three points at the half, but outscored Drake by nine points in the third quarter to post a 53-43 victory in a Division 3 first-round game. The Mustangs advance to face top seed and unbeaten Salesian, which routed Kennedy-Fremont, 72-18, after a 23-3 run to start the game.
Moreau Catholic had five players score in double figures as the Mariners routed Washington, 81-49. Max Anderson led the way with 19 points. The second-seed in the Division 2 bracket will host another MVAL foe in the quarterfinals, after Newark Memorial routed Northgate in the first round.
