The NCS playoffs in Division IV should feature high-quality entertainment. Another St. Mary’s-Salesian clash is likely but not a given. In fact there’s a chance for a double upset in that regard. In Division V, Valley Christian has been unstoppable but the winner of St. Joseph Notre Dame and University will be chomping at the bit for a chance at an upset.
DIVISION IV
No. 4 Piedmont (18-10) @ No. 1 St. Mary’s (22-7)
First round: Piedmont def. No. 13 Healdsburg 68-25; St. Mary’s BYE.
Quarterfinals: Piedmont def. No. 5 Arcata 66-47; St. Mary’s def. No. 8 Marin Catholic 57-26.
Outlook: Piedmont could pull up off an upset here, as the Highlanders have especially played well as of late (for instance the Highlanders lost the first matchup with Berkeley by seven, then won by 17; they lost to O’Dowd by 17, then three). St. Mary’s lost to Salesian by three and 11, then won by three; Piedmont fell to the Pride by four. History and home court favors the Panthers, but the right performance from Piedmont could overcome that.
No. 3 Cardinal Newman (25-5) @ No. 2 Salesian (26-3)
First round: Cardinal Newman def. No. 14 John Swett 76-19; Salesian BYE.
Quarterfinals: Cardinal Newman def. No. 6 Justin-Siena 59-30; Salesian def. No. 7 Lick-Wilmerding 67-40.
Notable: Minyon Moore had 16 points, eight steals, and five assists for the Pride.
Outlook: The teams did not meet and have no common opponents, so it’s a hard call. Salesian’s schedule has been much tougher and perhaps for that reason alone the nod goes to the Pride. Note that the game will be played at Albany High School.
DIVISION V
No. 5 San Domenico (22-5) @ No. 1 Valley Christian (26-4)
First round: San Domenico def. No. 12 Emery 66-28; Valley Christian def. No. 16 St. Vincent de Paul 76-24.
Quarterfinals: San Domenico def. No. 4 Urban, 43-18; Valley Christian def. No. 8 Redwood Christian 71-28.
Notable: In Valley Christian’s quarterfinal, Alyssa Arace, Nina Bessolo, and Kayla Frierson combined for 53 points, and Arianna Cunha had 11 assists along with 10 points and eight steals.
Outlook: Valley Christian is a perfect 8-0 against common opponents, and San Domenico is 7-3, though outside of St. Joseph Notre Dame (Valley Christian +7, San Domenico -10) the largest differential is 12. Few teams have been able to slow the Vikings down. The Panthers might, but whether they have enough to come out with a win is questionable.
No. 3 St. Joseph Notre Dame (19-11) @ No. 2 SF University (22-8)
First round: St. Joseph Notre Dame def. No. 14 Bentley 67-26; University def. No. 15 Hoopa Valley 61-43.
Quarterfinals: St. Joseph Notre Dame def. No. 6 Bay School of SF, 74-52; University def. No. 7 Convent of the Sacred Heart, 47-31.
Notable: Alyssa Gable scored 22, and Ayesa Kearns 19 for the Pilots in the quarterfinal.
Outlook: University won both head-to-head meets by almost identical scores: 46-33 and 44-33. St. Joseph’s margin in a win over Convent of the Sacred Heart—one—also gives favor to the Red Devils. But the results against Urban (two one-point victories for the Pilots, a 7-point loss and 4-point win for the Red Devils) and especially San Domenico (St. Joseph 10-point win, University 19-point loss) suggest that this one could be close.
DIVISION VI
No. 5 Cornerstone Christian (22-7) @ No. 1 St. Bernard Catholic (19-9)
First round: Cornerstone Christian def. No. 12 Point Arena, 65-33; St. Bernard Catholic BYE.
Quarterfinals: Cornerstone Christian def. No. 4 Summerfield Waldorf, 47-44; St. Bernard Catholic def. No. 9 Rincon Valley Christian, 68-34.
Outlook: There’s only one common opponent, but it’s telling. While both beat Potter Valley, Cornerstone Christian did so by 15, St. Bernard by 40. The No. 1 seed will prove why it’s No. 1.
No. 3 Round Valley (16-6) @ No. 2 Ferndale (13-13)
First round: Round Valley BYE; Ferndale BYE.
Quarterfinals: Round Valley def. No. 11 Anderson Valley, 52-46; Ferndale def. No. 7 Contra Costa Christian, 47-16.
Outlook: Judging by the quarterfinal results, the edge would go to Ferndale.
