Bellarmine Prep defeated McClymonds 64-46, putting it one step closer to a CIF-State NorCal title game.
The Bells will now take on host Deer Valley at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the NorCal semifinals, with a berth in the NorCal title game on the line. The championship game is at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at Sleep Train Arena (formerly Arco) in Sacramento.
McClymonds came in determined to beat Bellarmine after its non-league loss to the Bells in overtime. The game began slowly as the host Bells faced the Warriors' strong defense, led by point guard Tahjee Williams.
The Warriors showed their drive to win as guard Eric Jones made a 3-pointer to move McClymonds to within 9-7 of the Bells, who extended their lead to 18-11 by the end of the quarter.
Grant Vermeer hit a bank shot to put the Bells up 18-11 early in the second quarter, but McClymonds stayed close with good inside play by stalwarts such as Dalvin Guy.
But the Bells, playing at home and toughened by the pressure-cooker West Catholic Athletic League race, had a 36-25 lead by early in the third quarter.
Bellarmine, paced by Jackson Gion who made two consecutive 3-pointers, led 47-29 after three quarters and would not be caught.
Said Bells coach Patrick Schneider: “I think we fouled too much with the lead, made the game longer than it needed to be. We took some early shots that were fairly guarded hard, so we could have been more patient.”
The veteran coach was also impressed by McClymonds' stopper unit: “Defensively they are very aggressive, very skilled and very well coached in terms of their positioning and help defense and aggressiveness. Their big guys are just long and active, causing problems on screens that we’re trying to run around the basket.”
Bell guard Isaac Gayles said he knew McClymonds would be motivated, but that the Bells were undaunted.
“We are not afraid of them, we just knew we had to come out and play hard, play the hardest we can. It’s do or die right now. That’s been our mindset since CCS started and now through the Northern California finals.”
The Bells are now 15-0 against teams not from the WCAL.
