After back-to-back appearances in the CIF Northern California Regional tournament, the San Domenico boys basketball team was eager to take the next step in its evolution.

“These seniors are of high character and they’ve been committed to this all year,” San Domenico head coach Tyler Gaffaney said. “They’re the ones who put this program on the map. They’re the ones who won the big games and over the past three years have put their stamp on Marin basketball.”

After a season of hard work, the Panthers desperately wanted another shot at a state title berth. Their journey ended suddenly Tuesday night with a 67-54 loss to Aptos in the opening round of the NorCal Division III playoffs.

Gavin Early led the No. 8 Panthers (23-9) with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Chidera Onyeukwu added four points and 11 rebounds.

“It’s hard to focus on the future right now, so soon after the final game,” Gaffaney said. “But these guys, this version of themselves right now, they just played the version of themselves that they will be when they come back on August 30. They can keep that in mind and be a better version of themselves four months from now.”

Tuesday’s showdown featured two rising powerhouses. The Panthers earned a berth in the 2020 CIF state championship game, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Gaffaney’s first season as head coach, San Domenico appeared in the NorCal D-IV playoffs and last season came within a hair’s breadth of another state title berth, but lost to Athenian in the NorCal D-III finals.

“It’s really fun when you can have a group like that,” Gaffaney said of seniors Early, Onyeukwu, Arthur Mueller and Kris Jakstas. “You can’t find better people, more committed workers.”

Aptos, winner of the Santa Cruz Coast League, is making its first regional appearance since 2022 after falling short in the Central Coast Section playoffs the past two years. Aptos (25-5) now steps up to face top-seeded King’s Academy on Thursday.

“We’ve been preparing all season for these playoffs,” Gaffaney said. “We had time for just one practice between the time the brackets were announced and now, but we knew Aptos is a good team with a lot of weapons.”

The biggest weapon for the ninth-seeded Mariners is 6-foot-8 senior Owen Warmerdam. He towered over San Domenico’s 6-2 Early at midcourt for the opening tipoff, but the Panthers managed to limit his effectiveness most of the night.

“Shout out to Chi, Arthur, and (junior) Omar (Williams), as well,” Early said. “Those three all held (Warmerdam) down and made sure he didn’t get any rebounds or easy baskets.”

The Mariners instead relied on their 3-point shooters, hitting 13 shots from well beyond the arc. Seniors Nick Tovani and Ryan Solario combined for 50 points, including six 3-pointers each, to account for the majority of the game’s scoring.

Marin County coaching legend Brett Tovani was in the stands to watch his grandson take the spotlight for Aptos with a game-high 30 points. Solario added 20 points.

“My dad grew up in this area and I knew my family would be here. It’s fun to be playing here,” Nick Tovani said. “I wanted to live up to the Tovani name.”

Bret Tovani grew up on the basketball courts in Ross Valley and went on to become a coaching legend with a sideline career that spanned seven decades, including 10 MCAL basketball championships with San Rafael, Branson and Drake (now Archie Williams High) and five North Coast Section titles.

“(Nick) Tovani made a lot of shots. Some of them were the result of our defensive breakdowns, but some of them were just difficult shots,” Gaffaney said. “He’s a good player who made some hard shots.”

Solorio came out firing with three of his six 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Mariners got off to an impressive start. The Panthers evened the score at the free throw line after Ika Jokhadze was fouled while taking a 3-point shot with less than half a second left in the first period.

The Panthers wasted no time in taking their first lead as Omar Williams hit a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds into the second quarter. Early followed quickly with a basket as he took the handoff from Jokhadze under the hoop for a layup. San Domenico took an eight-point lead into the break as Early hit a fadeaway jumper with 4 seconds left in the first half.

Jakstas, who tallied nine points, celebrated the moments Tuesday night, pumping his fists and roaring at his teammates, as he hit one big shot after another. Early split the defense like a knife for an easy layup and Rastko Dobromirovic came up with a huge rebound and an assist as the Panthers stayed within striking distance midway through the second half. However, there just weren’t enough of those moments from San Domenico down the stretch.

“There were a lot of points in the game where we had a chance to come back and take the lead,” Early said.

Nick Tovani, who scored just five points in the first half, took over in the second half. He scored 11 points in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer with a minute to go in the period that put the Mariners ahead for good.

“In the third quarter, they got a little too comfortable,” Gaffaney said.

Aptos outscored San Domenico 23-11 in the third to completely eras the Panthers’ lead and re-energize the Mariners’ attack.

“We got our confidence back,” Nick Tovani said. “We realized it was life or death, win or go home, and that turned things around.”