Senior guard Nick Tovani had 21 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists, and the No. 1 seed Aptos High boys basketball team beat the No. 8 Pioneer 57-41 in the Central Coast Section Division III quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

Sam Stepan scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the first quarter to lead the visiting Mustangs (11-15), the sixth-place finisher in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mount Hamilton Division.

Senior guard Ryan Solorio made a 35-foot 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to cap the Mariners’ 17-7 run in the second quarter.

Aptos (23-4) entered the fourth quarter with an 8-point lead and extended it to 20 in the final stanza to seal their win.

Senior forward Isaiah Ackerman had 17 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two assists for the Mariners, the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion.

Senior center Owen Warmerdam had six points, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Senior guard Demian Matlow chipped in with six points, two rebounds and two assists.

Aptos hosts No. 4 Sacred Heart Cathedral (10-15), the eighth-place finisher in the West Catholic Athletic League and defending CCS D-III champion, in the semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m.

At Santa Cruz 70, El Camino 54 >> Junior forward DeMarco Hunter had 38 points, 16 rebounds, and six blocks, and the No. 2 Cardinals beat the No. 7 Colts in the CCS D-III quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

Santa Cruz led 19-6 after the first quarter and 32-22 at the half.

Sophomore guard L.J. Legan made a pair of 3s and scored eight points for the Cardinals (16-11), the SCCAL runner-up. Junior Keyondre Randolph and sophomore Kaden Mirtz each scored seven points.

Senior Jozel Pasco scored 11 points to lead the Colts (19-7), the fourth-place finisher in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division. Anthony Yuen and Markson Jacques each scored 10 points.

Santa Cruz hosts No. 6 Burlingame (13-13), the fourth-place finisher in the PAL’s Bay Division, in the semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m.

At Carmel 47, Soquel 42 >> Junior center Connor Corlett totaled 10 points and 12 rebounds, and the No. 7 Knights had the No. 2 Padres on the ropes on their home court, but Soquel was unable to finish off the defending CCS D-IV champion in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

The Knights (14-14), who tied for third place in the SCCAL, led 42-39 with a little over three minutes remaining, but missed some shots at the rim down the stretch and were forced to foul late.

“Our guards struggled with open looks,” Knights coach Chris Christensen said.

Seniors Steely Deans and Nolen Westfall each scored eight points for the Knights.

Senior guard Hudson Rutherford made four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 15 points for the Padres (18-6), the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division champion. Senior guard Warren Blut added 12 points.

At The King’s Academy 75, Scotts Valley 49 >> Senior center Jacob Sanders scored 12 points and senior guard/wing Taylor Knox added 10 points, but the No. 9 Falcons lost to the No. 1 Knights in the CCS D-IV quarterfinals in Sunnyvale on Tuesday night.

Zach Shilling scored eight points for the Falcons, who tied for third place in the SCCAL, and twin Will Shilling chipped in with six points.

TKA (21-4), the West Bay Athletic League champion, heated up late in the first quarter for a 19-12 lead and pulled away in the second half.

Senior wing Caedmon Dickson scored 15 points for the balanced Knights, and Karan Kolappa, Claxton Ladine, and Boss Mhoon each added 14 points.

Girls

At Santa Cruz 54, Westmoor 30 >> Sophomore Mila Conn made three 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and six steals, and the No. 3 Cardinals beat the No. 6 Rams in the CCS D-III quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

Santa Cruz, the SCCAL runner-up, led 12-4 after the first quarter and 27-17 at the half.

Ania Sinnott made two 3s and finished with 12 points and three rebounds for the Cardinals (14-10).

Karolina Espinosa, Jada Colehower, and Brooke Alden combined for 17 rebounds.

It was the Cardinals’ first game since suffering a 1-point loss to Scotts Valley in the SCCAL Tournament championship on Feb. 15.

“It is hard to sit for a week and not have any games, but we started really strong in this game,” Cardinals coach Todd Trowbridge said. “We had spent a lot of time on our defense during the break. We finally were able to effectively play our 1-3-1 for the first time this season.

“The thing we stressed all week is our defensive play feeds into our offense. And we emphasized all week to find the open teammates. I was very proud of our defensive intensity and our ball movement.”

Grace Wang scored 15 points for the Rams (8-15), the seventh-place finisher in the PAL’s Bay Division. Kiana Chavez scored 13 points.

Santa Cruz plays at No. 2 Mills (15-10), which tied for third in the Bay Division, in Millbrae in Thursday’s semifinals at 7 p.m.

“It has been a rocky season for us, but these girls want to keep playing,” Trowbridge said. “Right now our goal is one more game.”

At Notre Dame Belmont 58, Scotts Valley 42 >> Senior guard/center Abigail Shi made a pair of 3s and scored 15 points, but the No. 5 Falcons were eliminated in the CCS D-IV quarterfinals by the No. 4 Tigers on Tuesday night.

Junior guard Samantha Rebbert scored 11 points for the Falcons (23-3), the SCCAL champion, who trailed 20-5 after the first quarter and 30-13 at the half. Sophomore guard Hanna Shehorn chipped in with eight points.

The Falcons were 14-of-27 shooting from the free-throw line.

Sophomore Mika Cary made four of her five 3-pointer in the second half and scored 18 points for the Tigers (15-8), the fifth-place finisher in the West Bay Athletic League’s Foothill Division. Junior Anani Perez made four 3s and scored 16 points. Junior Lizzie Johnson added 10 points.

At St. Francis 58, Crystal Springs Uplands 32 >> Freshman guard Liliana Whitmeyer made two 3s and finished with 25 points to lead the No. 3 Sharks past the No. 6 Gryphons in the CCS D-V quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

Sophomore guard Maya Calfee scored 18 points for the Sharks (22-2), the PCAL Cypress Division champion.

St. Francis led 15-6 after the first quarter and 30-16 at the half.

Freshman Casey Louie scored 14 points to lead the No. 6 Gryphons (9-10), the fourth-place finisher in the WBAL’s Skyline Division.

St. Francis (22-2) plays at No. 2 Summit Shasta (15-5), the Private School Athletic League Bay Division champion, in Daly City in the semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m.

At Castilleja 65, Pacific Collegiate 34 >> Sophomore forward Kat Buckley scored 10 of her team-high 26 points in the first quarter, but the No. 8 Pumas lost to the No. 1 Gators in the CCS D-V quarterfinals in Tuesday.

Buckley reached double digits in scoring in all 26 games for the Pumas (14-12), the PCAL

Senior guard Addie Payne, who will join Saint Mary’s of California’s crew team next year, had six points and five blocks.