Four teams victorious in section title games

PREPS OF THE WEEK

Tam’s Nate Wanger (7) holds off Terra Linda’s Miles Reoch (3) during the NCS Division III championship between Tamalpais and Terra Linda at Tamalpais High in Mill Valley on Saturday. DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN — SPECIAL TO THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

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By Ian Ross

iross@marinij.com

The North Coast Section playoffs wrapped up this past weekend with two soccer teams and two basketball teams emerging victorious in their respective brackets.

Boys soccer saw both Archie Williams and Tam walk away with pennants in Division II and D-III, respectively. The Branson boys basketball team defeated a pair of county opponents in San Rafael and San Domenico to take the D-III crown. The Marin Catholic girls basketball team wrapped up the festivities with a victory over Justin-Siena in the D-II title game.

All four teams move on to the NorCal playoffs which begin Tuesday. They’ll be joined by Terra Linda boys soccer, Marin Academy and San Rafael girls soccer, Redwood and San Domenico boys basketball, plus Redwood girls basketball.

Sam Clark, Nate Wanger, and Jack Millette, Tam boys soccer >> No. 4 Tam claimed its first section title since the 2013 following a 1-0 semifinal victory against No. 9 Napa and a penalty shootout victory after a 1-1 game against No. 6 Terra Linda in the NCS D-III final. Wanger scored the game’s only goal against Napa and converted his penalty against TL. Millette scored the lone goal against TL, heading home a corner kick taken by Noah Pedersen in the 65th minute. Clark made a crucial save in the dying seconds of regulation to get Tam into overtime against TL. Clark also made a terrific save on TL’s second penalty to give the Red-tailed Hawks a commanding edge in the shootout. Tam hits the road for a NorCal game 5 p.m. on Tuesday against Liberty Ranch in Galt.

Jackson Richardson, Sean Chamberlin, and Chala Rosenthal, Archie Williams boys soccer >> The No. 4 Peregrine Falcons needed a goal in extra time from Richardson to defeat No. 1 Cardinal Newman 2-1 then another late goal from Richardson to win the D-II title game 3-2 against No. 2 Granada. Richardson’s title winner came on a free kick taken from just outside the 18-yard box in the 69th minute. The free kick was drawn by Rosenthal, who coach Rene Ayala credited with being the difference in the game for Archie Williams. Chamberlin scored goals for Archie Williams in both games, extending his postseason scoring streak to six in a row. Archie Williams drew the No. 1 seed in the NorCal D-III playoffs and hosts Sacred Heart Prep at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Red Hill Park.

Izzy McFadden, Cecilia Biernat, and Brooke Spagnuolo, Marin Catholic girls basketball >> McFadden led the way in both games last week, scoring 27 points in the semifinals against No. 2 University then 26 more in the NCS D-II title game against No. 1 Justin-Siena as No. 3 MC claimed its fourth consecutive section championship. MC also got key contributions from Spagnuolo — who scored in double figures in both games with 11 and 13 points, respectively — and Biernat, who scored 11 points in the semifinal and added nine in a crucial second quarter against Justin-Siena. The Braves led 31-18 in the second quarter before Biernat and McFadden each scored nine points in a 20-4 run to close the half. MC hosts Christopher in a NorCal game on Tuesday.

Heath French and NJ Gray, Branson boys basketball >> French scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half as top-seeded Branson pulled away to beat No. 2 San Domenico 61-41 for the NCS D-III title on Friday. French also scored 14 points in the Bulls’ 61-52 semifinal victory against No. 5 San Rafael. Gray led the team in scoring in both games, as he has done for most of the season, with 20 points against San Rafael and 27 against San Domenico. Gray also dished out seven assists and pulled down eight rebounds in the title game. Branson hits the road for a NorCal game against Archbishop Mitty on Tuesday.

Jaela Brown and Jocelin Romero, San Rafael girls soccer >> Brown and Romero connected for the goal that helped take the Bulldogs to their first section final in program history. Brown found Romero inside the 18-yard box with a pass and Romero shot the ball into the far corner of the net to stake No. 6 San Rafael to a 1-0 lead against No. 2 Saint Mary’s of Albany in Wednesday’s D-IV semifinal. Saint Mary’s ultimately tied the game but San Rafael won the game on penalties with Brown among the five Bulldogs who made their spot kicks. Goalie Emely Chacon saved the last penalty to send San Rafael to the title game.

Johan Cifuentes, Terra Linda boys soccer >> Cifuentes scored both goals, including one in extra time, as No. 6 TL defeated No. 7 Casa Grande 2-1 in the D-III semifinals on Tuesday to clinch a spot in NorCals. Cifuentes scored on a penalty kick in regulation then got the winner following a free kick taken by Alis Diaz. TL hits the road for a NorCal game against Hillsdale on Tuesday.

Sadie Goodenough, Marin Academy girls soccer >> Goodenough authored one of the most dramatic moments of the postseason in the D-II semifinal penalty shootout win against BCL West foe Urban on Tuesday. Top-seeded MA trailed 4-3 entering the fifth and final round of PKs, meaning Goodenough had to score to keep her team in it. Goodenough’s penalty struck the underside of the crossbar, bounced straight down off the line, then hit the crossbar again before going into the net to keep MA alive. Urban missed its fifth kick to extend the shootout into sudden death. MA got a successful kick from Blythe DeGooyer and a save from Aggie Robinson to clinch a spot in NorCals. MA hits the road for a quarterfinal against Soquel on Tuesday.

Maya Saibel, Drew Schultz, and Kitty White, Redwood girls basketball >> The Redwood trio combined to score 51 of its team’s 72 points in a must-win situation, leading the No. 6 Giants past top-seeded Clayton Valley Charter in the NCS D-I third-place game. Redwood needed to win to advance to NorCal and keep its season alive. The Giants carried a slim lead into the final 2 minutes of the game, getting a crucial corner 3-pointer from Saibel (20 points) inside the final 40 seconds to push the lead to seven points. Schultz (16 points) was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter and made all three free throws to give Redwood a two-point lead. White added 15 points for the Giants, who travel to Stockton to face Lincoln in the NorCal playoffs on Tuesday.

Semetri Carr, Redwood boys basketball >> Carr came up with one of the biggest plays of the season for the Giants, escaping a double team late in the game and in the shot clock to find a wipe-open Jake Post right under the basket for the game-winning points in a 49-47 victory against No. 6 Amador Valley on Tuesday. The victory sent the No. 2 Giants into the D-I final and clinched a spot in NorCals. Carr, who had 18 points against Amador Valley, was the only Giants player to score more than three points against top-seeded Dougherty Valley, scoring 20 in the final. Redwood hits the road to face Oakland Tech in NorCals on Tuesday.

Omar Williams and Gavin Early, San Domenico boys basketball >> The No. 2 Panthers needed a pair of clutch 3-pointers from Williams late in their D-III semifinal game against No. 6 Berkeley to pull out a 50-47 victory and clinch their spot in the NorCal playoffs. Williams scored nine points but came up big when it mattered most for San Domenico. Early, who has been leading the Panthers in scoring all season, did so again with 15 points in the semifinal and 15 in the title game — a loss to top-seeded Branson. Early also had 15 rebounds, five assists, and three steals against Berkeley. San Domenico hosts Aptos at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the NorCal playoffs.