SAN RAMON >> Dougherty Valley’s season began in November, but its journey to the East Bay Athletic League championship and No. 1 seed in the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs really started six years ago.

Back then, Ryan Beasley, Connor Sevilla, Landon Edmond Jr. and Blake Hudson — all starters on the Bay Area News Group’s No. 1 team — suited up together for the first time on Landon Edmond Sr.’s “Team Legit.”

“We all gelled,” Hudson said about the AAU experience. “We were bonding in those hotel rooms and playing around NorCal, Portland, all those big tournaments.”

When the four reached high school, Beasley, Sevilla and Edmond went to Dougherty Valley, Hudson to St. Mary’s-Berkeley.

The four reunited this season when Hudson transferred to the San Ramon public school.

Together, along with help from players such as Aadi Malali and Chris Fallgren, they’ve taken Dougherty Valley to new heights and are aiming for more celebrations in the next couple of weeks.

The Wildcats play host to Granada in the NCS Open semifinals tonight. If they win, they will play for the championship this weekend.

No matter how the section playoffs unfold, Dougherty Valley will be among the contenders in the state playoffs that start next week.

How have the Wildcats done it?

It helps to have four players who have played alongside one another for years.

Here is their story:

Ryan Beasley: Not just Robby’s little brother

Headlines of a Beasley lighting up Bay Area high school scoreboards are nothing new.

First, it was Robby, who starred at Dublin for three seasons before transferring to Dougherty Valley to play with his kid brother, Ryan.

The younger Beasley has gone on to become one of Northern California’s prolific scorers.

“He paved the way for me,” Ryan said. “But I’ve learned I just have to be myself, and not just Robby’s little brother.”

Nobody is calling Ryan a little brother now.

This season, he is averaging 24.2 points per game. When Dougherty Valley rallied this month from 27 points behind in the third quarter to stun San Ramon Valley in the EBAL tournament, Ryan scored 24 of his 42 points in the fourth period.

In the NCS playoffs last season, he had 43 points in a semifinal win over Moreau Catholic and 43 in a championship game loss to Clayton Valley Charter.

But the younger Beasley wants more than points before he leaves for USF. He wants championship hardware in Dougherty Valley’s trophy case.

“I love the coaches and other players here, so I know I gotta bring the chip home,” Beasley said.

Connor Sevilla: The stepback king steps up

When the clock is running down and defenses close in, Dougherty Valley doesn’t have to rely on only Beasley to put the ball in the basket.

Sevilla averages 22.2 points per game, much of it with an unstoppable step-back jumper that the senior guard unleashes from practically anywhere in the halfcourt.

“Throughout middle school, I was more of a catch-and-shoot type of player,” said Sevilla, a younger brother himself. “But I learned to really take advantage of that one-dribble pullup when players close out hard on me.”

That aspect of Sevilla’s game has made Dougherty Valley’s backcourt a nightmare to defend.

Sevilla has scored at least 30 points in five games this season. But as with Beasley, he prefers to win above all else.

“We’re not going to go out there just to get our own,” Sevilla said. “We’re really just focused on winning the game, so we trust each other. We recognize when to share the ball, and when to take over the game ourselves.”

Sevilla is still looking for a college home. He doesn’t have the measurables colleges seek – the guard is listed as 6-foot on Dougherty Valley’s roster – but he hopes to play at the next level.

“I feel like my athleticism has evolved throughout the years, especially from my junior year till now,” said Sevilla, who has a 4.5 grade-point average. “I think I’ll definitely be able to get that up in the next couple of years, especially if I stay in the weight room and stick to my program.”

Blake Hudson: Newcomer … sort of

When Hudson moved from the Berkeley area to San Ramon last spring, he wasn’t sure where he would go to school.

Why Dougherty Valley?

“The culture brought me out here,” he said.

The decision to enroll at the San Ramon school reunited Hudson with his AAU teammates and made it easy for him to acclimate.

“Everybody was really excited,” he said. “I felt like I fit right in, like I already knew everyone’s playing style.”

Offensively, the 6-3 wing thrives as a catch-and-go player who sprints into gaps after Sevilla and Beasley create havoc.

Hudson is the best around-the-rim finisher on the team but doesn’t hesitate to pass if shooters are open. “If a shot is not there for me, let me kick it out,” Hudson said. “I’m looking for Connor or I’m looking for Ryan or Aadi or Chris for open threes.”

When Hudson was a freshman at St. Mary’s, the team won the NorCal Division III championship but the state title game was canceled because of the pandemic.

He is eager to clear that final hurdle.

“I can tell this is a lot like that team, but even better,” Hudson said.

Landon Edmond Jr.: Big man does the little things

Edmond, as Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen said, does things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

The 6-7 center can contribute offensively without touching the ball and can help rebound without actually grabbing one himself.

“When I’m crashing on the boards hard, people have to come to me, and then my teammates can get rebounds,” Edmond said.

The big guy also helps free up shooters.

“He sets the best screens in the EBAL,” Beasley said. “I really wouldn’t get open too often if he wasn’t setting those screens.”

Not having much of a presence on the box score doesn’t bother Edmond.

He enjoys playing alongside three longtime friends on a historic Dougherty Valley team.

“It’s a really fun experience,” Edmond said. “Having all your friends on your team, knowing they’re gonna have your back, it’s a really fun team to be on.”