The easiest shot in basketball — at least in theory — is the free throw.

After seventh-seeded Homestead’s 69-63 stunner at No. 2 seed Los Gatos on Tuesday night in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs, the Mustangs didn’t buckle under pressure and put the easiest shots in the basket.

Drew Hamburger was 14 of 18 from the free-throw line, paying no heed to the dozens and dozens of boisterous Los Gatos students, as he scored a team-high 23.

“He missed 20 games with an injury, and he came off the bench tonight and was just phenomenal,” Homestead coach Matt Wright said.

Drew’s brother Will dropped in 16 points, and Brian Chou scored 19.

The Cupertino school went into Los Gatos with a 21-4 record and an unwavering belief in itself. Despite hailing from the second tier of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, the Mustangs knew it could take down one of the top team’s from the SCVAL’s upper-tier league.

“We knew it was an A-league team, and that their program has had a lot of success over the years,” Wright said. “But we felt like we can match up with anyone. A-league, B-league, it doesn’t really matter. ”

The Mustangs are no strangers to postseason success. Homestead reached the Division I title game in 2021. Four years later, Wright has a chance to get back there if his team defeats No. 3 Carlmont, a 73-49 winner over Santa Teresa on Tuesday.

— Joseph Dycus

DOUGHERTY VALLEY BOYS REACH ANOTHER NCS FINAL >> Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen is a passionate guy.

Whether he’s shouting instructions from the bench, cheering on his team during a timeout or yelling at a referee on a questionable call, the longtime basketball coach has no problem wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

After Tuesday’s 64-55 win over Clayton Valley in the North Coast Section Division I semifinals, he was as passionate as could be.

For the fourth consecutive year, Dougherty Valley will be in an NCS title game.

Hansen, who has been the basketball coach since the San Ramon school first had a varsity team in 2008, has seen it all.

Dougherty Valley has had bad seasons, good seasons, rebuilds and championship contending years. But one thing has stayed consistent throughout the years: Mike Hansen.

“Getting to four finals is huge,” Hansen said with tears in his eyes. “It says a lot about our coaching staff, our school and our community. It’s just emotional.”

Dougherty Valley won the Open Division title in 2023 and the Division I crown last year. The Wildcats fell to Clayton Valley in 2022 at home, making the win Tuesday that much sweeter.

Dougherty Valley never trailed during Tuesday’s game.

Jalen Stokes had a monster night, totaling 31 points and 17 rebounds, and senior Kenny Cloud had 22 points.

— Nathan Canilao

MILLS GIRLS BACK IN CCS TITLE MIX >> Before Mills’ CCS quarterfinals game against El Camino on Tuesday night, head coach Justin Matsu visited the cemetery where his father and former longtime Mills coach Dave Matsu is buried.

While there, Matsu reflected on how far the Mills program has come and the legacy his dad built. Dave assembled the groundwork for a Mills program that has been to three consecutive CCS title games and is on the verge of a fourth.

Now in first full season as head coach, Matsu is continuing to inject excellence into the Millbrae school.

“It’s just been about sustained success,” Matsu told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday night. “When my dad first took over this program in 2004, I think, he made something like 13 straight quarterfinal games and couldn’t get over the hump. ... It just speaks to the culture my dad built, and the girls’ willingness to buy into that culture and to play big when we need them to late.”

No. 2 seed Mills breezed past No. 7 El Camino 54-34 in the CCS Division III quarterfinals behind balanced scoring performance from Kelly Ho (13 points) and Sofia Kwan (12).

Mills will play No. 3 Santa Cruz in the semifinals today.

If Mills wins that game and seeds hold, the Vikings will get a rematch with Notre Dame-San Jose in the championship game. Mills fell to Notre Dame in heartbreaking fashion last season in the Division III final.

— Nathan Canilao

RECORD-BREAKER: HUGE NIGHT FOR PALO ALTO STAR >>

Jorell Clark didn’t just lead top-seeded Palo Alto to a 58-40 victory over ninth-seeded Evergreen Valley in the quarterfinals of the CCS Division I playoffs on Tuesday night. The senior made history.

He broke Palo Alto’s single-season scoring record, which David Weaver had held since he led the Vikings to a 31-0 record and Division III state championship in 1993.

Weaver scored 589 points for Palo Alto that season.

With 28 points on Tuesday, Clark has 609 points this season and 1,449 for his career. He’ll try to keep the Vikings’ season going tonight when they play fifth-seeded Leigh in the semifinals. As of late Tuesday, the CCS hadn’t announced the site or time for that game.

— Darren Sabedra

DOUGHERTY VALLEY GIRLS PULL HUGE UPSET >> Dougherty Valley was not going to come home without a win — especially after driving 300 miles up the California coast for its NCS Division III semifinal game.

No. 5 seed Dougherty Valley upset top-seeded St. Bernard’s-Eureka 47-45 on the road in front of a packed gym to advance to the section championship game and secure its spot in the NorCal playoffs. The Wildcats will play second-seeded St. Mary’s-Berkeley on Saturday at Pinole Valley High School.

Keira Tom, Mikala Caston and Charice Kay Bute all had standout performances against St. Bernard’s.

According to Birco, the team arrived in Eureka a day early and had a shootaround on Tuesday morning.

Dougherty Valley will be aiming to capture its first second NCS title and first since 2011. The Wildcats have a shot to make school history on Saturday as both their girls and boys teams will be aiming to capture NCS crowns.

— Nathan Canilao

CALIFORNIA GIRLS UPSET TOP SEED IN doulbe overtime >> Clayton Valley Charter looked every bit like a No. 1 seed in the first quarter on Tuesday night as the home team roared to a 10-point advantage over California in an NCS Division I semifinal.

But in a game filled with ebbs and flows, California got that last punch.

After Clayton Valley made 1 of 2 free throws late in the first overtime to keep the game going, the fifth-seeded visitors from San Ramon heated up from beyond the arc in the second OT frame to advance to this weekend’s final with a 75-63 victory.

The Grizzlies will play second-seeded Bishop O’Dowd at San Leandro High School on Friday or Saturday for the championship.

— Darren Sabedra

WESTMONT GIRLS STUN TOP-SEEDED HILLSDALE >> Trevor Naas didn’t put in a special game plan or try out anything new in No. 8 seed Westmont’s 49-43 CCS Division II shocker over top-seeded Hillsdale. His Warriors just played the same gritty, tough-nosed defense that has not allowed a single opponent to score more than 57 points in a game.

— Joseph Dycus