MORAGA, Calif. – The McKeon Pavilion court on the campus of St. Mary’s College was a Monte Vista celebration ground late Saturday night.
A huge student body stormed the court following the Mustangs’ 52-43 boys win over Newark Memorial about two hours after Monte Vista’s girls drilled Deer Valley 57-40 to complete a North Coast Section Division I sweep, the first at this level since 1995.
Players and coaches from both programs, clad in Mustang red, white and black, embraced and posed for pictures.
“We’re like UConn,” Monte Vista senior guard Brian Barbour said with a giant grin referring to college basketball’s two top-ranked programs.
.As he was being interviewed by reporters, Monte Vista girls standout Niveen Rasheed snapped off a few shots of Barbour, who had just led the Mustangs (26-3) to their second NCS crown in three seasons with 25 points, including 19 in the second half.
Monte Vista senior Brian Barbour
Staff photo by Dennis Lee
Rasheed, a 6-foot senior headed for Princeton, was even more dominating the girls game with 30 points, nine rebounds and seven steals leading the Mustangs (26-2) to their first-ever crown.
“So you think you could beat her one-on-one,” Barbour was asked?
“No way, she’d beat me,” Barbour said. “I don’t know if I could hang with her.”
Rasheed just rolled her eyes.
Not only are these super preps talented but humble as well.
Both deflected personal acclaim to celebrate fantastic team and school triumphs. Both teams played two of their best games of the season on the biggest stage. Both played superior defense and executed soundly on offense.
But clearly, Rasheed and Barbour set themselves apart and put an exclamation point on their Monte Vista legacy. It’s not just their scoring. It’s every facet of the game they excel. And because of their smart, strong and humble natures, they are also natural leaders.
“I’m happy for every one of our girls and they all deserved this, but I think (Rasheed) is one of the best players to ever come out of this area and for her to win a NCS championship is special,” said Monte Vista 19-year girls coach Ron Hirschman. “She just deserves one. They all do, but I think this puts a stamp on her career as one of the best players to come out of this area.”
Asked to clarify what area and for how long, Hirschman didn’t mince comparisons. The Bay Area has produced some of the game’s most recent greats: Courtney and Ashley Paris (Piedmont, now at Oklahoma), Jayne Appel (Carondelet, Stanford), Danielle Robinson (Mitty, Oklahoma) and currently two McDonald’s All-Americans DeNesha Stallworth (Pinole Valley) and Tierra Rogers (Sacred Heart Cathedral), both who have committed to Cal.
“Personally, (Rasheed) is the best player I’ve ever seen and I’ve been around 19 years,” he said. “I’ve seen Jayne Appel and all of them but if I had to pick a team, the first player I’d pick is Niveen. … There’s no all-around player as good as her.”
Monte Vista senior Niveen Rasheed
Staff photo by Dennis Lee
Deer Valley coach Lindsay Wisely, who also starred at Deer Valley and played at St. Mary’s College earlier this decade, also gave Rasheed a strong endorsement.
Rasheed, who is a tremendous passer and has fantastic vision, was steady throughout with 10 first-half points, 10 in the third and 10 in the fourth. She along with 6-foot senior Amil Amin, 5-11 sophomore Kayla Williams and 5-11 senior Alexandria Whalen (11 points) keyed an interior defense that caused problem for the Wolverines (22-7), who got 12 points by Patrice Saindon, 11 from Deserie Azlin and 10 by Emily Allard.
“I think Niveen is one of the most phenomenal athletes I’ve seen,” she said. “She did a tremendous job and carried her team.”
After teammate Tyrelle Phillips (12 points), an offensive rebounding machine carried Monte Vista offensively early, it was all Barbour the second half. The 6-1 point guard made all six of Monte Vista’s field goals in the second half and 6 of 7 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“He’s not afraid to shoulder the burden of being our best player,” Monte Vista boys coach Bill Powers said. “And his teammates aren’t reluctant to accept the fact he’s our best player. That speaks to our team chemistry.
“He knew what he needed to do. We had a lull from some of the other guys offensively, they switched defense so (Barbour) did what he need. That’s what your best player should do.”
Barbour doesn’t wow you athletically which is probably why he hasn’t accepted a scholarship offer yet. But the third year starter is fundamentally close to perfect, he’s fearless and he’s a fantastic shooter.
“He’s made my life significantly easier for three years,” Powers said. “Tonight he led us to our second title in three years. He may very well be the best basketball player ever at Monte Vista. That’s no slight on any one else, but one else can say that.”
Newark Memorial (26-5), which upset and ended the season of nationally-ranked De La Salle 39-33 on Wednesday, got 16 points from Khion Sankey and 12 by Ifeanyi Ezeofor.
But Newark coach Craig Ashmore said the rock solid play of Barbour was too much to overcome.
“He’s awfully, awfully good,” Ashmore said. “He controlled things and once they had a cushion he wouldn’t let us get over the hump.”
Celebration Saturday for Monte Vista.
Staff photo by Dennis Lee
MORE NORTH COAST SECTION
Boys
Division II
Hayward 70, Northgate 59
Keith Martin led four Hayward players in double figures and to their third NCS crown in eight years. Jabreel Nasir had 14, Demico Jackson 13 and Davion Berry 11 for the Farmers (20-8), who went on a 14-5 run in the second quarter and were really never threatened. Northgate (23-6) led all scorers with 29 points. See story.
Division III
Analy 76, Miramonte 73
In probably the most exciting and unlikely NCS championship event, sophomore Max Fujii scored 14 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter leading fifth-seed Analy (26-6) to the overtime win at St. Mary’s College. Fujii’s three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime. Eric Obeysekere had 28 points and 16 rebounds for second-seed Miramonte (24-5). See story.
Analy's Max Fujii is carried off court after heroic game.
Staff photo by Dennis Lee
Division IV
Salesian 63, St. Mary's 55
Top-seed Salesian (27-4) won for the third straight time over its Bay Shore Athletic League rivals as Desmond Simmons had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Kendall Andrews add 15 points and 10 rebounds to offset a combined 21 from Chris Brew and Demetrius Lee for St. Mary’s (26-5). See story.
Division V
St. Joseph Notre Dame 41, Branson 30
Two famed Northern California programs locked defensive horns, but Jakari Whitefield scored 11 of his game-high 14 in the first quarter to lift St. Joseph (23-8) to victory and snap Branson’s five-year reign as section champion. Branson (28-4), the three-time defending state champions, didn’t score for an 11:22 stretch but did get 13 points by Gabe Avins. St. Joseph earned its 10th NCS crown to break a tie with Branson for second-most all-time behind Bishop O’Dowd (12). St. Joseph became the first team to win NCS titles in three divisions (I, IV and V). The Pilots won back-to-back Division I state titles starting in 1994 behind point guard Jason Kidd. See story.
Carondelet junior Ricki Radanovich
Staff photo by Dennis Lee
Girls
Division II
Carondelet 66, Northgate 52
Sophomore Erica Payne had 22 points and 10 rebounds leading the top-seeded Cougars (26-3) to the wire-to-wire win over a very good Northgate squad (24-4), the No. 3 seed. Teammates Morgan Fitterer and Hannah Hoffman had 10 points apiece, while Northgate’s Valerie Middleton and Kendra Hessel combined for 23. See story.
Division III
Bishop O’Dowd 72, Dublin 35
At St. Mary’s College, junior Robie Mayberry had 27 points and 16 rebounds and junior Alexis Bostick added 18 points, six steals and six assists as top-seed O’Dowd (27-2) rolled to an easy win over second seed Dublin (23-6), which got 14 points by Jasmine Smith. See story.
Division IV
St. Mary’s 64, Marin Catholic 36
At Berkeley High, top seed St. Mary’s (27-4) got 21 points and 14 rebounds by junior Danielle Mauldin and sophomore Cody Sims added 10 points in the first half that featured a 26-6 Panthers’ run. Nicole Anderson-Jew had 13 points for Marin Catholic (24-6). See story.
Division V
Branson 55, Urban 34
The two-time defending state champions (28-3) won their fifth straight NCS crown as Ally Watson had 24 points. Branson took leads of 20-4 and 31-13 by halftime thanks also to 15 points, nine steals, eight rebounds and six assists from Lauren Polansky. Ranchael Pecota had 19 points for Urban (21-11). See story.
CENTRAL COAST SECTION
Boys
Division I
Bellarmine 65, Salinas 36:
Santa Clara-bound forward Niyi Harrison scored 18 of his game-high 24 points on his future home court, including four dunks, in the first half as the Bells (21-8) won their second straight I title. Kyle Olugbode had 11 points and 11 assists for the winners, while Kyle Vasher led Salinas (23-8) with nine points. See story.
Division II
St. Francis 68, Mitty 55
In a battle of West Catholic Athletic League rivals, Spencher Britschgi, Shawn Grant and Lasjohn Johnson combined for 43 points as the league co-champion Lancers (28-2) won the rubber match over Mitty (18-11), which got 20 points from Brandon Smith and 13 points and nine rebounds by Stephen Meade. See story.
Division III
Sacred Heart Cathedral 48, Burlingame 35
Kevin Greene had 12 points and Jerry Brown 11 points and 12 rebounds leading the top seed Irish (25-4) to the sloppy win. Peter Pappageorge led Burlingame (26-5) with 12 points, but he missed 16 of 20 shots. See story.
Division IV
Menlo School 61, Sacred Heart Prep 42
Will Tashman had 21 points and 16 rebounds and Jerry Rice Jr. – yes that Jerry Rice Jr. – added 11 rebounds as top-seeded Menlo (23-3) won their second straight title. Kenny Diekroger added 13 points for the winners, while Reed McConnell had 14 for Sacred Heart Prep (19-10). See story.
Division V
Eastside Prep 47, Woodside Priory 42
Ivan Prema had 22 points and 11 rebounds as Eastside Prep (21-8) withstood a late run from Woodside Priory (16-10), which got 21 points and 10 rebounds by Ignas Pavilonis. See story.
Girls
Division I
San Benito 48, Evergreen Valley 37
Vanessa Farias (15 points, six rebounds, five assists), Lauren Adamek (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Victoria Aguilera (14 rebounds) led San Benito (24-4) to its second straight crown over an Evergreen Valley team (23-6) which got 13 points from Allyssa Prudencio and 10 from Jennifer Le. See story.
Division II
Mitty 56, Gunn 40
The two-time defending state champs (21-8) used muscle down low and great defense plus a combined 20 points and 17 rebounds by Keilani Ricketts and Iman Scott to win their record 21st CCS crown. Taylor McAdam had 13 points for Gunn (28-1). See story.
Division III
Sacred Heart Cathedral 61, St. Ignatius 37
The defending national champions and currently nationally-ranked Irish shot 53 percent from the field to win their 21st straight game and 10th consecutive CCS title. Kamilah Jackson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Tierra Rogers had 16, Ashley Boggs 13 and Ki-ki Moore 10 assists for the Irish (26-1), while Erin Grady paced St. Ignatius (21-7) with 12 points. See story.
Pinewood's Hailie Eackles made the game-winning basket.
Staff photo by Dennis Marpuri
Division IV
Santa Cruz 43, Mercy-San Francisco 32
Kaja Vaughan had 10 points and 10 rebounds leading top seed Santa Cruz (26-3) to a rugged win over Mercy (18-13), which got a combined 17 points from Kimmie Fung and Adrienne Carmona. See story.
Division V
Pinewood 43, Castilleja 41
Hailie Eackles made a driving layup with 18 seconds left to give Pinewood (28-4) their 11th CCS title in 12 years. Lindsay Nickel, Jenna McLoughlin and Eackles combined for 35 points while Ericka von Kaeppler had 19 points and 14 rebounds for Castilleja (22-8). See story.
NORTHERN SECTION
Boys
Division II
Chico 82, Pleasant Valley 46
The much anticipated battle for the Division 2 championship was never in doubt after Chico built a 20-point lead in the second quarter and coasted to an 82-46 win over its cross-town rival. Rex Holmes sparked the Panthers with 22 points and 10 assists while sophomore Sterling Smith added 17 points. Mychal Swaim led the Vikings (19-9) with 15 points. The Panthers (20-6) finished tied for third in the Eastern Athletic League after having seven players suspended from the team early in the season. However Chico sent retiring coach Sam Simmons out on a winning note, giving him his seven section title in 19 years. See story
Division III
Enterprise 62, West Valley 46
Anthony Williams and Jovon Cunningham each pumped in 19 points to lead the Enterprise Hornets to a 62-46 win in the Division 3 section title game.
Enterprise trailed a spirited West Valley group 25-22 late in the second quarter. However Nyjel Buchanan added a pair of free throws and a bucket and Williams tossed in two points to close out the half for a 28-25 Hornet lead. Enterprise (19-9) then broke out with a 10-3 run to start the second half and West Valley was never close again.
Don Anondson led West Valley (14-11) with 19 points. The section crown is the 19th section title in school history for the Hornets. See story.
Division IV
Sutter 53, Corning 51
Isaiah Bohman scored on Lescek Ratajczak’s pass with two seconds remaining to cap a frenetic final minute and give the Sutter Huskies a 53-51 win over the top-seeded Corning Cardinals. Sutter led by six points with under two minutes to go, but Corning got a 3-pointer from Tyler McIntyre with 1:06 to play and another from Tanner McIntyre with five seconds left to tie the score at 51-51. However Sutter (22-5) quickly inbounded the ball with a long pass to Ratajczak, who found the streaking 6-7 junior center under the basket for the winning bucket. Bohman finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots despite playing with a splint on his shooting hand. Tanner McIntyre led Corning (23-6) with 15 points. The title is the fifth for the Huskies. See story.
Division V
Redding Christian 58, East Nicolaus 49
With East Nicolaus closing the gap to four points in the final two minutes, Redding Christian made seven straight free throws to put the game away and knock off the No. 1 seeded Spartans 58-49 for the section crown. Daniel Bartow had 17 points for the Lions (25-5), including three 3-pointers. Andrew Baxter added 14 and Byron Brown added 15. Jesse Gardner led the Spartans with 13. East Nicolaus kept it close for a half, but the Lions went on a 9-0 run in the third quarter to build a 15-point lead. The Spartans (26-3) rallied late in the fourth and cut the margin to four points on a 3-pointer by Brian Johnson. See story.
Division VI
Princeton 49, Champion 45
The Eagles outscored Champion 9-4 over the final two minutes of play with Justin Zoller sinking a pair of crucial free throws in the final seconds to lift Princeton to its first Northern Section Division 6 title, 49-44 over the Mustangs. Zoller had a huge defensive game underneath the basket for the Eagles, scoring eight points with 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Meanwhile Daniel Cooper led the team in scoring with 16 points.
The Eagles (17-10) broke the game open with a 15-2 run in the second quarter for a 27-16 halftime lead. The Mustangs fought back, however, on Corey Stein’s six 3-point baskets. Stein finished with 18 points to lead Champion (23-6). See story.
Girls
Division II
Pleasant Valley 54, Chico 48
After battling to a tie with Chico in the first two quarters, Pleasant Valley went on a 15-6 run to end the third period en route to a 54-48 win in the Division 2 championship game.
Kelsey Mansfield and Gina Spini combined for 12 of the Vikings’ 15 points during the run that took the Vikings from a 28-25 deficit to a 40-34 lead. Chico closed within two points at 47-45 late in the fourth quarter, but Alli Grant made two free throws and Mansfield followed with a bucket to put the lead back to six points at 51-45.
Mansfield finished with 17 points while Spini had 10. Miesha Kimble and Ashley Barrett led Chico (20-8) with 15 points apiece. The title is the second in a row for the Vikings and the eighth overall. See story.
Division III
Paradise 53, Enterprise 46
Catharine Rees, a sophomore who was promoted to the varsity for the playoffs, scored 12 points, including three 3-pointers, to pace the Paradise Bobcats to a 53-46 win over the top-seeded Enterprise Hornets in the Division 3 section title game. Rees scored five straight points in the second period to tie the game at 23-23. She added a 3-pointer to cap the third quarter and give Paradise a 40-29 lead and she knocked down a 3-pointer later in the fourth quarter to thwart an Enterprise rally. Caressa Williams added 11 points for the Bobcats (20-8) while Courtney Emerson had 21 for the Hornets (19-9). The title is the second in school history for the Bobcats who also won in 1988. See story.
Division IV
Corning 56, Central Valley 45
The top-seeded Cardinals withstood a 27-point effort from Central Valley sophomore Lala Forrest Cawker to defeat their league rival 56-45 for the Division 4 championship.
Corning’s depth proved too much for the Falcons (22-7). Six Cardinals scored at least four points, led by Chante Dale with 12, Sam Monroe and Baillie Eller each with 10 and Ashley Heitland with eight. Leading by seven at halftime, Corning (22-4) pulled away with a 20-11 run in the third period capped by 3-pointers by Heitland and Janette Landa.
The title is the second in school history for the Cardinals. See story.
Division V
Durham 56, Hamilton 44
Devin Gray scored 23 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead Durham to its first section title in school history with a 56-44 win over Hamilton. The top-seeded Trojans (25-3) withstood early foul troubles that saw Hamilton scored 17 points on free throws in the first half for a 25-23 lead. Durham took the lead by halftime at 28-25 and limited Hamilton to six field goals the remainder of the game. Freshman Aubrey Bekendam led Hamilton with 19 points including 15 on free throws. The loss marked the third straight season the Braves (26-4) have fallen in the section championship game. See story.
Division VI
Hayfork 47, Butte Valley 45
Timberjack sophomore Alysha Yeske scored her team’s final four points to lift Hayfork to a 47-45 overtime win against top-seeded Butte Valley. The ‘Jacks took a 45-39 lead in the extra period after the two teams finished tied at 37-37, but exchange student Sanna Jarvinen nearly single-handedly got the Bulldogs (22-2) back into the game. After being fouled on a three-point shot, Jarvinen made all three free throws. Yeske made two free throws with less than 20 seconds remaining to put Hayfork up by five, but Jarvinen hit a 3-point basket to make it a two-point game. She then stole the inbounds play and got off a shot at the buzzer, but it bounced off the back rim to give Hayfork (22-7) the win.
The section title is the third in school history for the Timberjacks. See story.
OAKLAND SECTION
Boys
McClymonds 73, Skyline 56
Northern California’s top-ranked team (26-1), the defending state champs, breezed to the title as Will Cherry had 22 points and Damon Powell contributed 20 points including four vicious dunks. Greg Brown and Nefi Perdomo combined for 35 for Skyline (17-12), which advanced to the NorCal regional. See story.
Girls
Castlemont 29, McClymonds 26
Kurtona Milum and Kendra Burl combined for 15 points as Castlemont (19-9) beat McClymonds two straight nights to claim the title. See story.
SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION
Boys
Division I
Folsom 52, Franklin-Elk Grove 50
Top seed Folsom (30-1) fought back from deficits of 19-5 and 31-16 to pull out the tough win at Arco Arena over seventh seed Franklin. A putback by Brandon Babineaux with 18.8 seconds left proved to be the game-winner as Folsom won its 28th straight game. Tommy Johnson led the way with 19 points, while Ryan Sypkens led Franklin with 16. See story.
Folsom celebrates remarkable comeback win.
Staff photo by David Steutel
Division II
Rocklin 60, Fairfield 56
UCLA-bound Brendan Lane, a 6-10 senior, had 23 points and Zach Moss (12 points) and Mads Frandsen (nine points, nine rebounds) had better numbers but baseball standout Pat Stover gave his team the lead for good with a jumper and added a key offensive rebound to pull out the hard-fought win over Fairfield at Arco Arena. See story.
Division III
Sacramento 71, Del Oro 44
A year after being stunned in the SJS championship, it wasn’t about to happen again as the top seed Dragons (24-6) got 24 points from Chase Tapley and 13 by Travon Abraham to help negate a 19-point effort from Spencer Butterfield of Del Oro (22-8). See story.
Division IV
Modesto Christian 92, Christian Brothers 63
Another UCLA-bound standout Reeves Nelson, a 6-8 forward, had 21 points, 19 rebounds and four resounding dunks as the Crusaders (22-8), who have struggled much of the year, have finally caught fire after winning their 10th straight section title and 12th overall. Johnny Hutton led Modesto Christian with 22 points to help offset a game-high 28 points from Sterling Arterberry of Christian Brothers (21-7). See story.
Division V
Bradshaw Christian 55, Forest Lake Christian 52
Fantastic story out of Elk Grove as J.J. Mina had 26 points and 17 rebounds and Marcus Turner added 14 points as the Pride, under coach Mike Ruble, won the boys title just two hours after winning the girls title. Ruble coaches both teams. See story.
Girls
Division I
Kennedy 54, Sheldon 48
At Arco Arena, Melody Khlok had 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench helping Kennedy to its second straight and fourth SJS crown in seven years. Shanice Butler and Deja Kinsey added 10 points each for the Cougars (25-6), while Cheyenne Cathey had 15 points for Sheldon (20-10). See story.
St. Mary's junior Afure Jemerigbe
Staff photo by David Steutel
Division II
Oak Ridge 72, Valley 28
In the largest margin of victory in SJS Division II history, the Trojans (28-3) outscored Valley 43-9 in the second half behind highly-regarded Sara James (26 points, nine rebounds and six steals) and Kristina Williams and Caitlin Welsh (12 points each). See story.
Division III
St. Mary’s 72, Sacramento 65
Chelsea Gray had 27 points including a key bucket late and Afure Jemerigbe added 15 points and 20 rebounds to give the Rams (27-3) the hard-earned victory. Brittany Shine had 21 points and Erica Barnes (20 points, 15 rebounds) for Sacramento (22-9), which held St. Mary’s 22 points below its playoff average of 94.7. See story.
Division IV
Modesto Christian 57, Linden 40
Taryn Garza had 19 rebounds and Lauren Lucchesi 15 points to lead seventh-seed Modesto Christian (24-7) to an easy win over No. 5 Linden (24-7). See story.
Division V
Bradshaw Christian 49, Wilton Christian 33
The girls started the sweep as senior Lauren Beyer had 14 points and seven rebounds and Fernandi Espinosa added 12 points and eight rebounds and Cheyenne Williams (11 points, 10 rebounds was also huge). Kayla Froehlich-Williams led Wilton with 14 points and 15 rebounds. See story.
SAN FRANCISCO SECTION
Boys
Lowell 48, Lincoln 47
Michael Yonemoto hit a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final 1:03 giving Lowell (23-10) the championship win at Kezar Pavilion. Yonemoto, a 6-1 forward, finished with a game-high 16 points and let the Cardinals win their fourth title in six years. De’End Parker had 14 points and Devin Koch 13 for Lincoln (26-10). See story.
Lowell boys celebrate a gut-wrenching one-point win over Lincoln for San Francisco crown.
Staff photo by Matt Cohen
Girls
Lincoln 48, Lowell 37
The Mustangs went on a 15-2 run late in the third quarter to steal the win from the three-time defending champion. Stephanie Lue, Vivian Ho and Maripousa Silifaiva combined for 33 points for the winners (27-4), while Ashley Ong (14 points) led Lowell (27-4), which committed 28 turnovers. See story.
CIF REGIONAL PAIRINGS/BRACKETS
For complete Southern and Northern California playoff pairings, click here for boys and click here for girls.
Senior writer Kevin Askeland along with information gathered from the San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, Contra Costa Times, San Jose Mercury News, Redding Searchlight and Chico Enterprise Record also contributed to this report. E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com or Kevin Askeland at kaskeland@maxpreps.com.
