University gains upper-hand in third quarter, doesn’t look back to beat Justin-Siena in CIF North Coast Section Championship game
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Eric Thompson (Shamboozled.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
San Francisco-As you get deeper into the playoffs, everything is magnified and you can certainly feel it.
So it should come as no surprise that it was the little things down the stretch that proved to be the difference as No. 1 seed University beat No. 2 seed Justin-Siena, 67-59, in the CIF North Coast Section Division 4 championship game on Saturday night at the historic Kezar Pavillion located in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
The Red Devils were able to pull away and gain the advantage in the second half where they outscored Justin-Siena 35-27. They especially put the hammer on the Braves in the third quarter, where they were able to take a 48-43 lead after three periods. To end the period they outscored Justin-Siena 16-6.
“We had few turnovers, but I think they just made some big shots,” Justin-Siena head coach George Nessman said of the third quarter. “Their center hit a big three in the corner when we cut it to three. They’re a good team and they’re the number-one seed for a reason. They’re the defending champions, they’re very good, and we certainly battled them. We just couldn’t make enough plays to win the game.”
University (28-3) was able to affect a lot of the Braves’ shots as well in the contest due in large part to all the length they had available. The Braves also had foul issues throughout the game, which also played a part in University being able to fight back.
“Well, it’s always a factor into a game and we have to play without fouling and we didn’t do it,” Nessman emphasized. “A lot of it is because they put a lot of pressure on you. University pushed the ball so hard that sometimes you’re just in a bad position and you end up fouling.”
Another thing that helped was the 6-foot-6 long and lanky forward/center Joey Kennedy was simply unguardable as he finished with a team-high of 21 points. He went off in the second half, scoring 13 points while also connecting on a pair of shots from beyond the arc and going 1 of 6 from the free-throw line.
“I think their center played just a heck of a game,” Nessman said of trying to contain Kennedy. “He hit threes, he rebounded. They’re a very physical team and they hurt us on the offensive boards.”
On top of all that, the Red Devils had junior Cole Boake finish with 20 points in the contest as well. He scored 14 of those in the first half while making a three-pointer and making 8 of 10 free throws.
However, Justin-Siena (26-5) was able to hang with the two-time champion Red Devils in the first half. They held the lead multiple times and even led 18-16 after the first quarter.
Another thing the Braves did well responded and send a message out of the break when they went on a 5-0 run that made it 37-32 midway through the third quarter.
“The biggest thing was just keep playing,” Nessman said of the fast start to the second half. “I thought we were playing ok and it was a back-and-forth game and a game of mini runs and they made one at the end that we couldn’t answer.”
It also helped that Travis Hightower once again had a monster night. The senior was able to score in a multitude of ways in the game as he finished with a double-double. He finished with a game-high of 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds. He scored 13 of those points prior to the break while going 3 of 8 from the line.
Also finishing with a double-double was Vince Jackson. The senior forward scored 12 points to go along with 11 rebounds and a blocked shot. He scored 7 of those points in the first half while making 2 of 4 free throws in the game.
Others scoring for Justin-Siena were Asher Cleary (8 points, 1 rebound), Ma’el Blunt (6 points, 3 rebounds), Jaden Washington (5 points, 3 rebounds), Nick Jeremaz (3 points, 4 rebounds), and DJ Ryan (2 points, 1 rebound).
While it sucks to lose in the championship game, this isn’t the end of the line for either team. They will find out their fates on Sunday for the CIF State playoffs that begin Tuesday night. Justin-Siena will look to make a return to Golden 1 Center after last season’s magical run.
