Boys basketball
Tom Costello loves his team.
The longtime Dublin boys basketball coach said the two hours he’s on the court with his players brightens each day.
That made a difference Tuesday night, Costello said.
Playing in front of its first electric atmosphere in nearly two years, Dublin could have faded into darkness when rival Dougherty Valley surged on its home court in San Ramon to a 16-point lead through three quarters.
But the Gaels charged back to force overtime.
When the game ended, the visitors celebrated a 74-72 victory that put them one victory away from clinching the top seed in next week’s East Bay Athletic League tournament.
“It’s been a weird season,” Costello said. “I’m not just saying this because we got a big win tonight. That’s a huge win against a really good team on their court. But I don’t know where I’d be, mentally, if I didn’t like my guys. I absolutely love this group of guys.
“I think that’s one of the main reasons we were able to climb that hill tonight. They just like each other.”
Dougherty Valley, ranked fifth by the Bay Area News Group, led the 13th-ranked Gaels 19-8 after the first quarter and 36-28 at halftime.
The home team stretched the margin to 55-39 heading to the fourth quarter as Connor Sevilla scored 11 of his 27 points in the third.
But Dublin tightened its defense and erupted offensively down the stretch, eventually evening the score in the final minute to extend the game. The Gaels have won 10 in a row over Dougherty Valley.
“We just kind of chipped away,” Costello said. “We kind of changed up our defense a little bit. It was desperation mode for us and guys just started making plays.
“It’s the first time our young team has been in front of a crowd like this, on the road. Last year was all COVID. No one really in the stands. Early on, we had some uncharacteristic turnovers. Credit Dougherty’s defense. But a lot of it was us, too. Playing too fast.”
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Courtney Anderson Jr. led Dublin with 26 points, 19 after halftime. Jalen Stokes added 12 points. He was 8 of 9 from the free-throw line.
Sevilla and Ryan Beasley provided most of the scoring for Dougherty Valley. Beasley finished with 32 points.
Dublin improved to 14-4 overall and 7-1 in the EBAL. The Gaels, who close out their league schedule Friday at Monte Vista, lead San Ramon Valley and De La Salle by a game in the loss column.
Dougherty Valley fell to 18-3, 5-3.
No. 6 Sacred Heart Prep 76, Menlo School 53
Playing on back-to-back days didn’t slow down Sacred Heart Prep as the Gators stormed at home in Atherton past rival Menlo School.
Kevin Carney (23 points), Aidan Braccia (14 points) and Emmer Nichols (13 points) led SHP, which beat Pinewood 100-30 on Monday.
The Gators improved to 16-3, 9-0. Menlo is 11-6, 5-3.
No. 14 Moreau Catholic 83, James Logan 60
Moreau Catholic cleared another hurdle on its march to the Mission Valley Valley Athletic League championship, cruising at home in Hayward past James Logan.
Matthew Villanueva and Owen Arnst each finished with 20 points and Lebrie Goudy-Lee and Trey Knight chipped in with 10 points apiece to lead the Mariners.
Moreau is 17-4, 9-0. James Logan fell to 11-6, 4-3.
Elsewhere
No. 20 San Ramon Valley bounced back from a loss Monday against Piedmont to beat Amador Valley 59-47 in EBAL play. The Wolves are 12-6, 6-2. Amador dropped to 11-8, 3-4.
Girls basketball
No. 1 San Ramon Valley 85, Amador Valley 40
In its first game as the Bay Area News Group’s top-ranked team, San Ramon Valley celebrated its senior night with a dominant victory over Amador Valley in EBAL play.
Coming off their epic 64-60 victory over previous No. 1 Carondelet on Saturday, the Wolves cruised to their 17th consecutive victory to run their record to 19-2, 8-0.
Seniors Natalie Pasco (27 points), Elyse Wilkerson (16 points), Allison Stern (12 points) and Sadie Carter (eight points) led the way.
Amador Valley is 11-8, 2-5.
No. 3 Archbishop Mitty 74, No 7 St. Francis 30
Behind Morgan Cheli’s seventh double-double of the season — the sophomore had 24 points, 11 rebounds — Mitty breezed on the road in Mountain View past St. Francis in West Catholic Athletic League play.
The Monarchs also got 14 points from Noemie Bariteau, 11 from Haley Hernandez and eight from Maya Hernandez as they elevated their record to 18-1, 7-0.
St. Francis, which had won its previous five games, fell to 15-4, 4-3.
No. 5 Pinewood 80, Priory 43
Four Pinewood players scored in double figures as the Panthers had no trouble extending their win streak to 11 games with a WBAL victory at home.
Elle Ladine (20 points), Jade Ramirez (16 points), Alex Facelo (14 points) and Emily Lee (12 points) led Pinewood.
The Panthers improved to 13-1, 6-0. Priory fell to 5-8, 1-3.
No. 6 Salesian 74, St. Mary’s-Albany 29
Georgia Pournaras scored 21 points to lead Salesian, playing at home in Richmond, to a dominant win over St. Mary’s in Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division action.
Makiah Asidanya (12 points) and Nevaeh Asiasi (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Pride.
Salesian is 13-4, 3-0. St. Mary’s is 5-7, 1-2.
No. 19 San Leandro 68, No. 10 Bishop O’Dowd 64
One week after losing on the road against Bishop O’Dowd, San Leandro avenged the defeat with a victory at home over the Dragons as Lyndsey Marrujo scored 21 points — all on 3-pointers — and Maya Pollard finished with 20 points to lead the Pirates.
San Leandro is 16-4 overall and 5-1 in the West Alameda County Conference Foothill League.
O’Dowd, which lost to Piedmont by 20 on Saturday, slipped to 11-3, 3-2.
Elsewhere
Second-ranked Carondelet built a 34-point halftime cushion on its way to a 92-35 victory at home in Concord over Dougherty Valley. The Cougars have won two in a row since the loss Saturday at SRV. They are 19-2 overall and 6-1 in the EBAL. Dougherty Valley is 6-14, 0-7. … No. 8 Valley Christian, playing on the road, routed Sacred Heart Cathedral 68-37 in WCAL play. Valley is 14-5, 2-3. SHC is 8-10, 0-6.