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Surprise: Unseeded Gunn stuns Valley Christian
Gunn coach Brandynn Williams didn’t know what to expect when the Central Coast Section playoffs began last week.
He gathered his young team beforehand and told them, “We played 24 games. Let’s really learn from the last 24 and do the complete opposite.”
Williams laughed Tuesday night when he shared that story.
Why not?
In the eyes of the selection committee, Gunn wasn’t strong enough even to be seeded. Now, the Titans are one win from reaching the Division II final after stunning the West Catholic Athletic League’s Valley Christian — seeded third — 74-58 behind 25 points from Gavin Kitch.
During the regular season, Gunn went 10-14 overall and 6-6 in the weaker of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s two divisions.
In the playoffs, the Titans have beaten No. 11 San Mateo, No. 6 Leland and now Valley Christian — all on the road.
In the semifinals Thursday, Gunn will return home to play No. 7 seed Christopher, which upset second-seeded Santa Clara 43-37 on Tuesday.
“The guys are really buying in defensively,” Williams said. “When you have a young team, they’re going to be like, ‘We need to work on offensive plays. But no one talks about defense. No one’s talking about blocking out. No one’s talking about charges.”
Once the playoffs started, it all clicked. Williams’ players could see what he’s been preaching.
“We’re on a little roll right now,” he said.
More Gunn: Kitching fire at the right time
Williams couldn’t say enough about the performance Kitch delivered Tuesday. He was 9 for 11 shooting, made his only 3-point attempt and was 6 of 7 from the free-throw line.
“Gavin Kitch played the best game I have ever seen him play,” Williams said. “I’ve been coaching him since he was a fifth-grader. I’ve known him since he was a baby. I have known the family for years. He really just balled out.”
But he wasn’t the only contributor.
Kaden Holdbrook had 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Akash Ravani added 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting.
What did Williams expect Tuesday, given that Valley went 1-13 in the WCAL but was 8-2 against everyone else going into the quarterfinal?
“I am always nervous with West Catholics,” he said. “I don’t really look at their records. Valley Christian has won multiple CCS titles since I have been coaching at Gunn, and they have never had a great, winning record in league. But that league is ridiculous, so I definitely understand it. They’re a good team. Young like us. With a young team, you kind of don’t know what you’re going to get.”
Unexpected semifinals in Division I boys bracket
Top-seeded Palo Alto survived a scare from No. 9 Mountain View, but the rest of the teams that earned a bye into the quarterfinals all met the same fate — one-and-done.
No. 2 Los Altos, No. 3 Evergreen Valley and No. 4 Piedmont Hills each fell victim at home to lower seeds that can qualify for next week’s CIF NorCal playoffs with a win in Thursday’s semifinals at Fremont-Sunnyvale.
• Fifth-seeded Santa Terera pulled off a mild upset, 53-44 over Piedmont Hills.
• No. 6 Sequoia took down Evergreen Valley, 70-55.
• No. 7 Independence upended No. 2 Los Altos, 61-54.
Outside of the D-I and D-II boys brackets, every No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seed advanced into the semifinals.
Palo Alto girls pitch third-quarter shutout vs. Carlmont
Eight-seeded Carlmont felt good at halftime of its CCS Division I girls basketball quarterfinal at No. 1 seed Palo Alto.
After a slow start, the Scots managed to get within five points heading into the locker room.
But in the third quarter, the lid on the basket closed shut, as Palo Alto didn’t allow a point over the entire eight minutes en route to a 63-35 rout.
“I used two or three timeouts in that period to try and stem the tide, but at that point we just couldn’t hit any shots,” Carlmont coach Dan Mori said. “Obviously that was the game right there in the third period.”
Paly (17-7) only managed five points over 5½ minutes after intermission but finished strong to outscore its opponent 20-0 in the third period.
“We didn’t foul in the third quarter,” Paly coach Scott Peters said. “We didn’t put them in the line, either, which helped them a lot in the first half. We just got down and played solid D. And once they couldn’t score, it became harder for them to score in that third quarter.”
Youth movement at Paly continues
Without any seniors on its roster, Paly got key contributions not only from a pair of juniors — Elif Turgut and Carly Martin with 17 and 14 points, respectively — but a freshman duo in Itzel Torres and Kaella Peters with 13 and nine points, respectively.
“(The freshmen) may attach more significance to it and we’ve just got to tell them to relax and play their game,” Peters said. “But that’s hard to say to a 14-year-old or a freshman to relax because it’s new. I think next year will be a lot easier. Hopefully, the next game will be easier.”
Paly loses home-court advantage Thursday as No. 5 Los Gatos, fresh off a 32-31 overtime victory over last year’s champion No. 4 Sequoia, will host both semifinals.
The Vikings won 45-34 at Los Gatos on Jan. 7 and swept the regular-season matchup.
“It’s a tough matchup for anybody,” Mori said. “They’re the No. 1 seed in D-I for a reason.”
