Boys Basketball: Castro Valley Headed to NorCal Final With Win Over Oakland

Castro Valley 63, Oakland 60

The Star: Juan Anderson scored a team-high 23 points — 17 in the first half — to lead the Trojans. He was active on the boards and on defense in one of the better performances of the year from the senior. 

The Turning Point: Oakland rallied from down 17 in the second half and stole a Castro Valley inbounds pass ball with 9.5 seconds left in the game. The Wildcats called a timeout to setup a potential game-tying shot. Castro Valley keyed in on Jabari Brown, who had scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, who had to give it up as time wound down. Oakland's shot was off the mark and Castro Valley hung on to advance to the CIF NorCal Divison I final.

The Quote: “We're moving on. Survive and advance," Castro Valley coach Nick Jones said.

Who's Next? The Trojans will play second-seeded De La Salle in a rematch of the  at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento (formerly known as Arco Arena) on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Trojans won 60-42 in the previous meeting. De La Salle won its semifinal game against Sheldon 47-45.

The Bottom Line: Castro Valley fought off an inspired comeback attempt by the Wildcats depsite hitting just one field goal in the fourth quarter. It came down to Castro Valley's defense coming up with one stop on Oakland's final possesion to secure the school's first trip to the Northern California finals and its first 30-win season. 

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With just over three minutes left in Saturday's CIF Northern California Divsion I Regional semifinal between  and Oakland, Juan Anderson threw down a two-handed dunk to put the Trojans up 59-46.

Castro Valley fans were ready to start celebrating a berth in the NorCal championship, but the Wildcats weren't quiet ready to let that happen.

Oakland's Jabari Brown, a future Oregon Duck and highly-touted recruit, scored 10 points in the game's final two and half minutes leading the Wildcats on a spirited comeback charge. His drive to the basket cut Castro Valley's lead to 63-60 with less 12 seconds to play and the Wildcats came up with a steal as the Trojans tried to inbound the ball.

A timeout with 9.5 seconds left allowed Oakland coach Orlando Watkins to draw up a final play, but just about everyone in the capcity crowd at Washington High in Fremont knew the ball was going to Brown. 

Sure enough, the inbounds pass went to him at the top of the key where he was guarded by Anderson with help from from Roderick Bobbitt and Chris Read. Without a good shot, Brown was forced to dish to the corner where the Wildcats had an open look to tie the game. The shot fell short, Castro Valley's Dawson Johnson grabbed the ball and the Trojans hung on.

"We did what we needed to do," Castro Valley coach Nick Jones said. "We needed one stop to advance and we got it. We're moving on. Survive and advance."

The win sets up a rematch of the  between Castro Valley and second-seeded De La Salle at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento (formerly known as Arco Arena) on Saturday at 8 p.m.

"We've been waiting for this for four years," Anderson said. "It feels good, this is a great acomplishment."

It was Anderson who ignited the Trojans from the tip, scoring 17 of his team-high 23 points in the first half as they built a 41-28 halftime lead. Buckets from Read and Alex Foster upped Castro Valley's lead to 17 before Oakland began to chip away.

The Trojans led 53-39 going into the final quarter, which is when Brown went to work. He scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the quarter, making it look easy in the process.

"He can do that," said Anderson of Brown. "You just have play D. That's it."

And when it counted most, the Trojans did.

Castro Valley, which also beat Oakland , got 14 points from Bobbitt, 12 from Foster and nine from Read. 

U.C. Riverside-bound Dominique Taplin scored 15 points for Oakland and U.C. Santa Barbara-bound T.J. Taylor added 13.

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Castro Valley 63, Oakland 60

Oakland

CIF Northern California Regional Semifinals

Boys

Division I

Castro Valley 63, Oakland 60 — Castro Valley Patch

De La Salle 47, Sheldon 45 — Concord Patch

Division II

Mitty-San Jose 70, Las Lomas 61 — Walnut Creek Patch

Woodcreek-Rosebille 58, Antelope 39

Division III

El Cerrito 63, Sacramento 51 — El Cerrito Patch

Bishop O'Dowd 52, San Marin 49

Division IV

Salesian 85, Santa Cruz 66

St. Mary's 65, St. Patrick-St. Vincent 44

Division V

St. Joseph 75, Vacaville Christian 71 (OT)

University-San Francisco 81, Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 75

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Girls

Division I

Berkeley 52, Lincoln-Stockton 42

Carondelet 77, St. Francis 66 — Concord Patch

Division II

St. Mary's-Stockton 56, Dougherty Valley 44 — San Ramon Patch

Del Oro-Loomis 63, Presentation-San Jose 59 (OT)

Division III

Bishop O'Dowd 48, St. Ignatius-San Francisco 39

Sacramento 58, Campolindo 54 — Lamorinda Patch

Division IV

St. Mary's 60, Notre Dame-Belmont 39

Modesto Christian 71, Piedmont 61 —  Piedmont Patch

Division V

Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 66, Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento 37

St. Joseph Notre Dame 46, Eastside College Prep 38