Sports
McNealy Dominates, But Wolves Fall Short
Though it got 34 points from its star senior guard, Danville's San Ramon Valley High lost 55-53 to Concord's De La Salle in Wednesday's NCS semifinals.
For the first 31 minutes and 59 seconds of Wednesday's CIF North Coast Section basketball semifinals, San Ramon Valley guard Chris McNealy seemed like he couldn't miss a shot.
But as the game's final second ticked away, McNealy proved fallible after all.
The senior missed a layup at the buzzer that would have sent the contest to overtime, and instead left himself to watch as Concord's De La Salle High celebrated a 55-53 win over the Wolves in front of a crowd of approximately 3,000 at St. Mary's College's McKeon Pavillion.
Accounting for nearly two-thirds of his team's offensive output, McReady scored 34 points that night, including 14 in the fourth quarter. He scored in an array of ways, ranging from pull-up jumpers and fadeaway three-pointers to acrobat layups and an emphatic alley-oop slam.
Trailing 55-50 with less than 10 seconds remaining, McNealy hit a three-pointer to pull the Wolves within two points. De La Salle was then called for an offensive foul on the inbounds pass, giving Danville's San Ramon Valley possession with 3.8 seconds remaining. McNealy's final miss came on a drive along the baseline on the basket's left side.
The win sends Concord's De La Salle to the NCS finals. The Spartans were led by 6-foot-9 senior forward John McArthur, who displayed both a soft touch and brute strength on his way to 22 points. More than a scorer for the Spartans, McArthur blocked shots, dove for loose balls, and ripped down contested rebounds against an overmatched San Ramon Valley front line.
De La Salle's Carlos Monroy (13 points) and San Ramon Valley's Jordan Giusti (10 points), were the only other players to reach double figures in scoring. Amadi Udenyi added 8 points for the Spartans.
