Senior Nights are special for one re-born senior. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sundays at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco with co-hosts Robert Braunstein and Amy Calderone for highlights and features on these teams. Replays throughout the week on Comcast SportsNet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Recently, yours truly officially became a senior citizen.

Not that there's anything wrong with attaining the age of a double-nickel. In fact, it isn't so bad at all, especially when you get to travel around the Bay Area as a basketball junkie, getting fixed on watching the top boys and girls talent in action.

Over the years, we've attended countless Senior Night games, but in the last two weeks and between the last three Senior Nights we attended, there ought the be a special record for our venture in the soon-to-be released new ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac.

Two of the three teams were undefeated (although one has lost – read on for more on that) and one had only one loss.

By the time the caravan left the De La Salle parking lot after the Spartans' 71-49 victory over San Ramon Valley of Danville on Feb. 17, the three Senior Night home winners had a combined record at the time of 73-1. Not too shabby!

While the Senior Night at Cardinal Newman two weeks ago was great, the two we were at last week were special for different reasons.

On Feb. 18. the caravan rolled to Palo Alto and Gunn High where we were there to write a story on last week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week, Jasmine Evans. If you haven't read her story, it's well worth it. A truly remarkable young woman with perhaps an even more remarkable father.

The capper was the night before in Concord.

De La Salle Coach Frank Allocco, who quite possibly is the best high school coach in the nation, was not only gracious in introducing your humble servant as a legend to one of the Brothers who administer the Catholic school, but he even rewarded us with our own Senior Night gift.

The other two out of the four total stops for watering the caravan's camels were both in Larkspur on Friday and Saturday for the Marin County Athletic League playoffs.

As has been the case the past few years, it was Branson and more Branson.

The two-time defending Division V state champion girls won their third title in a row and fourth in the past five years behind a workwoman-like 12 points and nine assists from Princeton-bound Lauren Polansky in a 47-27 defensive crushing of a very good Marin Catholic team.

Bulls Coach Mike Fulton, who will leave Branson after this season to become coach at San Domenico (San Anselmo), where he's currently the middle school AD and a full-time PE teacher, just seems to have the Wildcats' number.

The Bulls boys won a 36-35 nail-biter over Terra Linda with their patented vise-like defense.

It was the capper so far for first-year coach Bob Donlan but as a team the three-time defending D5 state champions won their fourth-straight MCAL playoff title and fifth in six years.

For those who have emailed asking if we knew of locations for NCS playoffs when neutral sites are used, NCS Commissioner Gil Lemmon informs us NCS staff have arranged for St. Mary's College for six games, two on Friday, March 6th and four on Saturday, March 7th.

They have not decided which divisions. However, mostly likely to date are Division I, II and III. Divisions V location may be Redwood High School and Division IV may be Albany HS. Division VI play at home.

Boys Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 21)
(Not including forfeits)

1. De La Salle (Concord) 25-1 (1)
See state top 20 for writeup.

2. McClymonds (Oakland) 24-1 (2)
See state top 20 for writeup.

3. San Leandro 23-3 (3)
See state top 20 for writeup.

4) Berkeley 23-3 (4)
See state top 20 for writeup.

5. St. Francis (Mountain View) 25-2 (7)
See state top 20 for wrietup.  

6. Monte Vista (Danville) 23-3 (6)
It was two road wins in the final week of EBAL action, 57-44 and 67-54 over Amador Valley (Pleasanton) and San Ramon Valley, respectively. The NCS seeding committee saw the Mustangs as having better credentials than Berkeley. The result is Coach Bill Powers' boys get the third seed and will face the Deer Valley (Antioch) at Castro Valley winner on Friday.

7. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 22-4 (5)
The Irish didn't have a hard time in their first two WCAL playoff games, both easy victories, 77-47 and 81-60 over Valley Christian (San Jose) and Mitty of San Jose. Kevin Greene led the way against defending champion Mitty with 18 points. In the championship against St. Francis, the Irish fought back from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit behind Daryl Cooper (22 points) and WCAL co-Player of the Year Jerry Brown (15 points and 11 rebounds) but couldn't close out a victory. Now it's on to the CCS playoffs where Coach Darrell Barbour's squad has still earned the top seed in Division III.

8. Salesian (Richmond) 24-4 (9)
Coach Bill Mellis's Pride took care of business and beat St. Mary's of Berkeley for the second time, 69-59, to secure the Bay Shore Athletic League playoff championship. It was also Salesian's eighth straight victory since a loss to Miramonte. The win earns Salesian the top seed in the NCS D4 playoffs and a first round bye. The Pride meets Healdsburg at Fort Bragg winner on Feb. 28 in Richmond.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 24-4 (8)
Despite the loss to Salesian, the Panthers still snagged the second seed in the NCS D4 playoffs.

10. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 19-7 (10)
After losing to San Leandro, 49-42, the Dragons took a meaningless loss to Hayward that changed nothing in the HAAL and didn't deny them the top seed in the NCS Division III playoffs.

11. Newark Memorial (Newark) 24-4 (11)
We left the Cougars behind O'Dowd due to a head-to-head loss.

12. Castro Valley 22-4 (13)
Two wins last week for the Trojans earns the sixth seed in NCS D1 action.

13. Miramonte (Orinda) 22-4 (14)
The Mats own a head-to-head win over Salesian and go into NCS D3 action as the second seed.

14. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 27-1 (12)
Even though they already had two wins over Piner, the loss to the Prospectors, who lost to Salesian, who lost to Miramonte, drops Newman below the Matadors. The loss also cost Newman a potential top seed in NCS D4 action where it is now the third seed.

15. Castlemont (Oakland) 15-5 (16)
Two OAL wins last week. At Mack on Feb. 24.

16. Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 26-1 (17)
CCS D1 top seed and its hard to argue with the selection.

17. Bellarmine (San Jose) 18-8 (16)
Bells fall in behind Piedmont Hills with the second seed in CCS D1 action.

18. Burlingame 24-4 (19)
Finishing strong with 19 straight since a loss to Bellarmine in December earns the Panthers the second seed in CCS D3 playoffs.

19. Branson (Ross) 24-3 (20)
While it looked like the year the Bulls might tumble from the top of the MCAL, it didn't happen and the three-time defending D5 state champions won their fourth-straight league playoff title and fifth in six years. Now the top seed in NCS Division V playoffs.

20. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 17-9 (18)
Wolves took their lumps last week against De La Salle and Monte Vista but we'll leave them in one more week since as the No. 9 seed in NCS D1 they must win on the road at Logan in Union City to earn a third shot at the Spartans.

Boys Teams On the Bubble
Analy (Sebastopol) 22-6, Aptos 27-3, Carlmont (Belmont) 21-4, Castlemont (Oakland) 17-7, Drake (San Anselmo) 20-7, Dublin 18-8, Gunn (Palo Alto) 22-5, Hayward 17-8, Head-Royce (Oakland) 23-2, Heritage (Brentwood) 18-8, James Logan (Union City) 20-9, Menlo (Atherton) 20-3, Mitty (San Jose) 16-10, Monterey 22-4, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 21-5, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 10-8, Piner (Santa Rosa) 21-7, Pittsburg 20-6, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-8, Skyline (Oakland) 11-10, Terra Linda (San Rafael) 19-9.

Girls Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 21)
(Not including forfeits but)

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 23-1 (1)
See state top 20 for writeup.

2. Carondelet (Concord) 23-3 (2)
See state top 20 for writeup.

3. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-2 (3)
See state top 20 for writeup.

4. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 24-2 (4)
See state top 20 for writeup.

5. Berkeley 21-5 (6)
See state top 20 for writeup.

6. Deer Valley (Antioch) 20-6 (7)
As expected, the NCS seeding committee saw it differently from these rankings and made the Wolverines the No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs instead of Berkeley. Besides, the committee doesn't take the Yellowjackets' change in the lineup into consideration. Even if Berkeley were No. 2, it doesn't matter as the two would probably play regardless. Last week Coach Lindsay Wisely's girls completed a perfect Bay Valley League season by trouncing Antioch and Liberty of Brentwood. They've also won 16 straight since back-to-back losses to Hanford and Sacramento in the West Coast Jamboree. The Wolverines have a bye before meeting the San Ramon Valley at Mission San Jose of Fremont winner Friday night in Antioch.     

7. Valley Christian (San Jose) 19-5 (8)
This is a tough call on whether to jump Valley Christian over Deer Valley. We went back and forth on this because of the Warrior girls picking up two wins in two weeks versus Mitty with one being a 62-42 blowout of the Monarchs in the WCAL semifinals – and then giving the Irish all they could handle in the championship. We decided not to jump them over Deer Valley for two reasons. Even a good, solid team like Mitty or a great team like SHC is vulnerable to a tough team like VC when you meet them a third time in a season. Second, both will have to prove themselves in their respective section playoffs with the Warriors snagging the second seed in the CCS D3 playoffs. In order to get a fourth shot at the Irish, Valley Christian will have to probably go through third-seeded St. Ignatius in the semifinals, a team that beat them this year. After a double bye, VC is in action Feb. 28 in the quarterfinals at Notre Dame in Belmont.

8. Mitty (San Jose) 18-8 (5)
After losing two out of three this year to Valley Christian, the Monarchs have to drop below them so this is where they fall in these rankings. As the top seed in D2 in the CCS, the Sue Phillips-led squad from San Jose still looks like it is on a collision course with either Carondelet or Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills in the NorCals.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 24-4 (9)
It wasn't easy against an Encinal team playing on adrenalin after the death of assistant coach Ken Babers but the Panthers got the job done in a 60-53 victory in the BSAL finals at Albany high. Danielle Mauldin scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Sonia Aguilar chipped in with 13 points. The top seed in the NCS D4 bracket has a bye before meeting the Justin-Siena (Napa) versus Ursuline winner on Saturday in Berkeley.

10. Pinole Valley (Pinole) 20-5 (11)
Spartans get second seed in NCS D2 playoffs and meet Clayton Valley (Concord) at Heritage (Brentwood) winner Friday night in Pinole.

11. Northgate (Walnut Creek) 22-3 (12)
A one spot bump based on a closer loss to Mitty than St. Ignatius got in its first look at the Monarchs. Broncos get third seed in NCS D3 and take on Windsor at Montgomery (Santa Rosa) winner at home Friday before a possible showdown with Pinole Valley.

12. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 19-6 (10)
After a close loss to Presentation in the WCAL's first round, the Wildcats temporarily stay ahead of Branson, whom they beat early in the season. The third seed in the ultra-tough CCS D3 playoffs will have to get by Valley Christian most likely in the semis.

13. Branson (Ross) 22-3 (13)
With lots of young players stepping up as the season has progressed, this is not anywhere the same team that lost to SI in the Marin Catholic tournament. One of those that has stepped up is 5-11 sophomore Lisa Coito, who's starting to come into her own and was named the Marin Independent Journal prep of the week. The Bulls forward rose to the occasion in the MCAL playoffs, scoring 16 points to help Branson beat Drake in the semifinals, then adding 11 points in the final against Marin Catholic. Branson is the NCS D5 top seed and opens Wednesday at Redwood in Larkspur against the Bay School of San Francisco.

14. Gunn (Palo Alto) 26-0 (14)
One of the most enjoyable road trips the CalHiSports.com caravan has ever made was to Gunn to see Harvard-bound Jasmine Evans. What an incredible player and even more incredible young woman. In the game we saw against Leigh (San Jose) she didn't even break a sweat in an 81-31 victory. Evans played around 15 minutes (with one of them under a running clock in the fourth quarter), but still finished with 24 points, 17 steals, six assists, four rebounds and was 3 of 5 from outside the arc. The girls are itching to get a shot at Mitty and as the second seed in the CCS D2 bracket can get that shot if they also get to 28-0 in the next two weeks.

15. Dublin 21-5 (15)
The Gaels, who have five girls averaging over nine points a game, led by Jasmine Smith at just over 10, won their first ever Diablo Foothill Athletic League title with victories last week over Acalanes (Lafayette) and Las Lomas of Walnut Creek. The reward is the second seed and a first round bye in the NCS D3 playoffs. This team could give O'Dowd a lot of trouble if they meet as seeded in the finals.

16. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 21-5 (15)
Even with the loss to Branson, we kept the Wildcats ahead of teams below them based on strength of schedule. Next is the NCS D4 playoffs where MC is the second seed.

17. Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 25-4 (17)
As usual, Coach Doc Scheppler brings a solid squad into the CCS Division V playoffs as the top seed. They open at home on Saturday against York of Monterey.

18. Wilcox (Santa Clara) 14-5 (18)
As fourth seed in CCS D2, the Warriors have a double bye and open in the quarterfinals on Saturday with the venue Oak Grove in San Jose

19. McClymonds (Oakland) 19-4 (19)
It's 16 straight since a loss to Northgate with one more OAL regular season game remaining at Castlemont.

20. Campolindo (Moraga) 21-5 (20)
Tough choice for last spot between Campo and Encinal but it'll be decided in NCS D3 playoffs where Cougars are fourth seed and on O'Dowd's side while Encinal is third seed and on Dublin's side.
 
Girls Teams On the Bubble
Aragon (San Mateo) 20-5, Convent of the Sacred Heart (San Francisco) 17-4, Encinal (Alameda) 20-9, Granada (Livermore) 17-9, Miramonte (Orinda) 18-8, Moreau Catholic 21-5 (Hayward), North Salinas (Salinas) 22-3, Notre Dame (Belmont) 10-16, Petaluma 23-5, Piedmont 19-9, Presentation (San Jose) 15-12, St. Joseph-Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-7, San Benito (Hollister) 21-4, Santa Cruz 23-3.

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