Caravan gears up for the run to NorCals while Encinal girls overcoming big-time adversity. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area each Sunday night at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco with co-hosts Robert Braunstein and Amy Calderone. Replays of this award-winning show are throughout the week in Northern California on Comcast SportsNet.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

The non-city Bay Area sections (NCS and CCS) of the CIF have finished their preliminary playoff rounds and move into semis and finals this week, with the teams making it to the title game in each division moving on to the NorCal playoffs next week.

With respect to the city sections, Oakland does it all this week, and San Francisco will conclude its two-week playoff and join the others in NorCals.

While we thought the CalHiSports.com caravan hit the high-water mark for the won-loss records of senior night teams of games attended two-weeks ago when between Cardinal Newman, De La Salle and Gunn, the combined records were 73-1.

What we didn't know at the time was that the Castlemont at McClymonds game we attended to do a feature on ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Boys State Athlete of the Week Will Cherry was the Warriors' Senior Night.

After a 51-35 McClymonds victory, the combined record of the four teams after their Senior Night victories now stands at 98-2.

The camels hadn't been under the Alameda Tube in a while so the caravan made a trip to the Island City last week to see a Jets' girls' team take on Tamalpais.

The fact the girls are knocking on the door of the top 20 and advanced into the NCS Div. III semis after a 71-51 victory over Tam is remarkable considering what the girls have been through the past two weeks.  

In fact, Encinal Coach Micki Singer wasn't sure what to expect from her girls after the trauma of attending the funeral of assistant coach Ken Babers last Wednesday.

"It was a difficult week and very difficult on Wednesday. We'll see what they have in the tank," Singer told CalHiSports.com prior to the game.

What the Jet girls had in the tank was jet fuel. Seemingly unaffected, they flew out to a 24-6 first quarter lead and held off a no quit Tamalpais squad, coming off its first ever NCS playoff win in school history.

"It was hard this week but we had to get though it. He was our number one motivation so we played the way he would have wanted," said Jets star Raeshel Contreras about Babers, who died of a heart attack on Feb. 15.

The 5-7 junior guard finished with a game-high 29 points and added eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Senior forward Destinee Martel had a double-double 22 points and 13 rebounds and 6-1 junior Janis Peterson, Babers' adopted daughter, chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds.

The last stop on last week's magic carpet ride was up in the Oakland Hills, just down the street from the Mormon Tabernacle at Head-Royce.

Both Jayhawks' boys and girls' teams won in a doubleheader over University (SF) and Bentley of Lafayette, respectively in NCS D5 contest.

Both teams now earn a shot against Branson in a semifinal doubleheader on Wednesday at Redwood High in Larkspur.

"I'm not going to scout them and I only know what I know about Branson, and that's Mike (Fulton) is a great coach and they've ended my season four out of the last five seasons,” said a tongue-in-cheek longtime Head-Royce Coach Mike Talps, when CalHiSports.com asked him what he was planning against the two-time defending champions.

Boys Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 21)
(Not including forfeits) (*indicates season over)

1. De La Salle (Concord) 26-1 (1)
After a bye, the NCS Division I top-seeded Spartans showed a little rust and had difficulty closing out a Logan (Union City) squad that had advanced with a 66-48 win against San Ramon Valley of Danville. The Spartans led by as many as 20 points in the first half but Logan was relentless, opening the third quarter with an 8-0 run. In the end, De La Salle surrendered its most points this season, albeit in a 65-55 victory. Beau Levesque led the way with a double-double 15 points and 15 rebounds. Next up is Newark Memorial (Newark), a close winner against Berkeley, at home on Wednesday.

2. McClymonds (Oakland) 25-1 (2)
Montana-bound Will Cherry didn't have his high-flying mate Damon Powell with him on the court for Senior Night, but he did have 6-foot-9, 240-pound freshman Jamaree Strickland to help carry the load in a 51-35 McClymonds victory over visiting Castlemont that secured a second straight perfect season in Oakland Athletic League play. Cherry only had two points in the first half but still was effective on the boards and on defense, while Strickland had 12 of his 14 points before halftime when Mack held a 22-14 lead. The second half was all Cherry. He finished with a double-double 18 points and 12 rebounds. He also had four steals and three blocked shots. Now Mack moves from OAL play to the Oakland Section playoffs where the Warriors are the top seed.

3. San Leandro 24-3 (3)
Not surprisingly, it was Oregon State-bound Jared Cunningham leading the way in an easy 82-54 romp over visiting Pittsburg. The 6-4 high-flyer scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter as the Pirates bolted out to a 26-6 lead. Travis Sims, Cunningham's best friend since each was three-years-old, added 16 points as did Demetrius Owens. Next up is a semifinal matchup for the NCS D1 second seed at home on Wednesday against Monte Vista.

4. St. Francis (Mountain View) 26-2 (5)
After a double-bye in the jam-packed but somewhat depleted CCS Division II playoffs, the Lancers had a yawner in a 53-33 victory at home last Saturday against Leland of San Jose. The top seed now takes on Menlo-Atherton on Tuesday at Foothill College.

5. Monte Vista (Danville) 24-3 (6)
With 10 seconds remaining in regulation and his team down by three points, Brian Barbour grabbed a missed free-throw, brought it up court and drained a three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to force overtime. Barbour then made five free-throw attempts in overtime, and teammate Mark Appel hit a go-ahead jumper from the foul line before Castro Valley missed a game-tying shot in the lane with two seconds left and the Mustangs prevailed 64-60. Barbour finished with a game-high 27 points, but didn't have a field goal in the fourth quarter until the game-tying three. Next up for Coach Bill Powers' NCS D1 third-seeded Mustangs is a semifinal date on the road at San Leandro on Wednesday.

6. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 23-4 (7)
After sitting out the first two rounds, the Irish boys rebounded from the WCAL championship game close loss to St. Francis by taking it out on Pioneer (San Jose) 70-38 in the CCS Division III quarterfinals. Next up is El Camino (South San Francisco) in the semis at St. Ignatius on Wednesday with the winner meeting the winner of the second half of Wednesday's doubleheader between Valley Christian (San Jose) and Burlingame.

7. Salesian (Richmond) 25-4 (8)
The top seed in NCS Division IV had little trouble with Healdsburg in an 80-48 quarterfinal home victory that puts Coach Bill Mellis' Pride into a Wednesday semi at home against Arcata, a 65-43 winner over St. Pat's of Vallejo.

8. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 25-4 (9)
Up till this point we agreed with the San Francisco Chronicle Metro rankings but here is where we split off. The Panthers remain in queue in this pecking order after an 83-36 quarterfinal demolition of Fortuna that puts them in the semis on Wednesday at home against Cardinal Newman.

9. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 20-7 (10)
Nick Capiti led the Dragons with a game-high 18 points and Justin Brue chipped in for 14 as the host Dragons took a 65-46 NCS Division III semifinal decision against Dublin. Because top-seeded O'Dowd was not a league champion, it must travel for Wednesday's semi to fifth-seeded Analy of Sebastopol, the Sonoma County League champion.

10. Newark Memorial (Newark) 24-4 (11)
How big is the Cougars second victory over Berkeley, this time 49-45 at home in the NCS Division I quarterfinals? Huge, from a standpoint of getting them into the semis at De La Salle on Wednesday. As for these rankings, losses to Salesian and Bishop O'Dowd must still keep them behind O'Dowd, but we guarantee one thing, and that's should Coach Craig Ashmore's squad upset the Spartans and go on to win the NCS D1 title on Saturday at St. Mary's College, they'll rise faster than the barometer on the floor of Death Valley in the middle of summer. In the Berkeley win, the Cougars trailed 43-42 with 1:37 left before Khion Sankey regained the lead with two free throws Berkeley turned it over on its next possession and two Cougars possessions later, Sankey converted two more free throws to make it 46-43 and the Cougars held on for the win.

11. Berkeley 24-4* (4)
It's a huge drop for Mark Samuels and company but after losing twice to Newark Memorial they have to fall behind them somewhere and will stay there even if the Cougars get thumped by De La Salle.

12. Castro Valley 23-5 (12)
A win over Deer Valley (Antioch) before an overtime loss to Monte Vista means no drop for the Trojans.

13. Miramonte (Orinda) 23-4 (13)
NCS Division III second seed took out Acalanes of Lafayette, 66-49, in the quarterfinals and now host Piner (Santa Rosa) on Wednesday in the semis. To move ahead of D1 teams the Matadors will have to probably get deep into the Northern Regionals.

14. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 28-1 (14)
Handled McKinleyville 69-46 and now face St. Mary's in semis.

15. Castlemont (Oakland) 15-5 (15)
Meets Skyline on Tuesday at Laney College for the right to face McClymonds in Oakland Section playoffs.

16. Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 27-1 (16)
CCS Division I top seed had little trouble with San Benito of Hollister, winning 52-37 to advance to semis against Salinas on Wednesday at Independence in San Jose.

17. Bellarmine (San Jose) 19-8 (17)
CCS D1 second seed took out Alisal (Salinas), 57-37, and now faces Carlmont in the first half of a semifinal doubleheader Wednesday at Independence.

18. Burlingame 25-4 (18)
CCS Division II second seed barely squeaked by St. Ignatius (San Francisco) in a 38-34 defensive thriller. Next up is Valley Christian of San Jose in the semis, a 58-52 winner over Aptos.

19. Branson (Ross) 26-3 (19)
Gave up 34 combined points in two games after 45-16 and 35-19 victories over Roseland Prep (Santa Rosa) and Marin Academy of San Rafael, respectively. Now comes the semis at home in a boys/girls Wednesday doubleheader at Redwood in Larkspur, both involving Head-Royce of Oakland.

20. Hayward 18-8 (nr)
NCS Division II top-seeded Farmers are into the semis at home against Heritage of Brentwood.

Boys Teams On the Bubble (Playoff teams only)
Analy (Sebastopol) 24-6, Carlmont (Belmont) 22-4, Castlemont (Oakland) 17-8, El Camino (So. San Francisco) 23-6, Gunn (Palo Alto) 23-5, Head-Royce (Oakland) 26-2, Heritage (Brentwood) 19-8, Menlo (Atherton) 21-3, Mitty (San Jose) 17-10, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 22-5, Piner (Santa Rosa) 22-7, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 21-8, Skyline (Oakland) 12-10

Girls Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 28)
(Not including forfeits but) (Indicates season over)

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 24-1 (1)
No problem for the Irish in a 71-27 quarterfinal victory over Soquel. Will play Notre Dame of Belmont in the semis and then either Valley Christian or St. Ignatius in the final.

2. Carondelet (Concord) 24-3 (2)
Ricki Radanovich hit for 18 points as Carondelet beat Livermore, 75-32, in the NCS Division II quarterfinals. The next real challenge would seem to be Pinole Valley (Pinole) or Northgate (Walnut Creek), one of whom will face the Cougars in the finals. The real test will probably be in the Northern Regionals against Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills or a Mitty of San Jose squad that regardless of its record always seems to make noise in the NorCals.

3. Monte Vista (Danville) 24-2 (3)
The bus driver bringing the visiting Logan of Union City Colts headed to Cupertino's Monta Vista before they made it over to Danville, albeit a little late. The wait didn't bother the NCS Division I top-seeded Mustangs, who kicked the Colts out of their pasture in a in a 60-24 lopsided victory. Princeton-bound Niveen Rasheed had 24 points and 11 rebounds and added six assists. On tap is a semifinal matchup at home on Wednesday with fifth seed Granada (Livermore), a 54-44 winner over fourth seed Newark Memorial of Newark. Either Berkeley or Deer Valley of Antioch awaits the winner.

4. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 25-2 (4)
Dragons' Coach Kevin Cushing may not need them in the NCS playoffs but with 6-2 post Brieanna Ashley out after a third knee injury that ends her high school career and star Robie Mayberry hobbled after a traffic mishap, O'Dowd's prospects in the D3 Northern Regionals just dimmed. Last week in a 70-42 quarterfinal victory over Drake of San Anselmo, Mayberry had a game high 21 points and Lariel Powell chipped in with 12 points. Next up for the NCS Division III top seed is the fourth seed Campolindo (Moraga) Cougars, coached by Clay Kallam, in a semifinal on Thursday.

5. Berkeley 22-5 (5)
Every girl on the bench played but that still didn't stop the Yellowjackets in a 77-24 blowout of American of Fremont in the NCS Division I quarterfinals. Next up for the third seed is a visit to Antioch and Deer Valley for a semifinal contest against their recent Northern California bi-school rival. The CalHiSports.com caravan will be there to report on the action next week.

6. Deer Valley (Antioch) 21-6 (6)
The newest member of the CalHiSports.com overall state top 20 at No. 20 in the rankings earned a shot at home against Berkeley in the semis on Wednesday after a 57-29 quarterfinal victory over San Ramon Valley. Against their namesakes from Danville it was the senior duo of Emily Allard and Patrice Saindon leading the way. Saindon had 15 points and a five steals, while Northwestern-bound softball hurler Allard notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. "I'm so excited right now, and the girls, they're ready to play them tonight,” Deer Valley Coach Lindsay Wisely told CalHiSports.com in a Monday evening interview. Wisely feels she has the kind of balanced attack this year that can finally propel her squad past its recent nemesis. The only sad thing is one of these Northern California D1 powers will not make it to the Northern Regionals.

7. Valley Christian (San Jose) 22-6 (7)
The CCS Division III second seed had little trouble with Aptos in a 58-39 quarterfinal win at Notre Dame in Belmont. To get another crack at the Irish, the Warrior girls will need to get by St. Ignatius of San Francisco on Wednesday in the semis at Notre Dame.

8. Mitty (San Jose) 19-8 (8)
As has been said before, don't count out Coach Sue Phillips Monarchs, who are right where they were a year ago when they went on the win the Division II state championship. Last week, the CCS Division II top seed picked up an easy 54-34 win against Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) at Oak Grove in San Jose. Next up is a semifinal at Oak Grove against North Salinas, a 43-32 upset winner over Wilcox of Santa Clara.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 25-4 (9)
The NCS Division IV top-seeded Panthers barely broke a sweat in a 68-33 quarterfinal victory at home against Justin-Siena of Napa. McKinleyville, a 67-58 quarterfinal victor over Piedmont, makes the trip to Berkeley on Wednesday for the semis.

10. Pinole Valley (Pinole) 21-5 (10)
It was all DeNesha Stallworth in a 64-48 quarterfinal victory over Heritage of Brentwood in the NCS Division II quarterfinals. For the third time this year, California's leading scorer went over the 40-point mark for the second-seeded squad. The 6-3 Cal-bound post and former CalHiSports.com State Girls Athlete of the Week finished with a triple-double 43 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Next up is third seed Northgate of Walnut Creek.

11. Northgate (Walnut Creek) 23-3 (11)
Checking in right below the team they'll face in the NCS D2 semis are the Falcons,  who advanced with a 77-48 quarterfinal win at home against Montgomery of Santa Rosa.

12. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 20-6 (12)
The CCS Division III third seed Wildcat girls blitzed Prospect of San Jose, 65-40, and now move into the semis on Wednesday at Notre Dame against second seed Valley Christian.

13. Branson (Ross) 22-3 (13)
The NCS Division V top-seeded Bulls won 62-28 over the Bay School of San Francisco then came out sluggish but still managed a 39-27 win over Rincon Valley Christian (Santa Rosa) in a quarterfinal contest, both at Redwood High. By her and Coach Mike Fulton's standards, it was a subpar performance for Princeton-bound guard Lauren Polansky against Rincon Valley, but you wouldn't know it from the numbers. She finished with game-highs of 13 points, 13 rebounds, nine steals and five assists, but she nor the other girls were attacking the basket the way Fulton knows his team will have to if the girls are to make it all the way to Arco Arena later this month for a possible three-peat. Next up is Head-Royce (Oakland) in a semifinal double-header with the boys at Redwood.

14. Gunn (Palo Alto) 27-0 (14)
The CCS Division II Titans remain as the only unbeaten Bay Area (and Northern California) team after a 68-34 demolition of Mills of San Mateo. Just one more victory over a Presentation (San Jose) team they already defeated this season will get Jasmine Evans and company into the finals and earn Coach Sarah Stapp's squad a trip to the Northern Regionals.

15. Dublin 21-5 (15)
The NCS Division III second seed took a 43-26 quarterfinal decision from Dougherty Valley (San Ramon) to earn a home date with an emotionally-driven Encinal of Alameda.

16. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 23-5 (16)
The NCS Division IV second seed Wildcats had a first round bye before defeating defending D4 state champion St. Patrick St. Vincent of Vallejo, 53-42, in a quarterfinal contest at home. Nicole Anderson-Jew led three girls in double-figure scoring with 14 points. Melissa Wise added 12 points and Leigh Stewart chipped in with 11. That means Coach Rick De Martini's girls now play host to Moreau Catholic of Hayward in a March 4 semifinal game.

17. Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 25-4 (17)
CCS Division V Coach Doc Scheppler's Panthers squad won 80-4 over York Academy even though the York coach told the San Francisco Chronicle he didn't think Pinewood was running up the score. The Panthers semifinal opponent is Eastside College Prep of Palo Alto.

18. McClymonds (Oakland) 21-5 (19)
The OAL champions get a bye in Oakland Section action and await the winner of the Castlemont versus Oakland Tech game on Tuesday at Laney College.

19. Campolindo (Moraga) 22-5 (20)
The NCS Division III fourth-seeded Cougars advanced to the semifinals with a 71-63 home victory over defending champion Miramonte of Orinda. Annie Ward led the way with 24 points, including four treys. Stephanie Triggas chipped in with 11 points including some key baskets and free throws in the fourth quarter. Campo, which last made the NCS semis in 1999, will now face top seed but ailing Bishop O'Dowd in Oakland on Wednesday.

20. North Salinas (Salinas) 24-3 (nr)
There are those who say they haven't really played anyone, that is until they took out previous No. 18 Wilcox of Santa Clara, 43-32 in the CCS Division II quarterfinals. As a result, it seems only fair to give the spot in the top 20 vacated by Wilcox to the Vikings girls, at least for this week. Up next is a semifinal matchup at Oak Grove on Tuesday night against top seed Mitty.

Girls Teams On the Bubble (Playoff teams only)
Encinal (Alameda) 21-9, Granada (Livermore) 19-9, Moreau Catholic (Hayward) 22-5, Notre Dame (Belmont) 12-16, Petaluma 24-5, Presentation (San Jose) 16-12, St. Joseph-Notre Dame (Alameda) 21-7, San Benito (Hollister) 22-4, Santa Cruz 24-3.

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