Montgomery boys basketball team beats Alameda, reaches NCS Division 2 semifinals

The Montgomery boys basketball team is moving on to the semifinals of the North Coast Section playoffs for the first time in five years.

The No. 4 Vikings utilized their defense to take down No. 5 Alameda 52-38 at Montgomery High on Saturday in the Division 2 playoffs, securing their first trip to the semifinals since the 2016-17 season. A win next week would secure them a spot in the CIF NorCal playoffs.

The Vikings (20-5) held the Hornets (17-8) to just nine points in the first half before playing point for point in the second.

Donovan Hawkins and Nolan Bessire each scored 16 points while Caden DeVries added eight and Nic Ausiello had seven.

The Vikings will hit the road for their semifinal matchup against No. 1 San Ramon Valley (16-8), who beat No. 9 Petaluma 62-42 in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Trojans wrap up a successful season at 17-9 overall.

In Division 6, No. 5 Credo had its season come to an end with a 54-44 loss at No. 4 Valley Christian in the quarterfinals. The Gryphons, who won the North Central League II, finish the season at 13-6 overall.

Also in Division 6, No. 8 Rio Lindo Adventist couldn’t pull the upset at No. 1 South Fork, falling 59-39 to end the year at 19-8 overall.

Girls basketball

Montgomery’s girls will join the boys in the section semifinals as the No. 3 Vikings advanced with a 57-39 win over No. 6 Ukiah.

The game was tied at 31 in the third quarter before Sydney Rouleau, who finished with four three-pointers and 16 points, hit a pair of threes that kickstarted a 26-8 run.

Elisa Arias led the Vikings (13-7) with 18 points and Kaia Eubanks added nine.

Julia Maldonado scored 15 points to pace the Wildcats, who finish the season 15-12 overall.

The Vikings will meet No. 2 Northgate in the semifinals next week. The Broncos (20-5) knocked No. 7 Windsor (12-16) out of the playoffs 47-42 on Saturday.

No. 4 Casa Grande also had its season come to a close in the quarterfinals, falling 37-33 to No. 5 Alameda. The Gauchos end the year at 20-7 overall, they’re most successful season in a decade.

In Division 6, Credo’s run came to an end at No. 4 South Fork, 53-36. The No. 5 Gryphons close out the year at 10-10.

Boys soccer

Montgomery, the defending Division 1 champion, moved on to the semifinals with a 2-1 win over visiting No. 7 California. The No. 2 Vikings (14-2-5) got goals from Bryan Munguia and Darius Cuenca, the latter of which came on a penalty kick with four minutes left in the game that seal the win.

Montgomery will host No. 3 Vintage (17-3-4) next Wednesday.

In Division 4, No. 3 Cardinal Newman secured a spot in the semifinals with a 2-0 win over No. 11 Roseland University Prep. Nate Lubega scored both goals for the Cardinals (8-9-3), who will travel to No. 2 University (13-5-3) for the semifinals on Wednesday.

With the wins, both the Cardinals and Vikings likely secured spots in the CIF NorCal playoffs in a few weeks.

Girls soccer

No. 8 Mario Carrillo was part of another nailbiter as its Division 1 quarterfinal matchup with No. 16 Granada was decided by penalty kicks.

But once again, the Pumas came out on top. After hanging on for a 3-2 double overtime win in round one, they bested the upstart Matadors 3-1 in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals.

The score was tied 1-1 after regulation and both overtime periods before Cassady Carpenter, Sydney Ngo and Miranda Rivas came up clutch in the shootout. Maxine Baker had the lone goal of the night in regulation for the Pumas (12-4-5), assisted by Maddie Gmitter.

Maria Carrillo will host either No. 13 Foothill or No. 12 California in the semifinals next week. No score had been reported as of press time.

In Division 3, No. 5 Cardinal Newman’s quarterfinal game against No. 4 Alhambra also went to penalty kicks, but the Cardinals found themselves on the wrong end of the result as they fell 4-2 in the shootout.

The score was tied 1-1 after regulation and the two overtime periods.

The Cardinals end the season at 9-6 overall.

No. 6 Petaluma wasn’t able to advance to the semifinals in Division 3 as it fell 1-0 to No. 3 Archie Williams. The Trojans end the season at 10-6-5 overall.

In Division 4, No. 3 Sonoma Academy survived a wild one as it moved on to the semifinals with a 2-1 win over No. 6 Piedmont. After a scoreless first half, both teams traded goals midway through the second half before Kate Bruntlett scored the game-winning goal in the 78th minute to send the Coyotes into the next round. Julia Bilal scored the other goal for Sonoma Academy (17-0-2), which will play at No. 2 University (18-1-4) in the semifinals on Wednesday.

You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @JustGusPD.