Playoff Roundup: Basketball results from Wednesday
WEDNESDAY
BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Pierce 49, Los Molinos 43
The underdogs came to play in the first round Division V playoff basketball game between No. 5 Pierce High and No. 12 Los Molinos High.
Pierce rallied back from a halftime deficit Wednesday to beat Los Molinos 49-43 in Arbuckle, and earned a chance to play at No. 4 Mt. Shasta, which beat No. 13 Durham.
Los Molinos (9-17, 4-8 Five Star) led the majority of the first three quarters before Pierce (17-5, 10-2 SVL) rallied behind the hot hand of senior guard Hayden Kalfsbeek, who made five 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes of the game.
The Bulldogs weathered an early barrage and scored the final eight points of the first quarter for a 10-8 lead, and pushed the score to 21-17 at the half.
Leading by four points with about 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bulldogs kept Pierce's offense contained with a stingy zone defense. The Bears played much of the game without their best zone-penetrating weapon, senior forward Oscar Dorantes, who spent time on the bench in foul trouble.
Finally, Kalfsbeek, the Bears' 5-foot-6 zone-busting 3-point bomber caught fire. After going 0 for 5 in the first half, he hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the teams entered the final quarter knotted 31-31.
Joey Hernandez grabbed a rebound off a missed 3-pointer by Dorantes and scored on the put-back, Dorantes hit a floater in the lane and Kalfsbeek hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game, putting Pierce up 44-37, their biggest lead since surging out to an 8-2 advantage in the first quarter.
The Bears ran the clock down to 6 seconds left before Corona was fouled. Haley was called for a technical and Corona hit all four free throws, putting the game out of reach, 49-43.
Los Molinos went 2 for 10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter while Pierce shot 5 for 8 down the stretch.
Corona led all scorers with 18 points and Kalfsbeek finished with 16 points. Long led Los Molinos with 17 points and Dodero added nine points.
Live Oak 63, Colusa 58
The RedHawks pushed No. 5 Live Oak to the limit before losing in the first round of the Northern Section Division IV playoffs Wednesday in Live Oak.
"That was probably the best game we played all year long. It was physical tough game and our guys didn't back down, it was pretty cool to watch," Colusa coach Marty Remmers said.
No. 12 Colusa (12-14, 6-4 MVL) rallied from a six point halftime deficit and tied the game midway through the third quarter before the Lions (17-5, 10-2 SVL co-champions) went on a 14-0 run for a 41-27 lead going into the final quarter.
"We lost our heads for about a 5 minute stretch in the third period, but for the most part I was really proud of our guys for not quitting," Remmers said.
Colusa sophomore Destin Smith took over the game in the fourth, hitting 3-pointers and dominating in the paint en route to a 21 point game.
The RedHawks struggled to contain Romario Acosta, whose speed and shooting prowess outmatched whatever Colusa threw at him, and he scored 23 points.
R.J. Phillips scored 15 points and matched up well against Live Oak's Aaron Pamma, who also scored 15 points. Favian Grageda and Hayden Bailey shot well from behind the 3-point line and played with newfound confidence.
The Lions advance to the second round where they face No. 4 Gridley on Friday.
Modoc 67, Williams 37
The No. 15 Yellowjackets (6-16, 0-10 MVL) faced a tough draw in the first round and made the long trip to Alturas on Wednesday for the first round of the Northern Section Division V playoffs where they lost to No. 2 Modoc (21-4, 11-1 Shasta Cascade champions).
The Braves advance to the second round where they face No. 7 Portola on Friday.
GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Lassen 66, Colusa 23
The RedHawks ended the season with a loss in the first round of the Northern Section Division IV playoffs to No. 7 Lassen High (14-10, 4-4 NAL).
No. 10 Colusa (14-12, 6-4 MVL) went to Susanville a day late after poor road conditions pushed the game back a day, but Lassen's defense was even more of a threat and RedHawks scored 11 points in the first half.
The Grizzlies advanced to the second round where they faced No. 2 Anderson on Thursday.
