It took Watsonville some time to get tuned in Friday night during its first Central Coast Section playoff game in almost nearly a decade.
But once the butterflies settled, there was no stopping the recently crowned Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division co-champion.
Junior forward Leon Madec had a game-best 19 points to help lift the No. 10 seeded Wildcatz to an 81-55 victory over North Salinas in the first round of the Division I playoffs.
Teammate senior Max Aceves added 17 points for Watsonville (18-7), which plays at No. 7 Homestead (20-4) in the second round on Saturday at 7pm. The winner plays at No. 2 Los Gatos (18-6) in the quarterfinals on Feb. 25 at 7:30pm.
“Celebrate this win but we got Homestead tomorrow and they’re a good team based on their record. We just gotta focus on that,” Aceves said.
Junior Tino Razo had 11 points and freshman George Madec added 10 for the ‘Catz, who were stunned and outscored, 10-2, by the Vikings to begin the contest.
“I think it was mostly just nerves,” Leon Madec said. “It was the first playoff game for a lot of us. We kind of had to shake off the nerves in the first quarter.”
Barring the abbreviated Covid-19 season in 2020-21, it had been eight years since Watsonville played in the CCS playoffs. So, forgive them for having a bit of stage fright on their return to the postseason.
“Hopefully all the nerves are gone and they can just come out, not start sluggish and slow like we did today,” Watsonville head coach Andre Bailey said.
Whether it was the heebie-jeebies or not playing to their full potential, the ‘Catz managed to flip the switch early on in the contest.
They went on a 16-2 run led by Aceves’ 10-points performance in the first quarter. Leon Madec followed up with 13 points in the second stanza, pushing their lead to 42-30 going into halftime.
“In the first quarter I was just trying to get everyone involved,” Madec said. “And then in the second quarter, I saw where I could get inside and get them in the air to score some baskets.”
A big-time 3-pointer by senior Erik Rodriguez helped the ‘Catz go on a 13-4 run to begin the third quarter, putting them even further ahead at 55-34. They never had to look back.
“We felt prepared,” Aceves said. “We practiced, worked hard and we knew what they were going to do.”
David Jauregui finished with a team-best eight points for North Salinas, while teammate Elijah DeGuzman contributed seven points.
Rodriguez finished with just three points but he played stellar defense throughout the evening, forcing five steals that turned into eight points for the ‘Catz.
Other scorers for Watsonville included junior Isaiah Gonzalez with six points, senior Nate Aguilar added four and junior Ahmi Martin contributed two. Juniors Abraham Martinez and Yahir Cisneros, and sophomore Diego Garcia each had three points for the ‘Catz.
“We’re a good team when we play our game. It’s hard to beat us,” Aceves said.
Leon Madec said they felt confident going up against a North Salinas team that played some of the same teams as Watsonville during the regular season.
Another motivating factor prior to the playoffs was a disappointing 62-61 loss to North Monterey County in the teams’ regular season finale.
A win would’ve given Watsonville the Mission Division title outright. Instead, they have to share it with the Condors.
“Definitely used it as motivation,” Leon Madec said. “It was a pretty disappointing loss knowing that we definitely probably should have won that game. But I think that’s going to help us with our motivation going through the playoffs.”
NMC—which earned the No. 9 seed in the D-III playoffs—advanced to the second round following a 67-62 win against Greenfield on Friday night.
Bailey was pleased with their win, yet he was still somewhat concerned about the lack of intensity against a Vikings team that was on the same boat as the ‘Catz.
“They hadn’t been to the playoffs in over a decade, but you can’t be surprised they’re gonna play us,” Bailey said. “They’re gonna come out and punch, we gotta keep punching and punching. We started off way too slow and I know we’re not gonna have that same luxury against Homestead.”
Homestead—runner-up in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division—has a group of tall and strong guards that score from anywhere on the court.
Bailey said they’ll have to defend the inside and do a better job of not letting them slip by for the layup, which is what they did several times Friday night against North Salinas.
“You gotta get ready for the next one,” Bailey said. “You can’t put too much emphasis on this. Enjoy the moment but if we want to do something that we have never done before, then we’re gonna have to stay the course.”
At No. 9 Scotts Valley 55, Stevenson 43: Senior guard Taylor Knox scores 21 points in the Falcons’ win over the Pirates in the first round of the Division IV playoffs Friday evening.
Teammate senior guard Will Shilling added 13 points, while senior center Jacob Sanders contributed 11. Senior guard Zach Shilling finished with 10 points for Scotts Valley, which began the game with a 14-6 lead.
Will Shilling scored nine points in the opening stanza, and Sanders had eight points in the fourth quarter, including a tip dunk that helped close it out for the Falcons.
Scotts Valley (13-14) plays at No. 8 Jefferson (12-12) in second round action Saturday at 7pm.
CCS girls
At No. 11 Design Tech 56, San Lorenzo Valley 32: Senior Jewel Wilson had a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds in the Dragons’ win over the Cougars in the first round of the Division IV playoffs Friday evening.
Teammate senior Emi LePedis had 15 points and six rebounds, while junior Vanessa Chow contributed 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
Design Tech (15-6) plays at No. 6 Sacred Heart Prep on Saturday at 7pm. SLV finished with a 9-14 overall record this season.
CCS basketball playoffs schedule
Boys
Division I
No. 10 Watsonville (18-7) at No. 7 Homestead (20-4), Saturday at 7pm
Division III
No. 1 Aptos (22-4) vs. TBD, Feb. 25 at 7pm
No. 2 Santa Cruz (15-11) vs. TBD, Feb. 25 at 7:30pm
Division IV
No. 9 Scotts Valley (13-14) at No. 8 Jefferson (12-12), Saturday at 7pm
No. 7 Soquel (13-13) vs. No. 10 Terra Nova (14-11), Saturday at 7pm
Division V
No. 5 St. Francis (21-3) vs. No. 12 University Prep (16-8), Saturday at 7pm
Girls
Division I
No. 5 Watsonville (19-5) vs. Santa Teresa (15-9), Saturday at 7pm
Division III
No. 8 Aptos (14-12) vs. No. 9 Live Oak (19-7), Saturday at 7pm
No. 2 Santa Cruz (13-10) vs. TBD, Feb. 25 at 7pm
Division IV
No. 5 Scotts Valley (20-2) vs. No. 12 Mercy (7-11), Saturday at 7pm
Division V
No. 3 St. Francis (21-2) vs. TBD, Feb. 25 at 7pm
