St. Francis senior Nash Horton had a team-best 27 points to go along with 14 rebounds and seven steals for the No. 5 seeded Sharks in Tuesday night’s 86-60 loss to No. 4 Oakwood in the Division V quarterfinals.
Teammate junior Robert Gomez Jr. finished with nine points, three steals and two rebounds, while senior Marcus Gonzalez and sophomore Isaiah Villalobos each contributed six points for St. Francis.
The Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress Division champion Sharks took on a Hawks team that placed fifth in the Gabilan Division—which is two levels above the Cypress.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Gomez Jr. had a team-best 28 points in St. Francis’ 78-47 victory over University Prep in the second round Feb. 22. Horton finished with 23 points, while Villalobos added seven.
After finishing with a 2-22 overall record in 2023-24, the Sharks had a huge turnaround season by going 22-4 this season. They also kept a perfect 12-0 league record intact en route to the Cypress Division crown.
At No. 1 Aptos 57, No. 8 Pioneer 41: Nick Tovani had a team-best 21 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and four steals for the top seeded Mariners in Tuesday night’s win over the Mustangs in the D-III quarterfinals.
Teammate Isaiah Ackerman had 17 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and a pair of assists, while Owen Warmerdam added six points, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
The Mariners outscored the Mustangs, 17-7, in the second quarter, including a 35-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer by senior Ryan Solorio. They went into the fourth quarter and jumped ahead by as many as 20 points before Aptos head coach Brian Bowyer began to substitute the starting players.
Demian Matlow contributed six points, two rebounds and two assists for Aptos (23-4), which hosts No. 4 Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (10-15)—the defending D-III champion—in the semifinals Thursday at 7pm.
At No. 1 The King’s Academy 75, No. 9 Scotts Valley 49: Jacob Sanders finished with a team-best 12 points for the Falcons in their loss to the top seeded Knights in Tuesday night’s D-IV quarterfinals.
Teammates Taylor Knox had 10 points and Zach Shilling contributed eight, while Will Shilling added six points for Scotts Valley, which finished with 14-15 overall record this season.
At No. 7 Homestead 67, No. 10 Watsonville: The season came to an end for the PCAL Mission Division co-champion Wildcatz following a loss to the Mustangs in the second round of the D-I playoffs Feb. 22. Watsonville finished with an 18-8 overall record, and tied with North Monterey County with a 12-2 record in Mission Division action this season.
Girls basketball
No. 9 Live Oak 39, at No. 8 Aptos 20: Senior Berkeley Ashby finished with 13 points in the Mariners’ loss to the Acorns in the second round of the D-III playoffs Feb. 22. Teammate sophomore Eliya Chavez added seven points for Aptos, which finished the season with a 15-13 overall record.
At No. 3 St. Francis 58, No. 6 Crystal 32: Freshman Liliana Whitmeyer had a game-best 25 points in the Sharks’ win over the Gryphons in the D-V quarterfinals Tuesday evening.
Maya Calfee added 18 points for St. Francis (22-2), which plays at No. 2 Summit Shasta (15-5) in Thursday’s semifinals in Daly City. Tip off is slated for 7pm.
At No. 4 Notre Dame Belmont 58, No. 5 Scotts Valley 42: Abby Shi had a team-best 15 points in the Falcons’ loss to the Tigers in the D-IV quarterfinals Tuesday evening. Teammate Sammy Rebbert added 11 points, while Hanna Shehorn contributed eight for Scotts Valley, which finished with a 23-3 overall record this season.
Santa Teresa 45, at No. 5 Watsonville 37: Junior Stephanie Martinez had 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals in the Wildcatz’s loss to the Saints in the second round of the D-I playoffs Feb. 22.
Teammate senior Fernanda Lazo has six points and eight rebounds, while junior Leilani Yasin finished with six points, six rebounds and six blocks.
Watsonville finished this season with a 20-6 overall record.
