A pair of high-scoring teams meet Saturday in Saratoga in the second round of the 3C2A NorCal Regional Playoffs. And, as is often the case when two high-octane squads take the floor, it may come down to the superior defensive effort to determine the winner.
NorCal #1 seed West Valley (28-0), the 3C2A's top-ranked team, hosts #17 Los Medanos (21-8) at 7:00pm in the WVC Gymnasium in a contest that could cause the scoreboard to overheat.
The Vikings swept the Coast-South with a 12-0 mark, while the Mustangs finished second behind perennial NorCal power Yuba in the Bay Valley with a 13-3 record. WVC is making it's fourth straight NorCal playoff appearance under coach Danny Yoshikawa – the Vikings were NorCal champs in 2022 and 2023 - while the Mustangs return to the postseason after a one year absence. The Vikings seek their third straight trip to the CCCAA State Championship tournament.
Both squads put a lot of points on the board in the regular season. WVC scored at an 84.9 per-game clip, good for 10th in the state, while LMC logged a 20th-best 81.9PPG. Defensively, the Mustangs allowed 75.8 PPG; the Vikings were the state's top defense unit, surrendering just 61.3 PPG. And, it may come down to defense to determine Saturday's winner.
As a team, the Vikings led the 3C2A in field goal % (50.7), three-point field goal % (39.8), net offensive efficiency (0.421) and net defensive efficiency (0.421). They were second in California in assists (20.3) and rebounding margin (13.6). They were 10th in free throw shooting (75.0). WVC averaged 37 rebounds, 8.1 steals and 3.1 blocks per contest.
The Mustangs shot at a 45.8% clip from the field, 35.0% from beyond the arc, and 70.6 from the charity stripe. They pulled down 35.7 rebounds and handed out 16.3 assists per game.
As a result of its undefeated regular season, West Valley dominated the All-Coast postseason teams. Elijah Mahi was named the Coast MVP and will likely pick up his second consecutive All-State nod. Baron Bracey, Jeremiah Dargan – both for the second straight season - and Shakir Odunewu were All-Coast First Team selections, and Ariya Briscoe earned Honorable Mention accolades. Briscoe was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Odunewu was the Freshman of the Year and Bracey, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.
Mahi averaged 16.1 PPG, shot at a 53.4% clip, pulled down 6.5 boards and handed out a team-high 4.7 assists. The 6-11 Odunewu led the Vikings in scoring (17.1), field goal % (64.5), rebounds (9.5) and blocks (1.0). Dargan also hit double figures in scoring (14.3), and grabbed 5.4 rebounds, handed out 4.2 assists, and logged a team-high 1.7 steals per game.
Bracey averaged 7.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG and 1.2 APG. His 84.1 FT% was second on the team behind Briscoe's 88.9%. Briscoe also averaged 6.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.0 SPG. Aaron Ragen, who usually started opposite Bracey in the Viking backcourt, led WVC in three-point shooting (49.3%), logged 5.4 PPG and shot at a 48.9% clip from the field.
Five Mustangs garnered All-Bay Valley nods. Ramon Bailey and Devin Carson were first team selections, while Tochi Onyeador was the Defensive Player of the Year. AJ Dungo earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team, and Jalen Robinson was selected to the All-Freshman Team.
Carson led the team in scoring (22.8), free throw % (76.4) and tied Dungo for the steals lead (1.7). He also pulled down 5.5 rebounds and handed out 4.0 assists per game. Bailey put up 19.0 PPG, grabbed 7.8 RPG and shot a team-high 38.1% from beyond the arc.
Robinson also hit double figures in scoring (15.6) to go along with 5.8 RPG and 2.9 APG. Dungo averaged 8.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and team-highs in assists (5.4) and steals (1.7). Onyeader led the Mustangs in rebounds (9.3), field goal % (60.2) and blocks (1.7).
Saturday's winner will face the winner of this weekend's #7 Sacramento City (25-3) vs. #9 Columbia (24-5) contest on Saturday, March 9.
Tipoff this Saturday is 7:00pm at the West Valley College Gymnasium.
Tickets are available at the gate (credit/debit card only) or through the WVC Athletics website: https://westvalley.prestosports.com/camps/Game_Tickets
The game will be livestreamed on the WVC Athletics YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@westvalleycollegeathletics5398/streams
