Basketball team advances to quarterfinals

Sonoma Valley broke its four-game losing streak in historic fashion Tuesday night, winning their first North Coast Section playoff game in two decades against the visiting Alhambra, 55-47. It was also the first time that the Division 3 team had been seeded high enough to get a home playoff game in that same time frame.

The Dragons were led by senior Dom Girish, who scored 19 points and was the catalyst for their offensive comeback. After falling 16-9 in the first quarter, the Sonoma Valley squad started to hit the shots it was missing in the first and went on an 11-2 run to end the half up 23-22.

Sonoma’s ball movement generated plenty of open looks throughout the entire game, especially in transition, and was essential to Sonoma’s runs throughout the game. Coming out of the locker room for the second half, the Dragons continued their run in the first 4 minutes of the third quarter with a 9-3 run, putting them up by 7. Though their opponent would respond, the Dragons had completely put out any sparks the Bulldogs had from the first quarter.

Girish would score 8 straight points for the Dragons in the second, 5 of which would help to start the run at the end of the first half. Senior Anders Mathison would add 16, 11 of which would come in the second half.

The Dragons were unfortunate enough to get put on the same side of the bracket as No. 1 Saint Patrick-St. Vincent (20-1), who they lost to early in the season. In their last matchup against the Bruins, the Dragons struggled to shoot well from beyond the arc and committed 15 turnovers, which were both contributing factors to their 15-point loss.

However, with about 3 minutes to go in the fourth, Sonoma Valley trailed by just four points and just had to weather an untimely run from St. Patrick - St. Vincent in the final minutes. The game was close throughout, and such a performance is encouraging for the Dragons in spite of the final score.

With that in mind, the Dragons should have a strong chance against St. Patrick - St. Vincent assuming they maintain the same level of ball movement as in their game against Alhambra and keep their defensive intensity.

Sonoma Valley will travel to St. Patrick - St. Vincent High School gym for the quarterfinal game on Friday, Feb 18, at 7 p.m.