Dragons start North Coast Section playoffs

Boys basketball hosts NCS tournament opener after decades-long drought

The last time Sonoma Valley hosted a playoff game in the North Coast Section, statistics and records weren’t being kept on the internet. Fast forward to 2022, the Dragons hope to duplicate their preseason production in a rematch against their East Bay opponent, Alhambra.

It’s safe to say that it has been decades since the Dragons boys basketball team hosted a home playoff game. The last time the Dragons were good enough to earn home court advantage was in their historic 1994 season in which they won the NCS and made it to the Division 3 NorCal semifinal game.

Since that season, the Dragons have had a myriad of disappointing playoff exits. In the previous four tournaments, Sonoma Valley suffered a first round exit in each playoff appearance. This drought also extends past online records, as the team has either missed the playoffs or lost in the first round in each season since 2004.

-First round exit to Piner in 2020, 2019

-First round exit to Drake (now Archie Williams) in 2018

-First round exit to San Marin in 2017

-Missed playoffs in 2016

-First round exit to Drake in 2015

-Missed playoffs in 2014-11

-First round exit to Analy in 2010

-Missed playoffs in 2009-04

The biggest wins for Sonoma Valley came against league rivals, Vintage and Petaluma, which were ranked 8 and 9 respectively in NCS Division II and will play at Vintage High School on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Each of the games featured dominant defensive performances and efficient shooting off of cheap points. Securing the defensive side of the ball will be key for the Dragons in their match up against Alhambra.

In their previous match up, Sonoma Valley was stifled by the Bulldogs defense and shot just 38% from the field, and 28% from beyond the arc. But an excellent night at the free-throw line (13-15), few turnovers on the offensive side, combined with a frenzied defensive effort, which limited Alhambra to 29% shooting from the field, secured victory.

It also helped that the Dragons outscored the Bulldogs 16-5 in the final period. The ability to finish games strong will be important if either team will want to advance to the second round.

The only thing that stopped the Dragons from a higher seed was a four-game slide to end the season, where they lost to Vintage and Petaluma, as well as Justin Siena (No. 4, NCS Div. 4) and VVAL champion American Canyon (No. 7, NCS Div. 2).

Although the season certainly had its ups and downs, the Dragons were seeded at 8 in NCS Division 3, and will host 9th seed Alhambra on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.

Girls soccer earns NCS berth, opens tournament against Cardinal Newman

After finishing their season with a 3-1 loss to Casa Grande, the Dragons will travel to Cardinal Newman for the first round of the Division 3 NCS playoffs. The game will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m., and will mark the first time that these teams will meet this season.

While the defense has been generally solid for the Dragons all season, an aggressive offensive performance, especially from their midfielders, will be the biggest factor for their success. Sonoma Valley hasn’t lost a game this season when they’ve scored two or more goals.

Boys soccer travels to Rancho Cotate for first round of NCS

While finishing fourth in the VVAL was the best the Dragons could muster for the regular season, the boys soccer team will be taking a match up against the 6 seed Rancho Cotate on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m for the NCS Division 3 Boys Soccer playoffs.

In their games against Casa Grande, the only opponent each team has faced, the 11th-seeded Dragons fared far better than their counterparts. While each team allowed five goals, the Dragons managed to score four of their own and stay in the game while the Cougars were shut out.

Nonetheless, the game should be a close one, and the performance of the defensive line and goalkeepers will be crucial to seeing who will win out.

Tickets to NCS games

Because these games are NCS sponsored events, tickets can be bought at https://gofan.co/app/school/CIFNCS.

Contact the reporter Caleb Logue at calebjlogue@gmail.com.