The Dublin High Boys Basketball team put together a dominating second quarter to build a 20-point halftime advantage en route to an impressive 61-38 home win over #6 seed Campolindo in the North Coast Section Division 1 Quarterfinals in the Sports Complex on Friday night.
Dublin held a narrow 13-9 lead after the first quarter before outscoring the Cougars 22-5 in what proved to be the game’s decisive period. Campolindo never cut their deficit below 18 the rest of the way.
Jalen Stokes led all scorers with 26 points to power the Gaels offensively, while also effectively shutting down one of Campolindo’s top players and leading Dublin in rebounds as well. Jaiden Jones was the other Dublin player in double figures with 12 points, while Isaiah Wong led the Gaels in both assists and steals.
Dublin now advances to the NCS Semifinals, where they will host Liberty on Tuesday, February 20th at 7:00. Liberty is the #7 seed and went on the road to upset Berkeley to earn their spot in the Semifinals. Liberty comes into the game with a 25-3 overall record and were the champions this year of the Bay Valley Athletic League.
In Girls Basketball, Dublin battled valiantly against the NCS Division 1 top seed before falling to California 48-38. Dublin was within 19-21 until the waning moments of the first half and went into the break only down by 6. The Grizzlies pulled away in the 3rd quarter to build a 12-point margin and then withstood Dublin’s runs in the 4th to preserve the victory. Despite the loss, it was a huge improvement for the Gaels from the last time they faced the Grizzlies, as they lost 34-59 in a game played as recently as January 30th.
Dublin finishes the season with an overall record of 17-13, and can take pride in the fact that they were playing their best basketball late in the year. The Gaels overcame a 6-game losing streak to record wins in both the East Bay Athletic League Tournament and NCS playoffs, the program’s 20th NCS appearance in the last 21 seasons.
