Boys Basketball Advances to NCS Open Division Semifinals with Impressive Win at Liberty

In front of a raucous crowd, No. 4 Dublin held high-powered Liberty to just five points in the fourth quarter en route to a 65-47 win in the first round of the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs. Dublin will play at De La Salle in the Open Division semifinals on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dublin junior forward Jaiden Jones led the Gaels with 18 points and six rebounds. Cameron Anderson scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Miles Pollard totaled 14 points and senior Ramir Raymore had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. 

After taking a 31-25 lead at halftime, Dublin found a second gear at the end of the third quarter. Pollard knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the period, giving Dublin a 50-42 lead entering the final eight minutes. 

Raymore capped a 9-3 run with a pair of free throws to open the fourth quarter and stretch Dublin’s advantage. Liberty cut the Dublin lead to 12 with just over three minutes to go, but that would turn out to be the Lions’ final points of the game. A two-handed slam from Anderson to push the Dublin lead to 14 was the dagger as the Gaels locked up the home team to seal the victory. 

Dublin will see a familiar opponent in the semifinals. The Open Division’s top seed De La Salle beat Dublin both times this season, but each team was not at full strength when they played each other. De La Salle edged Dublin 53-49 in the first matchup, but did not have Oklahoma commit Alec Blair. In the second matchup that took place in the East Bay Athletic League playoffs, Dublin fell 54-41 without Anderson.