Another magical night for San Ramon Valley in Danville; Now get defending state D2 champion Oakland Tech

Right to the very end, the Wolves couldn't miss in a 39-point NorCal Division 1 quarterfinal win over Liberty; They'll need another hot hand against the battle-tested Bulldogs

San Ramon Valley then junior guard Luke Isaak holds up 3 fingers after burying a 3-pointer in the CIF State basketball Division 1 championship at the Golden 1 Center. The Wolves dropped a 78-62 defeat to St. John Bosco but return to make another state-title run Saturday with Isaak leading the way at home against defending state D2 champion Oakland Tech. Isaak, an Irving commit, scored a career-high 37 points in a win over Liberty without playing the fourth quarter. / Photo: Dennis Lee

BY JOEY ACE

DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA — San Ramon Valley’s boys basketball team caught a break when ninth-seed Oakland Tech upset No. 1 Inderkum-Sacramento on Thursday night. 

Now the fifth-seeded Wolves get to host a CIF Northern California Division 1 semifinal game instead of traveling to Sacramento. 

“We got luck on our side with the upset," said coach Brian Botteen, whose team hosts Oakland Tech at 7 p.m. “Not lucky to play Tech — they’re the defending state champs — but getting to play another home game.” 

They might think about rescheduling the game across town. 

Because of a band show conflict — planned months in advance — the Wolves had to cross Highway I-680 to play at Monte Vista-Danville Thursday night and the result was Bucket City in a 101-62 quarterfinal bombardment of 13th-seed Liberty-Brentwood. 

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UC-Irvine signee Luke Isaac scored SRV’s first seven points of the game, had 16 points in the first quarter, 29 by halftime and a career-high 37 before leaving for good late in the third quarter. By that time the Wolves (23-9) led 77-42 and Botteen was able to empty his bench, using 18 of 19 players. 

Issac made six of San Ramon Valley’s 13 three-pointers, Mason Thomas (14 points) made four of them and Tyler Smith (led the reserves with 11). 

“We had a lot of guys scoring five and six points all night long,” Botteen said. “It was one of those games we couldn’t miss. Luke was absolutely in the zone.” 

@BasketballSrv will be hosting Oakland Tech on Saturday evening in the CIF D-1 semifinals. Winner heads to the Nor Cal Title Game! Hey 6th man, we want the gym to look like these pictures tomorrow. Bring the energy and pack the gym! Go Wolves! pic.twitter.com/p77XJoJhnF

— SRVBasketball (@BasketballSrv) March 7, 2025

That was something the Lions (26-4), coming off perhaps their biggest win in school history — a 71-67 thriller at fourth-seed Clovis North, was hoping against. 

The Lions got 16 points from Andrew Vixon and 14 from Jaiden Miller, but it was not nearly enough for coach Jon Heinz, who announced before the season this would be his last. He leaves with 284 wins over 18 seasons, making him the winningest in school history. 

But this young team — the Lions boast only three seniors — had an incredible season highlighted with their fifth undefeated Bay Valley Athletic League championship in seven years and Heinz breaking the program's wins record. They'll say farewell to a very talented
senior class and look to next season with a new era after this impressive run.

They just couldn’t keep up the Wolves, the defending NorCal Division 1 champion. 

The story of the game was told on the game’s first posseāsion as Issac drilled a three. He had seven in the first couple minutes, adding a steal to rob Liberty of an easy drive mixed in between. 

Liberty would not roll over without a fight. Vixon made a quick swipe and turned it into a transition bucket before  Miller, an impressive sophomore point guard, followed up with a 3-pointer of his own.

But SRV’s  deep ball attack could not be stopped, with Isaak hitting three 3s in his 16-point first quarter. The first quarter ended with the home side up 30-9 after a phenomenal 19-2 run, leaving the Lions reeling. 

Liberty managed to put together an 8-2 run early in the second quarter, only for the momentum to be taken by yet another three pointer from Isaak. 

Thomas followed it up with two 3s of his own as the Wolves kept the scorer’s table quite busy. It was the highest scoring output for the Wolves since scoring 114 against San Lorenzo in December of 2022. 

Even in games with as big a differential as this, there’s always something to watch.

That something was a who, in the form of freshman guard Phiilip Hitchcock.

With 98 points and a minute left, Botteen inserted Hitchcock who made his entrance with loads of fanfare from the raucous SRV student body. He missed a couple of missed shots that would have given the Wolves an even 100.

But the freshman fan-favorite took a long 3 that banked in to serve as the last shot of the game.

The student body stormed the court and Hitchcock was mobbed.  

This was a night where everyone was able to contribute and it was a true TEAM effort! The Wolves defeat Liberty, 101-62 and head back to the Division 1 semifinals for the third consecutive year. And it will be Saturday night at HOME. Let’s PACK the gym for this one! Go Wolves!! pic.twitter.com/9SHk9PbeYJ

— SRVBasketball (@BasketballSrv) March 7, 2025

It put a very pretty bow on it for the Wolves — and their arch rival's home court no less. Now they get the defending state Division 2 champion which beat Inderkum 72-66 behind 21 points from ArDarius Grayson, a Weber State signee.

“We look forward to the chance to continue the season further,” Botteen said.

It's been another magical one for the Wolves, who have won 77 games over the last three. Oakland Tech has won 75 over the same span.

Oakland Tech guard and Weber State bound ArDarius Grayson in the state D2 championship game in 2024 at Golden 1 Center / Photo: Dennis Lee

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