NCS thrillers!! Live update roundup: Salesian, Bishop O'Dowd boys pull out NCS title wins late

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — It’s that time of year again. March is almost here.

That means championship high school basketball and for the first time, San Leandro High School’s relatively new gym is the site for North Coast Section championship games.

It begins with a Division 2 girls tilt between third-seed Justin-Siena (26-5) against top seed Salesian (20-10) at 3 p.m. Salesian is after its ninth crown — all since 2012 — and Justin-Siena seeks No. 2 after winning one in 2008. This is the highest division Justin-Siena has ever played in.

The Division 1 boys game features No. 1 seed Bishop O’Dowd (22-7) against third-seed Granada (21-7) in the first meeting between the programs. O’Dowd is after NCS title No. 20 while Granada is after just its second crown and first since 1996. Tip-off is 5 p.m.

The final game is the Open Division contest between No. 1 Salesian (25-3) and No. 2 Clayton Valley Charter (25-3) at 7 p.m. The Pride has won 11 titles, all since 2006, while Clayton Valley has won just two crowns, but both since 2022 (the other was 2023). Remarkably these two programs have yet to meet.

Stay tune all day for updated action as well as details about other games in the NCS.

Salesian girls 62, Justin Siena 52

It's a familar announcement, a familar trophy ceremony when the Pride girls get to the section championship. And with just one senior on a 13-person team, that includes four freshmen and two sophomores, the "congratulations champion Pride" might echo for years to come under 17-year coach Stephen Pezzola.

high school girls basketball — Salesian girls celebrate the program's ninth North Coast Section championship, this a Division 2 crown following a thorough 62-52 win over Justin-Siena Saturday (Feb. 28) at San Leandro High School. | Photo by Mitch Stephens

Freshman Ezra Palec (19 points) and Emanuela William (11 points), a 6-foot-4 post, along with sophomore Emma Bryant (10) led the way for Salesian Saturday in the wire-to-wire win for the Pride's ninth section title, all since 2012.

Pezzola, also the school's president, has built a power since taking over the girls basketball program in 2009. The team had immediate success, with seasons of 24-6, 31-5, 29-8 , 30-7, 28-4 starting in 2-10-11 with national rankings of 24 in 2013-14 and No. 27 in 2015-16. The Pride won a state Division 1 title in 2021-22 and since then they've gone 27-5, 21-11 and 23-11 the last three seasons.

Their current 21-10 season features 12 wins in its last 14 games, but Pezzola scheduled tough, stating an 80-30 loss to No. 3 national Mitty as a turning point on Jan. 31. The Pride lost a quarter only 16-10 and he told them if they can compete with perhaps the nation's best team at that level, they can accomplish great things.

Saturday was the first big step, rolling against a very tough Justin-Siena team that got 18 points from Lauren Keller and a combined 21 by Dylan Zapolski and Calden Grimmer. Salesian did that with a big first half, outscoring the Braves 17-9 in the first and 30-19 in the first half.

They did that despite a leg injury to William late in the third quarter. Without her clogging the middle, Justin-Siena took advantage and closed all the way to 48-44 on a three-pointer from freshman Katie Keheller. But Palec, a 5-6 guard, came through with three big buckets down the streetch, including a putback and an and-one.

"These girls are tough and play and practice so hard," Pezzola said. "They will go through a wall for their sisters. When their sister (William) went down in pain, they decided to just do it for her."

Bishop O'Dowd boys 79, Granada 76

The ebbs and flows, the peaks and valleys of one of the best NCS Division 1 championship games in recent memory was experienced front and center by O'Dowd junior guard CJ Hill-Thomas, a kid who grew up around the program.

High school boys basketball California — Bishop O'Dowd holds up its 20th NCS championship hardware after a wild 79-76 Division 1 title game win over Granada. | Photo by Mitch Stephens

Hill-Thomas, a 5-foot-11 second-year starter, scored just two points in the first half, but exploded for 25 in the second, including the go-ahead bucket on a nifty one-on-one move and fadaway jumper from the right elbow that bounced off the front iron, kissed the backboard before trickling home to give O'Dowd a 77-76 lead and 7.4 seconds left.

He then punctuated the win after Kaiden Gibbs made the defensive play of the game, intercepting a Granada inbounds pass before feeding Hill-Thomas, who could have dribbled out the clock, but instead right to the rim for a buzzer-beating layup, setting off an eruption at the jammed-packed San Leandro gym.

The Dragon reserves sprinted to the court, the players rejoiced and the coaching staff and fans celebrated the program's 20th NCS title in a game nobody should have had to lose.

Granada (21-8), behind mammoth efforts from 6-7 junior Brandon Hahn (36 points, 17 rebounds) and freshman point guard Quaran Johnson (18 points, four steals, six assists), led most of the way after a late run late in the first quarter.

But O'Dowd, which it showed had a late fourth-quarter gear in playoff wins over Acalanes-Lafayette (79-54) and Liberty-Brentwood (80-73), did so again after Granada punched hard in the fourth with a 15-6 run to go up 74-70.

But Hill-Thomas drilled a big 3-pointer with 1:15 left to cut it to 74-73, Damien Miles swished two free throws with 53.1 seconds left, making it 76-73, before Gibbs (10 points) scored a layup, making it 76-75. An over-and-back gave O'Dowd back the ball with less than 20 seconds left.

Even though Naas Griffin, coming off games of 35 and 29 points, had 20 points on Saturday and seemed like the natural go-to choice, the Dragons put the ball in the hands of Hill-Thomas, who had missed six free throws in 10 attempts, making it possibly a long sleepless night.

But instead, he stayed positive and delivered.

"i told coach give me the ball," Hill-Thomas said of his go-ahead bucket. "I was feeling it. He told me to go so I got my shot off and I made it."

Said O'Dowd coach Lou Richie: "The lad has a lot of confidence. Nothing gets him down."

Even all those free-throw misses, a problem all night for the Dragons, who were just 4-for-14. Granada, meanwhile, was an impressive 19-of-22.

"It was probably just my energy," Hill-Thomas said of his own turnaround. "We came in at halftime and we were a little down (44-37 was the score). I just told the guys to keep our heads up. I believed we could win and I think everyone on our team believed the same."

Said Richie: "To get the 20th title here is special. We had a couple people, even at our own school, that doubted us. ... For us to do things the right way and to do things right by the kids and to improve our coaching staff and continue to evolve. That makes us all very, very happy."

It was a teary-eyed Granada squad walking out of its locker room. Coming out of the rugged East Bay Athletic League, the Matadors were battle-testeed, but they came in the considerable underdog. The game was for the taking. They got a combined 18 points also from Miles and Ethan Mitchell.

"These guys don't back down from anyone or anything," Granada coach Quaran Johnson Sr. "We're just as good as anybody else and we play with no fear."

Said Hahn: "It's hard because the game was right there for us and it slipped away. We'll be back next week (for the Northern California playoffs), but right now this hurts. A lot. I'm not going to lie."

Salesian boys 51, Clayton Valley Charter 49

Elias Obenyah has signed a basketball letter of intent to Stanford, so he's well aware that the game is not "life or death."

High school boys basketball maxpreps — Salesian proudly poses after winning its 12th NCS title Saturday at San Leandro High School with a wild 51-49 victory over Clayton Valley Charter. | Photo courtesy of James Dalpino/West Coast Preps

But from a basketball, on-the-court experience, he did see the moment as "life or death."

"Had we lost, I would have definitely been very upset," said the 6-foot-5 guard and fourth-year starter. "I had missed the last two shots to go ahead. I turned the ball over. I didn't get a rebound. I had to make a play to make up for it."

And what a play it was.

Here is Elias Obenyah’s GW play, a steal, layup with 12.7 sec. left to go up 50-49. Salesian won 51-49 over CVC in NCS Open final. The Stanford signee called it a “life or death” basketball moment because of 2 earlier misses. Note the CORRECT delay warning for knocking ball away. pic.twitter.com/yFzKHdTfp8
— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) March 1, 2026

Obenyah, in one of the roughest games of his brilliant career, somehow knifed in to steal an entry pass to stole a pass to Vince Ellis around the top of the key, and swooped in for the go-ahead back with 12.7 seconds left to give the Pride to a slugest of a 51-49 win over Clayton Valley Charter for the NCS Open Division championship.

In his excitment, as Ellis tossed the ball to teammate Chris Berry to take the ball out of bounds, Obenyah knocked the ball away. Had he knocked it away from Berry, it would have been a technical foul and Clayton Valley would get two free throws and the ball. But it was correctly ruled a delay of game penalty, which is just a warning.

However, two warnings prompt a tecnical foul. It took minutes for the referees to remember there had earlier been a "poor sportsmanship" violation against the Pride, thus Obenyah's delay did not lead to foul shots for Clayton Valley, which instead had two chances to tie or take the lead but missed a couple of desperation shots.

Braylon Franklin made one of two free throws and the Pride (26-3), the top seed, became the first NCS team to win a second Open Division title. Clayton Valley (25-4), which got 13 points from Cannon Simpson, 11 points by Berry and nine from Ellis, missed out on what would have been considered a huge upset.

Afterall, Frank Allocco Jr's program had never played in the Open and won just two NCS titles, though they were recent, in 2023 and 2024.

"I do feel badly from Frank and his team," said Mellis, who won his 691st game, the most among active Northern California coaches. "Frank and I are very close and he does a heck of a job. They had us in trouble for sure."

Twice late in the third quarter, the Eagles extended their lead to nine points, the last was 42-33 on two free throws by Jett Tran. Millis was concerned, but he knew his battle-tested bunch are great at turning teams over and though the foul-plagued game had several Salesian players in foul trouble, he was convident they'd make a run.

Luckily he had 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior Jahlil Lindsey ready for action.

A talented, mobile and athletic interior player — he has a football scholarshp as a defensive end at Sacramento State — Lindsey has grown a tad frustrated lately with his lack of opportunity and certainly production.

He sure made up for it Saturday with eight points — six in the fourth quarter — six rebounds and two blocks. It helped complement Obenyah (13 points) Carlton Perrilliat Jr. (11 points) and eight from Asante Johnson.

"He's been super frustrated lately and I get it," Mellis said. "I guess God had a plan for him tonight. He had his turn and he made the most of it. His game was crucial. He was fantastic."

A wide, burley body, Lindsey moves exceptionally well for a defensive end. The last of his three buckets as a fancy twisting, spinning move with his body, and the ball slammed off the backboard into the basket with 3:15 remaining to five Salesian a 48-47 lead.

"I just did what had to be done," Lindsey said. "That's what we all do on this team. ... I trust completely what our coaches do and how they use me or anyone else on this team. I'm just happy I could come through tonight."

After Lindsey's acrobatic spin shot, the Eagles run their weave motion to perfection and Simpson, a lanky and quick 6-6 wing, finished it off with a drive to the hoop and big-time dunk, giving Clayton Valley a 49-48 with 1:30 remaining. The Eagles' faithful went bezerk.

This was Clayton Valley’s spectacular go-ahead bucket to go up 49-48, a driving emphatic dunk by Simpson. With 1:30 to go. pic.twitter.com/aTr1LFuywq
— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) March 1, 2026

"Those guys are really good," Obenyah said. "We needed everyone to step up to beat them. Jahlil was so good."