The Alameda High School (AHS) men’s basketball team entered the fourth quarter of their North Coast Section (NCS) Div. II quarterfinal game against Redwood High of Larkspur trailing 31-28. The Giants had just outscored the Hornets, 11-8, in the third quarter of the game on Saturday, Feb. 17, at Redwood High.

AHS head coach Miles Tarver instructed his team to implement a box-and-one defense where four players play a zone defense and one player follows one of the other team’s players at all time while on defense.

The decision worked to perfection. The Hornets held the Giants to just one point in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Hornets posted 16 points on the offensive end. At the final buzzer, the seventh-seed Hornets upset the second-seed Giants, 44-32.

AHS senior Gabe Garcia led the Hornets with 14 points.

The Hornets advanced to the NCS semifinal game Wednesday night at third-seeded Las Lomas of Walnut Creek The winner will play the winner of the other semifinal match between Campolindo High and Cardinal Newman in the final.