Three Alameda schools have teams contending for sectional titles

The North Coast Section (NCS) selection committee revealed the sectional basketball playoffs brackets last week and Alameda high school teams qualified for the playoffs. 

Men’s Basketball
The Alameda High men’s basketball team was placed 11th in the Division II bracket. They are one of 16 teams to appear in the Div. II playoff tournament. The Hornets took on Tamalpais of Mill Valley in the opening round on Tuesday. They will play the winner of Cardinal Newman of San Rafael and Washington of Fremont tomorrow if they advance. 

The Hornets had a bounce-back 2016-2017 season. Last year the Hornets went 11-19 overall. This year the Hornets went 19-7 overall. They posted a record of 7-3 in the West Alameda County Conference (WACC) good for second place behind undefeated San Lorenzo. They beat rival Encinal twice. Both victories were by double figures. The Hornets beat the Jets 55-42 on Jan. 21 and 59-41 on Feb. 11.

The Jets men’s basketball team also received an 11 seed in the NCS Div. III playoffs. Their playoff journey began on Tuesday against number six seed Miramonte of Orinda. The Jets will play the winner of Analy of Sebastopol and Alhambra in the second round if they advance. The Div. III bracket consists of 14 teams with Salesian of Richmond and Campolindo of Moraga receiving first-round byes. 

The Jets took a bit of a step back in the 2016-2017 season. Last season they went 15-14 overall. This season their record sits at 11-15 overall. They did go 5-5 in the WACC. 

The St. Joseph Notre Dame (SJND) men’s basketball team is once again the number one seed in the section playoffs. The Pilots were bestowed the top honor in the NCS Div. IV playoffs. They also received an opening-round bye. The Pilots will take on the winner of Healdsburg and Kelseyville this Saturday, Feb. 25. There are 15 teams in the NCS Div. IV playoffs.

The Pilots had another good regular season. They went 27-1 overall. They beat perennial power De La Salle of Concord 46-40 on Dec. 10. The Pilots’ lone blemish came against Modesto Christian. SJND won its league title game with a 63-60 victory over Bentley of Lafayette on Feb. 18.

The Pilots won the NCS Div. V section title last year with a 65-61 victory over University of San Francisco. This year the squad has moved up a division to Div. IV.

Women’s Basketball
The Alameda High women’s basketball team was awarded the ninth seed in the NCS Div. II women’s playoffs. They took on Ukiah in the first round on Tuesday. They will play the winner of Miramonte and Hayward on Friday if they advance. 

The Hornets went 15-11 overall on the year. They capped off senior night with a 55-54 victory over Piedmont on Feb. 17. Tiana Bullock scored the go-ahead bucket with two seconds left in the game. Like their male counterparts they also beat Encinal twice this season. They beat the Jets 45-39 on Jan. 21 and 67-57 on Feb. 11. 

Encinal was placed 12th in the NCS Div. III bracket. They faced San Marin of Novato on Tuesday. They will play the winner of Saint Mary’s of Albany and Drake of San Anselmo tomorrow, if they advance. 

They went 10-16 overall on the season. Last season the team boasted a 21-9 overall record. 
SJND was given the two seed in the NCS Div. IV tournament. They also were given a first-round bye. They will play the winner of Kelseyville and Fortuna on Saturday in the quarterfinals. 

The Pilots went 24-4 on the season. They won their league tournament with a 63-22 victory over Head-Royce of Oakland. Last year the team won the NCS Div. V tournament with a 63-38 victory over Urban of San Francisco.