Gridley Semifinals: Branson Tops Riordan
The Bulls will face Salesian for the championship on Saturday night.
For years, any team that faced the Branson Bulls groaned and had to prepare for a slow-paced slog against an ultra-physical defense.
This year’s Bulls still defend with the best of them, but they can run and gun, too.
With a lineup effectively playing three point guards at once, Branson dished out 16 assists and nearly led wire-to-wire in a 63-51 win over the Riordan Crusaders to advance to the championship game of the 69th Gridley Invitational.
“We want to push the ball, get the ball over half-court in two seconds and try to get something early,” said junior point guard Semetri Carr, who’s ranked by ESPN as the No. 54 player in the Class of 2025. “If we have anything, then we set stuff up and get into our offense.”
Carr, Illinois commit Jase Butler and Joaquin Aguillon combined for 14 of the 16 assists, all stepping in at point guard throughout the night.
“That opens up our offense a lot more and gives us a lot of space to work,” said Aguillon, who’s committed to Division III Macalester College.
Aguillon threw down a one-handed dunk off a Carr stretch pass to kick off a 6-0 run in the second quarter that gave the Bulls their first double-digit lead, then sent Branson (4-0) in transition, where Finley Keeffe threw an alley-oop to Butler to make it 33-21.
Riordan (3-3) trailed just 42-37 in the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Saint Mary’s commit Zion Sensley, but Branson closed the period on a 10-3 run. Carr dished out assists to Keeffe and backup guard Pierce Curtin for a three, Keeffe tipped in a miss and Butler scored in the paint to put the Bulls up 12.
Keeffe finished with a game-high 17 points, including a layup with 3:26 left to put Branson up 60-45 when Aguillon, quarterbacking the offense, hit the 6-foot-6 forward in stride.
“Joaquin’s been great. He leads our team in assists right now,” first-year head coach Demetrius Roquemore said. “He’s great on or off the ball.”
Rounding out the starting lineup is sophomore forward DJ Armstrong, who scored eight of his 12 points in the first half on a series of drives.
“We’ve been in the weight room since I got the job, just trying to get stronger and more athletic,” Roquemore said of his team’s strength cutting to the basket.
Cameroonian sophomore Andrew Hilman led the Crusaders with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists. His pass to Sensley, who registered 12 points, gave Riordan an 11-9 lead midway through the first, but Branson took the lead back a minute later on an Aguillon 3-pointer.
Hilman scored five straight, including a three-point play on a putback, to tie the game at 16, but Armstrong hit a three after an offensive rebound to put the Bulls back on top to close the opening quarter.
Branson led 38-26 at halftime, and though Riordan did get within five on an 11-2 run, the 10-3 surge to close the quarter restored control. The Bulls led by at least 12 for the entirety of the fourth quarter, and got up by as much as 18 before conceding the game’s final six points.
Butler finished with 16 points and six assists, Keeffe grabbed seven rebounds and Carr finished with eight points and nine boards. Carr and Aguillon each finished the game with four assists.
Eastern Washington commit Jordy McKenzie, who won the tournament’s 3-point contest earlier in the day, scored nine points in the losing effort, all on threes across the final two quarters.
Salesian 82, Clovis North 56
Clovis North point guard Connor Amundsen scored a game-high 29 points, willing his team back into the game on multiple occasions, but the Salesian Pride had an answer every time in an 82-56 win in the second semifinal at the 69th Gridley Invitational.
When Amundsen scored seven straight points to get the Broncos within 10 late in the first half, Salesian (5-0) closed the second quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 49-30 lead into the break, with Amani Johnson knocking down a three, then grabbing a steal and drawing a foul with 0.6 left in the half to sink two free throws. Amundsen nearly outscored the Pride all by himself in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his team’s 20 points during the frame, but sophomore Isaiah Davis’ half-court shot at the buzzer sent Salesian into the fourth with a 66-50 lead.
“That was a huge momentum play,” head coach Bill Mellis said of Davis’ shot.
Salesian ultimately ran Clovis North (4-2) out of the gym, using a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter to turn the game into a rout.
The Pride were lethal in transition all night, with Hawaii commit Aaron Claytor dishing out nine assists.
“We have really good point guard play and don’t turn the ball over,” Mellis said. “Aaron doesn’t turn the ball over very much. It’s the best part of his game, along with getting everyone involved. It’s the things that college coaches love about his game.
Alvin Loving IV led the Pride with 18 points, tied for the team lead with eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
“I think we just know how to play together,” said Loving, who scored 10 points in the first quarter, matching Clovis North’s entire roster. “Even though we’re playing fast, we know what everyone needs to do.”
Salesian led 22-10 after the first, then stretched the lead to 17 on a pair of occasions before Amundsen’s first big run.
DeUndrae Perteete Jr. finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, Carlton Perrilliat scored nine and Johnson and Elias Obenyah each finished with eight apiece. Obenyah, a sophomore who did all of his scoring in the first half, won the tournament’s dunk contest earlier in the day.
Cal State East Bay commit Jordan Espinoza scored nine for the Broncos, including seven in the first half.
Clayton Valley 70, San Ramon Valley 60
A day after looking utterly lost in a 24-point defeat to Branson, the Clayton Valley Ugly Eagles found their footing in a 70-60 win over San Ramon Valley.
Junior forward Jaden McClane scored 12 points off a series of pick-and-rolls, allowing guards Elijah Perryman and James Moore to dominate on the perimeter as Clayton Valley (3-1) defeated the Wolves in a matchup that could have NCS Open Division implications come February.
Moore finished with a game-high 20 points, while Perryman scored 15 and dished out 11 assists to send the Ugly Eagles into the consolation championship game at the 69th Gridley Invitational.
McClane scored to give the Ugly Eagles an early 16-7 lead, then scored on back-to-back possessions late in the second quarter to cap off a 12-2 run to put Clayton Valley up 35-23.
San Ramon Valley (4-3) cut the lead to three on a pair of Seamus Deely free throws with 2:31 left in the third quarter, but the Ugly Eagles responded with an 8-0 run as Perryman fed Vince Ellis for a 3-pointer and Moore for a layup, then hit a three of his own to make it 49-38.
Matthew Diekmann led the Wolves with 17 points, while Deely finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Elliot Conley and Jack Moxley each scored eight; Moxley was a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe, all in the second half.
Sheldon 70, Gridley 30
Jaden Spears and Jaden Woodard lit it up from 3-point land as the Sheldon Huskies ruled to a 70-30 win over the host Gridley Bulldogs in consolation bracket play at the 69th Gridley Invitational.
Spears hit threes on three straight possessions in the first quarter to give the Huskies a 17-6 lead, then Woodard one-upped him by hitting four in a three-minute span in the second quarter to help Sheldon (2-3) snap a three-game losing streak.
Spears scored a game-high 21 points, while Woodard finished with 17. Together, the two Jadens outscored Gridley’s entire roster.
The Huskies, who also got 13 points from Nick Stone, led 49-19 at halftime and 61-24 after three quarters. A Tristan Rollings 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining initiated the running clock.
UC Merced commit Aaron Kullar finished with 10 points and seven rebounds to lead Gridley (5-2). His brother, Bikram, scored seven, as did Kiko Castillo.