Sports briefs: COM on verge of ending postseason drought

The College of Marin men’s basketball team is expected to make the 3C2A playoffs for the first time in more than a decade when the brackets are unveiled during Saturday’s seeding meeting.

The Mariners (18-9, 9-6 Bay Valley) have not made the postseason since receiving severe sanctions from the 3C2A in 2015. The program had to forfeit 50 victories and vacated a conference championship after an investigation found that then-coach David Granucci and his family improperly financed players’ tuition, rent, food, textbooks and more.

The Mariners, coached by LyRyan Russell, are enjoying their best season since then and were set to wrap up regular-season play on Thursday night with a home game against Alameda. The team is in a good position to host a playoff game next Wednesday, according to Associate Dean of Kinesiology & Athletics Ryan Byrne.

Olivier Borgol leads the team in points per game (19.1), rebounds per game (12.5), and field-goal percentage (52.7). K’Hamani Olivacce is second on the team in scoring (15.3) and leads the Mariners in total assists (88) and 3-point percentage (42.7).

Te’Shawn Gamble (12.5) and John Kingston Carmona (10.0) are also averaging double-digit scoring for the Mariners this season.

• Novato High grad Josh DeVore put up 12 points to help Cal Lutheran to a 99-71 victory over Pomona Pitzer on Wednesday to stay in contention for the SCIAC Tournament. DeVore also had nine rebounds, three steals and an assist for Cal Lutheran (13-11, 8-7), which hosts Occidental on Saturday in the regular-season finale. Redwood High grad Charlie Treene tallied 11 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks for Pomona Pitzer (9-14, 5-10).

College athletics

College of Marin, celebrating its centennial year, is relaunching the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame this year.

“As we mark 100 years of College of Marin, relaunching our Athletics Hall of Fame is a meaningful way to honor the people who built our athletic legacy,” COM’s Ryan Byrne said in a press release. “We invite alumni, former coaches, staff, and community members to submit nominations and help us recognize those who deserve to be celebrated during this historic milestone.”

Nominees may include former student-athletes, coaches, teams, administrators, and contributors who have demonstrated outstanding athletic achievement, leadership, sportsmanship, and service to College of Marin. A special category is also available to honor impactful faculty and staff members whose work significantly advanced the Athletics Department.

COM is now accepting nominations for future Hall of Fame classes. Nomination forms can be found on the online at https://athletics.marin.edu/. The deadline for nominations is March 27.

Women’s basketball

Dominican University rode a big first quarter then held on late for a 77-72 victory against Biola on Thursday. The Penguins (19-6, 13-6 PacWest) outscored Biola 29-14 in the first 8 minutes and led the rest of the way.

Alyssa Alvarado poured in 16 points to lead the way, followed by Mahliya Wilson and Keyonee Neal with 14 points apiece.

Boys soccer

No. 13 San Rafael battled No. 4 Albany (13-0-2) into double overtime, eventually falling 3-2 in the North Coast Section Division I playoffs on Wednesday night. Dylan Maldonado had both goals for the Bulldogs (11-5-6).

Girls soccer

Redwood (9-6-5) — the No. 15 seed in the NCS D-I playoffs — saw its season come to an end Wednesday following a 2-0 road loss to No. 2 Ukiah (12-5-0).

Boys basketball

Top-seeded San Marin High rolled to a 60-46 victory over No. 16 Arroyo in Wednesday’s NCS D-IV opener. The Mustangs (15-12) will face No. 8 Del Norte in Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Jackson Young had a stellar night with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Mustangs, who got 10 points and three assists from Grant Means. San Marin’s Miller Morgan tallied 11 points, five rebounds and two assists, while he held Arroyo’s leading scorer to just two points. Joey Engler led San Marin with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and seven steals.

• No. 13 seed Tam High couldn’t pull off the upset of No. 4 Mission San Jose as the Red-tailed Hawks (12-16) fell 57-52 Wednesday in the NCS D-IV opener. Porthos Oliveira and Arman Salkhi scored 15 points each for Tam, while Elliott Kruger had 10 points and Henry Bennett added eight.

Girls basketball

Second-seeded Branson ran to a 43-31 victory over No. 15 Hayward in Wednesday’s NCS D-IV opener. The Bulls (16-12) advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals against either No. 7 Santa Rosa or No. 10 Upper Lake. Alyssa Huang led the Bulls with 18 points, while Kate Spaulding had 13. Juliette Caldwell-Little controlled the boards with a strong defensive game for the short-handed Bulls.

Prep baseball

Gio Castaing had two doubles and drove in three runs to lead Novato to a 7-1 victory in its season opener against Justin-Siena on Thursday. The Hornets (1-0) scored four runs in the fourth inning to break the game open.

JP Harmon started on the mound, allowing one hit and striking out five in three innings of work.

Reporting scores

Coaches are encouraged to report scores, stats and game details via email to sports@marinij.com or to @marinij_sports on Twitter following games. Anything that comes in after the deadline for print – around 8 p.m. typically – will be included the following day.