Boys basketball: Branson feeling playoff magic with win over MA
That old championship feeling is coming back to the Bulls after a pair of convincing wins to start the North Coast Section playoffs.
“We were just here last year vs. San Domenico in the (North Coast Section) final,” Branson’s NJ Gray said as he looked around Don Barksdale Gym at College of Marin after Friday’s 73-51 quarterfinal victory over No. 9 Marin Academy.
The top-seeded Bulls, who opened the playoffs with a 71-38 victory over Napa, will host No. 5 Brave Christian in Tuesday’s semifinal. The Lions advanced with a 50-40 victory over No. 4 San Domenico, spoiling a potential rematch of last year’s all-Marin NCS final.
“I’m feeling excited,” said Gray, who scored a game-high 23 points Friday. “The playoff fun is escalating. It’s a great atmosphere.”
Marin Academy was back in the NCS quarterfinals for the first time since 2024 after missing the playoffs last year.
“I’m beyond proud of these guys,” Marin Academy head coach Khalil Murphy said. “From Day 1, they competed, they committed to the program, they accepted my challenges. Most teams didn’t expect us to be in this position this year. I’m proud of where we are and the seeds we’re sowing for the future.”
The Wildcats got off to a solid start, using a box-and-1 defense to limit Gray and build an 11-8 lead. Marin Academy held Gray to just nine points through three quarters before he took over with 14 points in the fourth quarter.
“The guys did a phenomenal job against NJ Gray through three quarters, but he’s going to get his points. NJ is an incredible player,” Murphy said.
The Bulls’ bench shouldered the scoring burden as Bryce Spears hit a jumper and Hunter Zach followed with a basket as Branson went on an 11-0 run to close out the first quarter with a 19-11 lead. Gray picked up a steal and dashed ahead to throw the ball down for two points.
Gray sees it on the court every day, so it was no surprise to him when teammate Tyler Wells launched shot after shot after shot from beyond the arc with pinpoint accuracy. Wells finished with 14 points.
“I see it in practice all the time,” Gray said. “We work on that, the drive and the kickout. I have confidence in my teammates. I know what they can do.”
Wells, who had four of the Bulls’ 10 baskets from beyond the arc, hit a trio of 3-pointers in the first half to help spur the Bulls. Zach added a pair of 3-pointers to bridge the first and second quarters.
Spears finished with nine points, while Kaden Fortune and Zach had eight points each for the Bulls.
Grayson Rothbart nailed five of the Wildcats’ 10 treys to finish with a team-high 17 points. Trystan Standfield finished with 11 points and Kai Ho had 10 points and eight rebounds. Marin Academy’s outside shooting gave the Wildcats an early boost, but they could not compete in the paint against the Bulls’ Gray, Luke Vilhauer and Gabe Halbrecht.
The Wildcats hit five 3-pointers in the first half as a bomb from Grayson Rothbart cut the Bulls’ lead to 27-24 midway through the second quarter. Marin Academy was looking for a big shot to tie the score before halftime, but came up empty time and again during a 4 minute drought.
Wells hit a 3-pointer and Gray added a free throw to give the Bulls a 33-24 edge heading into the break.
After a back-and-forth third quarter, Marin Academy’s playoff return ran out of steam late in the second half Friday. The Wildcats, who saw Standfield limping up and down the court in the final minutes, could not match the Bulls’ stamina down the stretch.
“Fatigue was a factor,” admitted Murphy, whose Wildcats could not hang on to the ball as they were outscored 25-16 in the final quarter.