Playoffs roundup: Branson strikes twice in NorCal win

The top-seeded Branson School shut down No. 8 Hamilton, 2-0, at College of Marin in Tuesday’s opening round of the CIF NorCal Regional Division V boys soccer playoffs.

Mateo Tremmel gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the third minute off a deep throw-in by Jonah Sher. Drew Holden drove home the game’s second goal in the 65th minute after Tremmel redirected a throw-in from Sebastian La Duc.

Niccolo Machotka-Farley got the shutout for the Bulls in front of a sturdy defense that held Hamilton to five shots. Jaya Breene, Will Swift and Emmett Grossman had a solid game for the Bulls (11-6-3), who advance to Thursday’s semifinals to against No. 4 Fremont.

Girls soccer

Nora Snearly racked up a goal and an assist in the last five minutes or so of the first half to lead No. 1 Marin Catholic to a 4-0 win against Winters in the NorCal D-IV quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Claire Hunnewell got MC (10-7-5) on the board with a goal in the 14th minute then played a through ball to Snearly in the 35th minute for a 2-0 cushion. Snearly set up Siena White in first-half stoppage time for a 3-0 lead.

Kate Batdorf added another goal in the second half. MC hosts No. 4 Fresno Christian at 5 p.m. in Thursday’s semifinals. The full game story can be found online at marinij.com and will run in Thursday’s print edition.

• No. 6 Terra Linda (10-9-5) fell 3-1 to No. 3 Menlo in Tuesday’s opening round of the CIF NorCal Regional Division IV playoffs.  After a scoreless first half, the Trojans fell behind 2-0 before Sammie Foley headed in a corner kick from Hailey Lauster in the 75th minute. Menlo scored an insurance goal in injury time. Seniors Allie Marovich and Mabry Lance and goalkeeper Jojo Fetterman-Riggle had strong games for the Trojans.

Boys basketball

Marin Catholic’s season came to an end in the first round of the NorCal D-I playoffs, falling at home 85-73 against No. 9 King’s Academy. The full game story can be found online and will run in Thursday’s print edition.

The No. 8 Wildcats (24-5) tied the game early in the fourth quarter but faded down the stretch.

• No. 5 seeded Branson cruised to a 64-48 victory against No. 12 Beyer (25-8) in the first round of the NorCal D-III playoffs. NJ Gray led the Bulls with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists. Kaden Fortune finished with 12 points, while Tyler Wells had nine points and five rebounds. Braxton Armstrong had nine points and seven rebounds for Branson. The Bulls (19-15) hit the road to face No. 4 Priory (21-6) at 7 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Priory took down No. 13 Christian Brothers 85-63. More details for all of Tuesday’s NorCal basketball games can be found online and will run in Thursday’s print edition.
• No. 3 San Marin rolled to a 69-55 home victory over No. 14 Trinity (22-10) in the first round of the NorCal D-V playoffs on Tuesday. Grant Means led the Mustangs with 19 points and four assists, while Kellen Dunning had 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Miller Morgan and Jake Beisler had 10 points each for San Marin, while Joey Engler added nine points, four rebounds and four assists. The Mustangs (18-13) stay at home for Thursday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals against No. 6 Woodland Christian (25-7), which prevailed 63-45 over No. 11 Orland on Tuesday.

Girls basketball

Redwood’s run through the NorCal D-II playoffs was cut short as No. 14 Vanden made plays down the stretch to emerge with a 52-48 victory in Larkspur on Tuesday night. Kitty White led the Giants with 22 points and Drew Schultz had 11. Redwood (25-7) led 26-23 at the half but Vanden (26-6) stayed close thanks to a 10-0 run in the second quarter.

Redwood took a brief lead midway through the fourth quarter but was unable to hold it. The full game story can be found online and will run in Thursday’s print edition.

• No. 9 Marin Academy made the most of its NorCal playoff debut, cruising to a 43-28 road upset of George Washington on Tuesday night. MA (19-12) led 20-13 at the half then took control in the third quarter, seizing a 35-16 lead. Sterling Colpitts led Marin Academy with 14 points, scoring 10 in the third quarter. Navah Bailey was 5 of 6 fro the line and finished with 13 points. Wildcats guard Penelope Lee scored all seven of her points in the first half, but controlled the offense throughout the game. Lucy Robinson had nine points to round out the scoring for the Wildcats, who travel to play No. 1 seed Modoc (23-5) at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Modoc had a first-round bye.
• San Domenico could not keep pace with host Palma in the second half of Tuesday’s 70-41 loss in the opening round of the NCS D-V girls basketball playoffs. The No. 14 Panthers (12-15) played to a 25-25 draw in the first half, but scored only 16 points after halftime.
• No. 9 Branson fell into an early hole and could not recover in a 51-41 road loss in the NorCal D-IV playoffs against No. 8 Miramonte on Tuesday night. The Bulls (20-13) trailed 26-9 at the half.