Sophomore Tavian Henderson scored a game-high 29 points and fellow sophomore B.J. Standley added another 19 points Saturday as the St. Patrick-St. Vincent High boys basketball team rolled over visiting McKinleyville, 79-53, in the North Coast Section Division IV quarterfinals.
The No. 2 seeded Bruins (22-8) not only earned another home game against No. 6 seed Marin Catholic for Wednesday’s semifinals, they also qualified for the Northern California Tournament for a fifth straight season.
“This group did their job and kept the tradition going,” said SPSV head coach Derek Walker.
The Bruins used their team speed to run over No. 7 seeded McKinleyville (17-13). SPSV used a 13-3 run at the end of the first half to build a 36-24 lead, then outscored the Panthers 43-29 in the second half.
“We used our speed, got out on the break and made a lot of layups,” Henderson said. “They couldn’t keep up with us.”
“They like to run and get up and down, but that’s how we like to play, too,” Walker said. “It was a good matchup for us.”
Standley missed last Wednesday’s first-round victory over Gateway due to an injury but looked completely healthy Saturday, scoring 13 points in the second half while running SPSV’s high-octane offense.
“He opens up lanes and finds me on the court,” Henderson said.
Marin Catholic upset No. 3 seed Salesian, 57-55. Top-seeded Cardinal Newman hosts No. 4 seed St. Mary’s in the other semifinal game.
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