The third time wasn’t the charm for the St. Patrick-St. Vincent High boys basketball team Friday at El Cerrito.

The Bruins, who lost two games against El Cerrito during the regular season, lost to the Gauchos again, 78-56, in the Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division championship game. It was the eighth straight victory for the Gauchos (25-3), who went 12-0 in TCAL play this season. The Bruins fell to 20-8 overall and now await seeding into the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs.

“We had too many turnovers and they just pounded us inside,” SPSV head coach Derek Walker said after Friday’s loss to El Cerrito. “Their length and athleticism was a major problem for us. They did whatever they wanted.”

The Gauchos opened the game with a 5-0 run and made six 3-pointers in the first half to build a commanding 39-23 lead. The Bruins mounted a comeback in the third quarter, making six 3-pointers in the period to pull within 57-50 early in the fourth. But El Cerrito senior Tyrell Alcorn hit a 3-pointer to key a 20-2 Gauchos run that blew the game open.

El Cerrito made nine 3-pointers in the game while the Bruins made eight.

B.J. Standley led the Bruins with 14 points while teammate D.J. Harris added 12 points. Juniors Sayeed Pridgett and Carlos Johnson each scored 17 points for the Gauchos while Alcorn added another 14 points.

SPSV won’t have to see El Cerrito again this season. The Gauchos are a Division II team while the Bruins will play in Division IV when the NCS playoff brackets come out today.

“We’ll wait to see where we’re seeded in the bracket and hope things work out for us in the playoffs,” Walker said.

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