DUBLIN — Jalen Stokes’ dominance on Friday night was everywhere for Dublin, but one sequence in particular encapsulated the story.
Block at the rim on one end. Sprint down court. Dunk at the other end.
All in about five seconds, give or take.
Stokes finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists as third-seeded Dublin built a 20-point halftime cushion on its home court against sixth-seeded Campolindo and went on to a 61-38 victory in the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals.
“He was the best player on the court, and it wasn’t even close,” Campo coach Steven Dyer said about Stokes, a 6-foot-5 junior. “He did a great job both offensively and defensively.”
Dublin (23-8) will return to its home gym Tuesday to play seventh-seeded Liberty for a spot in next weekend’s final. Liberty upset second-seeded Berkeley 63-48 on Friday.
Campo finished 22-8.
Dublin led 13-9 after the first quarter. By halftime, the advantage widened to 35-15.
Dublin’s Jalen Stokes (2) shoots past Campolindo’s Dylan Mansour (11) in the first quarter of their NCS Division I quarterfinals game at Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Dublin defeated Campolindo 61-38. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Stokes had nine points in the second quarter, 16 in the first half, on a night the Gaels were without 6-7 sophomore Cameron Anderson, sidelined because of a shoulder injury.
But for Dublin, it’s a next-man up mentality.
Of course, it’s easier for everyone else in a Dublin uniform when Stokes is knocking down shots, getting to the rim, playing strong defense on Campo’s top scoring threat.
“He played under control,” Dublin coach Tom Costello said. “He played a complete game. I thought his greatest contribution was on defensive end, for sure.”
Dublin finished fifth in the 10-team East Bay Athletic League but has clearly gotten hot at the right time. Since trailing at halftime in the league tournament quarterfinals at Dougherty Valley, the Gaels have played at an extremely high level.
They rallied to beat Dougherty by 11. They gave De La Salle all it could handle in the league semifinals before losing by four.
They hammered James Logan in the first round of NCS on Tuesday and then took out last season’s NCS Division II champion Campolindo with relative ease on Friday.
“We have played well since then,” Costello said, in reference to what has unfolded since the halftime turnaround of the Dougherty Valley game. “I would love to bottle that. Even in practice, the energy level is still the same. It’s weird how different teams have different personalities. This team’s personality is they get up the next morning and play hard.”
Dublin head coach Tom Costello congratulates Jalen Stokes (2) after pulling him from the game with two minutes left in the fourth quarter against Campolindo during their NCS Division I quarterfinals game at Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Jaiden Jones certainly played hard for Dublin off the bench. He finished with 12 points, many on hustle plays.
In a testament to Dublin’s defensive dominance, Campo had just one player score in double figures — Tim Smith, with 10 — and made no runs in the second half that hinted at a possible comeback.
It was all part of Dublin’s plan.
“We wanted to really make a statement,” Stokes said. “Come out and finish the game strong.”
Dublin’s Ramir Raymore (13) goes up and makes a basket past Campolindo’s Tim Smith (23) in the second quarter of their NCS Division I quarterfinals game at Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Dublin will now prepare for Liberty, knowing that a victory will not only secure a title game berth but also clinch a spot in the Northern California regionals.
For Campolindo, it was a tough finish to another 20-plus win season. The Cougars had won section championships in each of the past two seasons, last year in Division II, two years ago in the Open Division when Aidan Mahaney was a senior.
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Now, they’re done two rounds into the sectionals.
“I’ll probably be searching for answers the whole off-season about why that game went the way that it did,” Dyer said. “Credit to them. That’s one of the better Dublin defenses I think he’s had. A lot of guys who play hard and more in scheme. They played harder than us, to be honest, and really took it to us that first half in particular.”
Dyer then added about his program, “The reality is this team had a really good season. No one thought we’d be that good. We ended up winning 22 games. We were really close to winning a league title and league tournament title. I don’t think we underachieved this year. I would say we overachieved, if anything.”
Campolindo head coach Steven Dyer glances up at the scoreboard while trailing against Dublin in the fourth quarter of their NCS Division I quarterfinals game at Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Dublin defeated Campolindo 61-38. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Campolindo’s Andy Moon (15) dives for a loose ball as Dublin’s Isaiah Wong (11) leaps to avoid stepping on him in the second quarter of their NCS Division I quarterfinals game at Dublin High School in Dublin, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
