OAKLAND – Every single Josh Green jump shot in the third quarter looked the same after running hard off a screen or floating into space some 20-something feet away from the rim.
The senior guard would then catch the ball, orient himself toward the basket, rise up and snap his right wrist as the shot left his hand.
The entire gymnasium – Green’s O’Dowd teammates, the helpless Los Gatos defenders and the hundreds of supporters who came to see Bishop O’Dowd’s 76-49 first-round NorCal playoff victory – would then watch the ball drop softly into the net, the shot barely disturbing the white cords.
“They were in a zone, so I was trying to get as much space as possible,” said Green, who had a game-high 21 points. “And I was really fired up for my teammates, because they helped me get locked in.”
Green hit five 3-pointers in O’Dowd’s game-changing third quarter, one that saw the Dragons turn a tenuous four-point halftime lead into a 62-38 rout to start the fourth period.
Less than a week prior, the Dragons were left in a situation no team ever wants to find itself in: hoping that other teams would lose so it could make it into NorCal as an at-large team.
Bishop O’ Dowd’s Jake Johnson (20) is guarded by Los Gatos’ Danny Greene (22) during their NorCal high school basketball playoff game at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Oakland school had only itself to blame, losing as the No. 1 seed to No. 4 Dougherty Valley in the North Coast Section Division I semifinals when a victory would have clinched a berth in region play.
Once the results rolled the Dragons’ way, Lou Richie’s team wasn’t going to let their second chance to go waste, and that showed in the Dragons’ dominant third-quarter run that made the fourth quarter a mere formality.
“A lot of alumni reached out with stories of what they would do for their last week of practice, if they could go back and tell themselves something,” Richie said. “It would be to not take it for granted, to cherish every moment, laugh, smile, and embrace your brothers and coaches.”
Aside from Green’s big night, Miles Dixon provided a spark off the bench with 10 points, and Leo Chapman scored 14 points and hit four threes.
Los Gatos was able to hang with well-rounded O’Dowd for a half, trailing just 35-31 after two quarters of play. Nolan Koch scored 16 points and shifty guard Max Brin scored 11 for the CCS Division I champion Wildcats.
“Every team has ups and downs,and these guys just battled,” Los Gatos coach Nick Ward said. “And it was a historic season for our school. Only the second time we’ve won a section championship, and the first time for us doing that and winning the De Anza League.”
Los Gatos’ Max Brin (3) brings the ball down court as he’s guarded by Bishop O’ Dowd’s Terrell Gray Jr. (14) during their NorCal high school basketball playoff game at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
It was a contrast of styles, O’Dowd pressing and making jumpers, and Los Gatos utilizing its athleticism by pounding the interior on back-cuts and hard drives while also zoning up in the halfcourt.
For 16 minutes, the Wildcats’ strategy worked.
“That was the plan in the first half, to take that away, and we didn’t,” Richie said. “We definitely did a better job in the second half.”
But once Green hit two triples and Chapman added another in the first 90 seconds after intermission, Los Gatos had no answer. Each successive Green 3-pointer just served as another dagger to the heart of a hearty Los Gatos contingent who made the trip up 880 to Oakland.
Another South Bay school will be making the trek north to No. 4 seeded O’Dowd on Thursday. Bellarmine beat Montgomery 49-41 to advance. The Dragons will be ready for them.
“I’m ready to go and watch some film,” Richie said.
