Sports briefs: Redwood, Branson both finish second ahead of showdown

The boys basketball teams from Redwood High and The Branson School have gotten off to impressive starts this season, each taking second place at big tournaments over the weekend.

A 40-foot jumper at the buzzer in overtime sent Branson to a 63-60 loss to Salesian in the championship game of the Gridley Invitational on Saturday. Meanwhile Redwood took its first loss of the season against Granada in the final of the Edison Classic.

The Giants (6-1) and Bulls (4-1) face each other in a non-league game at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Redwood then open the league campaign against each other on Jan. 5.

Branson advanced to the Gridley title game with a 65-42 win over Clayton Valley and a 63-51 semifinal win over Riordan. The Bulls’ Jase Butler (23 points, seven rebounds) was named the tournament MVP and Finley Keeffe (11 points, seven rebounds, four steals) was also an all-tournament selection.

Redwood received all-tournament performances from Jake Vasquez and Gil Ladetzky.

• Marco Gregoire hit the game-winner with 8 seconds left in overtime as Terra Linda capped its comeback with a 71-69 victory over San Rafael. Senior Grady Bowers led the Trojans (6-3) with 34 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and assists. Junior Chase Addleman hit four 3-pointers and tallied 14 points, while junior Bennett Kayser finished with five points and seven rebounds. Gio Brovelli hit five 3-pointers and paced the Bulldogs (3-3) with 34 points. Marcos Tolliver scored 15 points and Parks Thommes had 11 for San Rafael.
• San Marin (5-3) held off Kennedy, 59-56, at the Mats Classic, hosted by Miramonte.

Girls basketball

Avery Myerberg put up 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to help Branson (4-4) secure third at the Windsor tournament following a 36-29 victory against the hosts on Saturday. Myerberg’s efforts — including a 37-point, 13-rebound game on Friday — netted her all-tournament honors. Alyssa Huang added 11 points against Windsor and Julia St. John scored five to go along with five rebounds.

• Other results saw Redwood defeat Miramonte, 40-35, in Larkspur. Tam fell to West Valley, 66-40, in the third-place game of the Hawks Fest in Mill Valley. San Domenico defeated Analy, 33-20, to wrap up tournament play Saturday in Santa Rosa.

College volleyball

Former San Marin and Marin Catholic standout Bella Bergmark helped the University of Texas advance out of the Stanford Regional and into the NCAA Final Four.

Texas pulled out a five-set win against Tennessee in Thursday’s round of 16 before felling host Stanford in four sets on Saturday night. The defending national champion Longhorns (26-4) are set to face Wisconsin in the Final Four on Thursday. Nebraska and Pittsburgh face off in the other semifinal with the national championship set for Sunday.

Bergmark had four kills and seven block assists against Stanford and had three kills and five block assists against Tennessee.

College football

Former Marin Catholic standout Jamar Sekona announced via social media on Saturday that he is entering the transfer portal. Sekona has been with the Trojans since 2020, starting in one game and appearing in 16.

Sekona, who still has two full years of eligibility left, said he plans to graduate from USC in May.

Prep wrestling

Redwood’s Ali Hamzia made it to the quarterfinals of the LCC Hamada Classic in San Diego, eventually placing sixth after a medical forfeit. Hamzia (120 pounds) wrestled perhaps his best match ever, according to coach Lochlan McHale, in a 3-2 loss to a national All American in the quarterfinals. Hamzia wrestled three more matches before the Giants pulled him.

Alexander Berkowitz made it into the last 12 in the 138-pound bracket before being eliminated at that stage.

The Giants also sent Luana Stathopoulos to her first tournament since transferring to Redwood. Stathopoulos placed second at 145s at the Roger Briones tournament at San Leandro High.

“Luana is well on the path of what we have laid out for her this season,” McHale said via email. “She showed great progress in her technique and higher level strategy.”

Track

Justin Shern placed 49th in the 4,000 meters at the USA Junior Olympics cross country championships in Kentucky to pace the Marin Waves on Saturday. Shern, who goes to Redwood, finished the Boys 13-14 race in a time of 13 minutes, 08.92 seconds.

Jacob Gomez Nilsson also ran the Boys 13-14 race with a time of 13:36.29 to place 111th. Bella Riesenfeld (Girls 13-14) ran the 4,000 in 16:30.97 to finish in 240th.