Tristan McDonagh (0) of San Marin drives past the defense of Kris Jakstas (23) of San Domenico during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin drives by Gavin Early (4) of San Domenico during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Gavin Early (4) of San Domenico takes a shot over Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Leo Mattos (13) of San Domenico holds the ball away from the defense of Liam McMann (24) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Liam McMann (24) of San Marin looks for a pass while defended by Chi Onyeukwu (15) of San Domenico, Leo Mattos (13) of San Domenico, and Arthur Mueller (12) of San Domenico during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Tristan McDonagh (0) of San Marin dribbles the ball up the court while defended by Kris Jakstas (23) of San Domenico during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Gavin Early (4) of San Domenico holds the ball against San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Kris Jakstas (23) of San Domenico attempts a layup while defended by Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin, Gavin Early (4) of San Domenico, Grant Means (2) of San Marin, and Omar Williams (1) of San Domenico jump at a loose ball during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Gavin Early (4) of San Domenico dribbles up the court while defended by Tristan McDonagh (0) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin goes up for a shot while defended by Leo Mattos (13) of San Domenico during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Tristan McDonagh (0) of San Marin goes up for a shot while defended by Chi Onyeukwu (15) of San Domenico and Kris Jakstas (23) of San Domenico during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Drew Morehouse (11) of San Domenico drives past Rio Seiler (13) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Omar Williams (1) of San Domenico during a boys basketball game attempts a shot while defended by Liam McGrath (21) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Gavin Early (4) of San Domenico goes for a layup against Liam McGrath (21) of San Marin and Tristan McDonagh (0) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
San Marin head coach Conn Dunning talks in a timeout during a boys basketball game against San Domenico at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
San Domenico head coach Tyler Gaffaney talks in a timeout during a boys basketball game against San Marin at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Chi Onyeukwu (15) of San Domenico attempts a shot while defended by Liam Mcgrduring a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Gavin Early (4) of San Domenico drives past Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Omar Williams (1) of San Domenico surveys the court while defended by Grant Means (2) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin and Drew Morehouse (11) of San Domenico fight for a loose ball during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Chi Onyeukwu (15) of San Domenico, Drew Morehouse (11) of San Domenico, and Alex Demchuk (10) of San Marin fight for a rebound during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Kris Jakstas (23) of San Domenico goes up for a shot while defended by Nick Cubley (22) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Leo Mattos (13) of San Domenico holds off the defense of (11) of San Marin during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Chi Onyeukwu (15) of San Domenico and Liam McMann (24) of San Marin fight for a rebound during a boys basketball game at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 21, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Coaches Tyler Gaffaney and Conn Dunning were looking forward to Thursday’s all-Marin matchup as a chance to measure themselves against some of the best competition in the region. It didn’t disappoint.
“We knew this would be a good matchup and it was exactly that,” San Marin head coach Dunning said after the Mustangs’ 58-52 victory over the host Panthers in the final day of the San Domenico Invitational at Dominican University’s Conlan Center.
“We knew San Domenico is well-coached and they’ve got talented players,” Dunning said. “We knew we’d be in for a fight.”
In a fiery matchup worthy of a title bout, the teams went toe to toe with each other, neither giving quarter. It took a late fourth-quarter outburst with baskets by senior Tristan McDonagh and sophomore Grant Means for San Marin to take its biggest lead of the game with a seven-point edge in the closing minutes.
McDonagh paced the Mustangs with 25 points, while Nick Cubley added 12. Means and junior Liam McMann set up camp in the paint, each grabbing nine rebounds.
“This was a great opportunity for us to play a high-caliber team,” San Domenico head coach Gaffaney said. “San Marin is a great team. We played our best, but our best just wasn’t good enough. But we can learn from this and get better.”
Junior Gavin Early scored a team-high 14 points for San Domenico and added 10 rebounds for the double-double. Senior Drew Morehouse dropped in 10 points and sophomore Omar Williams added eight points in a spectacular all-around performance. Junior Chi Onyeukwu dominated the boards with 15 rebounds, but San Marin won the war in the paint.
“Second-chance shots were a big difference,” Gaffaney said. “San Marin got the rebounds in the second half. We did a good job of taking care of the ball, but we didn’t get the second-chance shots to fall.”
After an early tug of war between the teams, San Domenico went on an 8-0 run, with 3-pointers from Morehouse and Arthur Mueller, plus a cleanup shot from Williams for a 10-5 lead. The energy was mounting for the host Panthers, who continued to make solid plays look spectacular.
San Domenico’s Kris Jakstas brazenly grabbed a steal in the backcourt early in the second period, then drove to the hoop with pressure from San Marin on his heels. Jakstas went to the air and left the ball on the glass for Early, who jammed it home for a 20-14 lead.
But the Mustangs found their comfort zone beyond the arc to fire off six big shots in the second period. McDonagh nailed three of his five 3-pointers in the second period and Rio Seiler added one more. Cubley hit a pair of 3-pointers, including one to give San Marin a brief lead.
San Marin outscored San Domenico 24-17 in the second half, as the Panthers’ previously red-hot shooting started to misfire. Senior Liam McGrath’s 3-pointer 50 seconds in to the final quarter broke the stalemate between the teams and the Mustangs never relinquished the lead.
“Our depth helps us,” Dunning said. “That’s one weakness for San Domenico, they aren’t as deep. They got tired late in the game. Our game plan works with our physicality and our pressure. We wear teams down with the pace of our play.”
San Marin (9-3) is ranked 26th in the North Coast Section, while San Domenico (7-4) is ranked 41st. Both came into Thursday’s contest on the heels of back-to-back wins, each with a victory over Division III squad Maria Carrillo.
“Our focus really is on NCS and trying to get a top one or two seed so we can host a couple of early round games,” said Dunning, whose Mustangs lost to Branson in the NCS quarterfinals last season.
The Panthers fell in the first round of the NorCal D-IV playoffs and Gaffney knows it will be a long road back. However, “I’m focused on what’s happening right now, taking this one game at a time,” he said. “I know it’s cliche, but if you lose sight of the moment, you forget to enjoy the fun along the trip”
