Preps of the week: Basketball players showing out at tournament time

A relatively quiet week of prep sports before the holiday season nonetheless saw some big-time performances.

It’s still tournament season in basketball with some players turning in strong performances close to home while others showed out in Las Vegas.

Three wrestlers won their brackets last week and some soccer standouts had big weeks.

Nick Cubley and Tristan McDonagh, San Marin boys basketball

Cubley scored 55 points across three victories at the San Domenico tournament at Dominican University this past week, piling up 25 points against Maria Carrillo and 18 more against Marin Academy. McDonagh produced a pair of big games, scoring 17 against MA and adding a team-high 25 points against San Domenico.

Jase Butler and Semetri Carr, Branson boys basketball

The Bulls spent most of the week at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, competing in the tournament’s top division, the platinum. Branson won its first two games before eventually going 2-2 and taking fourth place. Butler scored 63 points across the first three games, including a pair of 23-point games. Butler also hit a barrage of late three-pointers to help Branson win its second game. After being held relatively in check in the first game, Carr went to work in the next two, scoring team-highs of 31 and 24 points, respectively. Carr also had 11 rebounds and five assists in Branson’s second win.

Gavin Early, San Domenico boys basketball

The Panthers went 2-1 across three games at their host tournament with Early leading the team in scoring each time. Early scored 17 points in a victory against SF Waldorf then added 18 more in a win over Maria Carrillo. Early closed out the week with a 14-point, 10-rebound game in a loss to San Marin.

Julia Bayon, Redwood girls basketball

The freshman led the team in scoring as the Giants roared out to a huge first-half lead en route to a 62-43 road victory against Casa Grande on Friday night. Bayon led four players in double-digit scoring with 15 points. Redwood also got 11 from Kitty White and Ru Todd, plus 10 from Maya Saibel.

Gil Ladetsky, Redwood boys basketball

Ladetsky made six three-pointers in a crucial 67-64 win against University on Tuesday, helping the Giants secure an important victory for their North Coast Section seeding down the road. Ladetsky’s 18 points led the way for Redwood, which built a big first-half lead then held off the Red Devils in the final minute.

Joshua DeVore and Travis Flick, Novato boys basketball

The Hornets’ high-scoring duo was on point in a 65-62 victory against Pinole Valley last Monday. DeVore scored 29 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Novato (4-8) to its lone win of the week. Flick contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals.

Whitney Collet, Branson girls soccer

The Bulls’ most impressive result of the week saw them put four past Terra Linda in a 4-1 comeback victory. Collet piled up three assists, setting the table for Sabrina Hwang in the 54th minute, Julia Myerberg in the 59th minute, and Sophie Arnal in the 80th minute.

Evan White, Redwood boys soccer

White netted a pair of second-half goals as Redwood rallied for an impressive 2-1 victory against Whitney at the Capitol City NorCal Showcase. Redwood arrived at the game just 10 minutes before kickoff after the team bus broke down on the way to the game. The Giants conceded a penalty kick and trailed 1-0 at the break. White found the equalizer off a pass from Jack Middleton then scored a last-minute winner on an assist from Ensio Sardans.

Luana Stathopoulos, Redwood girls wrestling

Stathopoulos went 3-0 at the Albany girls tournament on Saturday, including a championship showdown against San Marin’s Lyla Kondrashoff. The two Marin wrestlers started 2-0 then met in the final of the 145-pound bracket. Stathopoulos extended her mark to 3-0 with a pinfall at the 3-minute, 7-second mark of the match.

Ikaika Madayag and Alex Tejada, Novato boys wrestling

The Hornets took home two first-place finishers after competing at the Valley of the Moon Invitational at Mt. Diablo High on Saturday. Madayag won the 144-pound bracket and Tejeda was victorious in the 157-pound division. The two helped spearhead Novato to a fourth-place team finish.