Boys basketball: Marin Catholic uses second-half surge to top Terra Linda

On a night when the Marin Catholic High boys basketball team suffered from an energy shortage, sophomore Bentley Morrow came off the bench to provide a spark that led to a fire.

The No. 3-seed Wildcats blazed back from a 13-point second half deficit and finally doused sixth-seed Terra Linda 65-60 in the opening round of the MCAL playoffs Monday night in Kentfield.

“We just needed some energy,” said Morrow, who scored all of his 15 points in the second half. “We didn’t start strong but we figured it out at halftime. We came out in the second half knowing we had to step up the tempo.”

The Wildcats (14-13) take on No. 2 seed Branson (16-9) in the MCAL semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Terra Linda High gym.

Marin Catholic’s glaring shortcoming in the first half was a lack of rebounds as the Trojans (16-10) pounded the boards for a near 3-to-1 advantage.

“We came out in a zone defense and they were getting all the rebounds,” MC coach Mike Saia said. “So, we decided to go back to man, which is what we’re most comfortable with. And we did start getting some rebounds after that.”

Despite scoring the first six points, the Wildcats were never in a comfort zone early on.

By the time Terra Linda senior guard Chase Addleman – game-high scorer with 19 – rattled in a three-pointer late in the first period, the Trojans were leading and the Wildcats were just trying to stop the bleeding.

But they couldn’t.

Terra Linda scored three more 3-pointers – two by guard Shauwn Sharpe – and led by as many as 13.

The only consolation of a one-sided second quarter for the Wildcats was Henry Dibble’s three-point buzzer-beater.

Addleman countered most of that on the first play of the third period with an inside bucket and the Trojans still led 31-18.

“In the third period, we started playing man (defense) and boxed out better on the boards,” Morrow said. “We stepped up as a group and found our offense. Everybody started believing in one another. In the second half, we played as a team.”

Dibble’s 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the first half – his first points of the game –  was a hint of things to come. Dibble scored 13 second-half points, including two more threes to lead all MC scorers with 16.

Playing aggressive man-to-man defense, the Wildcats caused eight Terra Linda turnovers and cut the deficit quickly.

When Kelly Storms knocked down a three from beyond the top of the key, the Wildcats were within one point for the first time since the three-minute mark of the first quarter.

After a defensive stop, Morrow exploded past a defender for a layup and the Wildcats led for the first time since two minutes into the game.

“We were looking for a spark in the second half and we got a few of them,” Saia said. “We like to say, ‘Get a stop, get a bucket.’ And that’s what we did a lot of to get back into the game.”

MC’s leading scorer Jake Ryan, who added 13 points, gave the Wildcats the lead for good with 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter when he knocked down a short jumper.

Terra Linda’s last stand came on sophomore Evan Brewster’s three-pointer midway through the final period.

But MC countered with a 13-8 run and Dibble sealed the deal by sinking two free throws with 11 ticks remaining.

Bennett Kayser had a nice game for the Trojans, scoring 14 points and hauling down a game-high nine rebounds.

MC’s sophomore guard Oliver Myers was noteworthy with nine points and three steals, all coming in the pivotal third period.

Around the county

Host Archie Williams pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure a 73-57 victory over San Rafael in an MCAL first-round playoff game on Monday.

The Peregrine Falcons (18-7) were led by Dante Stallone’s 21 points but also got balanced scoring from Brian Wright (15), James Butler (15), and Ephraim Sohn (14).

The Bulldogs (17-9) held a 38-37 lead midway through the third quarter before Archie Williams ended the game on a 36-19 run. Gio Brovelli led the way for San Rafael with a game-high 23 points. Luke Shapiro added 14 points and five assists. Wyatt Tornello had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Archie Williams advances to the semifinals and faces No. 1 Redwood at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Larkspur. The Giants won the regular-season meeting between the two teams 71-66 last Thursday as Semetri Carr scored 32 points for Redwood.