Boys basketball: Marin Catholic advances to semifinals as No. 11 seed

Marin Catholic High head basketball coach Mike Saia says sophomore guard Oliver Myers is almost obsessed about improving his game.

“Oliver prepares for a game in a different way than most players,” Saia said. “He has a routine and he sticks with it. It’s rare to see a sophomore with that kind of discipline.”

Myers’ obsession with fine-tuning his game paid dividends Saturday night in a quarterfinal round of the North Coast Section Division II playoffs.

Myers sank six-of-six free throws down the stretch and the No. 11 Wildcats (16-14) kept their unlikely bid for a section title alive by pulling away from Heritage (Brentwood) for a 71-60 victory in Kentfield.

“I practice a lot of free throws – and it paid off tonight,” said Myers, who scored 19 points. “And we played great defense down the stretch.”

The game was nip-and-tuck from the outset with Heritage using its decided height advantage to keep the score close through most of the first three periods.

The 14th-seed Patriots (12-15) took their first lead of the game 32-30 on the final play of the first half when Brady Lockrem drove baseline for a layup.

“They were bigger than us and they were getting a lot of rebounds early,” Myers said. “But we just kept fighting. In the second half we packed the paint and all our guys were crashing the boards. It was a great team defensive effort.”

The court started to tilt in MC’s direction late in the third period as the Wildcats’ swarming defense caused seven Heritage turnovers.

MC’s game-high scorer Henry Dibble (23 points) converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way with a little more than three minutes remaining in the period, finishing off a 9-0 Wildcats’ run.

The Patriots crept to within three points two more times but Dibble’s three-pointer extended MC’s lead to 12 midway through the final stanza. Dibble sank a game-high four three-pointers.

“I’m always looking to shoot because the coach gives me the green light,” said Dibble, who also contributed seven rebounds and two steals. “Once the first one goes in you really start to feel it.”

The Patriots never got closer than nine points the rest of the way and Myers’ six free throws in the final three minutes sealed the deal for the Wildcats.

Saia substituted freely to keep fresh defensive legs on the floor with at least 11 players contributing to the victory.

Jake Ryan added 15 points for the Wildcats and guard Joe Hammond set the tone with three steals in the first three minutes.