Boys basketball: Gray scores 37, leads Branson back to MCAL finals

NJ Gray danced his way through double- and triple-teams on his way to the hoop during the Bulls’ postseason march Wednesday. A man on a mission, he would not — could not — be stopped as he led the Branson School back to the MCAL boys basketball championships.

“Last year, we fell short, unfortunately, losing to Redwood in the MCAL championships. So this year, we really wanted to get back to the championship, not just to get there, but to win it,” Gray said after posting 37 points and 10 rebounds in Branson’s 67-57 victory over host Archie Williams High.

Gray continued, “We really started that road back to the championship on Monday against Tam, and took care of business there. Archie Williams was the second team we had to knock off. They beat us in the regular season, so we kind of held that in and we really wanted to go out and make a statement tonight. I feel like we did that, and we’re going into the championship fired up.”

Standing in Branson’s way is top-seeded Marin Catholic as the two squads square off for the title on Friday at Redwood High. The third-seeded Bulls (14-13), who lost six games by 10 points or fewer this season, lost to Marin Catholic, 58-57, in their January 28 thriller, despite a 24-point effort from Gray.

“Marin Catholic beat us earlier, so that’d be a good revenge for Round 2, that’d be awesome,” Butler said.

Branson took care of some old business on Wednesday, as the Bulls avenged a narrow 59-55 regular-season loss against Archie Williams. However the Falcons (18-6) made it close at the end, despite playing without senior guard Ephraim Sohn, who is expected to miss the playoffs with an injured leg.

“We gave ourselves a chance to win, but we just couldn’t get over the hump,” Archie Williams head coach Mike Clagett said after watching his team cut the gap to as close as five points in the fourth quarter. “I’ll give it to them, Branson is a great team. I’d like to think we’re a great team too. Unfortunately someone has to lose. That’s what happens. but we’re not hanging our heads.”

Senior guard Grady Stewart picked up a team-high 21 points for the Falcons before fouling out with 97 seconds left to play.

The Falcons, who were a No. 10 seed in the Division I bracket in last year’s North Coast Section playoffs, are hoping for a better seeding at Sunday’s NCS meeting. Archie Williams, currently ranked 17th in NCS according to MaxPreps, will face a tough challenge against a D-I field that is expected to be top-heavy with Amador Valley (16-10), Bishop O’Dowd (17-7) and Dougherty Valley (18-8), currently ranked Nos. 7-9.

Wednesday’s MCAL semifinals brought together some of Northern California’s elite talent on one basketball court for a showdown. Gray opened the game with his big jump shot to get the Bulls on the board first as they led wire to wire. Meezy Butler answered soon after with a soaring layup for the Falcons.

The Bulls, who led by as much as 14 points in the second quarter, saw their lead sliced to eight points by halftime. Gray, who outscored Archie Williams for much of the first half, broke through the Falcons defense for a layup and his 27th point of the night in the final minute of the first half. Brian Wright answered with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Falcons 28 points.

“We got a good start against Archie Williams last time, so the guys came in confident,” Branson head coach Demetrius Roquemore said. “I think the biggest hing was being able to sustain that for four quarters and play good basketball for four quarters, and we were able to do that tonight.”

The Bulls went back to work in the third quarter, as they bolstered their lead to 11 points on a four-point play by Gray, and led 53-43 heading into the fourth quarter.

“NJ is one of the best to come through this community in a long time,” Roquemore said of his star junior. “I haven’t seen a lot of players, in general, who can do what he does against the double-team, or the box-and-one, or any kind of gimmicky defense on a regular basis. Now he’s trusting his teammates and making the right decisions. And where most people don’t give him enough credit is his rebounding… So he’s just an overall talented kid. He’s getting active the defensive end as well, and he’s becoming a leader.”

Gabe Halbrecht’s defense limited Butler to 13 points, while Wright was limited to 11 points against the Bulls’ double-team. Branson’s Luke Vilhauer and DJ Armstrong combined for 12 rebounds as they battled Wright in the paint.

“I think a lot of people don’t give Gabe enough credit for his defense,” Roquemore said. “Nobody’s gotten big numbers against him, and he’s willing to take on the best player on every team.”

Tyler Wells had a big second half for the Bulls, scoring 10 of his 14 points as Gray looked to distribute the ball more.

“We really emphasized that we wanted everybody to go get a bucket,” Gray said. “They were keying on me, so I was telling my teammates, “You guys have the green light as much as I do, just go out there and play.’ So I wasn’t overthinking it. I was just trying to score when I could, or dump the ball off if that’s what was needed.”

Gray developed his game alongside two of the best boys basketball players to come through Marin County in the past five years, Jase Butler and TT Carr, as the trio helped Branson to the MCAL title and a third-place finish in the NCS Open Division bracket in 2024.

“We just really wanted to make the point that we’re still a really good program, really still a good team,” said Gray, who helped the Bulls to their third NCS D-III title in four years last season. “We’re still out there, making that point, trying to prove it every chance we get.”