Boys Basketball: Broncos Steal Barn Burner From Pinole Valley

Northgate 47, Pinole Valley 46

The Star: Northgate’s Jonny Crosthwaite took three charges in the game but none more important than the charge he took against Pinole Valley’s point guard Patrick Dungo with 6.8 seconds remaining, to negate a Spartans go-ahead basket and preserve the 47-46 victory.

The Turning Point: The Broncos struggled to rebound the first three quarters and allowed a bevy of Spartan’s offensive boards and put-backs. However, in the final quarter Northgate managed to box-out and out rebound a far bigger and stronger Pinole Valley team. They also held the Spartans scoreless for the first 4:46 of the final quarter turning a 39-34, third quarter deficit into a 41-39 lead.

The Quote: “It was definitely heart pounding. I was just privileged to be part of a fantastic basketball game.” —Northgate coach Steve Mitchell.

What’s Next: The Broncos prepare to tangle with No.1-seeded Montgomery next Wednesday at 7.

Bottom Line: A controversial charge call against Pinole Valley with 6.8 seconds to go will be in the back of coach Anthony Geddins mind all off-season but the Spartans and Broncos played a playoff game that is already ESPN instant classic worthy. While the loss is a bitter pill to swallow for a senior laden Pinole team, Northgate’s undersized warriors battled their way to the North Coast Section Division-II semi-finals.

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Jonny Crosthwaite is the consummate role player and Friday night at home, in an NCS match up against No. 4-seeded , he made the most important play of the Broncos’ season.

Pinole Valley had the ball following a timeout at half court with .16 seconds remaining in the game, trailing by one-point, 47-46. The Spartans in bounded the basketball to point guard Patrick Dungo, who proceeded to milk some time off the clock before beating his defender off the dribble and driving into the lane.

Dungo came to a partial jump-stop five-feet from the rim and smoothly passed off to Pervonte Hill for the lay-up. However, following the pass, Dungo’s momentum carried him into a waiting Croswaite.

The official blew his whistle and jogged towards the scorers’ table. Northgate coach Steve Mitchell was attempting to call time-out to set-up a play with his team down one, while opposing coach Anthony Geddins simply waited for the call.

The official finally put his hand behind his head pointing in Northgate’s direction and giving Croswaite the charge, negating the Spartan’s go-ahead basket.

The replay in slow-motion shows Croswaite establishing position and staying set and taking the contact (whether significant or not) clear in the chest. In real-time, it was an extremely close call that could have gone in either direction, especially given the score and time on the clock.

The Northgate players and fans wildly celebrated the call, while the Pinole Valley sidelines and stands were livid and the players obviously dejected.

“Overall I thought it was a good game but the referee cannot sit here and decide the game like that,” Pinole Valley coach Anthony Geddins said. “That was not an offensive foul. It was a horrible, horrible, horrible call to take the basket away. I wish they would’ve let us settle it on the court like they told us they were going to do.  Instead (the officials) got involved in the game. That was just a bad call.”

The loss stung for a Pinole Valley team with nine seniors and a squad coming off a North Coast Section finals appearance last season.

“This years team was a little bit better than last years team and our goal was to get back to the North Coast Section finals. Obviously that is not going to happen now,” added Geddins. “It’s going to be tough rebuilding but we will see what we can do.”

The Broncos battled back from a lack luster third quarter where they were content in launching threes with no success and found themselves trailing 39-35 entering the fourth.

The Spartans had snatched all of the momentum and the Broncos’ home fans were nervously sitting on their hands wondering if their season might come to an abrupt end.

“I know we have an incredibly skilled basketball team but I wanted to know how they would respond to a dog fight with a more athletic, bigger and tougher team,” Nothgate coach Steve Mitchell said. “They showed me the heart of a champion tonight. They really battled. We did not have our best shooting game but I give a lot of the credit to Pinole Valley for that. They played really good defense and took (Zach) Corby away.”

Northgate’s Mike Peterson took much of the offensive load on his back and having missed most of the season with a broken hand, the Broncos sorely needed his outside shooting.

Peterson led all scorers with 16 points to go with three 3-pointers and seven rebounds. Northgate’s Zach Corby was terrific on the boards recording a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Corby also nailed a mid-range leaner with over a minute to go in the fourth quarter, which turned out to be the game-winner, giving Northgate the 47-46 victory. Corby also sealed the victory by intercepting the Spartans’ alley-oop pass with just over two second remaining, which was intended for Pinole Valley’s Phillip Secrease.

The Spartans’ star wing Kairon Moore tallied 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field but was saddled with foul trouble the entire game. He had three in the first half and was forced to sit-out much of the second quarter before promptly picking up his fourth with 4:49 to go in the third quarter.

“We tried our hardest and we will still hold our heads up,” said Moore after the gut-wrenching loss. “We just tried to be unselfish and share the ball.”

The Spartan received major contributions from Secrease who poured in 11 points and Carvonte Hill who rifled in three 3-pointers.

Hill also nailed a corner three with just under two minutes to go in the fourth, to give the Spartans’ a 46-45 lead. Moore followed with a crucial block on the next Broncos possession and suddenly Pinole Valley looked poised to steal the playoff game on the road.

“I am so proud of my guys,” said Mitchell. “They won a fantastic game tonight. Hopefully, we will see you all at St. Mary’s.”

No. 5-seeded Northgate will prepare to play at top seeded Montgomery next Wednesday. The Vikings downed Dublin by 21 in their second round NCS match.

 Northgate 47, Pinole Valley 46

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Individuals — (fg ftm-fta tp)

Northgate

Dimery 0  0-1  0, Crosthwaite 1  0-0  2, Moniz 1  0-0  2, Jean 2  0-0  4, Butler 4  3-5  11, Corby 4  0-0  10, Spalding 0  2-2  2, Peterson 6  1-2  16. Totals 18  6-10  47.

Concord

Dungo  2  0-2  4, C. Hill  3  0-0  9, Bordenave  1  0-0  2, Secrease  5  1-2  11, Moore  6  2-2  14, Davis 1  0-0  2, P. Hill 1  0-0  2, Cox-Gilmore  1  0-0  2. Totals 20  3-6  46.

3-point goals: Hill 3, Peterson 3, Corby 2.

Fouled out: None.

Records: Northgate 23-5; Pinole Valley 19-9.

North Coast Section Division II Playoffs, boys basketball, 2/26/11

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