Dougherty Valley finishes it off: Wildcats take first North Coast Section title with emphatic Open win over De La Salle

USF signee Ryan Beasley goes for 21 as Wildcats finally pull away from Spartans at St. Mary's College

Dougherty Valley-San Ramon coach Mike Hansen and his Wildcats (27-3) finished off a remarkable 2022-23 North Coast Section season with an emphatic finish at a packed to the rafters St. Mary's College on Friday night. 

In a game that featured 15 lead changes and eight ties by midway through the third quarter, the Wildcats pulled away with a 65-51 Open Division championship win over De La Salle (21-8). 

The state's No. 11 team got 21 points from USF signee Ryan Beasley, 13 by Connor Sevilla and 12 points and nine rebounds by Blake Hudson. Aadi Malali contributed two big 3-pointers and had 10 points for the champions. 

Blake Hudson (24) puts on the finishing touches with a fourth-quarter dunk for Dougherty Valley. Photo: Greg Jungferman

De La Salle hung right in the contest and led several times despite massive foul trouble by its best player, sophomore Alec Blair. 

The 6-foot-6 wing picked up his third foul early in the second quarter, his fourth foul midway through the third and fouled out with 3:45 remaining. He had 11 points and seven rebounds in limited time. 

Billy Haggerty and Evan Wells led the Spartans with 12 points apiece. 

But Dougherty Valley, battle-tested in every way, was just tougher down the stretch and executed in every way. The Wildcats committed just six turnovers and made 19 of 21 from the line. 

De La Salle was 6-for-10. 

Ryan Beasley (13) over the outstretched arm of Alec Blair. Photo: Greg Jungferman

Hudson, a high-flying 6-3 forward, really turned it on in the second half and in the third quarter keyed a 9-2 run with a coast-to-coast drive and emphatic dunk. 

Playing out of the rugged East Bay Athletic League, which claimed seven of the top 20 spots in the Bay Area at one time, Dougherty Valley won the round-robin crown and league playoff. 

The Open Division tournament featured five EBAL teams in the six-team bracket and the Wildcats powered through it as well. 

All Open teams will advance to next week's Northern California regional tournament and it's likely Dougherty Valley will get the first- or second seed. De La Salle, which also played a. massive scheduled, likely will also be pulled up to the Open along with another EBAL squad, Granada-Livermore. 

All photos below from Greg Jungferman

Photo: Greg Jungferman

Photo: Greg Jungferman

Photo: Greg Jungferman

Photo: Greg Jungferman