Grant gets hot at the right time of year, rolls into section semifinals
When the Grant Pacers trot onto a basketball floor for warmups, heads turn and eyebrows raise.
Check out the length, the bulk, the handles. And there are passers, shooters, dunkers and defenders.
Looking more like an elite-level Northern California Open Division team more than an oddly placed No. 6 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section, Grant impressed in overwhelming No. 3 Elk Grove on Friday night. Balanced scoring and ferocious defense resulted in a 71-50 victory for the Pacers in a Division II quarterfinal, leaving one to wonder how far this group can go.
“We’re getting there,” Grant coach Deonard Wilson said of his team’s progress in general. “That was a sample of our potential. This was our best game. This is what we expected to look like. We never thought we were a six seed, and we were a little shaken by the brackets because we thought we were a top-three seed. So we just go out and play.”
Grant played with purpose, having lost in each of the past two section Division II championship games at the wire to St. Mary’s of Stockton, which Friday beat Burbank in a quarterfinal.
The Pacers (23-5) stormed to a 40-19 halftime lead on the Thundering Herd, which enjoyed its finest season since winning section D-I honors 25 years ago. Grant led 62-37 before cruising to the finish. The Pacers on Tuesday play at second-seeded Whitney, a 50-47 winner over Sacramento.
It starts in the backcourt for Grant with senior A.J. McGee and junior Corey Yerger, each a strong defender, versatile scorer and willing passer. Yerger had 17 and McGee 14. Grant is so formidable that its thickest, most robust guy — the one with the hearty beard — had a career game from long range. Powerfully built at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Davell Brown had 19 points, including six 3-pointers.
Miles Haynes a 6-5, 190-pound forward, muscled in for 10 points for Grant. Aaron Gillyard had 18 points and Amaree Britton 15 for Elk Grove and coach Dustin Monday, who returns a lot of players for another run next season. He came away impressed with the express that rolled through his place
“They were so good tonight,” Monday said admiringly. “When they’re clicking like that ... they’re just so good offensively. We’re disappointed how it ended for us as we thought we had a chance to make a real run, but we’ll be back.”
Wilson is in his 10th season with Grant, a Long Beach native who has embraced his school and the Del Paso Heights community. He wants a championship. His players do as well, and the same as the fans that helped pack the gym. Wilson feels a responsibility to do his part in being a role model for the Pacers.
“To have a community so behind our sports teams, it means everything,” Wilson said. “To say you’re a Pacer for life means something. These kids love each other. We as coaches tell them it’s their team and it’s our joy to coach them.”
SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION PLAYOFFS
Boys
Division I
Sheldon 98, Gregori 65
Rocklin 69, Modesto Christian 57
Weston Ranch 68, Cosumnes Oaks 64
Capital Christian 85, Franklin 68
Tuesday semifinals, 7 p.m.
No. 4 Rocklin at No. 1 Sheldon
No. 14 Weston Ranch at No. 2 Capital Christian
Division II
Jesuit 83, Ponderosa 59
St. Mary’s 65, Burbank 62
Grant 71, Elk Grove 50
Whitney 50, Sacramento 47
Tuesday semifinals, 7 p.m.
No. 5 St. Mary’s at No. 1 Jesuit
No. 6 Grant at No. 2 Whitney
Division III
Vanden 84, Mountain House 62
Golden Valley 66, Christian Brothers 57
Wood 63, Manteca 40
Central Catholic 77, Del Campo 53
Tuesday semifinals, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Vanden at No. 5 Golden Valley
No. 3 Wood and No. 2 Central Catholic
Division IV
Sonora 65, West Campus 60
Calaveras 57, El Dorado 47
Liberty Ranch 56, Amador 53
Union Mine 69, Venture 68
Tuesday semifinals, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Calaveras at No. 1 Sonora
No. 3 Liberty Ranch at No. 2 Union Mine
Division V
Brookside Christian 90, Hughes 47
Argonaut 77, Sacramento Adventist 74
Denair 61, Buckingham 51
Bradshaw Christian 78, Woodland Christian 66
Tuesday semifinals, 7 p.m.
No. 4 Argonaut at No. 1 Brookside Christian
No. 3 Denair at No. 2 Bradshaw Christian
Division Vl
Ripon Christian 67, Lodi Academy 41
Alpha Charter 62, Sacramento Waldorf 60
Foresthill 65, Vacaville Christian 52
Stockton Christian 74, Victory Christian 58
Tuesday semifinals, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Alpha Charter at No. 1 Ripon Christian
No. 3 Foresthill at No. 2 Stockton Christian