PACIFIC GROVE — Three losses by a combined eight points. All in succession in midseason. Struggling with its identity, though, did not create chaos on the hardwood.
“There was some frustration, disappointment,” Pacific Grove boys basketball coach Dan Powers said. “That’s natural. We had high hopes in our league. But we were a team with new roles. We had to learn how to adjust.”
Finishing the second half of the Gabilan Division season 5-2 has carried over into the postseason as the Breakers are headed to the Central Coast Section Division IV semifinals after ending Marina’s season Tuesday with a 65-55 win.
“Credit the character of the kids,” Powers said. “We were able to keep our focus. We were able to keep improving. We were just inconsistent. We still are in some ways. We’re not going to be perfect all the time.”
Seeded No. 4 in the Division IV playoffs, the Breakers (13-12) will visit top-seed Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton — 62-56 winners over Terra Nova — on Thursday in the semifinals.
“I’ll watch a lot of film on them tonight and have a game plan ready for practice,” Powers said. “Sacred Heart plays in a competitive league.”
The two teams did meet in the playoffs in 2019 with Sacred Heart Prep prevailing 62-49 in the Division IV quarterfinals.
The Gators (14-11) finished third in the West Bay League behind league champion King’s Academy and runner-up Priory. They are riding a three-game winning streak.
Pacific Grove is no stranger to facing top-seeded teams this season, having played Division I top-seed Milpitas in the preseason, along with DII No. 2 seed Christopher, DIII top-seed Soquel, DIV No. 3 seed Menlo, and DV top-seed Palma twice.
“We beat Christopher in the preseason,” Powers said. “I believe playing a preseason like that pays off, even if the record doesn’t show it. We feel were battle tested. We’ve seen a lot of good competition.”
Having gone 10 days between games, Powers scrimmaged Soquel last week, as teams that are seeded in the Top 4 in the section playoffs are allowed a legal scrimmage.
“That helped,” Powers said. “It gave us a great look. We used the week to rest and prepare. I thought we were mentally right. We were pretty connected tonight.”
So was No. 5 seed Marina, who came into the game riding a wave of emotion after opening the postseason with a 26-point win over Gunderson in the second round.
Champions of the Mission Division, the Mariners (18-8) were no strangers to facing Gabilan Division teams, having gone 1-2 in the preseason.
“We have nothing to hold our heads down,” Marina coach July Barredo said. “The boys fought all year. It was a big difference from last year. I’m okay with it. I’m excited for the next group. We’re building something. I love every second of the process.”
The Mariners, who had won their last three games, were within three at the half before Pacific Grove turned to Andrew Nimri and Gabriel Valencia, who combined for 44 points.
“We just missed too many opportunities,” Barredo said. “We had a lot of missed layups. It’s a game of runs. At the end, we ran out of energy. Pacific Grove deserved to win the game.”
Nimra finished with 25 points for Pacific Grove, while Valencia tallied 19 and Wyatt Coe eight.
“I have one senior in Gabe (Valencia),” Powers said. “He’s been a rock. He’s a good leader.”
Nate Kombe collected 18 points for Marina, while Kaleb True finished with 16.
Menlo 58, Carmel 47: For a program that returned a total of seven points from their Gabilan Division title team in 2025, the Padres grew up as the season wore on before falling to No. 3 seed and perennial Division IV power Menlo.
“The fact that this inexperienced group worked to a point we could battle toe-to-toe with Menlo for three plus quarters is a testament to their work,” Carmel coach Kurt Grahl said.
Don Desai and Sebastian Rieser each had 12 points for Carmel, while Tanner Henderson finished with eight.
“They had chances to roll over this year and chose not to,” said Grahl, who has guided Carmel to three CCS Division IV titles. “I’m really proud of this group.”
Division V
Palma 85, St. Francis 53: There were no ill effects from a 12-day layoff as the Chieftains erupted for 80-plus points for the fourth time during their current 10-game winning streak.
Seeded No. 1 in Division V, Palma will host Pinewood – who edged Crystal Springs 40-39 – on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. for a spot in the section title game for the second straight year.
“I didn’t feel we were rusty at all,” Palma coach Brian Driscoll said. “The scoring was balanced. We had a good week of practice. We guarded well and played with good pace.”
Pinewood, who is 17-8 overall, plays in the West Bay Division, where it finished fifth behind King’s Academy, Priory, Sacred Heart Prep and Crystal Springs.
“I’ve seen bits and pieces of Pinewood,” Driscoll said. “I will pour into them tonight and have a plan ready. It’s a program that has improved. I thought they would win tonight.”
Champions of the Gabilan Division, the Chieftains have won their last 10 games by 20 or more points in improving to 23-2 overall.
“After we finished the Gabilan undefeated, we said lets be proud, but not satisfied,” Driscoll said. “This is a new season. Lets have a great focus and play eight more games.”
St. Francis, which finished third in the Mission Division, fell behind early and found itself staring a double-digit deficit in the opening quarter.
“Our practices are very competitive because we’re so deep,” Driscoll said. “The kids stayed hungry and brought it. We have a room full of competitors.”
JT Harreld led a balanced attack for Palma with 14 points, with JJ Saucedo scoring 11 and Jacob Diaz 10. Miles Holaday and Tai Suich each had eight, with Patrick Driscoll and Cesar Mercado scoring seven.
“We have been mentally strong on just focusing on the next game,” Driscoll said. “The next game is the most important game we’re playing. Our guys have been really good about that all year.”
Division I
Carlmont 85, North Salinas 47: The Vikings postseason magic ran out, as they were ousted by No. 3 seed Carlmont in the Division I quarterfinals.
Unseeded when the tournament began, North Salinas went on the road and upset Salinas and Everygreen to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in over a decade.
Improvement in the win column for the third straight year, the 19 wins were the most for the Vikings since winning 21 games during the 2008 season when current North Salinas football coach Mark Ramos was on the team.
Angel Lizaola led North Salinas with 14 points in his final game.
Division III
Leland 42, Monterey 38: Injuries and inconsistencies caught up to the Toreadores, who failed to hold on to a halftime lead in falling to Leland of San Jose in the Division III quarterfinals.
“It’s been the story of our season,” Monterey coach Greg Daniels said. “This is who we’ve been all year, playing close games. You should win a game when holding an opponent to 42 points. We’ve struggled with our shooting all season.”
Monterey was 1-8 in games decided by five points or less this year.
Seeded No. 4 in the tournament, the Toreadores have won three CCS Division III titles over the last nine years under Daniels, the program’s all-time leader in wins.
Monterey, who finished in a tie for fourth in the Gabian Division at 7-7, finished 15-12 overall.
“It’s how the ball has bounced for us all year,” Daniels said. “We had a lot of deficiencies. We worked through a lot of adversity. We had some success. But it didn’t end how I wanted it to.”
Dekota Ordonio led Monterey with 14 points in his final high school game.
