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SAN JOSE — Archbishop Mitty had an emphatic response to its loss last weekend in a section final, taking out its disappointment on Dougherty Valley in the first round of the NorCal Division I regional Tuesday night.
This one was over in a hurry.
Behind the dominance of 6-foot-8 University of San Diego-bound power forward Gavin Ripp, Mitty led by 15 after the first quarter and 26 at halftime. The lead widened to 35 before the rest of the second half was played largely with reserves as the third-seeded Monarchs breezed to a 75-54 victory over an opponent that celebrated a North Coast Section Division I championship on Saturday night.
Mitty was coming off a 59-53 loss to Archbishop Riordan in the Central Coast Section Open Division final on Friday, an outcome that dropped the San Jose powerhouse from the NorCal Open Division — where it normally lands — to the 16-team Division I bracket.
The Monarchs certainly looked like an Open team on Tuesday, ambushing Dougherty Valley as Ripp had 12 points after the first quarter and 18 at halftime. He finished with 20.
Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen said he heard from his friends on the USD coaching staff that Ripp loves to pass and is not really a scorer.
Tuesday, the big guy had no hesitation showing off his scoring moves.
“What a stud,” Hansen said. “USD’s got a good one. Shoot, we made him a scorer tonight.”
Mitty fell behind 3-2 when Dougherty Valley senior Chris Fallgren made a 3-pointer from the corner. The ball rolled around the rim before falling in, a hint that maybe things would spin in the visitor’s favor.
Not so.
Dougherty Valley missed its next 14 shots. Aadi Malali’s 3-pointer to start the second quarter cut the deficit to 18-6. But then Mitty went on a 12-2 run to stretch the margin to 30-8.
When sophomore Caeden Hutcherson capped the first half for Mitty with a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Monarchs went to the locker room up 40-14.
“We’ve had it in us,” Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said. “We haven’t played our best game all year yet. The way we were clicking right there, I felt like we were putting some things together defensively. Then offensively, the way the ball was popping and sharing, it was fun to watch.”
In addition to Ripp’s output, Mitty got 13 points from Hutcherson and 11 from Grayson Jalal.
Fallgren had 17 points and Malali added eight points in their final game for 14th-seeded Dougherty Valley.
One year after graduating four starters from a 27-win team, the San Ramon school finished 21-11 and beat rival Dublin 64-61 on Saturday for its second consecutive section title. The Wildcats won the NCS Open championship last year.
“Our win Saturday was so emotional on so many levels,” Hansen said. “Your rival for an NCS title. I think it took a lot out of us. Credit to them. They’re really, really good.”
Kennedy said he wasn’t sure how his team would respond after falling short in the CCS final, saying it was “50-50.” But once the game started, he knew that his veterans were ready to keep the season going.
“We’ve got seven seniors and they’ve won a lot of games and they know how to compete,” Kennedy said. “After I saw that, we felt pretty good.”
Mitty under Kennedy has been one of the steadiest teams in Northern California, always in contention for league and section titles. The Monarchs didn’t win either this season, nor did they reaching their goal of playing in the NorCal Open.
But given how they dominated Tuesday, they could be smiling at the end.
“I was hoping for it because I know we’re a good enough team to be in the Open Division, and I wanted another crack at Riordan, for sure,” Ripp said. “But with the losses we had against Open Division teams, I could see how they passed on us in the Open Division. But I am definitely looking forward to Division I, and I think we have a good shot at winning it all. I am really looking forward to that.”
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