Season Ends for Jesuit in Nor Cal Playoffs

OAKLAND - The Marauders' varsity basketball season, one that lasted longer than some may have predicted, came to an end Thursday with a 73-57 loss against Oakland High School in the Northern California playoffs.

Following an impressive stretch from late January to early March when the Marauders won eight of ten games to finish as runners-up in , the team came up short against the Wildcats in Thursday's game at Oakland Technical High School.

Senior forward Gary Melvin, playing his final game as a Marauder, led the team with 11 points. Junior guards Akachi Okugo and Parker Uu added 10 each.

Oakland senior guard Jabari Brown, who will play at Oregon in the fall, led all scorers with 30 points before he left the game in the fourth quarter following an uncontested dunk in which he hit his head on the backboard and landed hard on the court with just over five minutes to play.

Jesuit's disappointing night was the result of Oakland having their way with what was essentially a home court advantage, though the Marauders' student cheering section, which took a bus down from Carmichael, did travel well.

"(Oakland) killed us on the glass (for rebounds) and got into the paint," said Jesuit head coach Greg Harcos. "There's a lot of good to take away from this game and this season... we have to get more physical."

The Wildcats got off to a 14-3 start, en route to a 20-9 lead after one quarter of play. The Marauders appeared to settle in during the start of the second, fighting for possession, and scored the first eight points of the quarter but Oakland led at the half 29-20.

In the second half, the lead for Oakland ballooned to more than 20 points, with the Wildcats leading Jesuit 53-38 entering the fourth. With the seconds ticking away, all ended the season on the court- Melvin, guards Alex DiManno and Chris Long and forwards Rhys Hoskins and Phil Edwards.

"I enjoyed my time with the team," said Melvin, who has said he wants to play basketball in college, possibly at Sacramento State. "Coach Harcos is a great coach and I'm sorry we couldn't finish the job. Hopefully, the team can next year."

Harcos said it was a memorable season and that he'll miss his graduating players.

"I told them it was fun," he said. "We had a good group of seniors who came to play every day."

The Marauders' 22-10 season, Harcos said, can serve as motivation for the team next year, when the senior leadership will consist of Okugo and Uu and fellow starters forward Bryce Pressley and guard Brian Glodowski along with forwards Joey Thomas and JT Frank and guard Kurt Parker. Forward Gabe Bealer, who showed promise in a section playoff game , will be a junior next season along with guard Thomas Sperbeck and forward Isiah King.

"We have a good group...coming back," Harcos said. "We played one of the hardest schedules in Northern California and it got us tougher."

"We'll take this experience and get more physical," he added.