BOYS BASKETBALL: Santa Cruz Shines in NorCal Opener

Santa Cruz 87, Marin Catholic 69

 Santa Cruz High boys basketball coach Bill Domhoff said that his team picked a bad night to have a bad game in last Friday’s Central Coast Section Division IV championship defeat to Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton.

Back at home Tuesday night, the Santa Cruz squad played like the team its coach had seen all season.

On point from the opening tap, Santa Cruz defeated Marin Catholic 87-69 in a 2011 California Interscholastic Federation Division IV Championship first round game Tuesday night at Santa Cruz High.

The Cardinals raced out to a 29-14 advantage after the first quarter off play, playing the up tempo game they love in front of a rowdy red-and-white clad crowd.

Junior center Ti Demeo led the team with 24 points in the win. Clayton Conroy scored 11 points.

“We just started off great,” Coach Domhoff said. “It was huge to be playing at home. We’re just very excited to be one of eight teams still left playing in Division IV.”

The hot start was nice, but the visitors didn’t go away without a fight. Marin Catholic evened the game up at 54-54 in the quarter.

“It was a game of runs,” Domhoff said. “We were able to just keeping pushing forward. We got the pace going the way wanted.”

Santa Cruz (23-7) eventually won by a double digit margin. Next up is a lengthy bus ride to Colfax High for a second round game Thursday night.

Colfax is the No. 4 seed in the Division IV bracket. The bus ride should take about four hours from school-to-school.