Sports

Rebels Put Up a Strong Fight at NCS Division Opener

San Lorenzo fell in a close game with Redwood High School.

San Lorenzo's dynamic duo of Ali Faruqbey and Davon Stewart nearly led an upset of No. 6 Redwood High, but they couldn't overcome the Giant opposition.

Redwood's Matt Mareno single-handedly outscored the visiting Rebels in the final quarter to oust San Lorenzo, 68-59, Tuesday in the North Coast Section Division II boys basketball playoff opener.

Faruqbey and Stewart scored 23 points apiece for the Rebels (13-13), who overcame a 19-point deficit in the second half.

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Mareno rallied the defending NCS champion Giants with 15 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter. The Rebels managed only 13 points in the final eight minutes.

"We knew what to expect, " San Lorenzo coach Brandon Parks said. "We've seen tape of Mareno, so we knew how good he is. … We played an aggressive game, but we didn't get the whistles."

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Kai Drewry scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the sixth-seeded Giants(16-11), who will face No. 3 Las Lomas in Friday's quarterfinals.

"Coach (Steve Compagno) told us 'Defense first' and that's what we did," said Mareno, who had 13 rebounds and five blocks.

Redwood came out strong in the first quarter, taking a 21-10 lead, including a 9-0 run. That lead blossomed to 36-17 in the second quarter, before Faruqbey and Stewart led San Lorenzo on a 13-0 ride that sliced Redwood's lead to 36-30 to finish the half.

Faruqbey scored five points in the opening minute of the second half, cutting Redwood's lead to just one point. The Rebels took their first lead of the game 81 seconds into the second half as Stewart followed his basket with a free throw for a 38-36 lead.

"Faruqbey played a hell of a game. We're talking about a sophomore in his first year with varsity," Parks said. "We played a very competitive game behind him."

Redwood quickly retook the lead, but San Lorenzo stayed close. Stewart hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Redwood's lead to 49-46 at the end of the third quarter.

"The game got too exciting there," Compagno said. "We had a (19-point) lead and San Lorenzo came back."

Mareno energized the Giants with a pair of highlight-reel dunks that turned the momentum in Redwood's favor.

"We had a good season and we have nine players coming back next season, so we have something to look forward to," Parks said.


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