Championship bound! Clayton Valley grinds past Dougherty Valley to advance to NCS Open finals

CONCORD — When the final buzzer sounded on Wednesday night, the contrast that had defined this matchup between two East Bay powerhouses — speed versus patience, firepower versus resistance — had finally tilted in one direction. 

In a clash between contrasting styles and familiar postseason foes, Clayton Valley did just enough to outlast Dougherty Valley 55-50 and move one step closer to the North Coast Section’s ultimate prize.

“It’s huge to get this win,” senior Vince Ellis said. “There’s no team I’d rather do it with. I love all these guys and it’s the closest team I have been a part of in all my years playing basketball. We came out here doing it for each other.” 

Senior Cannon Simpson led Clayton Valley with 21 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Ellis scored 12 points and sophomore Zion Grissom added 10. 

From the beginning, the game played out as advertised. 

Bumping and grinding down low. Fights for loose balls. Both coaches pleading with the officiating crew for calls. 

At halftime, Clayton Valley held a two-point lead as the momentum wasn’t taken by either team.

In a game like Wednesday’s, any sort of advantage could be the difference between winning and losing. 

The Ugly Eagles found their edge midway through the third quarter. 

Clayton Valley played through Simpson in the high post as the senior found mismatches over the smaller Dougherty Valley defenders. 

An 8-0 run from the home team in the middle of the third quarter gave Clayton Valley its largest lead of the night with the score at 41-32 near the end of the period. 

But as they have done all season, the Wildcats found a way to claw themselves back into the game. 

A small flurry in the middle of the fourth quarter, got Dougherty Valley within two points of Clayton Valley’s lead multiple times. Continuously throughout the final minutes, Dougherty Valley flirted with tying or taking the lead, but Clayton Valley’s defense proved why it’s considered one of the best in Northern California. 

Clayton Valley got just enough stops and hit just enough free throws in the closing minutes to put the game away. 

“We just stayed focused on defense,” Grissom said. “We knew that our defense was going to win the game for us.” 

Wednesday’s game was another chapter in what has been a postseason rivalry between the two schools and coaches. 

Clayton Valley coach Frank Allocco Jr., whose cousin is Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen’s wife, defeated Dougherty Valley in the 2022 NCS Division I championship. Hansen returned the favor last year in the Division I semifinals, beating Clayton Valley 64-55. 

“I think we both hate it when we play each other,” Allocco said. “We love today because we both get to advance. So, it’s heartbreaking when we play each other in an elimination game. But fortunately, I think due to the success of our programs, usually we’re in this environment where they still get to advance either way.”

While the Wildcats gave a valiant effort, Hansen was blunt about what he saw on the floor. 

“We were forcing bad shots and it gets back to when we do that, we’re not very good,” Hansen said. “It’s on them at this point. The next time they’ll do that, I’ll be collecting their jerseys. We’ll be done. But if they don’t, we can win it all.” 

The Wildcats will play a crucial third-place game on Friday against De La Salle – a contest in which NorCal playoff seeding will be on the line. De La Salle defeated Dougherty Valley in the regular season before the Wildcats bested the Concord school in the East Bay Athletic League championship two weeks ago.