Central Catholic starts slow; basketball season ends in NorCal semifinals

The Central Catholic Raiders always will remember their charming and cozy gymnasium, their basketball home almost since the school’s inception.

The Raiders soon will move into the nearly completed Mark Gallo Health and Fitness Center. They’ll make the long-awaited transition with only one regret: They failed to protect their old cinder-block house as they said goodbye.

Palma of Salinas stepped out of the bus and jumped in front 15-3, while Central Catholic went scoreless from the floor for the first 5 1/2 minutes. Sometimes, the turning point comes early, as it did Tuesday night in the Raiders’ 66-59 loss in the CIF Northern California Regional Division IV semifinal.

“It was bound to come back and bite us at some point. The intensity wasn’t there,” Raiders coach Mike Wilson said in reference to the team’s issues with slow starts. “The biggest problem was rebounding. We didn’t put a body on them. We were just trying to jump with them.”

Central Catholic (27-6) led for only 38 seconds early. From there, the Raiders chased the Chieftains (25-4) even as the deficit reached 14 points early in the fourth quarter. A spirited comeback fell short, and the Raiders shook hands with their opponents to end an otherwise memorable season.

“Our legs weren’t underneath us in the first quarter,” said junior guard Jared Rice (13 points), the team’s leading scorer this season. “It hurt us not to see the ball go through the basket.”

Palma advances to the NorCal final against West Campus of Sacramento, while Central Catholic will reflect on its many successes and a sad end game. The Chieftains, paced by 6-foot-2 junior guard Jamaree Bouyea with 21 points, set the terms quickly.

“At this time of the year, whoever’s comfortable first is the most successful team,” Palma coach Kelley Lopez said. “The goal was not to let them get comfortable early.”

Bouyea, a clever ballhandler who showed off a nifty Euro step to the hoop, dodged three fouls during the opening minutes. Foul trouble or not, Bouyea returned to the floor in the second quarter. He rewarded his coach’s trust by not committing another foul while he made most of his team’s pivotal plays down the stretch.

“(Bouyea) is the smartest basketball mind on the team,” Lopez said. “He understands the game and knew he just had to be calm.”

Central Catholic did not submit quietly. Fighting through a 6-for-23 night from the three-point line, the Raiders clawed back behind sophomore Josh Hamilton (18 points), Rice and junior guard Amrit Dhaliwal (13 points).

Dhaliwal’s driving basket ended Central Catholic’s early drought. Later, his back-to-back triples from the top of the key jacked the volume level and closed the Raiders’ margin to 34-30 midway in the third quarter.

Palma answered with a 9-0 blitz keyed by perimeter shots from Bouyea, Nikhil Manimaran (10 points) and 6-8 Wyatt Maker (11 points). An open-court steal and hoop by Bouyea increased the Chieftains’ lead to 53-39 with 6:03 left.

Peter Hamilton and Josh Hamilton (no relation) launched Central Catholic’s final counterattack. Another triple by Dhaliwal closed the gap to 60-55 at the 2:29 mark. Bouyea missed back-to-back free throws, but teammate Liam McMillin (11 points) sliced inside for a putback that sustained Palma’s momentum.

Wilson, assessing matters in the quiet of the locker room, realized the Raiders’ three tournament titles – including a Sac-Joaquin Section championship – will resonate longer than the sting of a NorCal semifinal loss. The perfect script, however, called for a farewell victory in their longtime home.

“It’s sad that it ended this way,” he said. “I’m anxious to get in there (at the new gym). It’ll be unique and not a cookie-cutter. I’ll miss this one, but the new one is exciting.”

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Central Catholic starts slow; basketball season ends in NorCal semifinals."