Archie Williams boys basketball faced off against the Redwood Giants on Thursday, February 1 in a game to decide who would be hosting the upcoming Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) playoff game between these two teams on Wednesday, February 7. The game came down to the wire and saw Redwood escape with a 50-47 win over the Falcons.
The first quarter saw Archie Williams struggling to defend Redwood star guard Jake Vasquez who was dominating in the paint. Falcons senior guard Owen Bugas responded to the Giants offensive dominance, and kept Archie Williams within striking distance. The first quarter ended with Redwood leading 13-9.
In the second quarter the Falcon defense woke up, and got stop after stop. Owen continued his offensive clinic by putting on a display from beyond the arc. Owen shot 50% from three in the game, leading Archie Williams with five three pointers and 29 points on the game. Off the back of Owen’s shooting and a strong defense led by sophomores Brian Wright and Grady Stewart the Falcons went into the half leading 23-21.
The second half was a dog fight that saw neither team able to pull away from the other. At the end of the third quarter the Giants held a narrow lead 38-37.
The fourth quarter was a back and forth battle that came down to the last 30 seconds of the game. With 20 seconds remaining in the game Redwood had a one point lead and Archie Williams had possession. Owen got called for a moving screen with 12 seconds left. The Falcons then fouled Redwood’s senior guard Gil Ladetzky to send him to the free throw line. He then missed both free throws, but the rebound went out of bounds off Brian. Vasquez was then sent to the line and made both free throws so the Giants had a three point lead with 5 seconds remaining. Owen missed a buzzer beater attempt to tie the game and Redwood won the game 50-47.
These two teams face off in the MCAL semifinal at Redwood on Wednesday to see who will head to the MCAL championship game.
