By Stephen Roberson

St. Mary's-Stockton is used to big games in March.

Dougherty Valley was understandably happy just to reach the semifinals of the Division II NorCal Championships.

The St. Mary's experience won out on Saturday in a 56-44 win at Lincoln High in Stockton that keeps the Rams' drive for a record-tying ninth state championship alive.

Senior Ali Gibson, the only returning starter from the St. Mary's teams that won the past two Division III state championships, finished with a game-high 22 points and six steals. Kendall Kenyon added 12 points and seven rebounds for the No. 1 Rams (27-2), and Onome Jemerigbe had nine points and six steals.

Rayven Brooks led No. 4 Dougherty Valley (28-3) with 12 points and five rebounds, and Treyvonna Brooks had 10 points and four boards.

“We're so happy we even made it this far,” guard Briana Gaines (nine points) said. “We've been a varsity team for three years and only had seniors for two. To win the (North Coast Section championship) in the third year and get this far, that's pretty remarkable. Obviously we wanted the win, but the fact we got this far makes us happy.”

Gaines said the Rams' relentless defensive pressure, the hallmark of their eight state championships and 12 Sac-Joaquin Section titles, was too tough to counter over 32 minutes.

“They played hard and they were good from the beginning to the end,” she said. “They didn't get tired. They were on us every single possession.”

The Wildcats hit enough shots to keep the pressure on the Rams until the fourth quarter. They grabbed the lead just once when Caroline Hughes' baseline jumper with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter put Dougherty Valley in front 31-30.

But Gibson responded quickly, hitting a 3-pointer with 2:18 left in the third. That sparked a 9-3 run to end the third and a 15-3 run overall that put the Rams in front 45-34 with 6:33 to play.

Coach Tom Gonsalves, who's led the Rams to six of their eight state championships, said even though Gibson is the only starter returning, coming up through a program with lofty goals and multiple state titles gives St. Mary's a significant advantage.

“That is huge,” he said. “When you expect to win and you're not happy just being here, that's what separates us from the other teams. We've been here, we've done it, and we expect to do it again. That carries you a long way.”

Wildcats coach Doug VanderHorst said he did everything possible through scheduling to prepare his team for the best competition. Ultimately, however, there's no substitute for NorCal Championships experience.

“When we set our schedule up both this year and last year, we really played the best talent that we could between the West Coast Jamboree and the Nike (Tournament of Champions). But the games are different. All you can do is prepare against the best competition you can.”

St. Mary's will meet No. 3 Del Oro at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion (formerly Arco Arena). It's a rematch of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship the Rams won 70-65 last Saturday at PBP.

Berkeley, No. 1 in the NorCal Division I bracket, advanced to Saturday's finals with a 52-42 win over Lincoln-Stockton. The Yellowjackets own a record nine state titles. So even if St. Mary's wins a ninth, Berkeley may grab a 10th.

Stephen Roberson is a reporter with the Stockton Record, contact him at sroberson@recordnet.com.

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CIF Northern California Regional Semifinals

Boys

Division I

Castro Valley 63, Oakland 60 — Castro Valley Patch

De La Salle 47, Sheldon 45 — Concord Patch

Division II

Mitty-San Jose 70, Las Lomas 61 — Walnut Creek Patch

Woodcreek-Rosebille 58, Antelope 39

Division III

El Cerrito 63, Sacramento 51 — El Cerrito Patch

Bishop O'Dowd 52, San Marin 49

Division IV

Salesian 85, Santa Cruz 66

St. Mary's 65, St. Patrick-St. Vincent 44

Division V

St. Joseph 75, Vacaville Christian 71 (OT)

University-San Francisco 81, Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 75

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Girls

Division I

Berkeley 52, Lincoln-Stockton 42

Carondelet 77, St. Francis 66 — Concord Patch

Division II

St. Mary's-Stockton 56, Dougherty Valley 44 — San Ramon Patch

Del Oro-Loomis 63, Presentation-San Jose 59 (OT)

Division III

Bishop O'Dowd 48, St. Ignatius-San Francisco 39

Sacramento 58, Campolindo 54 — Lamorinda Patch

Division IV

St. Mary's 60, Notre Dame-Belmont 39

Modesto Christian 71, Piedmont 61 —  Piedmont Patch

Division V

Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 66, Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento 37

St. Joseph Notre Dame 46, Eastside College Prep 38