NCS Div. II boys: Hayward 61, Heritage 47

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Mar 5, 2009 | by Tony Gonsalez

Hayward 61, Heritage 47: The host Farmers got a boost from two unlikely sources as Dimicco Jackson scored 12 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and Adrian Pyles held Heritage playmaker Jordan Knox in check as the No. 1 seed Farmers advanced to the Division II finals for the second straight year with the win over the No. 4 Patriots.

Hayward will take on No. 3 Northgate in a repeat of last years quarterfinal matchup, which Hayward won 69-51. Northgate was a 45- 43 winner over No. 2 Las Lomas. The title game will be Saturday at St. Mary's College in Moraga. Game time as at 4 p.m.

Jackson had 10 points in the second half as the Farmers were finally able to shake off the determined Patriots with a 12-3 run to end the third quarter for a 44-31 Hayward lead entering the final eight minutes of the contest.

"I decided to start (Jackson) and he gave us a huge boost inside," Hayward coach Iman Mattox said. "We did a great job controlling the paint and really took advantage at one of our strengths."

Pyles scored four points off the bench for Hayward, but it was his presence on the defensive side that gave the Farmers push.

When Pyles entered the game three minutes in, he was matched up with Knox, and Pyles harassed him all-night long. Knox was held to 3- of-10 shooting before fouling out with 4:43 left. The senior finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, both team-highs. He was 10-for-13 from the free-throw line.

After John Moffatt hit a jumper to cut the Heritage lead to 32- 28, the Farmers responded by scoring 12 of the final 15 points to end the third quarter as Berry hit a 3-pointer right before the buzzer.

Hayward got off to a strong start, scoring the first eight points of the game, but the Patriots bounced back to take a 15-13 lead. After Heritage's Mark Winthrop made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe with six seconds left in the half, Jabreel Nasir brought the ball up court before draining a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Farmers a seven point lead going into halftime.

"That shot was a huge momentum shift for us going into the half," Mattox said.

Berry had a solid all-around effort, finishing with a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Keith Martin added 13 points to go along with nine rebounds and three blocked shots for Hayward. Moffatt had 10 points for the Patriots.

-- Tony Gonsalez, Correspondent