On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the DVHS mens varsity basketball team blew by the number 10 seed, Destiny Christian Academy, during the first round of the D1 California Interscholastic Federation Championship.
After previously winning the East Bay Athletic League championship against De La Salle High School on Feb. 13, the Wildcats were placed in the North Coast Section Open Division. After winning the quarter finals against Marin Catholic High School, the team ended up taking defeat against Clayton Valley Charter High School in the semi-finals. Following this loss, they played De La Salle once again for the third place spot in NCS, and ended up taking another defeat. Despite these two losses, the Wildcats managed to defeat the Destiny Christian Lions in the first round of CIF D1 playoffs.
Head Coach Mike Hansen discussed what his mindset was coming into the game against the Lions after coming off two disappointing losses.
“We just have to keep being us. We had two really tough games against really good opponents,” he acknowledged. “But if we make shots, you’re in trouble. Tonight, we had 15 threes, and we’re gonna win a lot of games because we make those shots.”
The game began with the Wildcats winning the tip off, but were unable to convert. Despite this, junior Rylan Sevilla, who had 16 points in the game, was able to get an early steal from the Lions, leading sophomore Alonzo Walker to achieve the first two points of the game. Both teams started off relatively slow, with not much energy on either side of the court. The Lions utilized their size, bodying their way to the basket for most of the game. Most of their shots were taken close to the rim, with hardly any shots being taken beyond the arc. The Wildcats, notably smaller in size, started off phenomenal on defense with their ability to steal the ball and convert points. This forced the Lions to take a time out with three minutes left on the clock, with the score reading 12-6 in favor of the Wildcats. Throughout the first, the Wildcats continued to play smart, successfully grabbing most rebounds on either side of the court and making crucial shots. The first quarter ended with a score of 19-10, in favor of the Wildcats.
The second quarter started with the Lions having possession of the ball, but were unable to convert from a three-point shot. The Wildcats took hold of the ball and took control of the court, with junior Devyn Ranola, who also had 16 points this game, completing a three-point bucket as the shot clock ran out. The Wildcats continued playing effectively as a team, most notably on defense where they were able to carry out multiple steals throughout the second quarter. Despite the Lions’ size, there was a lack of point guards on the team, meaning more drives to the basket and little to no threes, and most of their free throws were split. The Wildcats on the other hand were able to convert points quickly with back to back threes, and shifty moves. The Lions attempted to combat this by using a full court press, but were unable to stop the Wildcats. The team had gotten into a rhythm that couldn’t be broken, and the second quarter ended with Sevilla making a behind the backboard shot, leading the score to 38-27 in favor of the Wildcats.
With the Lions starting out with the ball, the third quarter began, and they seemingly got more aggressive on the court, converting points and forcing the Wildcats into a timeout. Despite this, the Wildcats defense remained strong, racking up multiple steals for the team. The two teams had a more back and forth battle this quarter, and a Destiny player clashed into Sevilla, causing a short delay of game as they recovered. At this time, Sevilla had four personal fouls and was temporarily subbed out of the game. The Wildcats continued knocking down three pointers and making contested shots, mainly from senior Rashod Cotton Jr. By the end of the quarter, the Lions started doubling their defense and continued playing aggressively, utilizing their height to make their way to the rim. The third quarter ended at 59-43, still favoring the Wildcats.
As the last quarter began, the Wildcats started off missing easy layups, but turned it around with Ranola hitting another three-point shot, bringing up the energy for the team. The Lions began pressuring the Wildcat’s offense more, and Dougherty continually fouled Destiny on defense, leading to two-and-ones in a row. Despite this, the Wildcats still took the lead in scoring, and Sevilla was subbed back into the game. As the game progressed, the energy in the room increased, and Cotton encouraged this energy with his dunk, which led the Lions to take a timeout. By three minutes left, the Wildcats were up by 20 points, and both sides of the court subbed in their benches. By this point, both sides knew the eventual outcome, and the Wildcats won the game with a 26 point gap, leading to a final score of 84-58.
By this time in the season, the Wildcats are fighting to keep their season going for just one more game. Sevilla commented on how he keeps his mindset positive while the season continues.
“I mean it’s just fighting for my guys. Every day we come in, work hard, and everyone fights so hard,” he said. “I got guys that are willing to die on the floor for me, so I want to die on the floor for them. So it’s just the motivation to be able to come in and win for them.”
The Wildcats will have a rematch against Clayton Valley at their home on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 7p.m.. This time it will be a battle to fight for a spot in the CIF D1 semi-finals.
“[We are hoping to change up] the final score. It’s gonna be a dog fight. It was, and it’s going to be another one,” Hansen said. “I like our chances. We’ll make some adjustments, we’ll maybe switch up some matchups, but yeah, it’s gonna be another big one.”
