If you wanted to jump into the high school basketball season the Championship Game of the Russ Peterich Viking Classic between Folsom and Montgomery wouldn’t have been a bad choice.   For three quarters, it was a tight, well-played game, but then the pressing defense of Folsom proved too much and they pulled away for a 55-45 win.
The two teams spent most of the game going back and forth.   Montgomery controlled the first part.  Next, it  was Folsom’s turn, to get even by the half.   Then it was back and forth until Folsom started pulling away in the later stages of the third quarter.
This game featured a match-up few high school games see and that is a center matchup of 6’ 9” and 6’ 11”.  They basically offset each other.
The Montgomery part of the equation, 6’ 11” Eric Poulsen, started out hot, scoring the game’s first five points.  He would score four the rest of the way and pulled down ten rebounds.   That was one more rebound than Colin Russell of Folsom.  Russell scored six points.
Poulsen’s beginning helped Montgomery get off to a good start, all though he wasn’t the only one.  Michael Septimo scored eight of his team high 18 in the first quarter, as Montgomery jumped out to a 15-5 lead late in the first quarter.
Folsom stayed close and then exploded with an 11-0 run to take a 26-22 lead with two minutes to go in the half.
Then it was Montgomery’s turn again, or should we say Septimo’s turn again.  He scored seven points during an 11-2 run to give Montgomery a five point lead early in the third quarter.
That is when Folsom’s Jordan Ford sewed up the Tourney MVP award he would receive after the game. He scored ten of his game high 21 points during a 15-4 run to give Folsom control of the game that they wouldn’t lose.
An aggressive pressing and for the most part man-to-man defense bothered Montgomery all night, causing 18 turnovers.  It also seemed to wear the Vikings down as Montgomery had one fourth quarter field goal.
Besides that it was a well-played game.  Both teams send out a warning to opponents that fouling them wouldn’t be a good strategy.  Montgomery was nine of ten from the line, while Folsom hit 18 of 22, including a streak of 13 straight.
Even when that streak ended it worked out well.   Folsom missed two free throws in the last minute but each rebound went to Jared Wall, which led to more points and ate up valuable clock time.
The two teams may match up again next week, as Montgomery returns the favor by attending a tournament in Folsom.
So the first weekend of tournament play is in the books.
There was one buzzer beater, that decided a championship.  That was in the Kelseyville Stokes Girls tournament. Jordan Turner hit the winning shot to give Cloverdale a 37-36 win over three time NCS Division 6 Champion Ferndale.
On the Boys side of that tournament, Elsie Allen won it for the second straight year, defeating Sonoma Valley in the championship game 44-32.
It is a challenge getting all the result that are posted.  If you want to help us cover your team, either send me an email or find me on Facebook.
Here are the scores from Saturday that we have, including the five NCS Championship football games at the bottom of the page.
 
BOYS
15TH ANNUAL RUSS PETERICH VIKING TIP OFF CLASSIC AT MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL
CHAMPIONSHIP…Folsom 55 Montgomery 45
3rd place…Campolindo 67 Escondido 53
Campolindo was 14 down in the third quarter and then went on a 21-0 run.
Consolation…Monte Vista 62 Redwood 48
7th place…McClymonds 64 Acalanes 46
 
FRED ITEN INVITATIONAL  AT UKIAH HIGH SCHOOL
SATURDAY RESULTS
3RD PLACE…San Lorenzo 54 Piner 53
CONSOLATION…Ukiah 56 Maria Carrillo 49
7TH PLACE…Petaluma 57 Fort Bragg 47
 
KELSEYVILLE STOKES TOURNAMENT
SATURDAY RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP…Elsie Allen 44 Sonoma Valley 32
Elsie Allen’s Jalen Busby Player of Tournament as Elsie Allen wins this tournament for the second straight season.
3RD PLACE…Kelseyville 69 Colusa 52
CONSOLATION…South Fork 46 El Molino 37
7th PLACE…Clear lake 62 Upper Lake 20
 
COYOTE CLASSIC AT SONOMA ACADEMY
CHAMPIONSHIP:  Sonoma  Academy 38 Crystal Springs Upland 30
PLAYER OF TOURNAMENT: Drake Herold, Sonoma Academy
 
SUTTER HOME CLASSIC AT ST. HELENA
CHAMPIONSHIP…Willits 55 Roseland Prep University 47
Dimitri Betts scores 25, name Player of the Tournament
CONSOLATION…Healdsburg 51 Calistoga 8
7th PLACE…Lower Lake 39 St. Helena 26
 
NON LEAGUE
Dublin 64 Windsor 56

GIRLS
CARDINAL NEWMAN CLASSIC
CHAMPIONSHIP—Oregon City 62 Cardinal Newman 53
Watch the FULL GAME HERE 
3RD PLACE…Scotts Valley 69 Sacred Heart 55
 
DRAGON CLASSIC AT SONOMA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
SATURDAY RESULTS
7TH PLACE…Montgomery 50 Elsie Allen 14
 
LADY CAT CLASSIC AT MARIN CATHOLIC
3RD PLACE…Santa Rosa 49 Moreau Catholic 32
Devin Murray named to All-Tourney Team
 
KELSEYVILLE STOKES TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONSHIP…Cloverdale 37 Ferndale 36
Jordan Turner hits game winner at buzzer
PLAYER OF TOURNEY:  Angel Bernardi, Cloverdale
3RD PLACE…Kelseyville 67 El Molino 38
CONSOLATION…Lower Lake 71 Calistoga 44
7TH PLACE…St. Helena 36 South Fork 18
 
COYOTE CLASSIC AT SONOMA ACADEMY
CHAMPIONSHIP:  Sonoma  Academy 51 St. Bernard’s 39
PLAYER OF TOURNEY: Savannah Stoughton, Sonoma Academy
 
ANNE SCOTT TOURNAMENT IN SAN ANSELMO
3RD PLACE…Petaluma 31 Drake 28
Petaluma outscored Drake 14-4 in the fourth quarter.
7th PLACE…St. Vincent 43 De Anza 22
 
PUMA INVIATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP…Whitney 48 Maria Carrillo 40
 
WILLITS CLASSIC
CHAMPIONSHIP…Ukiah 58  Fortuna 37
3RD PLACE…Fort Bragg 31 Willits 26
 
 
NCS FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
DIVISION 1—No. 1 De La Salle 35 No. 3 Pittsburg 0
De La Salle wins twenty third straight section championship
 
DIVISION 2—No. 1 Clayton Valley 33 No. 2 Concord 6
Clayton Valley 14-0
 
DIVISION 3…No. 1 Campolindo 27 No. 3 Marin Catholic 21
Campolindo 14-0
 
DIVISION 4…No. 3 Justin Siena 18 No. 1 St. Mary’s 10
Justin Siena the only non No. 1 seed to win section
 
DIVISION 5…No. 1 Salesian 14 No. 3 St. Helena 7
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