Cougars Fall to San Marin In Boys Basketball Playoffs

Three nights after a memorable overtime upset in the first round of the North Coast Section playoffs, the boys basketball team couldn’t quite muster a second consecutive shocker on Friday.

The Cougars’ season came to an end with a 74-59 defeat at the hands of San Marin High of Novato in the quarterfinals of the NCS Division III tournament. San Marin, the No. 5 seed, moves on to play No. 1 Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland in a semifinal. Albany closes out its season with an 11-17 overall mark.

Myles Babbitt scored 19 points and Alvarho Guzman had 15 to lead Albany, which trailed by six at the first quarter, eight at halftime and 13 after three quarters.

The game was halted for about five minutes, with 6 minutes, 28 seconds left in the second quarter, when the Cougars’ Akwasi Agyekum went down hard on the court with a gash on his forehead.

Officials and coaches wiped blood from the floor as Agyekum was tended to on the bench, and then taken to the locker room. He came back into the game in the second half and finished with 12 points, while Branden Foote-Pierce added 10.

San Marin’s Stuart Wesonga led all players with 27 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, and the Mustangs’ Chris Glennon added 23 points.

The Cougars closed to within eight points with about two minutes left in the game at 67-59, but San Marin blanked Albany the rest of the way.