Placer downs Central Catholic; Del Oro falls to DCA

Top-seeded Placer High School finally broke through the quarterfinal roadblock Friday night with an 80-58 rout of No. 8 Modesto-Central Catholic in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs. The Hillmen snapped a streak of second-round losses and earned a berth in the CIF NorCal Regional Tournament, which begins next week. The Hillmen controlled the game from the opening tip, building a double-digit lead. Kannon Rector turned in one of the most complete performances of the night, scoring 18 points while dishing out a team-high 11 assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Joe Manley had 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds to post a double-double, adding two assists and two steals. Jeremiah Rethi added 10 points and nine rebounds with a block and a steal, while Emmett Rose had 11 points and two rebounds. Max Manley had 10 points and two rebounds, and Tanner Baldwin contributed five points, a block and a steal. Placer totaled 34 rebounds, including nine on offense. The Hillmen also tallied 18 assists and committed 11 turnovers. Placer (27-3) was set to face No. 5 Christian Brothers in Tuesday night's semifinals as it seeks its fourth section championship appearance in program history and first since 2018. The Hillmen won their lone section championship in 1988. The winner will face either No. 6 Manteca-East Union or No. 7 Modesto-Beyer in the championship at Golden 1 Center on Saturday at 4 p.m. Tuesday's game was part of a doubleheader. The No. 1 Hillgals were to host No. 4 Twelve Bridges in the early game in a girls semifinal. Destiny Christian 66, Del Oro 58: Del Oro's season ended with a loss to host No. 2 Destiny Christian in the Division II quarterfinals. The No. 7 Golden Eagles led 16-11 after the first quarter and were tied at halftime, but the Lions (22-8) made a run in the second half to take a five-point lead into the fourth quarter. Junior Brenden Hawkins led Del Oro with 22 points, adding five rebounds and two assists. Landen Parry finished with 14 points and a team-high six rebounds, while freshman Keyaan Moulla continued his strong play with 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Senior Mikey Root contributed six points, six assists and four steals, and Gavin Wood came off the bench to grab five rebounds. Destiny Christian faces No. 3 Sacramento in the semifinals.