“I would say the biggest moment for me, or actually for our team, was when Davi hit a 3-pointer. I was pretty hype,” junior Max Monterastelli said.
Senior and team manager Davi Leite was suited up for Novato’s game and made good use of it. Leite’s 3-pointer came deep into the second quarter of the game and put Redwood up 43-20 against the Novato Hornets. The game against Novato was the last regular-season Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) game. Novato hadn’t won an MCAL game in over two years, with their last MCAL win being on Jan. 16, 2024, against the San Rafael Bulldogs. The Giants weren’t going to let that or the Hornets’ senior night affect their mindset going into the game.
“We have the same mindset every single game. We’re gonna go in there and win no matter who the team is,” Monterastelli said.
The game started off with junior Harrington White winning the tip for Redwood. After a turnover, the Giants got the ball back and quickly capitalized as White made a mid-range shot to put the first points on the scoreboard.
From the beginning of the game, the Novato student section grew and by the second half, they were chanting at Redwood players. Once Novato’s student section’s chirping began to involve players’ names and numbers, the officials were allowed to kick them out—and they did. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the entire Novato student section was told to exit the gym. Novato senior Trevor Cleary is a regular attendee of the Hornets’ boys’ games and was disappointed to see the students kicked out, especially on Novato’s senior night.
“You’re not allowed to say the opposing teams’ names or numbers on their jerseys, and our student section was not receptive to that. The whole student section got kicked out of the game,” Cleary said. “I feel a little hurt that not everyone can see these guys’ last game; it’s a little upsetting.”
The game for the Giants, however, wasn’t upsetting at all. As Head Coach Jay Demaestri remarked, the game was a great boost for team morale as they leave the MCAL regular season and head into the playoffs.
“We were able to get everybody in. That was nice because we played a lot of tight games this year, and to have a game like that was nice for team morale,” Demaestri said.
Junior and cheer team manager Cara Gilgallon was also glad to see more than the normal Giants rotation get good minutes in the game.
“I think [the Giants have] been playing really well. I love how they’re playing all the bench players. It’s very fun,” Gilgallon said.
Going into halftime, the score was 46-30 with Novato hitting two 3-pointers, one bank and one buzzer-beater, to force Redwood’s lead below 20 points. The Giants’ halftime talk focused on retaking control of the game and continuing their momentum.
“We got caught up playing [Novato’s] game at the end of the second quarter, and we just wanted to make sure we got back to playing how we play. It doesn’t matter if it’s the best team in the state, [or the] worst team in the state, nothing should change,” Demaestri said.
Junior Olen Johnson led the Giants with 16 points and helped Redwood start the second half strong by flying around defensively and capitalizing on offense. With 6 minutes, 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the score was 53-30, but with 1 minute, 21 seconds left in the quarter, the Giants had extended their lead to a 67-38 ballgame.
The beginning of the fourth quarter was met with the forced removal of Novato’s student section because of their poor behavior and lack of sportsmanship towards the Giants. Luckily for Novato, however, their student section wasn’t their only form of support. Besides friends and family in the stands, Novato not only had a cheer team, but also had its band in the bleachers! The band would play parts of a song during dead-ball situations and keep the gym lively. Redwood had its cheer team and a few community members who came to cheer on the team, but that’s all they needed. With 6 minutes, 41 seconds left in the final quarter, Redwood held a 77-41 lead.
The Giants eventually got a running clock, which meant the clock didn’t stop for fouls, and Novato’s end-of-season was approaching fast. The gym had lost noise after Novato’s student section left, but emotions were still buzzing as Novato’s seniors took in the moments of their last high school basketball game. The Hornets celebrated their seniors with a curtain call with two minutes and 45 seconds left on the game clock and after the final buzzer sounded, the game ended 83-49.
The Giants went 6-2 in league play this regular season and are ready to take on the MCAL playoffs one game at a time.
“No matter who we play next week, we’re gonna scout them, we’re gonna play hard, and hopefully we get those wins and get this MCAL title,” Monterastelli said.
