“For the seniors, this is a culmination of four years of hard work. To be able to give them all a [senior] night where they can play and contribute is always nice,” boys’ varsity basketball head coach Jay Demaestri said.
No player embodies Demaestri’s sentiment more than guard Owen Shawn. After serving as the team manager last season, Shawn made the squad as a senior but has been stuck behind a wealth of talent at the guard position. However, when the opportunity arose to make the first start of his career on Friday night versus the Tamalpais Red-Tailed Hawks, he left his mark.
Shawn opened the scoring by grabbing an offensive rebound and making a contested layup. While the traditional starters soon entered the game, Shawn got plenty of opportunities in the second half. He knocked down two consecutive three-pointers, bringing the crowd to their feet and calling for him to continue shooting. Just minutes later, he rattled in his third three of the night, soon exiting to a standing ovation.
“I was excited to get the start. The crowd really energized me and gave me the confidence to let [the shots] fly,” Shawn said.
Shawn was accompanied by Kody Vasquez, Zach Dinowitz and captains Noah Tanaka and Brennan Woodley in the all-senior starting lineup. Dinowitz, a regular contributor off the bench for Redwood, had a similar confidence to Shawn’s, nailing two three-pointers of his own.
Fresh off two consecutive blowout league wins over Novato and San Marin, the Giants came into the matchup alone atop the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) standings with a 5-1 record in league play. Yet, Branson, Archie Williams, Terra Linda and Marin Catholic all sat just one game back in the standings, making Friday a crucial matchup for Redwood.
Fueled by senior night and playoff implications, the Giants’ high-energy defense stifled the Red-Tailed Hawks. Redwood played a full-court press all evening, causing plenty of turnovers and forcing a litany of bad shots.
“We wanted to make sure we pressured them [full] court and made them uncomfortable. Our on-ball defense along with our traps really made it difficult on them and led to a lot of easy buckets for us,” Demaestri said.
Woodley, who has transitioned to more of an off-ball guard with the entrance of senior captain Semetri “TT” Carr, shined against Tamalpais’s zone defense. With a heavy focus on Carr, who ran the baseline against the zone, Woodley was often left wide open. He drained two three-pointers and weaved through the defense multiple times before finishing craftily at the rim. He led all scorers with 16 points, followed by Shawn with 11 and Tanaka with 8.
Through the game’s first seven minutes, Tamalpais was scoreless, and by halftime, they had only surmounted six points. The Giants went on to win 62-20, marking the fewest points Redwood has given up in Demaestri’s time as head coach and the fewest since they beat Ukiah 61-19 in December of 2017.
Next Thursday, Feb. 6, the Giants will take on the Archie Williams Falcons at 7:30 p.m. in their final MCAL match before the playoffs begin. If the Falcons beat Tamalpais on Tuesday, Thursday’s matchup may determine the top seed in the MCAL playoffs.
Boys’ varsity basketball overpowers Tamalpais on senior night
February 1, 2025
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After scoring the opening basket off an offensive rebound, senior Owen Shawn (4) hustles back on defense as the crowd and his teammates celebrate.
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Matthew Knauer, Editor-in-Chief
Matthew Knauer is a senior in his third year writing for the The Redwood Bark. His favorite aspect is covering sports and writing 24-hour recaps. Outside of dedicating himself to journalism, he plays for Redwood’s varsity baseball team and is a San Francisco Giants fan.

Graham Weir, Photography Editor
Graham Weir is a senior photographer for The Redwood Bark. He has contributed photos over the past two years. When he's away from his camera, he enjoys playing lacrosse, cooking with friends and camping.