Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM

There’s a different kind of final four in Stockton.

Four teams from two schools in the same city, St. Mary’s and Brookside Christian boys and girls basketball, are still alive and competing in the California Interscholastic Federation NorCal semifinals today. Sierra, the Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champion, joins those four as a fifth San Joaquin County team still dancing.

Brookside Christian boys (25-4) won their first section title in 17 years, with the help of seniors Kameron Vales and Kenyon Williams. Brookside Christian plays at No. 1 San Francisco-Stuart Hall (30-3) — whose mascot is also the Knights — at 7:30 p.m. at Kezar Pavilion in a Division V semifinal.

It’s the second consecutive year the Brookside Christian boys and girls have been in the NorCal semifinals. The boys, led by fourth-year coach Adam Lichter , lost last year and hope to reverse the storyline.

“The girls paved the way a few years ago (with the 2012 state title). I took over four years ago, and that was kind of a goal,” Lichter said.

Lichter’s got two 1,000-point career scorers in his starting lineup, in Vales and Williams. Vales is a four-year varsity player who advanced to varsity in the middle of his freshman season. He posted 20 points in Brookside Christian’s Division V section title game win over Elliot Christian.

“He’s given it all. This means the world to him. He’s playing for a college scholarship, and he knows it,” Lichter said. “Every game counts.”

The same goes for Williams, a three-year varsity player himself, who dominated Elliot Christian with a team-high 26 points.

It had been a happy three years for the Brookside Christian girls (25-3), who won three consecutive section banners from 2012-14 before running into Sacramento-Bradshaw Christian March 7. The Knights lost 74-62 in the Division IV championship, stunned and hurt as an upset No. 1 seed.

“They understand, they know what’s at-stake,” Brookside Christian coach Pico Wilburn said of his veteran players. “They’ve played a lot of basketball over the years; they know what it takes to achieve their goals.”

Wilburn said No. 1 Santa Rosa-Cardinal Newman (26-6) — the Knights’ Division IV semifinal opponent today at 6 p.m. — has a heck of a leader and former player in coach Monica Mertle. And, although they may not get as much statewide love as some other programs, they’re deserving.

“They’re one to be reckoned with. You may not hear a lot about them, but they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t (great),” Wilburn said.

Brookside Christian junior Aarion McDonald has been untouchable in six playoff games — four Sac-Joaquin Section and two NorCal — averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds, nine steals and seven assists.

RAMS ON THE BRINK

St. Mary’s girls basketball (31-1), the top seed in the NorCal Open Division, faces fourth-seeded San Francisco-Sacred Heart Cathedral (18-10) at 7 p.m. today at Delta College. The Rams routed Modesto Christian 90-65 in the quarterfinals, led by sophomore Naje Murray’s 15 points. St. Mary’s has won seven state championships, but never in the Open Division.

The No. 4 St. Mary’s boys squad (23-8) travels to top-seeded Sacramento (27-5) for a Division II semifinal at 7 p.m. today. Sacramento and St. Mary’s both lost to Modesto Christian in the Division II section playoffs.

Evan Madill, the Rams’ junior guard, devastated Dublin in the quarterfinals at Morelli Gym, pouring out a career-high 31 points behind seven 3-pointers in the 83-72 win.

T’WOLVES MAKING HISTORY

It’s been a year of firsts for Sierra and 15th-year coach Scott Thomason. The Timberwolves won their first section championship, 67-51 over Valley Oak League foe Weston Ranch on March 6, and their first state playoff game, 65-57 over San Francisco-Riordan at home Saturday. Thomason, son of former longtime Pacific coach Bob Thomason, has 299 career wins.

So call it playing with house money, or uncharted territory, but No. 3 Sierra (30-2) is on a new stage today by playing at second-seeded Moraga-Campolindo (26-4) in a 7 p.m. semifinal.

Hunter Johnson and Jess Spivey, both 6-foot-4 forwards, took over against Riordan when 6-8 senior Joshua Patton sat with foul trouble. They combined for eight of the final 10 points in the third quarter, and the Timberwolves finished the job in the fourth.