The first week and a half of the CIF Basketball Championships has been an absolute whirlwind, with tons of great games and storylines slipping through the cracks as the entire state has been dazzled by four rounds of games in the blink of an eye. With a bit of a breather before the finals, here’s a look at how the last few days shook out.
Open Division
Quarterfinals
(3) De La Salle 48, (6) Weston Ranch 42
Thomas Gregorios scored 16 points as the Spartans jumped out to a 16-point lead and held on late after Gavin Wilburn (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Donjae’ Lindsey (12 points) sparked a comeback for the Cougars.
(4) Modesto Christian 66, (5) Mitty 48
A young and undersized Mitty team was outclassed in the Central Valley on Wednesday night, with UC Davis commit Aaron Murphy scoring 16 and freshman Devin Day adding 12 for the host Crusaders. The Monarchs got 20 from Marcus Greene and 10 from sophomore Michael Mitchell.
Semifinals
(2) Sheldon 60, (3) De La Salle 53
Balance was key for the Huskies, with 17 points from Xavier Brown, 13 from Justin Nguyen, 10 from Marcus Bagley and nine from Kaito Williams. De La Salle got 17 from Tim Kostolansky, 15 from Thomas Gregorios and 13 from freshman Jeremiah Dargan.
(4) Modesto Christian 56, (1) Salesian 55
The Crusaders handed the Pride their lone loss of the year, leading by as much as seven in the fourth quarter to do so. Aaron Murphy scored 19 points and Dathan Satchell added 10, while Salesian got 15 from JoVon McClanahan and 13 from Te’jon Sawyer.
Championship
(2) Sheldon 58, (4) Modesto Christian 48
18 points from Justin Nguyen and 10 apiece from Marcus Bagley and Kaito Williams led the Huskies to a second win over Modesto Christian, this one far more comfortable than the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship. The Crusaders got 11 points from Aaron Murphy, but points were hard to come by for the visitors.
Division I
First Round
(3) Clovis West 69, (14) Menlo-Atherton 53
After leading by eight at halftime, the Golden Eagles broke the game open with a 22-8 third quarter. Alex Villi led the hosts with 22 points, including 17 in the first half, while Cole Anderson scored seven of his 15 in the decisive third quarter. James Beckwith made his final high school game a memorable one, leading the Bears with 20 points.
(6) Moreau Catholic 96, (11) Bellarmine 90, 2 OT
In one of the wildest games of the year, Max Anderson split a pair of free throws with a tenth of a second left in regulation to force overtime. A late steal and layup by Kiran Kruse, who led the Bells with 23 points, sent the game to a second overtime, in which the Mariners put the game away with free throws. Anderson, Amil Fields and David Hector each scored 17 for Moreau, while Leonard Turner led all scorers with 28. Bellarmine also got 21 points from Quinn Denker and 17 from Ian Elam.
(9) Folsom 68, (8) Riordan 64
A balanced attack lifted the Bulldogs to a road win, with seven players scoring at least seven points. Power forward DeShawn Lynch scored 12 points, as did Tiler Fears off the bench. Folsom also got 10 points from freshman point guard Malik Rose and nine from Cameron Wall, while Bryce Monroe led all scorers with 25. Riordan also got 13 from Je’Lani Clark and 11 from Chime Ugbaja.
(10) Sacred Heart Cathedral 65, (7) Bullard 64, OT
The Irish continued their miraculous run with an overtime victory in Fresno, getting a go-ahead layup from Ray John Jackson after the Knights took the lead in the extra period with a 6-0 run. SHC got 17 points from Cedric Reed Jr., 14 from Kori McCoy, 12 from Jackson and an all-around performance from Oscar Cheng, who had 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Oisin McCormack scored just four points but had 14 boards, five assists and three blocks.
(12) Bishop O’Dowd 57, (5) San Leandro 54
After a pair of two-point games in the regular season, it was no surprise that the third meeting between the Dragons and Pirates went down to the wire. This time, it was redemption for O’Dowd senior Will Chavarin, who was called for a late offensive foul to set up Junior Maile’s buzzer beater when the teams met at San Leandro in late January. This time, Chavarin made two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to give the Dragons the win.
(13) San Joaquin Memorial 94, (4) Dublin 80
Superstar junior Jalen Green picked up three fouls in the first seven minutes for the Panthers, then sat the entire rest of the first half, but he scored 32 of his 39 points in the second half to lead his team to a road win. Dublin got 22 points from Robby Beasley and 19 from Elijah Alonso, but Braxton Meah had 22 points and 14 rebounds for Memorial while freshman Joseph Hunter added 17.
Quarterfinals
(1) Logan 71, (9) Folsom 60
Five Colts scored in double-figures, led by Brah’Jon Thompson’s 21. His cousin, Brett, scored 14, as did Gabriel Hawkins, while NCS semifinal hero Tim Oldham and Malcolm Steadman each added 10. DeShawn Lynch scored 11 for the Bulldogs, while Jalen Scott led the visitors with 18.
(2) Branson 52, (10) Sacred Heart Cathedral 47
SHC’s run finally came to an end at the hands of Viktor Rajkovic, who led the Bulls with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Branson controlled the second and fourth quarters in a back-and-forth game to pull out the victory. The Irish got 14 points from Elijah Flowers, nine from Cedric Reed Jr. and eight from Oisin McCormack.
(6) Moreau Catholic 84, (3) Clovis West 79
Balance was the key for the Mariners, who won a second straight high-scoring affair. David Hector led the way with 21 points, Max Anderson and Amil Fields each scored 18 and Leonard Turner added 15.
(12) Bishop O’Dowd 66, (13) San Joaquin Memorial 61
Jalen Green battled foul trouble for a second straight game, and he was held to just 19 points as the Dragons topped his Panthers. O’Dowd got 18 points from Monty Bowser, 15 from Will Chavarin, 14 from Iniko McNeil and nine points and nine rebounds from Marsalis Roberson off the bench. Freshman Joseph Hunter scored 14 for Memorial, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter.
Semifinals
(1) Logan 73, (12) Bishop O’Dowd 61
A back-and-forth affair finally tilted the way of the Colts in the fourth quarter, with an 11-0 run finally breaking the game open. Logan got 16 points apiece from cousins Brah’Jon and Brett Thompson, as well as 16 from Malcolm Steadman. Tim Oldham added 13, while the Dragons got 15 from Will Chavarin and 10 from Ryzon Norris.
(2) Branson 68, (6) Moreau Catholic 44
With the Mariners worn out from a double-overtime game and a trip to Fresno earlier in the week, Branson jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back, getting 28 points and 17 rebounds from Viktor Rajkovic while the defense was dominant as usual. Peyton Mullarkey added 10 for the Bulls, Will Jacobsen scored nine and Kwentyn Wiggins racked up 10 assists, while Moreau got 13 points from Chris Rendon-Ibarra and nine from Leonard Turner.
Championship
(1) Logan 54, (2) Branson 49
The Bulls did a great job of controlling the pace and keeping the game tight, but Logan advanced to a second state championship game in three years behind 17 points from Malcolm Steadman and 15 from Brah’Jon Thompson. Branson got 20 points from Viktor Rajkovic, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and 14 from Kwentyn Wiggins.
Division II
First Round
(1) St. Mary’s-Stockton 73, (16) Carmel 56
Carson Simi scored 31 points, Bryce Johnson scored 23 and Jamar Marshall added 16 as the Rams held off a valiant effort from the Padres, finally pulling away in the fourth quarter.
(2) Campolindo 69, (15) Oak Ridge 56
Emmanuel Callas scored 18 points, Aidan and Carter Mahaney each scored 16 and Jake Chan added 12 to offset 17 points from Drake Middleton and 12 from Jacob Brown.
(3) Grant 68, (14) St. Francis 62
Roy Yuan scored 32 points in his final high school game, but the Lancers couldn’t come all the way back after getting behind by 18. Oscar Pedraza scored 14.
(5) Pleasant Valley 57, (12) Rio Americano 45
Tyler Otterlei scored 19 for the defending state champs, Treyson Keating added 12 and sophomore Aaron Gomez scored nine as the Vikings led for all but the opening minutes.
(6) St. Joseph Notre Dame 55, (11) St. Ignatius 42
20 turnovers doomed the Wildcats as the Pilots closed the first half on a 12-0 run to take a 38-31 lead, which they held the rest of the way.
(7) Sacramento 55, (10) Albany 53
Bill Treseler’s Cougars did a tremendous job slowing the high-flying Dragons, but the hosts did just enough to emerge victorious.
(9) Serra 60, (8) St. Patrick-St. Vincent 53
Cade Rees scored 19 points and Antonio Abeyta hit key back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter as the Padres picked up a road victory despite 20 points from Akil Edwards.
(13) Rocklin 83, (4) Clovis North 72
The Thunder led by nine at half and 14 after three quarters, making the long trip a worthwhile one with an impressive offensive display.
Quarterfinals
(2) Campolindo 74, (7) Sacramento 72 (OT)
Carter Mahaney made two of three free throws with 0.7 seconds left to force overtime, then made a contested layup with two seconds left in the extra period to send the Dragons packing. Sacramento had tied it on a deep 3-pointer by Miles Lewis, who scored 18 points. Izayah Talmadge scored 20 for the visitors and Micah Scott-Kelley had 10, while Emmanuel Callas and Aidan Mahaney, Carter’s freshman brother, each scored 22 for the Cougars, while Carter finished with 18.
(3) Grant 66, (6) St. Joseph Notre Dame 58 (OT)
Julian Vaughns scored 34 in his final high school game, but the Pacers tied the game on a David Jones basket with 14 seconds left and went on to outscore SJND 10-2 in overtime to win.
(9) Serra 62, (1) St. Mary’s-Stockton 57
The Padres jumped out to a 17-6 lead and held on late, winning behind 19 points from Parker McDonald, 16 from Cade Rees and 11 from Antonio Abeyta. Bryce Johnson led all scorers with 23, and the Rams also got 21 from star junior Jamar Marshall.
(13) Rocklin 65, (5) Pleasant Valley 62
The Thunder erased a seven-point deficit in the final 90 seconds, taking the lead on a Donovan Lopez 3-pointer and getting two Cory Gohl free throws to provide the final margin. Lopez scored 15 for Rocklin, while Treyson Keating led Pleasant Valley with 25.
Semifinals
(2) Campolindo 53, (3) Grant 51
After Carter Mahaney came through late in Thursday’s win over Sacramento, it was his brother’s turn to take the reins on Saturday. Aidan hit a pair of threes in the fourth quarter to lead the Cougars to the win in yet another tight game, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Carter scored 16, David Ahazie added 13 and Emmanuel Callas finished with 10, while Corey Yerger led the Pacers with 15.
(9) Serra 70, (13) Rocklin 46
With a 19-2 run to start the game, the Padres led by double-digits the entire way, getting tremendous offensive balance to eliminate the Thunder. Parker McDonald scored 19 for a third consecutive game, Dominic Bartlewski had a career-high 14, Cooper Fitz finished with 10 and Antonio Abeyta added nine. Evan Terry led Rocklin with 19 and Darrius Kendall had 13.
Championship
(2) Campolindo 59, (9) Serra 38
The Cougars did what very few teams can and blew Serra off the court. Carter Mahaney scored 18, Aidan Mahaney added 16, David Ahazie scored 10 and Emmanuel Callas added nine as Campolindo left little doubt in front of a jam-packed home crowd. Cade Rees led the Padres with 16.
Division III
First Round
(1) Redwood 55, (16) Santa Cruz 38
Shutdown defense and 15 points from Brandon Radu carried the Giants to a first-round victory. Santa Cruz got 10 points from Zavier Hill-Kemp and nine from Makai Norman, while Miles Squires and Jake Matthews each finished with 11 for the hosts
(3) University 50, (14) Piedmont Hills 31
While Kezar Pavilion is traditionally the site of crazy games, there was little drama in the opening round as Max Fried scored 13 points to lead the Red Devils to a convincing win.
(4) Stuart Hall 60, (13) Leland 41
The Knights were able to wash the taste of their NCS Championship defeat out of their mouths by shutting Leland down. Nigel Burris scored 17 for Stuart Hall and Miles Amos finished with 16.
(7) Fortuna 85, (10) Liberty Ranch 77
The Willis brothers paced the Huskies, with Donald scoring 23 and Bradley putting up 20 in an up-tempo matchup. Fortuna also got 21 from Drew Gillette and 12 from Zac Claus. Liberty Ranch had five scorers in double-digits, with Jalen Patterson scoring 25, though he needed 37 shots to do it. The Hawks got 16 from Isaac Padilla, 13 from Josh Seiler, 12 from Jayden Baroni and 11 from Jaime Gonzalez.
(8) Monterey 69, (9) Manteca 64
The Adam brothers outdid Manteca’s Victor brothers. Mohammed Adam led the Toreadores with 26 and Mohanid added 13, while Tahjae Ordonio dropped in 20 for a Monterey team that took control with a 21-8 third quarter. Domonick Victor led all scorers with 27, and the Buffaloes also got 15 from Jorge Cedano.
(11) Mountain View 54, (6) Central Catholic 48 (OT)
The Spartans earned their first-ever state tournament win in dramatic fashion, with Sam Tobin scoring 23 and Jailen Daniel-Dalton adding 12 to help erase an early 27-8 deficit. Mountain View outscored the Raiders 7-1 in overtime, with all the points in the extra period coming on free throws.
(12) Palo Alto 68, (5) Sonora 62
A raucous home crowd and 32 points from Austin Patterson wasn’t enough to stop the Vikings, who got 29 bench points between Jamir Shepard (16) and Anthony Yu (13). Marvin Zou dropped in 14 Matt Marzano scored 13, while Alvin Calindas scored 11 for the Wildcats.
(15) Foothill-Palo Cedro 62, (2) Las Lomas 58
J.T. Estes went out with a bang, scoring 28 points, but the Cougars made the long trip a worthwhile one as Josiah Palumbo scored 24 and Josiah Hutt added 12. The visitors also got nine from Bekdoo Lewis in the first half, while Luke Lindsey scored all eight of his in Foothill’s 22-point first quarter.
Quarterfinals
(3) University 61, (11) Mountain View 57 (2 OT)
With University’s penchant for crazy games at Kezar and Mountain View coming off an overtime win in the prior round, it’s no surprise two extra periods were needed for the Red Devils to take down the Spartans. Max Fried had 15 points and 18 rebounds, including a drive to the hoop to tie the game at the end of the fourth quarter after Mountain View had come back to take the lead. Charley Moore also chipped in 15 for the Red Devils, Charlie Kennedy scored 10 and Christian Heng had nine, while the Spartans got 20 from superstar Sam Tobin and 14 from Jack Resnick, who saved his highest single-game output for the last stand of his high school career. Jake Pappas finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
(8) Monterey 51, (1) Redwood 48
Playing one of the most physical opponents they’d see and staring at a 12-point deficit in the third quarter wouldn’t stop the Toreadores, who took the lead for good on a Tahjae Ordonio putback with 32 seconds left. Ordonio scored 10, Mohammed Adam had 14 and was instrumental in bringing Monterey back from down double-digits, while Mohanid Adam chipped in 13. Redwood’s season came to an end despite 13 points and eight rebounds from Jake Matthews, 11 points from Brandon Radu and an eight-point, 11-rebound showing from Jack Gerson.
(12) Palo Alto 56, (4) Stuart Hall 52
Stuart Hall was able to erase a 12-point deficit in the second half, but the Vikings never let the Knights take the lead, with Jackson Chryst scoring all nine of his points in the fourth quarter. Miles Amos scored 24 in his final high school game, while sophomore Nigel Burris added 11. Palo Alto got 16 from Matt Marzano and 12 from Jamir Shepard.
(15) Foothill 58, (7) Fortuna 56
Comebacks were the theme all around the second round in Division III, and the northernmost game was no exception. Foothill rallied from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter, getting 23 points from Luke Lindsey and 18 from Josiah Hutt. A Hutt 3-pointer with 30 seconds left gave the Cougars the lead. Fortuna got 20 from Bradley Willis, 13 from Drew Gillette, 12 from Zac Claus and nine from Donald Willis, all seniors playing in the final game of their careers.
Semifinals
(3) University 69, (15) Foothill 63 (2 OT)
The Red Devils once again prevailed in two overtimes, with 22 points from Charley Moore to win a grueling battle that was ultimately decided by free throws. Josiah Hutt scored a game-high 25 for Foothill.
(8) Monterey 55, (12) Palo Alto 52
Monterey’s longest playoff run in program history continued thanks to Mohammed Adam, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to save his team after coming back from down 15. Adam scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, while his brother, Mohanid, finished with 14. Evans Charles added 10 for the Toreadores, while Palo Alto got 17 from Marvin Zou and 13 from Matt Marzano.
Championship
(3) University 44, (8) Monterey 41
The Toreadores would try to pull off yet another double-digit comeback, but this time, University’s defense was just a bit too much. Charley Moore scored 15 points for the hosts and Max Fried added 14 to send the Red Devils to their second state championship game in five years, while Monterey got 13 points from Tahjae Ordonio and 10 from Evans Charles. 20 of the Toreadores’ 41 points came in the fourth quarter.
Division IV
First Round
(1) St. Mary’s-Albany 63, (16) Enterprise 51
The top-seeded Panthers outscored the visitors by 15 in the second half. Freshman DeMarreya Lewis-Cooper scored 16 for the Hornets, while Khristian Clements added 13.
(2) Piedmont 62, (15) Aptos 46
Luke Barrett set a new career high with 30 points and the Highlanders used a key 14-0 run in the second half to oust the visiting Mariners. Hunter Matys scored 15 for the visitors, while Logan Feldbrugge and Max Pepperdine each added nine.
(3) University Prep 46, (14) Ripon 42
Jordan Miller led the host Panthers with 17 points, while Kaden and Trevor Jones each added 10.
(5) Immanuel 67, (12) Leigh 57
22 points from Kaleb Daglish, 19 from Winston Williams and 16 from Jordan Rodriguez paced the Eagles, who broke a 25-25 halftime tie by scoring 22 in the third quarter.
(6) Wood 56, (11) West Valley 50
20 points from Angelo Harris, 16 from Ricky Hamilton-Holland and nine from Landon Seaman lifted the host Wildcats to victory, while Sean Proscher led West Valley with 17. The Eagles also got 15 from Logan Scholberg, all on 3-pointers.
(8) Mission 56, (9) West Campus 51
Ben Knight scored 19 points, Andre Villarino dropped in 11 and sophomore Matt Cohn added nine as the Bears turned an early nine-point deficit into a 12-point lead en route to a win at Kezar Pavilion. West Campus got 18 points from Fred Burton and 17 from Quincy Taylor, both juniors.
(10) Cupertino 56, (7) Oakland Tech 55
Unfazed after an early 11-0 deficit, the Pioneers rallied to win on John Duan’s late 3-pointer, capping off his 19-point performance. Jack Townsend scored a game-high 22 for Cupertino, while Jacob Harris scored 16 for the host Bulldogs and Tejaun Hale finished with 13.
(13) Brookside Christian 63, (4) Carlmont 58
The Knights wouldn’t falter after squandering a late 11-point lead, getting a go-ahead and-1 from Geronimo Rubio-De La Rosa with 37 seconds left. He scored a game-high 26 for Brookside Christian, while Jake Kennedy led Carlmont with 18. The Scots also got 11 from Sammy Bean, who tied it on a reverse layup with just under a minute left. Sho Takahashi added 10 and Lajuan Nelson finished with nine for the hosts.
Quarterfinals
(2) Piedmont 46, (10) Cupertino 31
Jack Townsend’s 14 points made up nearly half of Cupertino’s scoring as the Pioneers were felled by a stingy Piedmont defense.
(5) Immanuel 74, (13) Brookside Christian 69
The Eagles continued their high-flying ways at home, with 24 points from Jordan Rodriguez and 22 from Winston Williams. Sophomore Shawn Rodgers scored 12 and Kaleb Daglish added 11 for an Immanuel team that scored at least 15 points in every quarter.
(6) Wood 51, (3) University Prep 36
Balance was key for the Wildcats, who got 10 points from Tyrell Grady and Ricky Hamilton-Holland. Wood also got eight from Angelo Harris, Jeremiah Jones and Landon Seaman.
(8) Mission 75, (1) St. Mary’s-Albany 72
The Bears trailed by as much as 17 in the third quarter, but Ben Knight wasn’t letting his career come to an end just yet. His game-high 29 points propelled Mission to a remarkable comeback, and the visitors also got 12 points from both David Sonnier and Jaraughn Torno. Everett Banks came off the bench to score 21 for the Panthers, while Jason Roche finished with 20 and Alhaji Jalloh-Granberry, another reserve, added nine.
Semifinals
(5) Immanuel 88, (8) Mission 86 (2 OT)
A memorable 42-point performance by Ben Knight kept the Bears in the game the whole way, but Joseph Rodriguez scored 11 of his 28 across the two overtime periods for the host Eagles. Winston Williams finished with 22 for Immanuel despite scoring just seven in the first three quarters. Mission made just 13 of 27 free throws, with Knight going 10-for-21. David Sonnier and Andre Villarino each scored 12 for the Bears, while the hosts got 16 from Kaleb Daglish and 15 from Shawn Rodgers.
(6) Wood 56, (2) Piedmont 50
Wood reached the NorCal finals for the first time behind 15 points from Angelo Harris, 14 from Jeremiah Jones, 12 from Ricky Hamilton-Holland and 10 from Landon Seaman.
Championship
(5) Immanuel 60, (6) Wood 48
The Eagles finally got over the hump to advance to the state championship, getting 16 points from Shawn Rodgers, 14 from fellow sophomore Winston Williams and 13 from Joseph Rodriguez. Wood’s Jeremiah Jones led all scorers with 25, while Kaleb Daglish added nine for Immanuel.
Division V
First Round
(1) Mt. Shasta 89, (16) Ripon Christian 57
Jacob Van Groningen scored 12 points while Cade Alger and William Gilbert each scored 11, but the Knights were overwhelmed by the host Bears.
(2) Dinuba 74, (15) Sacramento Adventist 60
Luke Rodriguez’s 32-point outburst and a 17-3 third quarter powered the host Emperors to victory. Jamison Collins led the Capitals with 23, Bryson Collins added 18 and sophomore Breckin Beaman scored 13.
(3) Clear Lake 61, (14) McClymonds 56
The visiting Warriors wouldn’t go down without a fight, but T.J. Talamoni-Marcks scored 17, Jaron Mertle added 16 and Rodrigo Lupercio chipped in 10 in the winning effort.
(4) Eastside 57, (13) Williams 34
Isaiah Saams-Hoy led the Panthers in scoring, as usual, but he scored just 17 as part of a balanced attack. Three sophomores helped take some of the load off his back, with Raymond Reece scoring 14 and Million Jackson and Xavier Nance adding 11 apiece. Danny Hernandez led the Yellowjackets with 13.
(6) Lincoln 78, (11) Durham 40
A 20-8 third quarter helped the Mustangs turn the game into a rout as they played a far smoother game than their AAA Championship defeat to Mission.
(7) Argonaut 65, (10) Paradise 56
A 20-8 first quarter got the reigning NorCal champs off on the right foot, and they held their ground the rest of the way.
(8) Pierce 79, (9) Hoopa Valley 75
Sophomore Justin Mathews scored 20 points as the hosts came from behind with a 20-10 fourth quarter. The host Bears also got 19 points from Jonathan Corchado and 16 from Eduardo Paiz, another sophomore, but the game won’t be remembered for Pierce’s 16-point comeback. Instead, it was marked by a postgame altercation that sent an 83-year-old man to the hospital. It was rumored that Pierce’s principal was involved in the altercation, but such reports could not be confirmed. Hoopa Valley got a game-high 24 points from George Navarro, 17 from Wade Nixon and 11 from Dennis Young.
(12) Nueva 79, (5) Liberty 66
The Mavericks’ first state tournament appearance in program history started with a successful trip to the Central Valley, punctuated by a ridiculous 33-5 third quarter. Kyle McGraw led Nueva with 28 points, while his freshman brother, Connor, added 20. Liberty got 27 from Makani Whiteside and 12 from Nathanael Samarin, but the Hawks’ 10-point halftime lead quickly evaporated.
Quarterfinals
(1)Mt. Shasta 69, (8) Pierce 55
Tristan Ellerbe scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers to lead the hosts to victory. In a battle of Bears versus Bears, Pierce got 20 points from Justin Mathews, 11 from Jonathan Corchado and 10 from Eduardo Paiz.
(2) Dinuba 62, (7) Argonaut 49
Luke Rodriguez put together another huge performance for the Emperors, this time scoring 28 as Dinuba outscored the Mustangs 21-11 in the fourth to break away after three tight quarters.
(4) Eastside 54, (12) Nueva 51
Raymond Reece racked up 19 points and 12 rebounds while Isaiah Saams-Hoy had 12 points and 10 boards as the Panthers pulled out a third win over Nueva. The Mavericks got 13 points from Jeremy Dumalig and 11 from Kyle McGraw.
(6) Lincoln 76, (3) Clear Lake 58
The host Cardinals kept trying to climb back in after Lincoln opened up multiple double-digit leads, but a late 12-0 run would finally put the game away. The Mustangs got 24 points from Shakur Blaylock, 16 from freshman point guard Jordan Aquino, 11 from Gabino Valdivia and nine from Pajri Samhi. Jaron Mertle led the hosts with 14, T.J. Talamoni-Marcks added 12 and Darius Ford finished with 11.
Semifinals
(1) Mt. Shasta 87, (4) Eastside 79 (OT)
The Panthers erased a late eight-point deficit, but it was the host Bears who managed to pull away in overtime to extend their dream season.
(2) Dinuba 78, (6) Lincoln 73 (OT)
Luke Rodriguez’s corner three in the final seconds of regulation sent the game to overtime after the Emperors saw a 14-point lead slip away over five minutes. Rodriguez scored a game-high 23, while Lincoln got 19 from Joseph Fox and 13 from Shakur Blaylock.
Championship
(1) Mt. Shasta 80, (2) Dinuba 56
A 28-10 third quarter helped the host Bears pull away, fueled by brothers Kole and Kaden Riccomini. Kole scored 26 while Kaden scored 20, while Jett Snure added 12 to help extend Mt. Shasta’s winning streak to 28 games. Josh Magana got off to an unreal start for the Emperors, hitting six 3-pointers in the first quarter, but things would turn to the hosts in the second half.
