Live! CIF State Basketball Championships Friday

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California state basketball basketball championships — boys and girls — for Divisions 1, 3 and 5. Until games take place, enjoy the previews to each game.

Division I
Monte Vista (Danville) 66, Centennial (Corona) 56

A long journey for a senior-laden Monte Vista team ended with a title win keyed by long-distance shooting.

Trevor John made six of his team’s 11 3-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points as the Mustangs (32-1) delivered a Division I championship win over Centennial-Corona Friday at Sleep Train Arena.

While the Mustangs drilled 11 of their first 13 3-point attempts, Centennial, a team filled with quickness and shooters, finished a paltry 2 of 18 on 3s and shot just 16 of 57 from the field for the game. It was the Huskies low point total of the year.



Monte Vista’s lock-down defense held Centennial (29-4) 17 below its season average while winning its first state title in any sport and 14th straight game to end one of the finest boys basketball seasons in Bay Area history.

Grant Jackson had 12 points and Brendan Pedley drilled three 3-pointers for the winners, which shot 46 percent and made 19 of 27 free throws. 

“Yes, it was a magical season and that first state banner in the Monte Vista gym is going to look awfully sweet,” said Monte Vista coach Nick Jones, a graduate of the school in his second year as head coach.

John, a Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo signee was hot from the start, drilling back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game. That definitely set the tone.

“It calmed us down is what it did,” Jones said. “We were pretty amped but that totally settled us down on both sides of the court.”

But the end of the quarter, he had hit three more by the end of the quarter and the Mustangs had a 20-12 lead.



His sixth 3-pointer, which tied the state D1 record, gave Monte Vista a 26-13 lead early in the second quarter before Centennial, got its pace to the frantic pace it likes. It rattled off nine straight points to close to 26-22.

But Monte Vista, home of Warriors’ GM Bob Myers, extended the lead to 35-28 by halftime. Centennial, which got 16 points from Sedrick Barefield and 14 each by Deontae North and Jordan Griffin, never got within nine.

Most prep players struggle on 3-poiners at Sleep Train, but John made 6 of 9.

“The basket is still 10 feet high and the 3-point lines are still the same,” John said. “I just blocked everything out. …To win the first state title is fantastic, but to win it with all my best friends is the very best.” 

It was a disappointing loss to a fantastic season for Centennial, which could only put together one significant run all night.

"It's hard to get into your press when you're not making shots," Centennial coach Ben Roberts said. "We were definitely surprised how well they shot the ball from the perimeter. But that's basketball. Sometimes you just get hot."



Monte Vista 66, Centennial 55

CENTENNIAL (29-4)
Sedrick Barefield 5-20 6-6 16, Deontae North 3-11 5-7 14, Khalil Ahmad 2-7 1-1 5, Jordan Griffin 5-10 1-2 14, Kyle Hamilton 1-4 3-4 10, Marcus Ford 0-4 1-2 1. Totals 16-57 18-21 55.

MONTE VISTA (32-1)
Trevor John 7-13 6-9 23, Brendan Pedley 3-6 3-5 9, Grant Jackson 1-5 10-15 12, Rishi Satoor 2-3 1-17, Spencer Rust 2-5 4-4 8, Stefan Mitu 1-3 1-1 3, Wilson LaShells 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 18-39 19-27 66.

Centennial    12  16   6  21 – 55
Monte Vista  20  15  16 15 — 66

3-point goals: Centennial 2-18 (North, Griffin), Monte Vista 11-16 (John 6, Pedley 3, Satoor, Mitu). Rebounds: Centennial 36 (Hamilton 10), Monte Vista 38 (LaShaells 7). Turnovers: Centennial 11, Monte Vista 17.

Preview
Win streaks: Centennial 4, Monte Vista 13
State record: Centennial 0-0, Monte Vista 0-1
Points per game (allowed): Centennial 76.3 (59.7), Monte Vista 60.4 (43.3)
Terrific trios: Centennial — G Sedrick Barefield, F Deontae North, G Jordan Griffin. Monte Vista — G Trevor John, C Spencer Rust, G Brendan Pedley
Notes: Centennial has just two seniors on a 13-man roster, Monte Vista starts five seniors. … Centennial, known for its powerhouse football teams, has won 17 of 18. … The most points MV has allowed is 59, which is 17 points lower than Centennial averages.
Predicted winner: Centennial Click next page to see Division III state boys title {PAGEBREAK}Division III
Chaminade (West Hills) 71, Drake (San Anselmo) 51
The dream season of Drake (26-7) came to an close due to a nightmarish shooting night (12 of 49) and a superlative effort by 6-2 guard Michael Oguine who finished with game highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds.

The Pirates, who rose from the ninth seed to take its third NorCal title, appeared to get a break when Chaminade’s top player and scorer, Long Beach State-bound Jack Williams, was diagnosed with mononucleosis late in the week and missed the game.



Oguine picked up the slack by connecting on 10 field goals, including three 3-pointers and five putbacks. Oguine was responsible for getting Chaminade (27-6) to the state finals with a 3-point buzzer beater in the regional final.

Jesse Hunt led Drake with 16 points and 13 rebounds, but he managed just 2 of 14 shots. Malik Huff added 10 points.

“(Oguine) was pretty phenomenal,” Drake coach Doug Donnellan said. “He plays much bigger than he is. “

Chaminade coach Todd Wolfson can back up.

“He’s unbelievable,” Wolfson said of Oguine. “He’s accepted criticism early in the year and improved from level 1 through 5.”

The Eagles got plenty of other contributions without Williams, who averages 16.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.



Trevor Stanback, a 6-10 sophomore, effected many of the missed shots and had four blocks. He also had 12 points and eight rebounds. Justin Eisen added 15 points.

Jake Porath added six points and eight rebounds and Max Tinsley grabbed seven rebounds in just 15 minutes.

“Kids are unbelievable,” Wolfson said. “They did a great job of keeping Jack’s illness hush-hush. You don’t want to give the other team any extra time to prepare. They went out and won the game for Jack.”

Said Oguine: “Coach talked about stepping up for Jack. We know he wanted to play.”

And boy did they. Especially in transition. And on the glass. The Eagles had 17 offensive rebounds and 53 overall. Drake had 33 rebounds total.

“The difference in the game is that when we turned it over they made us pay,” Donnellan. “When we turned them over we just couldn’t finish.”



Despite the frustrating afternoon, an enthusiastic student body of more than 500 cheered to the end. When little-used Campbell Yamane made two free throws with 7.6 seconds left, the Drake faithful let out the loudest roar of the game.

“Our community was fantastic through our entire run,” Donnellan said. “Win or lose, they were going to let us know they loved us.”

Chaminade 71, Drake 51

CHAMINADE (27-6)
Jordan Ogundiran 1-5 2-2 4, Justin Eisen 5-11 2-4 15, Michael Oguine 10-22 3-3 26, Trevor Stanback 4-6 4-5 12, Jake Porath 2-6 1-2 6, Daniel Holcomb 1-3 0-0 3, Max Tinsley 0-3 1-2 1, Dylan Cuenca 0-2 2-2 2, Justin Brown 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-60 15-20 71.

DRAKE (26-8)
Malik Huff 3-10 2-2 10, Jasper Verduin 3-12 1-2 7, Cade Yongue 2-5 4-6 8, Sam Dines 0-1 0-0 0, Jesse Hunt 2-14 12-19 16, Brandon Vergara 2-6 2-2 7, Campbell Yamane 0-0 2-2 2, Dane Wells 0-0 1-3 1. Totals 12-49 24-36 51.

Centennial 19  16  20  16  - 71
Drake         12  13  17   9  -  51
3-point goals: C 8-23, D 3-11. Rebounds: Chaminade 53 (Oguine 13), Drake (Hunt 13). Assists: Chaminade 8. Drake 6. Turnovers: Chaminade 20, Drake 17. 

Preview
Win streaks: Chaminade 4, Drake 4
State record: Chaminade 0-0, Drake 1-0
Points per game (allowed): Chaminade 62.0 (49.6), Drake 58.7 (52.7)
Terrific trios: Chaminade — Trevor Stanback, F Jack Williams, G Michael Oguine. Drake — G Malik Huff, F Jesse Hunt, F Jasper Verduin.
Notes: Chaminade is the first Southern California school to qualify both boys and girls teams to the state title game since 2012 (Mater Dei). … Oguine made a 25-foot buzzer-beater for a 53-52 regional final win over Santa Margarita. … Drake won the state's first D2 title.
Predicted winner: Chaminade Click here to see D5 boys and wiping out a bad memory {PAGEBREAK} Division V
St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 57, Renaissance Academy (La Canada) 32

The St. Joseph Pilots didn't just wipe out a bad memory. They burned it.



They did it before the game by burning a photo coach Don Lippi had kept of his team sprawled on the floor following a 47-46 loss to Horizon Christian at the buzzer last year after squandering a 7-point lead in the final 25 seconds.

They did it on the court Friday with 61 percent shooting, a ferocious zone defense and 21 points and 16 rebounds from 6-foot-7, 240-pound Long Beach State-bound Temidayo Yussuf who after last year's game was inconsolable. Friday he and his teammates flailed fists and celebrated every basket, perhaps loudest when popular senior reserve Eilijah Fisher scored a late fastbreak basket.

"It's unexplainable," said Yussuf, when asked to express his feelings. "We just knew we wanted to end today with a smile and not a frown."

Spurred also by fiery 66-year-old coach Lippi and a raucous student body, the Pilots (31-5) simply grabbed hold of a title it thought it had secured a year before, shook it, and stymied a team that went scoreless in the second quarter and for a span of more than 11 minutes.

Frankly, Renaissance Academy (24-8) never had a chance or knew what hit them. Not after the Pilots took Lippi's photo and burned it in a trash can before boarding the team bus in Alameda. It was a symbolic gesture Lippi is known to do.

"We burned it to erase a game 12 months ago," Lippi said. "Now we need a new picture."



Friday's will be one of joy and celebration for the Pilots, who got 14 points on 7 of 9 shooting - all from the paint - by 6-4, 220-pound junior Lamont Banks.

Esteban Lovato and impressive freshman Jade' Smith combined for 14 points for the winners, who worked the ball constantly inside. The Pilots took only four free throws, less than the six they missed in the final minute last year.

Renaissance Academy, which closed within 20 only three times in the fourth quarter, bot 12 points from Marquise Mosley and 10 by KJ Okmanas.

Wildcats' coach Sid Cooke said his young team was simply in over their head against the more experienced Pilots.

"They had players in that had played in this game two and three times," Cooke said. "It showed. They played with poise. They earned it. We could have played better but I'm not sure it would have mattered. Nobody expected us to be here."

Asked how long it took to get over last year's loss, and the Long Beach State-bound Yussef said: "Until today, that's how long."



St. Joseph 57, Renaissance Academy 32

RENAISSANCE ACADEMY (24-8)
K.J. Okmanas 2-8 4-4 10, Alex Mkrtchyan 0-4 0-0 0, Marty Gaizauskas 2-6 0-0 4, Marquise Mosley 5-14 2-7 12, Steve Herve 1-6 4-4 6, Kosta Jankovic 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 10-40 10-15 32.

ST. JOSEPH (31-5)
Jade Smith 3-6 0-0 6, Esteban Lovato 3-3 1-1 8, Marcus Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Lamont Banks 7-9 0-0 14, Temidayo Yussuf 10-18 1-1 21, JEllijah Fisher 1-1 0-0 2, Miles Harris 2-4 0-1 2, Darne Duckett 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-44 2-4 57.

RA       8   0   8  16  -  32
SJ      16 13 12  16  - 57

3-point goals: RA 2-18, SJ 1-3. Rebounding: RA 16 (Herve 6), SJ 36 (Yussuf 16). Assists: RA 2, SJ 9 (Harris 4). Turnovers: RA 10, SJ 14. 

Preview
Win streaks: RA 12, SJ 13
State record: RA 0-1, St. Joseph 4-5
Points per game (allowed): RA 60.1 (44.8), SJ 58.2 (46.6)
Terrific trios: Renaissance Academy — F Steve Herve, G Marquise Mosley, G Marty Gaizauskas. St. Joseph Notre Dame — F Temidayo Yussuf G Marcus Harris, F Lamont Banks
Notes: RA lost its only state game to Branson (Ross), 40-33 in 2008. … Mosley hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in a 58-55 win over View Park in the regional final. … SJND has won three straight, 4 of 5 and 6 of 8 NorCal titles. … Yussuf, a 6-7 forward, averages 23 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Predicted winner: St. Joseph Notre Dame Please click ahead to see the girls' action, leading with Canyon Springs' first state title {PAGEBREAK}
Division I girls
Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) 56, Pleasant Grove 30

It wasn’t particularly pretty, but Canyon Springs’ first state championship victory was worthy of a tiara.

Canyon Springs coach Gail Hale is known as a disciplined, loud, no frills sort, so she promised her girls if they won the state title she would wear a bright princess crown for the rest of the day.



So after the decisive win, behind 24 points from Cheyenne Greenhouse and 10 points and 17 rebounds by Charnea Johnson Chapman, Hale and her staff sported kept their promise.

They wore the crowns during post-game interviews and Hale said she planned to wear it until midnight. Or if she turned into a toad.

“A promise is a promise,” said Hale, whose team improved to 25-6. “And a championship is a championship. ... We had a chat at halftime and the girls responded.”

Did they ever, outscoring the upstart Eagles 19-8 in the third quarter and 16-7 in the fourth.

After making just 7 of 27 shots in the first half, the Cougars made half of their 28 shots in the second. Kimari Hollis added 12 points.

So what did the chat entail?



“Actually, we never just chat,” Hale said. “All my halftime talks are pretty stern. But the girls really played hard and executed.”

The Cougars turned the ball over just 14 times, got five blocks from Johnson-Chapman, a 6-1 junior, and limited Pleasant Grove to 22 percent shooting (11 of 50) while forcing 20 turnovers.

They also got superb interior defense by Johnson-Chapman, who contributed five blocks.

“Before halftime, we were doing more things wrong than right and yet we still had a lead,” Johnson-Chapman said. “If we could just turn those things around, we’d be in real good shape.”

Pleasant Grove (25-10), which won its first regional title over heavily favored Berkeley despite being the 12 seed, Got eight points from Brittany Nguyen, who also had a game-high three assists. Teammate Dominique Buckor came off the bench and played 14 minutes but grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Canyon Springs 56, Pleasanton Grove 30

CANYON SPRINGS (25-6)
Cheyenne Greenhouse 9-24 6-7 24, Brianne Cheatum 1-3 2-4 4, Charnea Johnson Chapman 4-10 2-4 10, Kimari Hollis 4-7 1-1 12, Chaiaha Scott 1-5 0-0 2, Brittan Chestu 1-2 0-0 2, Kennedy Williams 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-55 11-16 56.

PLEASANT GROVE (24-10)
Brittany Nguyen 3-7 0-0 8, Aaliyah Pena 2-9 2-4 6, Kim Schmeltz 3-13 0-0 6, Samantha Huddleston 1-4 0-0 2, Nicole Nickerson 0-2 3-4 3, Michelle Gorski 1-4 0-1 2, Dominique Buckor 1-4 1-1 3. Totals 11-50 6-10 30.



CS  11  10  19  16  -  56
PG   5   10   8    7    - 30

3-point goals; CS 3-7, PG 2-6. Rebounding: CS 40 (Johnson-Chapman 17), PG 37 (Buckor 9). Turnovers: CS 14, PG 20.

Preview
Win streaks: Canyon Springs 4, Pleasant Grove 4
State record: CS 0-1, PG 0-0
Points per game (allowed): CS 60.4 (44.2), PG 50.4 (40.8)
Terrific trios: Canyon Springs — G Jordyn Penniman, G Cheyenne Greenhouse, G Kimari Hollis. Pleasant Grove — G Brittany Nguyen, G Kim Schmelz, C Aaliyah Pena
Notes: Greenhouse, a 5-10 senior, averages 21.4 ppg and has taken 444 shots. … Canyon Springs averages 12.1 steals per game. … Canyon Springs is ranked 35th in the state, Pleasant Grove is No. 75.
Predicted winner: Canyon Springs Click on next page to see Modesto Christian's win over Santa Barbara {PAGEBREAK}
Division III
Modesto Christian 64, Santa Barbara 55

With his team struggling badly from the field, turning the ball in bunches and enduring a rash of fouls, Modesto Christian coach Robb Spencer wasn't overly concerned. There was a second half to play.

The Crusaders (27-8), who fought back from a 17-point deficit to win a regional final, used its long and deep bench and crashed the boards en route to its first state title in three tries.

Modesto Christian racked up a remarkable 64 rebounds and got 11 points apiece from Meagan Warwick and Lexi Tubbs to pull out a gritty but less-than-artistic victory.



For Spencer, who lost two previous title games, wouldn't care if the game was played in a mud bath as long as the Crusaders turned out victorious.

They 12 rebounds each from Candice White and Jasmine Hampton and 10 by Tubbs to offset a remarkable 30-point effort from super sophomore Amber Melgoza.

Lailoni Gaines and Hampton had 10 points apiece to finish off a complete and balanced effort.

"The third time is a charm I guess," Spencer said. "I've been on the other side of these, so this feels amazing."

Spencer then turned to his girls in the postgame press conference and applauded his team. He had utter faith.

"I knew the second half we'd respond," he said. "This is what we do. It's survival of the fittest."



The Dons (30-6) certainly know a little bit about endurance and overcoming some obstacles.

Coach Andrew Butcher, at the helm of Santa Barbara's ship for the last 32 years, said his team was sort of a mess during the summer and a state title push seemed as likely as someone taking 28 foul shots in a state championship game.

But both happened.

Melgoza, a 5-7 sophomore who came in averaging a tournament-best 22.1 points per game, annihilated two all-division records by making 20 of 28 free throws en route to Division III-tying 30 points.

She also added 14 rebounds, but Modesto Christian held a 64-37 edge on the boards.

"You're not going to win many games giving up 64 rebounds," Butcher said. "But give (Modesto Christian) the credit. They earned it."



The Dons forced 36 turnovers, but they simply grab 50-50 balls and had a tough time shooting, making just 24 percent of their shots. The big NBA gym and depth perception probably had a lot to do with that, Butcher said, but he didn’t offer it as an excuse.

“They had to shoot here too,” Butcher said. “(Modesto Christian) has played here a couple times but I don’t think that’s enough times to get used to it.”

Modesto Christian wasn't exactly sizzling from the floor at 23 of 66 (35 percent), but their determination and strength proved decisive.

Stephanie Moore added six points and eight rebounds for the winners

Both teams brought large followings, including more than 400 from Santa Barbara without the use of a rooter bus. Desirea Coleman had 11 points and Jada Howard added 10 for the Dons.

“The Santa Barbara community supported us every minute,” Melgoza said.



Said Coleman about playing at an NBA arena: “Every time I came into the game I had chills run down my spine.”

Modest Christian 64, Santa Barbara 55

SANTA BARBARA (30-6)
Desirea Coleman 5-15 1-3 11, Jada Howard 3-11 4-4 10, Amber Melgoza 5-24 20-28 30, Jocelin Petatan 2-8 0-1 4. Totals 15-62 25-36 55.

MODESTO CHRISTIAN (27-8)
Meagen Warwick 4-8 2-4 11, Stephanie Moore 3-10 0-0 6, Lailoni Gaines 3-12 4-8 10, Jasmine Hampton 4-6 2-2 10, Lexi Tubbs 3-8 4-7 11, Nicole Warwick 2-5 0-0 2, Candice White 1-9 3-5 6, Jasmine Spencer 1-3 0-0 2, Viviana Vasquez 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 23-66 15-26 64.

SB     8  17  13  17  — 55
MC  11  16  19  18  — 64

3-point goals: SB 0-8, MC 3-11. Rebounds: SB 37 (Melgoza 14), MC 64 (Gaines 12, White 12). Assists: SB 7, MC 6. Turnovers: SB 25, MC 36. 

Preview
Win streaks: SB 12, MC 11
State record: SB 0-0, MC 0-2
Points per game (allowed): SB 58.8 (42.0), MC 61.5 (40.5)
Terrific trios: Santa Barbara — F Amber Melgoza, PG Desirea Coleman, F Jada Howard. Modesto Christian — G Lexi Tubbs, G Stephanie Moore, F Lailoni Gaines
Notes: Melgoza is the highest-scoring girl in the tournament at 22.1 ppg. … Santa Barbara coach Andrew Butcher has been the team's head coach for 32 years and has sent 21 players to NCAA D-1 programs. … Modesto Christian last lost in the state finals in 2009 to Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista), 54-51.
Predicted winner: Santa Barbara Click on to see Pinewood's quest for a sixth title. {PAGEBREAK}
Division V
Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 60, La Jolla Country Day 42



All the preparation, all the detail, all the 10 a.m. weekend practice - all led to convincing, emphatic and wire-to-wire sixth state championship for Pinewood (30-3), which zoomed to 15-6 first quarter lead and never looked back in this 10 a.m. game. 

The Panthers, riding a surprising romp over top-seed Brookside Christian in the region finals, got 17 points from Marissa Hing 13 each by Leeana Bade and Gabi Bade and 10 from Chloe Eackles to defeat the perennial San Diego Section power Torreys (20-12), which got 18 points by Mariana Ecija and 12 by Mai-loni Henson.

Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler, a fitness and nutrition specialist on top of being one of the state's top coaches, got the Panthers up at 6 a.m., had breakfast at 6:30 and were more than ready to go. Following a 15-0 run that featured back-to-back 3-pointers by Gabi Bade, Pinewood led 32-9 and this early morning game was over.

La Jolla Country Day, which has won three state titles under Terri Bamford, had a pair of 8-0 runs in the second half to make it respectable.

"To play your best game in the biggest game is awesome, and that's ultimately what the girls did," Scheppler said. "I came and knew the girls had prepared. ... We played with confidence and swagger. That was awesome."

Bamford said her team's 18 first-half turnovers were uncharacteristic. It didn't help the Torreys were down to seven players due to injuries.



"It's a big gym, there's nerves, it happens," Bamford said. "Pinewood is a high IQ team and very well coached. We showed what we could do the second half."

Leeana Bade, whose team lost in the state finals to Sierra Canyon, said it was a perfect way to go out along  with two other seniors.

"Especially after what happened last year, I wanted to finish our high school career with a bang," she said. Asked to grade the "bang" meter, Bade said: "A 10."

Pinewood 60, La Jolla Country Day 42

LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY (20-12)
Isabel Aguirre 0-2 1-2 1, Mai-loni Henson 4-16 3-7 12, Mariana Ecija 6-17 3-4 18, Sabrina Callahan 3-7 1-2 7, Hadiyah Muhammad 0-3 0-0 0, Taylor Johnson 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 15-46 8-15 42.

PINEWOOD (30-3)
Marissa Hing 2-9 13-16 17, Monique McDevitt 0-4 0-0 0, Leeana Bade 4-9 4-4 13, Chloe Eackles 3-9 4-5 10, Gabi Bade 5-9 1-2 13, Mikaela Topper 0-2 0-0 0, Akayla Hackson 3-9 0-0 7. Totals 17-51 22-27 60.



LJCD          6  7   12  17  — 42
Pinewood 15  24  11  10  — 60
3-point goals: LJCD 4-9, Pinewood 4-13. Rebounds: LJCD 40 (Henson 16), Pinewood 33 (L. Bade 8). Assists: LJCD 5, SJ 7. Turnovers: LJCD 26, Pinewood 11.

Preview
Win streaks: LJCD 4, Pinewood 4
State record: LJCD 3-3, Pinewood 5-2
Points per game (allowed): LJCD 57.4 (46.5), Pinewood 61.9 (39.5)
Terrific trios: La Jolla Country Day — G Mai-loni Henson, F Sabrina Callahan, G Mariana Ecija. Pinewood — G Marissa Hing, F Chloe Eackles, G Leeana Bade.
Notes: It's a great matchup of two highly respected coaches in Pinewood's Doc Scheppler (five state titles) and LJCD's Terri Bamford. … LJCD starts two 6-footers. … Pinewood has nobody taller than 5-10.
Predicted winner: Pinewood