Junior guard
Delton Prescott was also scored 16 in the win while knocking down a number of clutch shots from both the field and the free throw line down the stretch.
In a tightly-contested game throughout, St. Mary's took an 11-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter before Sunnyslope edged ahead 25-24 at the half. St. Mary's used a 9-0 run in the third quarter to push ahead 43-39 entering the fourth quarter.
Sunnsylope players celebrate after capturing the program's first state championship since 2021. (PHOTO: Kevin French)
With the game knotted at 48, Prescott nailed a jumper from the free throw line extended to put Sunnyslope ahead 50-48 before an emphatic putback slam from Portela increased the advantage to four.
Although
Noah Ondoua cut the deficit to 54-52 after converting on a pair of free throws, Portela came up big again on the other end as he snagged another offensive rebound before laying in the basket to put his team back ahead by four.
After Ondoua split a pair of free throws,
Jaylin Ideran secured the win by making a layup despite heavy contact that forced him out of the contest due to injury. His injury replacement,
Kaleb Seow, came in and knocked down his free throw to convert the three-point play.
Sunnsylope (28-2) finished as the Open Division state runner-up two of the past three seasons.
Coming off an upset over No. 6 Millennium 66-64 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from
Mick Riordan in the semifinals, St. Mary's (23-7) ran out of magic in the title game.
Five-star Duke signee
Cam Williams finished with a game-high 23 points in the loss.
Sunnyslope players, coaches and cheerleaders celebrate with the state championship trophy. (PHOTO: Kevin French)
Regarded as a three-star prospect, Rider Portela is the son of head coach Ray Portela for the Vikings. (PHOTO: Kevin French)
