Live: 2016 CIF Northern California Region Championship Basketball Games

CIF Northern California Championships
BOYS
At Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento

Open Division


De La Salle (Concord) 41, Modesto Christian (Modesto) 40
Down one with in the final seconds, with a Northern California Open Division title on the line, De La Salle went to — who else? — Colby Orr.

With a pair of four-year senior starters on the floor, the Spartans got the ball to diminutive 6-foot junior reserve point guard, who delivered with a three-point play with 4.9 seconds remaining, lifting the Spartans to a gridlock win over Modesto Christian.

Orr scored all five of his points in the final 1:41, lifting top seed De La Salle (31-2) into next week’s championship game against Chino Hills, who defeated Bishop Montgomery in the SoCal Regional Open Division title game.

"We have a lot of seniors on this team and I didn't want to let any of them down," Orr said. "I just wanted us to win and play another day."

Second seed Modesto Christian (32-2) took its first lead 37-36 on a three-pointer by Darrian Grays. A free throw by Orr tied it, but a free throw by Nico Rojas put MC back up a point, 38-37.

Orr tied it again, splitting two free throws with 56.5 seconds left, but Rojas hit his first bucket on a mid-range baseline shot with 22.5 seconds remaining.

De La Salle called timeout and set up a play for USF-bound Jordan Ratinho, one of the team's four-year starters, to drive and kick. Caught in the air, Ratinho passed up a floater in the lane and got the ball to Orr, who drove hard from the wing, through the key, made the lineup while being fouled.

"I just saw a lane and tried to make a play," said Orr, who averages about five points per game.

After making just two of four key free throws, he swished the go-ahead shot with 4.9 seconds. Modesto Christian had two chances, but threw two passes out of bounds, clinching the Spartans’ sixth NorCal crown.

It didn’t come easy, though they were in control most of the way early behind 11 points from fourth-year senior Nikhil Peters.

The Spartans led 24-16 at halftime, then held off the Crusaders, who got 13 points from Jordan Hollins-Buckner and eventually erased the deficit behind a rugged defense that held to 37 percent shooting (16 of 43) and forced 18 turnovers.

"I was proud of how we locked in and got back in the game," Modesto Christian coach Richard Midgley. "I knew it was going to be a defensive struggle. It just came down to some little plays. they made the key one down the stretch."

Emeka Udenyi, a 6-6, 240-pound post, took over in the second half for the Spartans, scoring all nine points after intermission. He also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Udenyi did a superlative job holding down 6-10 Modesto Christian post Robinson Idenhen, who had just four points and eight rebounds.

"I've been playing with Emeka for years and he does everything for us," Orr said. "That didn't surprise me at all.  He shut down their big guy and made so many big shots. He was awesome."

Udenyi had similar faith in Orr, who played on junior varsity last year but had his season cut short with an appendicitis.

"When I was saw him going to the hoop, I knew he was going to make an and-one," Udenyi said. "He's fearless. That's the kind of player he is."

Division I


Berkeley 61, Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) 51
There are 14 Northern California basketball banners planted in Berkeley's gym. All of them for the girls.

"Not anymore," Berkeley coach Mark DeLuca said after his team's impressive victory at Sleep Train Arena. "Can't wait to put up a big old one for the boys. I'm incredibly proud of the boys. I can't put it into words."

DeLuca had plenty to say after this one. The Yellowjackets have lived in the shadows of the girls for decades now. They won regional titles in 1916, 1921 and 1924, but none in the modern era, which began in 1982. Behind a balanced attack they've utilized all season — nine players have led them in scoring — the Yellowjackets advanced to play Crespi (Encino) in next week's state championship.

Niles Malone drilled three three-pointers to score a game-high 18 points, followed by Bryan Morris (17 points), Bryant Monroe (14) and Sean Spikes (11). Monroe, a 6-1 senior, scored three straight buckets early in the fourth quarter to stretch a four-point lead to 10.

Menlo-Atherton, which finished a brilliant season 28-5, simply couldn't match Berkely's speed, athleticism and ability to make shots. The Bears, led by 16 points from 6-7 post Blake Henry, made just 19 of 50 shots (38 percent), while Berkeley connected on 22 of 45 (49 percent). Monroe and Spikes were a combined 10 of 11.

"You just have to give them the credit," Menlo-Atherton coach Mike Molieri said. "They made shots. They made a lot of tough shots. This wasn't about us, it was about them."

Menlo-Atherton had a clue Berkeley would play well. The Bears beat Berkeley 58-54 in the finals of the Tim Cole Tournament in Dec.

"We were a mess then," said DeLuca, who was ejected from that game at the end of the third quarter for arguing calls. "We were undefeated but playing selfishly. We weren't coaching well. But that was a good loss for us. We learned a lot. We started growing up."

Said Menlo-Atherton senior Lucas Fioretti: "We knew they'd come in super angry. We couldn't match their intensity. Plus they made a lot of tough shots."

DeLuca said the Yellowjackets are 5-1 in games against teams that beat them earlier in the year.

"None of this - today - is a reflection of the great year we had," Molieri said. "Our guys played their butts off this season. It's been an amazing journey."

Division II


Serra (San Mateo) 59, El Cerrito 53
The last time Serra coach Chuck Rapp stepped onto the Sleep Train Arena floor, it wasn't much fun. The Padres lost by 21 to Westchester-Los Angeles in the 2005 state finals.

Rapp was determined "to enjoy the moment," on Saturday.

With a long bench, a cohesive bunch who thrive on the defensive end and like to share the ball, the Padres wore down an equally tough and battle-tested El Cerrito squad to win their second Northern California title.

John Besse, a self proclaimed "role player," made eight of nine shots, and scored 17 points to lead the way. Jeremiah Testa overcame an otherwise cool shooting night to score 14, including a key three-pointer to start the fourth quarter when Serra outscored El Cerrito 22-13. And Jake Killingsworth, the West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year, scored all of his 12 points in the second half and added 14 rebounds as the top-seeded Padres (25-5) moved into next week's state finals and will face Long Beach Poly.

"I always felt confident this group could get there," Rapp said. "This team has a high ceiling. I still feel we haven't played our best game yet. I'm confident we can do that next week."

Behind the team's top two scorers, Sayeed Pridgett and Edward Gray, who scored 17 apiece, second seed El Cerrito (22-14) looked very much like the squad who would be advancing. The Gauchos took a 20-10 lead early behind the shooting of Gray before Besse, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, went to work, connecting on three straight buckets to get the Padres to within 21-18.

El Cerrito held Serra and its deep bench off, but when Pridgett, a 6-5 do-everything guard headed to Montana, and Gray got in foul play, the Gauchos lost their aggressiveness. Meanwhile Serra moved the ball beautifully.

A three-pointer by Testa to start the fourth quarter, tied the game at 40 before Besse scored back-to-back buckets to give Serra its first lead since 8-7. Pridgett, who also had 10 rebounds and five assists, responded with back-to-back driving hoops of his own, to tie the game at 44-44.

Once again, it was Besse who answered back with a driving layup, starting an 8-0 run. Miles Todzo had a three-pointer and driving hoop in the spurt and Serra was up for good. When Pridgett fouled out with 3:17 left and Gray did the same two minutes later, El Cerrito never quit, but simply ran out of gas.

Despite nine missed free throws by Serra in the fourth quarter, it held on for the impressive win. Aaron Banks, a 6-6 junior, added eight points and 12 rebounds for El Cerrito.

"This team has persevered all season - we're battle tested - but with two men out we simply had nothing left," El Cerrito coach Michael Booker said. "I take my hat off to this group. Not much was expected of them coming into the season. We played all the best teams in the area. We just didn't have enough. Serra is a really good team."

Said Testa: "We always aim for the stars and getting to play here is one of the greatest opportunities you could ask for. Now we get to play here two weeks in a row."

At American Canyon High School
Division III
No. 8 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) (17-14) vs. No. 2 Manteca (27-6), 8 p.m.

Manteca 70, Bishop O'Dowd 45

At American Canyon, Anand Hundal had 25 points and eight rebounds and Kenny Wooten Jr. added 13 points and 20 rebounds as second seed Manteca (29-6) outscored O'Dowd 43-19 in the second half to win its first NorCal title.

B.J. Shaw had 14 points for O'Dowd (17-16), which was outrebounded 43-26.

Manteca held a slim 27-26 lead at halftime, but went on a 14-6 run in the third, then blew things wide open with a 29-13 margin. Tyrus Verhoeven added 12 points for the Buffaloes, who made 27 of 45 shots (60 percent) and 15-for-21 at the line. O'Dowd, meanwhile, was a cool 15-for-59 from the floor (25 percent).

Division IV
No. 4 West Campus (Sacramento) (29-5) vs. No. 3 Palma (Salinas) (25-4), 4 p.m.

Palma 58, West Campus 56

Wyat Maker had 22 points and Jamaree Bouyea 19 as Palma scored the last 14 points in a row in the final 3:54 to pull out the dramatic victory, its third title and first since 1993. A three-pointer by Bouyea closed Palma to 56-55 with 1:35 left. He then put the team up for good with two free throws with 30 seconds left.

Isaiah Bates had 17 points and Jeryn Lucas 16 for West Campus (29-7), which led 17-8 after the first quarter. It was the first regional final for West Campus.

Division V
No. 7 Stuart Hall (San Francisco) (22-11) vs. No. 1 St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) (24-9), noon

St. Joseph Notre Dame 67, Stuart Hall 58 (3 OTs)

In a game they’ll be talking about for years, Jade Smith made 10 of 14 shots, scored a game-high 27 points and added 11 rebounds and six steals leading the top-seed Pilots (26-9) to the triple-overtime victory and 11th NorCal title at American Canyon.
 
Seventh seed Stuart Hall (22-12), which got 26 points and 18 rebounds from 6-5 senior Zeke Crawford, took a 53-49 lead in the second overtime but Darne Duckett (14 points, eight rebounds) and Smith scored back-to-back hoops in the final minute to force a third overtime.
 
From there, the Knights, who lost two previous games to St. Joseph simply ran out of steam. Darna Stewart added 11 points for Stuart Hall and Adam Campos had 12 points for St. Joseph, which plays St. Bernards-Playa Del Ray in the state finals. The Pilots go for their sixth state title.
 
Stuart Hall, making their first regional final appearance, fought back from a 29-21 deficit.
 
GIRLS
At Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento
Open Division
No. 4 Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) (24-5) vs. No. 2 Miramonte (Orinda) (31-0), 6 p.m.

Miramonte 73, Pinewood 40 As David or Goliath, Miramonte is pretty darned good.

The Matadors (32-0), ranked sixth nationally by MaxPreps.com, clicked on all cylinders, getting 29 points, 14 rebounds and six assists from McDonald's All-American Sabrina Ionescu, 14 first-half points by Clair Steele  and 11 points and 11 rebounds by Uriah Howard in a convincing throttling of a Pinewood team (24-6) that just beat the No. 1 team in the country.

The Panthers simply couldn't put together back-to-back masterpieces, making just 4 of 35 shots in the first half while falling behind 34-15. They finished 14 of 60 and 5-of-24 on three-pointers after drilling 16 three-pointers in a shocking 72-69 win at top-ranked St. Mary's-Stockton on Tuesday.

"We just didn't have it today," said Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler, whose team was led by 10 points and seven rebounds from Chloe Eackles. "I'm very proud of our season and obviously Tuesday, but disappointed not to play to the best of our ability."

Miramonte sure did, especially defensively. It helped it played, and defeated Pinewood, in four straight meetings over the last two seasons.

Everyone had penciled in the Matadors to play St. Mary's in the finals, but PInewood changed all that. "We went from being David to Goliath in a matter of minutes," Miramonte coach Kelly Sopak said. "We had a great week of practice. I felt confident coming in. We buckled down on their shooters and played one of the best defensive games we've played since I've been here (seven years)."

Ionescu, who had 36 in a semifinal win over Salesian (Richmond), said she was hoping to play St. Mary's because the Rams eliminated the Matadors in the NorCal finals last year. "But we're just happy to beat Pinewood and get to the finals."

Miramonte plays Chaminade (West Hills), a 50-49 winner over Long Beach Poly, in next week's state finals. Chaminade, which needed a buzzer beater to win, is ranked 13th nationally.

Division I
No. 2 Castro Valley (33-2) vs. No. 1 St. Francis (Sacramento) (28-5), 2 p.m. St. Francis 66, Castro Valley 52

Up 30-18 at halftime, second-seeded Castro Valley (33-3) ran into an avalanche as the Troubadours (29-5) went on second-half runs of 17-0 and 8-0 to win going away.

Tia Hay, a 5-8 guard who transferred from Australia, had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but she had plenty of help from Lauren Craig (16 points, 11 rebounds, Janae Fairbrook (14 points) and Kyra Huffman (11 points, 10 rebounds).

St. Francis, a terrifically-coached determined squad, outscored the Trojans 48-22 in the second half. What did coach Vic Pitton convey at halftime?

"To believe and half faith," Pitton said. "We exercised a lot of patience."

And skill.

The Troubadours were a paltry 4 of 21 from the field in the first quarter and 3-for-17 in the second. But thanks to some niftying outside shooting by Fairbrook (four three-pointers) and transition hoops, St. Francis made 18 of 37 in the second half. It won going away and now faces Brea-Olinda in the state-title game.

"We just had to relax," Hay said of his team's second-half play. "Play with more composure. But also play with more energy."

Did they ever.

It offset a monster first half from 6-1 Davis-signee Nina Bessolo, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Giana Wright contributed 11 points and 10 points for Castro Valley, which made just 21 of 76 shots but forced 27 turnovers. It was Castro Valley’s first time at NorCals or Sleep Train Arena and the third game this year on the NBA court for St. Francis.

“We simply didn’t execute as well in the second half but that had a lot to do with (St. Francis,” Castro Valley coach Jim Lemmon said. “We’re disappointed now, but this group set a precedent for all Castro Valley teams to follow.”

Division II
No. 12 Elk Grove (23-10) vs. No. 7 Sacramento (24-9), 10 a.m.
Elk Grove 46, Sacramento 45

The shots kept going up and the shots kept missing. No matter, said first-year Elk Grove coach Larry Price.

"These girls are resilient," he said. "They fight. They strive together."

In a 10 a.m. game, in a nearly empty NBA arena, where depth perception is blurred, the Thundering Herd made just 17 of 68 shots. But they fought and dove and scraped to grab 24 offensive rebounds, six on one possession to start the third quarter — it resulted in a bucket — and it earned them their first Northern California championship in any sport.

A missed uncontested putback at the buzzer brought Sacramento (24-10) to its knees in anguish while Elk Grove (24-10) players sprinted to halfcourt and rejoiced an improbable win and championship.

Composed junior Mira Shulman had 14 points, Paiton Demps added 10 points and 15 rebounds and Arianna Daniel contributed eight points and 11 rebounds. Demps is 5-7 junior, Daniel a 5-6 senior and Shulman a 5-8 junior. None of them stand taller than 5-10.

"They did the dirty work," Sacramento coach Michelle Massari. "They did a great job. They just played like they wanted it more than us."

Neither team even reached the Sac-Joaquin Section finals, but regrouped in Northern California playoff play. Sacramento, which took a 9-0 lead, got 15 points from freshman Andriana Avent and 10 points and 11 rebounds by sophomore Rachelle Turney. UCSB-bound senior guard Aliceah Hernandez had eight points and eight rebounds.

Hernandez' desperation three-pointer with two seconds left was well short, but the putback hit the front iron and bounced off. "My heart stopped," Shulman said. "There's no words (for winning this championship). It's just surreal."

At American Canyon High School
Division III
No. 10 Inderkum (Sacramento) (24-8) vs. No. 1 Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco) (19-9), 6 p.m.

Sacred Heart Cathedral 70, Inderkum 51

At American Canyon, Iimar’I Thomas had 25 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks as the top seeded Irish (20-9) had little trouble with 10th-seed Inderkum (24-8). The Irish, who won their eighth regional title, play Lakeside-Lake Elsinore, a 36-35 winner over  Orange Lutheran-Orange. Inderkum, which got 20 points from Kaliya Griffin and 19 by Daisia Williams, made its first regional final appearance.

Rainah Smith and Yaniah Fleming added 11 points each, and Edina Del Rosario 10 for the Irish, who outrebounded Inderkum 45-33 and took control with 17-8 run in the third quarter to go up 52-38 lead.
 
Division IV
No. 2 Menlo School (Atherton) (21-7) vs. No. 1 Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) (29-5), 2 p.m.

Cardinal Newman 51, Menlo School 32

At American Canyon, Hailey Vice-Neat had 14 points and nine rebounds, Lauren Walker added 13 points and 13 rebounds and Avery Cargill contributed 10 points, leading the top-seed Cardinals (31-3), who advance to their first state finals.

Newman used its superior size to hold a 42-29 edge on the boards. Mallory North came off the bench to score 10 points for Menlo (21-9), which trailed 10-2 after the first quarter.

Division V
No. 2 St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) (26-8) vs. No. 1 Eastside College Prep (East Palo Alto) (18-11), 10 a.m.

Eastside Prep 65, St. Joseph 59

Alayah Bell had 21 points and Zion Gabriel added 15  as the Panthers (19-11) repeated as Northern California champions, despite losing three starters off last year's squad.

Ra'Anaa Bey added 11 points and Eleyna Parker 10 for Eastside, which lead 40-23 at halftime before St. Joseph (26-9) made a furious rally behind Mira Love-Sangco (19 points), Aiyanna Dueberry (16) and Ayesa Kearns (11). After making just 9 of 23 shots in the first half, St. Joseph made half of its 26 shots in the second.

Kayla Tahaafe and Bey had nine rebounds apiece for Eastside. Coach Donovan Blythe did a masterful job getting the Panthers back to the state title game, especially after graduating 6-3 post Destiny Graham, now a freshman at Arizona.