SACRAMENTO — The star-gazing at Golden 1 Center was tempered Saturday night. No Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) boys basketball team meant fewer Hollywood or NBA sorts in attendance for the CIF State Open Division boys championship game.
Instead, many folks came out to see if
Centennial (Corona), the No. 2 team in the MaxPreps Top 25, was as good as advertised. And though the Huskies delivered a victory — along with their first state title — it was hardly one-sided as
Modesto Christian put up a strong fight before Centennial pulled out a 59-50 victory before some 7,000 fans.
Tied at 48 midway through the fourth, Centennial went on a quick and impressive 11-2 run on a steal and two layups from Dent, a 3-pointer by McCain and a fastbreak layup by
Ramsey Huff. That put it away.
Centennial buttoned up a 30-game win streak and an elusive state crown. A school known for its football excellencehad cemented its reputation as an elite basketball school.
"They were able to fight through stuff and overcome," Centennial coach Josh Giles said. "They found a way to win. They've been winners all year and tonight was no different."
Centennial celebrates 33-1 season and first California state championship.
Photo by David Steutel
But the Huskies needed a late reminder. The late flurry followed a timeout and a heated, honest, firm exchange between coach and players, and players and players. Giles, didn't go into details of the message, but the feeling was clear. "We're not losing," Giles said.
And they didn't.
On the other side, Modesto Christian coach Brice Fantazia said there are no moral victories at his school. Even though the Crusaders were expected to be handled convincingly, the final score still hurt. His players were distraught in postgame interviews. Few could even answer questions.
They were trying to pull off one of the bigger upsets in state history. And though they led in the opening minutes, they answered just about every Centennial flurry. They trailed 30-22 at halftime behind the backcourt of Phillips and Davis, who combined for 19. Centennial, as its shown all season, offered plenty of balance as Dent had 10 points, McCain eight and McBride and Williams with six at intermission.
When the Huskies opened the second half on a 6-0 run on buckets from Williams, Dent and McBride, the rout appeared on.
But Modesto Christian dug deep with the emergence of Itete, a burly 6-foot-6 sophomore, who made a couple interior buckets. He and 6-10 junior post
Prince Oseya controlled the paint and finished with a 32-28 edge on rebounds. "We haven't been outrebounded for months," Giles said.
The Crusaders closed to 36-31 and by midway through the fourth quarter tied the game up at 48-48 on a pair of free throws by Oseya. Golden 1 Center got louder and momentum seemed on the Crusaders' side.
Jamari Phillips (24), Modesto Christian
Photol by David Steutel
"I definitely think we surprised some people but
that isn't good enough," he said. "We were down 14 in the third quarter
and put a scare in them. But we don't believe in moral victories at
Modesto Christian. We expect to win and we expected to win tonight.
"We had guys banged up and bleeding. All year we talked about being and tough and being together. It makes me even more proud."
In they end, the Huskies were just a tad tougher and more talented. The 50-50 balls they were losing, they won down the stretch. They also executed beautifully on the break. They hit a big 3. They finished the job.
Dent, who hurt his knee earlier in the quarter, led the charge.
"There was a lot of adrenaline coming out of the last timeout," Dent said. "We were focused. We hadn't had a close game in a while, but we fought through it. It was the best way to go out."
Centennial spoiled many casual fans' hopes to see Sierra Canyon following an 83-59 shellacking of the Trailblazers in the Southern Section finals on Tuesday. The victory was par for the course for the Huskies, who almost matched their season average of 30 points per victory — this against the 12 team in the country.
All five starters scored in double figures in that game, encouraging basketball purists to compare the Huskies to 2015-16 national champion Chino Hills, which went 35-0 and featured three future NBA lottery picks: Lonzo Ball, LaMello Ball and Onyeka Okongwu.
Centennial's Donovan Dent (2) is challenged by Modesto Christian's B.J. Davis in the first half of Saturday's CIF Open Division title game at Golden 1 Center.
Photo by David Steutel
Chino Hills has one big edge on Centennial, having gone unbeaten and winning a MaxPreps national championship.
Centennial lost earlier in the year, in November to Duncanville (Texas), which Saturday all but cinched the No. 1 ranking by claiming a Texas 6A title.
Giles was flattered by the comparison to Chino Hills, the last public school to win California's Open Division. He gushed over his team's chemistry, work ethic and attention to detail. When asked about a couple of seniors, Giles was overwhelmed with emotion, eventually finding the words: "They're winners."
Once gathered, when asked about Centennial's place in state history, he said: "To even be mentioned in the same conversation with that team just shows you how good and how hard these guys fought throughout the season. I'll just say this is the very best Centennial team."
Centennial 11, x8, x6, x8 — 33
Modesto Christian x5, 11, 13, 10 — 39
Huskies — Wong 4, Riddle 10, Cortes 6, Audrey Chen 13.
Crusaders — Logwood 6, Sellers 11, Williams 3, Somvichian 6, Askew-Goncalves 8, Hunter 5.
3-pointers — LS 0-6, OT: 4-16 (Somvichian 2, Williams, Hunter).
The Huskies stand and cheer on the starters.
Photo by David Steutel
Huskies coach Joshua Giles receives Centennial's elusive state championship trophy.
Photo by David Steutel
