SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thanks to a talented group of dedicated basketball players and devoted coaches, a little school of 600 continues to shine a big bright light on some of the toughest streets in America.
McClymonds of West Oakland is the only boys team to make a return visit to the CIF State championships this weekend at Arco Arena.
Can McClymonds celebrate again like they did after the 2008 title against Dominguez?
Photo by David Steutel
The Warriors, in fact, are the first team in Division I (large school division) to make a third straight appearance in the finals after a humbling 55-29 loss to Fairfax (Los Angeles) in 2007 and a resounding 73-54 victory over Dominguez (Compton) last year.
On Saturday, they’ll face one of only three teams in modern history with four or more wins in a boys state title game without a loss.
Westchester of Los Angeles is 4-0 and joins another Los Angeles City school, Crenshaw (8-0), along with Washington Union-Fresno (4-0) in that elite company.
The Division I boys game culminates a two-day, two-gender, 10-game set with the first four games taking place Friday (Divisions II and IV). Divisions I, III and V compete on Saturday. Each game pits a South and North region champion.
Another school with rich history in the finals is St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda, which makes its sixth appearance, but in a record third division.
The Pilots won back-to-back Division I titles starting in 1991 behind point guard Jason Kidd and captured a Division IV crown in 2004 under current coach Don Lippi. This is the first year St. Joseph plays in the Div. V title game.
As for newcomers, there is a whopping four of them, including a pair of first-timers in the Div. II game, Eisenhower (Rialto) against nearby Rocklin.
The other notable newcomer is Ocean View (Huntington Beach), led by Jim Harris, who has coached the Seahawks for 31 seasons, won 618 games but never got past the regional semifinals.
Until this season.
With three wins last year, the South holds an 82-43 overall lead in games played since 1981, with big leads in Divisions I (21-7), II (20-7) and IV (16-5).
After three straight Div. V wins by Branson, the North holds a 12-9 edge, but the South also leads in Div. III 14-12.
DIVISION I – Saturday, 8 p.m.
Westchester Comets (34-2) vs. McClymonds Warriors (29-1)
WIN STREAKS: Westchester 12, McClymonds 12.
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): Westchester 5 (4-0), McClymonds 3 (1-1).
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Westchester — G Dominique O’Connor, G Jordin Mayes, F Dwayne Polee; McClymonds — G Will Cherry, F Damon Powell, G Quincy Hill.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Westchester 70.8 (49.9), McClymonds 64.2 (43.6).
MAXPREPS/NATIONAL GUARD COMPUTER RANKINGS : Westchester No. 2 nationally, No. 1 state; McClymonds No. 20 nationally, No. 4 state.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL: Westchester No. 2.
GAME ON: Considering some of the great programs that have played in this Division, McClymonds’ feat is quite an accomplishment. Especially considering its enrollment qualifies them to play in the Division IV game every year.
Each Section has the right to classify and the Oakland Section has decided all its school should compete at the highest level.
Cherry, a 6-1 point guard headed to Montana, is the first-ever third-year starter in the Division and leads a McClymonds squad that has gone 61-1 over two seasons and 89-5 over three. He had 19 points, eight assists and four steals in last year’s title game and Powell, a high-flying 6-6 forward, added 18.
McClymonds' Quincy Hill is one of many standout guards.
Photo by Dennis Lee
Those two lead this group as well under first-year head coach Brandon Brooks, a long time assistant under Dwight Nathaniel, who stepped down after 14 seasons last season.
The system is primarily the same and guard- and defensive-minded, with another returning starter Quincy Hill, a 5-10 senior steadying the attack. Transfer Justin Standley, a 6-1 senior who scored seven points in the final 1:45 to help McClymonds beat Monte Vista in the regional final, has injected new life into the Warriors as have three freshmen, including 6-9 starting post Jamaree Strickland.
“It’s been a great ride and a lot of kids, a lot of coaches and the Mack family has had their hand in it,” Brooks said. “We’ve had two completely different experiences coming up to state the last two years. We know which one we want to experience come Saturday.”
Considering the competition in the rugged south region Division I bracket, Westchester might be somewhat of a surprise. Among others in the bracket were Mater Dei and King, two teams ranked No. 1 in the country at times this season, and Los Angeles rival Fairfax, which beat the Comets on Feb. 6.
Dominique O'Carter has stretched his game to a new level.
Photo by Louis Lopez
But behind terrific guard play, including Western League Player of the Year O’Connor, the Comets seized the field, avenging a loss to Fairfax (55-54) before a surprisingly convincing victory over King (56-39) in the finals.
As usual, O’Connor (14 points) and Mays (12) led the charge in the title win, but the deep and ultra quick Comets also got contributions from Polee, a 6-6 junior who committed to USC in the eighth grade. Reggie Murphy (6-9 junior) is another force down low and Denzel Douglas and Kareem Jamar are other backcourt standouts.
PREDICTION: Los Angeles City Section has owned this division over the years, winning 16 of the 28 seasons, including five of the last seven. Westchester’s road here was much tougher so they are either bullet proof or worn out. We tend to think the former. It’s going to be a terrific battle of guards, but down low the Comets are a tad more experienced. McClymonds must keep Powell out of foul trouble to stay close. Westchester 71, McClymonds 63.
DIVISION II – Friday, 8 p.m.
Eisenhower Eagles (31-3) vs. Rocklin Thunder (32-2)
WIN STREAKS: Eisenhower 15, Rocklin 22
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): Eisenhower 1 (0-0), Rocklin 1 (0-0).
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Eisenhower — G Andrew Bock, F Nicholas Carter, F Bernard Ireland; Rocklin — C Brendan Lane, F Pat Stover, G Cody Kale.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Eisenhower 80.6 (58.5), Rocklin 74.2 (52.6).
MAXPREPS/NATIONAL GUARD COMPUTER RANKINGS : Eisenhower No. 93 nationally, No. 12 state; Rocklin No. 74 nationally, No. 7 state.
GAME ON: Though the teams are new to this game, they aren’t new to each other.
Eisenhower point guard Andrew Bock is as cool as they come.
Photo by Dirk Dewachter
This is a rematch of a 77-66 Eisenhower win on Dec. 27 at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in San Diego. In that game, the Eagles made 14 of 29 3-point attempts and got 25-points from Creighton-bound point guard Andrew Bock and 22 from Carter. It offset a 22-point effort from Lane, a 6-10 senior headed to UCLA.
When the Thunder found out that Eisenhower advanced from the South, they were pleased. Not because they think the first game was a fluke by any means, but as coach Steve Taylor said: “It’s not often you get to right a wrong on the last day of the season,” he said.
Rocklin, in fact, has a chance to avenge both of its losses. The Thunder won the Sac-Joaquin Section title beating Fairfield (60-56), which beat them earlier in the year 70-67.
Taylor also said he was caught off-guard by the Eagles’ shooting prowess and this time will have a better chance to defend them. That’s easier said than done with Bock running the show. He’s extremely clever with the ball, can get to the rim, but really kills with his 3-point shooting. His range is NBA-land.
Carter has similar range as do several of the Eagles, which don’t boast a dominant big man. The Eagles, who also get big contributions from Bock’s brother Bryan, Alex Varner, Nazereth Richardson and Bernard Ireland, are deep and scrappy.
Brendan Lane hopes to rock Arco with another dunk.
Photo by Dennis Lee
The size advantage definitely goes to the Thunder, who is one of the biggest squads in California. Besides Lane, Stover is 6-5 but plays even bigger and 6-8 Mads Frandsen comes off the bench and provides quality minutes.
Don’t think, however, that Rocklin is slow and lumbering. Kale leads a terrific backcourt that includes Jackson Cummings, Tony Williams and Anthony Romero, who constantly look to push. Though 6-10 and a fantastic shot blocker, Lane is a big-time college player because of his 3-point shooting range and ability to run the court.
Judging from the point averages, this one figures to be up-and-down and high scoring. Perimeter teams often struggle at Arco, but Andrew Bock will figure out a way to get his team to score. The big question is if they’ll be able to slow down the Thunder and its large home-crowd contingent.
PREDICTION: Perimeter teams rarely survive at Arco. The tight rims, the confusing 3-point lines, the different depth perception compared to smaller high school venues almost always lead to poor deep shooting. That plus revenge, plus the home fans, plus the size advantage all point to Rocklin. But Andrew Bock always seems to find a way to steer his team to victory. Eisenhower 71, Rocklin 70.
DIVISION III – Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
Ocean View Seahawks (27-7) vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral Irish (27-4)
WIN STREAKS: Ocean View 8, Sacred Heart Cathedral 6.
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): Ocean View 1 (0-0), Sacred Heart Cathedral 2 (0-1).
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Ocean View – G Mason Jones, F Anthony Brown, F Avery Johnson; Sacred Heart Cathedral — F Jerry Brown, C Kevin Greene, G Nate Gartrell.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Ocean View 67.2 (51.7), Sacred Heart Cathedral 67.9 (51.7).
MAXPREPS/NATIONAL GUARD COMPUTER RANKINGS : Ocean View No. 152 nationally, No. 16 state; Sacred Heart Cathedral No. 123 nationally, No. 13 state.
GAME ON: This one should be highly entertaining as two teams with very similar characteristics go for their first state crowns.
Ocean View has had a roller coaster season, but is playing its best ball of the season led by Jones, had 22 points in a surprisingly lopsided 79-63 win over top-seed Harvard Westlake in the south regional final. The 6-4 senior made 8 of 12 shots, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers as the Seahawks jumped to a 28-17 first-quarter lead and never relinquished it.
Ocean View's Anthony Brown (21) and Avery Johnson on the break.
Photo by Dirk Dewachter
Brown, a 6-6 junior who is considered one of the top 25 players nationally in his class, had 19 points in the final. He and Johnson, a 6-4 junior, each average 12.1 points per game and Billy Keller, a 6-foot sophomore guard, often scores in double digits and averages 8.4 per game.
The Seahawks opened with a surprising loss to Oaks Christian, woke up to win six straight, before dropping three in a row. At that point, a state-title run wasn’t in the conversation. When they went 2-2 over the next four games, a league title even looked questionable, but since then they’ve won 19 of 20, with the only loss to nationally-ranked King 78-72.
This is the second state appearance in four years for the Irish, who started a pair of freshmen, Brown and Greene during a 60-52 loss to Horizon-San Diego in the 2006 Div. IV finals.
The duo is back and better than ever, each playing big roles in the team’s West Catholic Athletic League round-robin championship and in last week’s impressive 77-65 regional final win over Sacramento.
Greene, a 6-6, 240-pound post who has a full ride football scholarship to USC as a defensive end, muscled up for 22 points and 15 rebounds in that one and the Fresno State-bound Brown had 14 points. Five Irish players scored in double figures, including extremely athletic point guard Nate Gartrell (a Division I baseball player), who filled up the box score with 13 points, five steals and six rebounds.
Neither team is extremely long, but both feature quickness, strength and depth. This should be another up-and-down game with plenty of high-flying action.
PREDICTION: This will be an absolutely joy to watch. Sacred Heart’s two main seniors are bent on bringing home a state crown — especially since the girls were deprived of their fourth straight last week. The Seahawks want to win not only for themselves but they know coach Harris may never get back here. This has traditionally been the tightest division between the two regions and this should be no different. Ocean View 75, Sacred Heart Cathedral 74.
DIVISION IV – Saturday, 11:15 a.m.
Bishop Montgomery Knights (28-4) vs. Salesian Pride (30-4)
WIN STREAKS: Bishop Montgomery 3, Salesian 14.
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): Bishop Montgomery 3 (2-0), Salesian 1 (0-0).
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Bishop Montgomery — G Justin Cobbs, C Richard Solomon, G Michael Panaggio; Salesian — G Jabari Brown, F Desmond Simmons, G Dominic Artis.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Bishop Montgomery 70.0 (58.3), Salesian 67.9 (50.2).
MAXPREPS/NATIONAL GUARD COMPUTER RANKINGS : Bishop Montgomery No. 34 state; Salesian No. 18 state.
GAME ON: These two squads mirror each other except one major category. Experience.
The Knights boast four senior starters while Salesian carries a single senior on its entire roster, reserve guard Jordan Lau who didn’t play in the regional final.
Salesian sophomore standout Jabari Brown goes up for a jam.
Photo by Dennis Stiff
The Pride is the youngest team in the boys field and most figured they were a season or two away. They start a freshman at point guard (Artis), their top scorer is a sophomore (Brown) and most athletic is junior Simmons, a high flying 6-6 forward with 3-point shooting range.
But it’s not to say the Pride isn’t battle-tested. Last year’s state finalist St. Mary’s-Berkeley can attest to that.
Salesian beat St. Mary’s four times this season, including 56-52 in last week’s regional final when Simmons had 19, Brown 15 and Artis 10. The Pride trailed almost the entire game but used a 23-11 fourth-quarter run to pull out the game.
This against a squad that returned four starters from a Northern California championship squad. So yes, the Pride is young, but at this point, they aren’t all that inexperienced.
Bishop Montgomery needed all the poise and experience possible to take down Price-Los Angeles in double overtime of the regional final, 85-82.
Panaggio, a 5-11 senior, drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win it and finished with 14 points and seven assists.
Cobbs, a 6-3 senior guard, was the mainstay with 31 points on 10 of 21 from the field, including six 3-pointers. The Knights had 13 3-pointers overall, including two from 5-9 senior point guard Brandon Bibbins.
Where the Knights might have an edge is down low with 6-9 junior Richard Solomon, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds against Price.
Like the rest of the boys games, this one has the potential to be a true up-and-down game with lots of scoring. Bishop Montgomery has responded well from a loss in the Southern Section finals to Inglewood, a frantically-paced 97-93 game. Look for more of the same Saturday.
PREDICTION: As much as Salesian has grown from its four outings with St. Mary’s and shown no chinks in the young armor, the Knights appear too savvy. Solomon is also a load the Pride might not have an answer for. Bishop Montgomery 66, Salesian 61.
DIVISION V – Friday, 1:30 p.m.
Windward Wildcats (28-6) vs. St. Joseph-Notre Dame Pilots (26-8)
WIN STREAKS: Windward 18, St. Joseph 7.
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): Windward 1 (0-0), St. Joseph 6 (3-2).
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Windward — G Darius Morris, C Anthony Stover, G Malcolm Washington; St. Joseph — G Jacari Whitfield, G Dominic Lippi, F D’Angelo Hutton.
MAXPREPS/NATIONAL GUARD COMPUTER RANKINGS: Windward No. 35 state; St. Joseph No. 125.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Windward 66.4 (52.0), St. Joseph 53.4 (47.3).
GAME ON: The fact St. Joseph even made it to this game is a minor miracle. Coach Don Lippi would agree.
In what many are calling one of the greatest comebacks in state history, the Pilots fought back from a 19-point deficit in the final three minutes to beat Branson 42-40 in the North Region finals Saturday at Folsom.
The comeback itself was amazing enough – a 23-2 run in the final 2:53 — but considering they did against the three-time defending state champion made it more memorable.
Lippi’s sophomore son Dominic, a 5-10 sophomore, led the charge with 13 of his game-high 18. Whitfield, a 5-7 sophomore, made the game-winner at the buzzer. The elder Lippi, who has coached 30 years, and led two teams (one at St. Ignatius) to the state finals including the 2004 state title team, said it was the most insurmountable comeback he’d ever witnessed.
“On the board, we put Jim Valvano’s ‘never, never, never give up,’ he told Carl Stewart of the Oakland Tribune. “But we were on our third ‘never.’ “
Considering their youth, eight losses and lack of size, St. Joseph’s title run is also surprising. But playing out of the rugged Bay Shore Athletic League with Salesian and St. Mary’s has toughened the Pilots up.
Other than 6-9 sophomore Brandon Keane, no one stands over 6-2 and seven of their players are below 6-feet. The roster features four sophomores, four juniors and four seniors.
Windward's Malcolm Washington (No. 3) and Anthony Stover (No. 5).
Photo by Louis Lopez
Windward, on the other hand, figured to get here with two major Division I scholarship athletes to start, 6-4 senior guard Darius Morris (Michigan) and 6-10 post Anthony Stover (UCLA).
Morris has a tremendous all-around game that he displayed in the regional finals, a 52-40 win over Pacific Hills, when he had 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Stover isn’t a huge offensive threat, but he’s a shot-blocking machine. He had seven against Pacific Hills.
Washington, a 5-11 senior guard, co-captain and son of actor Denzel Washington, is the team’s third leading scoring behind one of the state’s top freshmen, 6-4 forward Wesley Saunders, who averages 11.3 points per game. Saunders had 12 points and 12 rebounds against Pacific Hills.
The Wildcats are the only team in the tournament to have lost to three finalists: Westchester (72-52), Bishop Montgomery (62-61) and Rocklin (77-66). Once they began playing schools their own size, the results have been predictable: 18 straight wins.
PREDICTION: On paper and in the computer, this looks like a mismatch, which is precisely how the Pilots want it to appear. As they proved last week, almost anything is possible. If they can get Stover in foul trouble, they can make it a game. But if the big shot blocker is around it may be a tough shooting day for St. Joseph. Windward 53, St. Joseph 41.
Think we're off? What scores would you change? E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
