What started with practices in late October and can trace its roots all the way back to summer league games will culminate this weekend at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. If the slate of championship games can even be half as good as the regional finals, it will make for a fantastic end to the season.
Friday’s games
Division IV
Southern California No. 6 View Park (26-8) vs. Northern California No. 9 Stuart Hall (23-11), 12 pm
The Knights will certainly win this one, as the teams share the same mascot. They also share an emphasis on defense.
The only time an opponent broke 60 against Stuart Hall in the state tournament was in overtime of Saturday’s regional final, and View Park hasn’t allowed a tournament opponent over 50. While View Park rolled to a regional final win over Christian (El Cajon), Stuart Hall faced a 34-17 halftime deficit, but switched to a triangle-and-two defense to engineer a comeback against St. Mary’s-Albany.
While View Park has a freshman and a sophomore on the roster with Christian and De’Shawn Johnson, Stuart Hall is the much younger team, with just two seniors receiving playing time, a star junior point guard in Miles Amos and an excellent freshman in Nigel Burris.
Division II
Southern California No. 2 Crossroads (24-9) vs. Northern California No. 1 Alameda (28-5), 4 pm
Almost all eyes will be on UCLA commit Shareef O’Neal, and any that won’t be focused on the UCLA commit will be scanning the crowd to see if his father, Shaquille, shows up to support Crossroads and his son in his final high school game.
Alameda has all sorts of weapons that can make an impact, but while any member of the Hornets starting lineup can play a critical role, one thing is key for Crossroads: don't leave Ryan Cibull open. If he can get free from beyond the arc, Alameda may be able to keep up with O’Neal and the rest of the Roadrunners.
Division I
Southern California No. 6 Chino Hills (25-11) vs. Northern California No. 2 Las Lomas (31-3), 8 pm
Friday’s nightcap may be a battle between two public schools, but there’s a clear David and Goliath scenario. Chino Hills won the Open Division title in 2016, and while LaMelo Ball left the school after his sophomore year, the Huskies still have Onyeka Okongwu and Andre Ball, cousin of LaMelo, Lonzo and LiAngelo.
Las Lomas has never appeared in a state title game, with head coach Brian Dietschy’s team falling short in a regional championship in 1988. The Knights have a trio of incredibly athletic guards in Nathan Robinson, Devin Payne and Robert Prince, and every ounce of that athleticism will be necessary on Friday. Las Lomas has nobody over 6-foot-5, so the Knights will need to play above their heights to handle the 6-9 Okongwu.
Though Chino Hills carries the legacy, the Huskies have a chip on their shoulders as well. In November, LaMelo Ball joked on Twitter that Chino Hills deserved a documentary for falling from grace, but the program is back in a state title game for the third time in four years.
Saturday’s games
Division V
Southern California No. 1 Santa Clarita Christian (24-9) vs. Northern California No. 1 Argonaut (29-5), 12 pm
In the only game in which the top seeds will represent both regions will showcase a traditional Division V team and a representative of the new competitive equity format. While both schools have under 550 students, Santa Clarita Christian is the conventional private school, while Argonaut is a small-town public school that typically got taken out by private school powers.
The Mustangs come from Jackson, located in Amador County, and reached the title game by winning the Sac-Joaquin Division V title and then taking down a mix of larger public schools and small private schools in the state tournament.
Adison Cramer (19 ppg) and Jared Votaw (15.4) lead the pack for the Mustangs, while the Cardinals have six players averaging at least eight points per game, headlined by Jordan Starr, who averages 12.3.
Division III
Southern California No. 8 Notre Dame (33-3) vs. Northern California No. 2 Pleasant Valley (31-2), 4 pm
While most boys games will follow girls games from the same division, the Division II girls game will precede this one to allow for both Pleasant Valley teams to play back-to-back.
A close game would be unfamiliar territory for the Vikings, who have won all state tournament games by at least nine points. That nine-point win over Central Catholic in the NorCal final was just the third game Pleasant Valley has played within single digits since the calendar turned to 2018.
A big part of that is point guard Kevin Kremer, who averages 18.1 points and 8.2 rebounds. While the Vikings’ trip from Chico will be much shorter than that of the Titans, who are coming up from Riverside, Notre Dame has no issue with playing on the road.
The Titans traveled to take down top-seeded Washington and fourth-seeded Knight, so while this weekend’s trip will be longer in terms of distance, playing against a team with a large supporting crowd should be no issue. Notre Dame has four top-notch juniors in Anthony Holland (18.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg), Pierce Sterling (13.8 ppg), Anton Mozga (13.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg) and Dondre Bausley (12.1 ppg).
Open Division
Southern California No. 2 Sierra Canyon (26-4) vs. Northern California No. 4 Sheldon (29-5), 8 pm
It was confirmed on Monday that Cassius Stanley will be cleared to play after a hard fall in Saturday’s Southern California title game. Amazingly, Stanley isn’t even the Trailblazers’ leading scorer. That honor goes to Kenyon Martin Jr., one of three NBA sons on the team.
He’s joined by Scottie Pippen Jr. and Ohio State commit Duane Washington Jr., making for an extremely talented and star-studded lineup. Even against a loaded schedule, Sierra Canyon has outscored opponents by nearly 20 points per game.
The Trailblazers won their first Open Division game by 26, but were pushed to the limit in a two-point overtime win against Bishop Montgomery and a three-point victory over Etiwanda.
Sheldon has played five straight games decided by single digits, dating back to the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals. While the Huskies don’t have the big names like Sierra Canyon, they have athleticism and are tough as nails, surviving a gritty, physical contest against Bishop O’Dowd to reach the title game for the second time in program history.
Sheldon dropped the 2012 Division I Championship to Mater Dei, but with a lineup of hard-nosed players like Justin Nguyen, the Huskies have a chance to become just the second Northern California team to win the Open Division since it was first contested in 2013.