SACRAMENTO — Throughout its long and illustrious history, the Serra High basketball program had yet to accomplish one thing — win a California Interscholastic Federation-State championship.
History was made Saturday afternoon.
Serra held true to its “Defend or Die” motto by holding Long Beach Poly to only 34 percent shooting in a 48-43 victory at Sleep Train Arena, home of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA.
“We had a chance to do something that had never been done before,” Serra coach Chuck Rapp said. “That’s so rare and so special and to plant that state banner for the whole Padre Nation is quite special.”
The Padres didn’t shoot the ball well themselves — just 35 percent — but made 13 more free throws and out-rebounded the Jackrabbits 35-28.
Winning the rebounding edge was key for the Padres.
“We said if we out-rebounded them that would be the game,” Rapp said. “That was huge. That was a super athletic team that’s really strong on the boards. It took all five guys to box out and it was fun to watch.
“Not everybody can make a 3-pointer, not everybody can dunk, but everybody can box out.”
Leading the way for Serra was senior and Columbia signee Jake Killingsworth, who finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds, both team highs.
Lee Jones added 13 points including a 9-of-11 performance from the free throw line and Jeremiah Testa and John Besse each scored eight in the win.
For Killingsworth, who transferred to Serra from Rogers, Ark. during his his sophomore season, winning the final game of his high school career is extra special because of the company he kept.
“It’s unreal to end my high school career with a win,” he said. “It’s something so special and to do it with my second family is great.”
It was a seesaw battle throughout the first half as Serra and Long Beach Poly went into halftime tied 19-19.
Serra (26-5) took its first lead of the game at 23-21 early in the third on a Killingsworth jumper. The senior went on a personal 6-0 run causing the Jackrabbits to call a timeout with 5:22 left in the third, trailing 27-21.
The Padres never trailed by more than five points in the first half and knew that if they stuck to their defensive guns they would make a second-half run.
“We teach toughness — we believe in it,” Rapp said. “That is absolutely what the culture is — toughness — and that is something we teach ... that’s who we are, defend or die; we live it and wear it on our shirts and that’s what we’re about.”
As the Padres were defending, Long Beach Poly was misfiring.
The Jackrabbits (24-11), who entered state as the lowest-seeded team regardless of division at No. 10, shot just 5-of-20 from behind the 3-point line and attempted only three free throws the entire game.
“They played the exact way we thought they were going to play, it was just us,” Long Beach Poly coach Shelton Diggs said. “We couldn’t score enough in a championship game where our defense had to be perfect if we were going to win today.”
The Jackrabbits trailed 32-26 going into the fourth and cut Serra’s lead to 33-30 with 5:01 left in the game on a Harrison Bonner 3-pointer.
Serra answered out of the timeout with a Killingsworth reverse layup. Serra, after forcing a stop on defense, got two free throws from Jones to boost the Serra lead to seven.
“We peaked at the right time,” Rapp said. “The program is kind of mad for March and that’s what we try to do is build ourselves for that point. Once we got into NorCals we started playing our best ball — in terms of defensively and offensively sharing the ball — we just kept getting better and that’s a sign of a championship team.”
Long Beach Poly beat Los Alamitos 56-39 to reach the title game.
Junior Zafir Williams led the Jackrabbits with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Bonner added nine points while Drew Buggs and Brandon Henry each chipped in with six points. Buggs, plagued by injury much of the season, had scored 20 points in the SoCal Regional title game.
“We were getting our shots - we just couldn’t make them - but I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” Diggs said.
The Padres beat El Cerrito 59-53 last Saturday to reach the title game, their first since 2005.
A program that has won six Central Coast Section titles has now won that elusive first state title.
A team that lost in the CCS Open Division semifinals is now the CIF-State D-II champions, and on top of winning last year's CCS Open title for the first time.
“I’m really proud of these guys," Rapp said. "They do all the work and heavy lifting and the assistant coaches put in the game plan, the kids implement it and I just run around and yell at the referees.
“I’m proud of these guys — a great group, historic and special group. This will be a day that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
As for how the Padres will celebrate their first state victory, that's uncertain.
“It’s the best experience in my life,” Testa said. “I’m just savoring it.”
