'Nothing will ever feel better': Hillmen top Del Oro for Kendall Arnett title

Tension filled Placer High School's Earl Crabbe Gym on Wednesday night as the Hillmen battled Del Oro for the 83rd Kendall Arnett Tournament title. Trailing for much of the game, Placer finally found its moment when it counted. Emmett Rose hit a fadeaway 3-point shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter and give Placer a 60-59 lead, its first of the night. That shot was the momentum swing the Hillmen needed to make a spirited comeback, downing the Golden Eagles 76-73 to claim their second straight Kendall title. "Kannon (Rector) did a good job finding me and I just kind of threw it up there and it went in," said Rose. "I've practiced those shots and there's no better feeling than seeing it go in." The Hillmen trailed until that point, at times by as much as eight, but Rose said they emphasized the importance of making a push to take the lead. "By the end of the third we were telling ourselves, 'Let's try to get the lead.' We set our minds to a goal," said Rose. "I feel like that really ties back to all the workouts we put in in the morning. It's that mental toughness stuff." Rose finished with 17 points, including 13 in the second half. Rector led the Hillmen with 26 points, including two free throws in the closing seconds that essentially put the Golden Eagles to bed. Rector, who earned the tournament MVP honor for the second consecutive year, said raising the trophy after winning a Kendall championship is something that never gets old. "It means so much to me. In the last 10 months, I had two knee surgeries and I faced a lot of adversity, and my teammates were with me through every step of the way coming back," said Rector. "This is pretty emotional for me. Nothing will ever feel better than winning the Kendall." Rector dished out the assist on Rose's go-ahead shot. He said the play was drawn so the Hillmen had options, but he had trust Rose would make the clutch bucket. "It was a read play and I didn't get a good look," said Rector. "At the end of the day, it's nice having one of the best shooters in the country on my side. I'm always looking to give it to him." Placer led by seven with just over three minutes remaining, but Del Oro cut the lead to three in the final minute. Landen Parry was fouled on a put-back attempt and sent to the line with five seconds remaining with an opportunity to tie the score, but a lane violation on the free throw gave the Hillmen the ball and allowed them to push the lead back to three. The Golden Eagles had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but a 3-point attempt by Brendan Hawkins was off the mark. Hawkins led Del Oro with 24 points, while Mikey Root had 17. Freshman Keyaan Moula scored 14 points. Rose's buzzer beater was the catalyst for the comeback but it was only a piece of the puzzle. The Hillmen tightened things up in the second half, thanks to gritty performances by Pope Robinson, Jeremiah Rethi, Max Manley, Joe Manley and Tanner Baldwin. Placer coach Nate Swesey said Robinson's defense led the comeback on the other end, as he slowed Hawkins, who had a dominant first half. "We needed somebody to come in and kind of be a defensive player there to get us back in it, and Pope was the man," said Swesey. "These guys are unselfish. They root for each other, there are no hard feelings when they go in. We're a team through and through. That's one of the beauties about these guys and coaching at Placer: They're all good kids, they play together." Placer (15-1) capped a dominant nonleague slate as it prepares to defend its Foothill Valley League championship starting Saturday against Del Campo. Swesey stressed the importance of not getting complacent, saying there is still plenty to work on. Swesey noted there are few feelings better than winning a Kendall Arnett title. Said Swesey, "When you're in the moment, you don't think about it. But like I told the kids, when their name goes up on the board, they'll come back here and watch the Kendall in the future, and they'll show their kids that. They can say, 'Hey, our team won that one in 2025.' It's a very special tournament." Other games Rio Americano claimed third place, defeating Colfax 76-65 in a back-and-forth battle. The Raiders led for the majority of the afternoon, but Colfax was hot on its trail and had the lead down to single digits multiple times in the second half. The Raiders were led by strong performances from Dylan Johnson, Trey Howell-Chase, Ian Engh and Genesis Smith. Nevada Union topped Del Campo 63-54 to claim the consolation championship, and Foothill-Palo Cedro defeated Amador for seventh-place.