CIF Basketball State Championship: SFL school wins title, LeBron catches the action, blue chip prospect shines

There have been plenty of great basketball teams to don the red and gold of Jesuit High School, but none have accomplished what this season's team did. The Marauders (27-9) won their first basketball state championship in the school's 62-year history with a 66-53 victory over Chatsworth (26-9) on Saturday at Golden 1 Center. Coach Tim Kelly saw something special in this group, saying, "I'm just super proud of this team. From day one, these guys have been doing everything the right way. They worked hard. They're a great team, they really are. The sum of our parts are better than the individual here. This is a great example of a great team, and I'm just really proud to be their coach." The Division II state championship came two weeks after the Marauders had their hearts broken in the same building in the final seconds of the Sac-Joaquin Section D-II final against Sierra Foothill League rival Rocklin. Kelly said the loss stuck with Jesuit and helped fuel the state run. "We've had some hard ones this season. We've taken some tough losses," said Kelly. "But those tough times, I think, teach lessons, and if you learn to use those lessons the right way, you can do something pretty special. These guys have taken those things, taken those moments, used those lessons, they just keep getting better." Jesuit's teamwork was the difference in the final. The Marauders had 19 assists on 22 field goals, and the only three unassisted baskets were two fastbreaks and one putback. Four starters were in double figures and five players had more than one assist. "This is what it's all about here," said Kelly. "Play team ball on the offensive end, play team ball on the defensive end." Freshman Maison Phillips led the Marauders with 19 points and was 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Phillips said the trust his teammates put in him boosted his confidence and helped him through tough times on the court. "It feels really good, but it starts with these guys trusting me and believing in me. I had some slumps during the season, but they still trust me," said Phillips. "It means so much to have all that confidence that they gave me. So it feels great." Jesuit joined the Woodland Christian girls team as the only two Sac-Joaquin Section schools to win a state title over the weekend. LeBron comes to Sacramento Friday night's state championship crowd was treated to a visit from the King himself, as LeBron James watched son Bryce play for Sierra Canyon in the Division I championship game. As James made his way to his courtside seats, the crowd of more than 8,000 erupted in cheers, welcoming the star to the arena. The Trailblazers (27-7) captured their first state championship since 2019, constructing a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to top Lincoln of Stockton 58-53. Sierra Canyon was led by Gavin Hightower with 15 points while Maximo Adams added 14. Bryce James finished 1 of 9 for three points and grabbed five rebounds. After the game, LeBron picked up some of the grieving Lincoln (31-5) players, including Anthony Moore, who scored a game-high 18 points. "That was crazy," Moore said. "I'll remember that." Etiwanda wins third straight Open girls title Etiwanda put together a dominant performance Saturday night to defeat San Jose-Archbishop Mitty 75-59 and secure the first 3-peat in girls Open Division history. The Eagles (28-5) had five scorers in double figures with Arynn Finley leading the way with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting. The Eagles and Monarchs (27-4) were deadlocked in the first half before Etiwanda pulled away in the third quarter and pushed the lead to double digits. The state championship was also Etiwanda's third consecutive win over an opponent ranked in the top 10 nationally. Burries buries Riordan Those who stayed for the boys Open Division championship were treated to a master-class performance from five-star senior point guard Brayden Burries of Eastvale-Roosevelt. Buries broke the Open Division record with 44 points, leading his No. 2 nationally ranked Mustangs (35-2) to an 80-60 victory over Archbishop Riordan (29-2). Burries said he knew he was in for a big night and had good energy throughout the day leading up to the season finale. "I knew it from the beginning just with the energy and the vibe," Burries said. "Before the game, I just listened to a lot of gospel music, and I feel like I was just in that mode. When I got on the court, it was over." Burries shot 15 of 22 and sank four 3-pointers. His 44 points is the second most in the history of the state championships across all divisions, and many compared his performance to Jason Kidd's in 1991 and Klay Thompson's in 2008. Burries credited his teammates and coaches, who have given him all the tools he needed to succeed. "Coaches have put me in the right position to be successful, and my teammates are just giving me all the confidence I need to go out there and do what I do," said Burries. "Even if I miss a shot or make a bad play, I can trust them to know that they'll tell me it's all right and just get a stop." Burries is uncommitted but has 31 D-I offers, including Arizona, Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama, Duke, Houston, Texas and UCLA. Son of NBA star in action For the second consecutive season, Alijah Arenas, the son of Gilbert Arenas, played at Golden 1 Center with Chatsworth. Arenas put on a clinic last year with 44 points in the D-IV state final but came up short in the game. This time, Arenas left empty-handed again as his Chancellors fell to Jesuit in the D-II championship. Arenas led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and a team-high four assists. Arenas, a USC commit, expressed his frustration after the loss saying, "We should have played harder. I feel like the story was just the effort on both ends. They had more heart. They had more effort. They wanted more." What's it going to take for the North to win? While the weekend action was split between the North and South 7-7, a Northern California school hasn't won the boys Open Division championship since 2015, when Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd defeated Santa Ana-Mater Dei. That is the North's only win in the Open and one of four boys NorCal titles in the highest division since 2000. St. Mary's High School of Stockton was the last girls team to win the Open in 2015 and is one of three to win the highest division in the last 15 years alongside Bishop O'Dowd in 2013 and Oak Ridge in 2010. What will it take for the North to reclaim the throne? Archbishop Riordan Coach Joey Curtin said it will take a complete game for the North to win it and noted he did everything he could to prepare the Crusaders for the competition they will see in the state's highest division. "We try to play the best of the best, especially in the summer and the viewing period," Curtin said. "We play in tournaments with the best up here with Gridley, and then you go down to Torrey Pines to try to play some SoCal teams and teams from across the country, which we did and we had success with that." Curtin said the Crusaders were banged up going into the game but still felt good about their chances even if the SoCal teams tend to be more battle tested. "The North teams are trying to do a better job of prepping," Curtin said. "I think we've done it for sure, trying to go out there and find top competition. In the south, they play more games. They start earlier. They have little advantages for sure." The North has gotten close in previous attempts. Last year, Salesian nearly defeated national No. 1 Harvard-Westlake in the Open final and in 2017, Woodcreek nearly overcame a slow start to beat Bishop Montgomery. Modesto Christian also lost by single digits to Centennial in 2022. Roosevelt coach and three-time state champion Stephen Singleton joked he wasn't going to try to help the NorCal schools figure it out but said there is no gauntlet quite like the Open Division in Southern California. "They don't go through the gauntlet we go through when it comes to the playoffs and things like that," said Singleton. "We're a public school, and we play almost every private school to get here and we just played a private school right now to win this championship."