.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
.jpeg "Alex Kime")
“He’s a great basketball player with a great basketball IQ,” Broyles said. “Just makes things happen.”
The coach also raved about the footwork, hands and tenacity of Williams, who sports a hearty beard to match his rugged interior play. Broyles joked that Williams will still be taking it to people in a 35-and-under league someday, not that his facial hair doesn’t make him look like he’s already a pick-up league ringer. Williams muscled inside for eight fourth-quarter points and had 13 total.
“He really knows how to play,” Broyles said. “Great hands, post moves. All of it.”
Del Oro (24-7) advanced to its first section basketball final since 2009, last winning one in 1998. The Golden Eagles will play No. 3-seeded Vanden of Fairfield in the championship game at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. Vanden beat No. 2 Capital Christian 78-59 in the other semifinal.
Senior star guard Kevin Haupt scored 27 for Jesuit, which had its 11-game winning streak halted and will take its 23-8 record into next week’s CIF Northern California regional tournament. All section semifinalists advance to the NorCal rounds, placed in divisions based on competitive equity. Those brackets will be released by the CIF on Sunday afternoon.
DIVISION I
Monday’s games
Modesto Christian 64, Inderkum 56
Lincoln-Stockton 67, Rocklin 62
Wednesday’s championship game
No. 1 Modesto Christian vs. No. 7 Lincoln at Golden 1 Center, 8 p.m.
Comment: Senior guard Gavin Sykes scored 19 points to power Modesto Christian, which seeks a championship D-I three-peat and its 22nd section banner overall, spanning various divisions. The Lincoln Trojans are back in a final for just the second time, having won D-I honors in 1980. Sophomore guard Jagger Merolla scored 17 points to lead Lincoln (26-5), which beat The Bee’s top-ranked teams all season by downing Monterey Trail 93-88 in double-overtime in a quarterfinal and then Rocklin in Placer County.
Freshman guard Siincere Hudson led Inderkum with 18 points. Rocklin senior guard Kanyon Rice had 16 points.
DIVISION II
Monday’s games
Del Oro 66, Jesuit 62
Vanden 78, Capital Christian 59
Wednesday’s championship game
No. 3 Vanden vs. No. 4 Del Oro at Golden 1 Center, 4 p.m.
Comment: Vanden lost to Sacramento in the D-III finals last season and now aim for its 10th championship. The Vikings (23-8) have a 10-game winning streak and are led by perhaps the top player in the section in 6-5 senior guard Tyler Thompson, who had 19 points, including three 3-pointers. CJ Willenborg and Jaylen Valdez led Capital Christian with 19 and 17 points, respectively.
DIVISION III
Monday’s games
Sacramento 59, Central Catholic 50
Christian Brothers 65, West Park 61
Wednesday’s championship game
No. 1 Sacramento vs. No. 6 Christian Brothers at Golden 1 Center, noon
Comment: What a night for the Capital Athletic League with Sacramento and Christian Brothers set to square off for the third time after splitting their first two matchups. Sacramento is the defending champion and has won eight banners since 2010. The Dragons are led by three returning starters in Kendahl Hearne, SirMarius Jones and Shobal Barksdale.
Christian Brothers, meanwhile, is back in a section final for the first time since winning it in D-IV in 2001, and it has been a remarkable climb from six wins three seasons ago to the current 19-12 showing under coach Jermaine Brown. Stephan Hewitt had 23 points and seven rebounds, Daniel Powers had 11 points and five rebounds, Kamari Simpson had 14 points and six boards, and Shawn Underwood had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Twelve seconds were left in the fourth quarter of the Les Curry Invitational championship game on Saturday afternoon. Davis High trailed 68-65 against Sac-Joaquin Section powerhouse Del Oro.
Blue Devil Derek Barker dribbled up court, takes it all the way to the basket and dishes to Kaleb Gee for a 3-point chance.
The shot bounced off the rim, over the backboard and out of bounds.
Another strong effort from the DHS ended in a 70-65 loss.
“I feel like we have arrived as a team,” Davis first-year coach Steve Smith said. “We can compete with anybody in our section.”
Del Oro is now 9-2 while Davis, which has won three of its last four, is 3-6.
On the first possession of the game, the team’s leading scorer, Aidan Crawford (18 points per game), twisted his knee and was taken out.
“I wish I could have done everything tonight,” Crawford said. “I really wanted to be out on the floor and it hurt not to be.”
Smith took a “next man up” approach to fill the void.
“We have a lot of guys from one through 14 that I feel like I can put in the game and are going to give us a positive contribution, so we weren’t worried at all,” Smith said.
Without their top scorer, the boys still started the game strong, ending the first quarter up 23-13 on the back of three 3-pointers from Alden McCabe, who would add another in the second and finish with 14 points.
“Alden (Mccabe) had one of his best games playing against probably the best big man duo that we are going to face this year,” Smith said. “He held his own tonight.”
The game turned physical in the second quarter, with both teams going into the bonus, which would happen again in the fourth, and 15 total fouls. Despite this, the Devils continued to dominate, and were up 38-27 at the half.
The 3-ball played a big part in Davis’ early success, making six of their 10 attempts in the first half. A less than stellar 5-for-11 from the free-throw line however, kept Del Oro in the game.
“I told the team at halftime they are going to make a run,” Smith said. “We are not going to blow this team out.”
Smith was proven correct as a Del Oro run brought the game within a basket, at 42-39, with 12 minutes to play.
Jadyn Coaker, who finished with 18 points, landed two mid-range shots, which improved the Devils’ lead to 47-39.
“Watching Jadyn (Coaker) down the stretch was just unbelievable,” Mccabe said. “It was so clutch."
Other top scorers for the Devils were Barker and Gee with 8 points each and Jordan McMurray with 5.
Davis was playing well on both sides of the ball, but consistent offensive rebounds by Del Oro put pressure on the defense, tying the game at 63 with a minute to go.
“Our defense was as good as it has ever been, but defensive stops end on rebounding,” Smith said. “In the second half they got more offensive rebounds and extra shots, which hurt us.”
Going into the end stretch, Davis was without another key player as McCabe fouled out.
“I need to be more disciplined,” McCabe said. “I want to be in there and the fouls kept me off the court at the end.”
Even though the game ended in a loss, it proved the Devils were a force to be reckoned with come Delta League play.
Both Crawford and Coaker were selected for the all-tournament team alongside Del Oro’s Alex Kime, Jake Williams and tournament MVP Caden Pinnick.
“I am really blessed to have received that honor, even without playing in the last game,” Crawford said.
The Les Curry consolation games ended with Ponderosa beating Franklin, 100-23, for seventh place, Grant beating Roseville, 69-46, for fifth and Christian Brothers topping Wood, 67-42, for third.
Davis travels to Vacaville on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. outing.
Placer and Del Oro high schools each won boys basketball tournament championships last weekend.
The Hillmen claimed the Panther Invitational in Chico, winning every game by double digits.
Placer opened the tournament Thursday with a sneak peek at future Foothill Valley League foe River Valley and picked up a decisive 81-46 victory thanks to 17-point performances by Kobe Espina and Ben Manley.
The Hillmen built a 42-24 halftime lead and never looked back.
The toughest test of the weekend came Friday in the semifinal against Santa Rosa, and the Hillmen rose to the occasion with a 67-48 victory, setting up a championship date with host Chico on Saturday.
Placer put on an offensive clinic in the first half, sinking 11 of 13 3-point attempts on the way to a decisive 86-45 victory.
Manley and Emmett Rose led the way with four triples each, with Manley tallying a game-high 24 points and earning the tournament MVP honor.
The tournament marked the first time Placer had a full team, as Rose became eligible after transferring from Del Oro and Jeremiah Rethi returned from an injury suffered during football season.
“Everybody got involved in both halves of that win. We are finally up to all 14 of our players now and we are getting better and better each day,” Placer coach Nate Swesey said. “Jeremiah needs to get his timing and his legs and everything ready, but once he does that he will hit the ground running. He was awesome this summer. Emmett is a special shooter. He understands the game and he has a high basketball IQ.”
Placer (13-1) will be idle until after Christmas. The Hillmen open the 81st annual Kendall Arnett Tournament on Dec. 28 against Amador, but Swesey says the Hillmen will be in the lab making tweaks and will have an intrasquad scrimmage this week to keep the players fresh.
“We want to clean up some of the stuff that we haven’t been doing exceptionally well,” Swesey said. “Our rebounding has been off and on; our basket cutters can get to the rim a little bit more. So that's what we're focusing on in this week and we are going to take time to watch some film as well.”
Del Oro: Del Oro won the Les Curry Invitational in Davis for the second consecutive season but unlike its Placer County rival up the hill, the Golden Eagles had to grind out every win by single digits.
The Golden Eagles opened with a 58-55 victory over Grant, fending off a late comeback attempt by the Pacers. Alex Kime led the way with 17 points, while Reid Brear and Caden Pinnick scored 14 and 13. Kime led the team with four assists while Pinnick led with six rebounds.
Del Oro turned around Friday and picked up a 70-64 win over a gritty Christian Brothers squad thanks to a 26-point performance by Pinnick.
The Golden Eagles finished the weekend with a 70-65 win over Davis, this time with Jake Williams leading the way down low. Williams racked up 24 points, sinking 8 of 12 shots.
Pinnick earned the MVP honor, while Kime and Williams were named to the all-tournament team.
Del Oro (9-2) was back in action Tuesday night at home against Woodcreek.
.jpeg)
