2007 CIF State Basketball
Championship Results

March 23-24, ARCO Arena, Sacramento

Division V Boys: Branson Makes it Two in a Row With Overtime Thriller

Oliver McNally took over late in the fourth quarter and during overtime to lead Branson of Ross past View Park Prep of Los Angeles, 57-48, in the boys’ Division V state title game.

McNally, who finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Bulls (33-2), had a hand in all but one of Branson’s points during a 13-2 run that decided the game. Chris Martin added 11, on nine of 11 shooting.

Jason Pruitt topped the Knights (23-12) with 20 points. Cory Hyde had a double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Dante Mitchell added 12 points before fouling out.

View Park looked to be in control of what had been a close game, going into the fourth quarter up seven, 37-30. With 2:40 remaining, the Knights led 41-36 when McNally took charge. He had three assists and eight points in the next 3:08, and in the last 1:17 of regulation, he had two assists and a basket, the last assist coming with 13.7 seconds to set up Martin for the tying basket. View Park had three shots on its next possession, but none dropped and the game went into overtime.

McNally dished to Martin again to start the overtime, and Branson had the lead for the first time since the score was 21-20, late in the first quarter. After two McNally free throws with 57.1 seconds left -- the Bulls were 13 of 13 from the line -- it was 53-43, and the issue had been decided.

This was Branson’s second straight Division V boys’ championship, and its third straight appearance in the title game. View Park Prep, a new school which will have its first graduating class in June, was making its first trip to Arco.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Cory Hyde, View Park Prep; Morgan Livermore, Branson

Division V Girls: Branson Girls Win in First Finals Showing

Rachael Bilney had 14 points, five assists and five rebounds to lead Branson of Ross past Pacific Hill of West Hollywood, 51-36, in the Division V girls’ state championship.

Samantha Bilney, Rachael’s twin, had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls (33-3), who have now won 31 in a row.

Ariel Dale led Pacific Hills (30-6) with 11 points, and Bree Richardson, the daughter of former NBA player Pooh Richardson, had 10.

Pacific Hills took a 3-0 lead, but would make only two more baskets in the first half, and trailed 20-11 at the break. The Bulls put the game out of reach in a 19-8 third quarter, and led by as many as 22 in the final period.

The win gave Branson a sweep of the Division V titles, as the boys won earlier in the day. It was the first time since 2001 that the same school won both the boys’ and girls’ championships (Bishop Montgomery of Torrance).

With the victory, Branson tied a record for most combined wins by girls’ and boys’ teams in a single season, with 66. Ripon Christian matched that total in 1994.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Susy Rascon, Pacific Hills; Jenny Lloyd, Branson

Division II Girls: Archbishop Mitty Second-Half Comeback Proves the Difference

Danielle Robinson scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Archbishop Mitty of San Jose defeated Brea-Olinda, 54-49, to win the girls’ Division II championship.

Nicole Anderson had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Monarchs (31-4), who overcame a nine-point first half deficit, and Kassandra McCalister added 11.

Jeanette Pohlen, who will go to Stanford in the fall, finished with 21 points for Brea Olinda (33-2), which was ranked sixth in the nation by Sports Illustrated/Full Court Press coming into the game.

The game, however, was decided early in the third quarter when a flurry of fouls was called on Brea Olinda. Pohlen, Kelsey Harris and Lauren Bell all picked up their third fouls in the first 55 seconds, and all three had four fouls with four minutes to go. Mitty outscored the Ladycats 17-5 in the third period, and held on for the win.

Robinson, a point guard who will join the Paris twins at Oklahoma next year, was nine of 18 from the field and had three assists. Linsday Leo grabbed 12 rebounds.

The title was the third for Mitty, and its first since 1999. Brea Olinda played in its 10th championship game, and has won a record eight California crowns.

Mitty shot just nine of 34 in the first half, which helped explain the 28-22 Brea Olinda lead. During the salvo of third-quarter whistles, however, the Monarchs managed to take the lead for good, 31-30, and eventually led by as many as seven. Brea Olinda cut the lead to three with 22 seconds left, but McCalister hit two free throws to seal the win.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Jonae Ervin, Brea Olinda; Danielle Robinson, Archbishop Mitty

Division II Boys: Mater Dei Takes the Battle of Monarchs in OT

Taylor King scored 29 points and had 15 rebounds as Mater Dei of Santa Ana overcame two years of frustration to beat Archbishop Mitty of San Jose for the boys’ Division II state title, 69-64 in overtime.

David Wear added 10 points for Mater Dei (33-4), which had lost in the state championship game for the past two years.

Collin Chiverton led Mitty (29-6) with 20 points and Drew Gordon added 17. But Mitty was just 14 of 29 from the free throw line, while Mater Dei was 21 of 33, and that proved to be the difference in the game.

Even so, Mitty had a 53-49 lead late in the fourth quarter, but went scoreless for 5:40, including the first 2:47 of overtime, to open the door for Mater Dei.
King tied the score with a free throw with 47.3 seconds left, but he missed the second -- in fact, King missed four of six free throws in the last 2:40 -- and neither team scored the rest of the way.

Mater Dei had the better of the play in the first half, and led by five, 32-27, at the break. But an 11-0 Mitty run turned the game around in the third quarter, and the two went back and forth until Mitty ran off nine unanswered points to take a 50-46 lead. But after Greg Justice hit a three-pointer with 2:53 remaining, the well went dry for Mitty, and Mater Dei took over. The Southern California champ scored the first six points of overtime and Mitty could never get closer than three.

It was Mater Dei’s sixth state title, and its first since 2003.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Blake Arnet, Mater Dei; Justin Sweat, Archbishop Mitty

Division IV Girls: Marlborough Uses Huge Second Half Run For First State Title

Nikki Speed scored 25 points and had five steals as Marlborough of Los Angeles overcame a 16-point second-half deficit against St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo to win the girls’ Division IV state title, 67-52.

The Mustangs (27-7) outscored the Bruins 41-12 in the second half, as Speed scored 20 of her points in the final 16 minutes.

Alex Cowling led St. Patrick/St. Vincent (30-4) with 32 points, though 24 came in the first half, which the Bruins dominated. They led 40-26 at the break and scored first in the third period, but after that it was all Marlborough. The Mustangs ran off 20 straight points in slightly more than six minutes and then, spurred by Speed’s scoring and steals, outscored the Bruins 13-3 early in the fourth quarter to take control of an electric, up-and-down game.

Both teams are very young, with only one senior starter and just two seniors on each roster. Both Speed and Cowling are juniors.

The title was the first for Marlborough, which was making its debut in the state championship game.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Stefanie Corgel, Marlborough; Alex Cowling, St. Patrick/St. Vincent

Division IV Boys: Campbell Hall Rolls to Second Crown in Three Years

Jrue Holiday scored 20 points as Campbell Hall of North Hollywood defeated Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, 70-34, to win its second boys’ Division IV state title in the past three years.

Holiday also had seven rebounds and four assists for the Vikings (33-1), who are ranked 13th in the nation by Sports Illustrated. Justin Holiday and Robert Ford had had 15 points each and Keegan Hornbuckle added 10. Campbell Hall’s only loss came at the hands of St. Andrew’s of Rhode Island, by two points. The Vikings defeated St. Mary’s of Berkeley in 2005 for its first state championship.

Matt Wellen led Cardinal Newman (27-8) with 10 points. This was the Cardinals’ third appearance in the state championship game, but they have yet to win.

This one slipped away early, as Campbell Hall jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back. It was 43-19 at the half, and never got closer. In fact, the Vikings went ahead 67-27 in the fourth quarter, which triggered the California mercy rule, which means the clock only stops for timeouts. It was the first time the mercy rule, which was instituted prior to the 2005-06 season, has been invoked in a state title game.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: James Johnson, Campbell Hall; Eddie Curzon, Cardinal Newman

Division III Girls: Sacred Heart Cathedral Rallies For Win

Jazmine Jackson scored 25 points as Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco pulled off another miracle finish to beat Bishop Amat of La Puente, 60-54 in overtime, to win the girls’ Division III state championship game.

The Irish (32-2) trailed by three with time running out in regulation, and Tierra Rogers drove to the basket for a two-point layup -- but was fouled with three seconds left.

Sacred Heart had no time outs left, and had Rogers scored without being fouled, under high school rules, the clock would have run out before Bishop Amat would have had to inbound the ball. But Rogers then made the free throw to tie the game, and in overtime, the Lancers made just two of nine free throws and the Irish pulled away.

Kristen McCarthy topped Bishop Amat (27-6), the two-time defending Division III champions, with 17 points, and Ashley Adams added 11. Amanda Alvarez added 10, but the Lancers turned the ball over 30 times, and made just 15 of 30 free throws.

Ki-shawna Moore had 16 and Rogers 10 for Sacred Heart, which won the game despite getting outrebounded 54-37, and making just 19 of 29 free throws.

In the NorCal finals March 17, the Irish trailed by three with 19 seconds left in regulation, and Rogers came up with a basket, a steal and an assist to put them up one -- and Sacramento missed a seven-footer at the buzzer to give SHC the win.

Bishop Amat took charge early against SHC, which came into the game ranked 16th nationally by Sports Illustrated. The Lancers were ahead 14-4 with 20 seconds left in the first quarter before the Irish began chipping away at the lead. A Jackson 12-foot bank shot off an inbounds play game Sacred Heart its first lead at 23-22 with 2:13 left in the half, but Bishop Amat promptly scored the final seven points on the second period to take a 29-23 lead into the locker room.

The Lancers led by as many as eight in the second half, and forced three straight Irish turnovers down the stretch to build a 50-47 lead with 8.8 seconds to go. But then Rogers took the ball to the basket, drew the touch foul and sent the game into overtime.

Division III Boys: Artesia Sets Division Scoring Record in Defense of State Crown

James Harden had 24 points and topped five players in double figures as Artesia of Lakewood beat Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland, 91-64, to win its second straight Division III boys state championship.

Other double-figure scorers for the Pioneers (33-2) were Renardo Sidney (18), Malik Story (14), A.J. Gasporra (13) and Lorenzo McCloud (13), as Artesia won its fifth California state championship. The Pioneers set a Division III record for most points in a title game, and the teams’ combined total was also a record. The previous records were 83 by Crossroads of Santa Monica in 1983 and 154 by Estancia (82) and Washington of Fremont (72) in 1991, respectively.

Brandon Walker had 24 points for Bishop O’Dowd (26-7), which has won one previous state championship in 1981. Shawn Lewis added 18.

Artesia took over the game early, jumping out to a 40-15 lead, but the gritty Dragons refused to buckle. Backed by an emotional crowd, O’Dowd eventually cut the lead to six in the third period, 55-49, but Artesia’s talent -- the Pioneers are ranked seventh in the nation by Sports Illustrated -- was just too much for the Dragons to overcome.

Artesia shot 51.7 percent from the field, outrebounded O’Dowd 49-34 and blocked eight shots.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: A.J. Gasporra, Artesia; Shawn Lewis, Bishop O'Dowd

Division I Girls: Long Beach Poly Picks Up Second Crown in As Many Years

Jasmine Dixon had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Long Beach Poly won its second straight girls’ Division I state championship by beating Berkeley, 58-52.

Candice Nichols added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Jackrabbits (36-1), who are ranked number two in the nation by Sports Illustrated.

Alexandria Mitchell had 19 points for Berkeley (27-7), which lost to Long Beach Poly in the state finals for the second straight season. Jennifer Gross had a double-double, with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The first quarter went back and forth, with Poly leading 17-15 after eight minutes. But after the Yellowjackets tied the score at 15, Long Beach Poly went on a 15-2 run that decided the game. Dixon had nine points in that burst and 12 in the second period. At the half, it was 35-23 Poly, and though Berkeley cut it to six in the final 30 seconds, the issue was never in doubt.

The game was the final one in Berkeley coach Gene Nakamura’s 24-year career, which included two California titles, the last in 1997, and five other trips to the state championship game.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Taja Edwards, Long Beach Poly; Aleah Bridges, Berkeley

Division I Boys: Team Effort Leads Fairfax to Win

Ja’Shon Hampton had 14 points to lead Fairfax of Los Angeles past McClymonds of Oakland, 54-29 in a low-scoring Division I boys NorCal championship.

Chase Stanback, Chris Soloman and Ron Singleton each added 10 for the Pioneers (28-5), who tied the modern record for fewest points allowed in a state championship game. Branson held Santa Fe Christian to 29 points the Division V title game last year. This game also tied a record for fewest total points for both teams in a Divison I championship game, tying the 83 points scored in 2006 by De La Salle and Clovis West.

William Cherry led McClymonds (28-4) with 11 points, all but three in the first quarter. The Warriors didn’t help their cause by going three for 14 from the free-throw line.

After a relatively tight first period, McClymonds went scoreless for the entire second quarter, missing all eight of its shots, which allowed Fairfax to take an 18-12 lead.

The Pioneers extended their lead in the third period and led by 24 midway through the fourth period.

There was a David versus Goliath angle to the game, though Goliath got the better of it this time. The Division I title game is supposed to match schools with the largest student population, but due to the Oakland Section’s small size -- it has only six schools -- all of its teams are considered Division I, regardless of enrollment. McClymonds has just 650 students, which would put it in Division IV by classification, but the Warriors were entered in the Northern California Division I playoffs. Fairfax, on the other hand, has 3,174 students, and is ranked 25th in the nation by Sports Illustrated. McClymonds is unranked.

McClymonds, nonetheless, has a rich basketball history. It is the alma mater of NBA great Bill Russell, as well as Paul Silas and baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. From 1957 to 1963 (after Russell had graduated), the Warriors won 110 of 111 games.

Fairfax was making its second trip to the state championships. The Lions beat De La Salle in 2004 to win the Division I crown and set a Division I record for fewest points allowed by only giving up 35 in that one.

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Rod Singleton, Fairfax; Frank Otis, McClymonds

recaps written by Clay Kallam