Castaic continues playoff run with first CIF-SS crown
AZUSA >> Ethan Thomas grabbed a rebound and made his follow-up shot to give Castaic's boys basketball team a one-point lead in the third quarter and momentum to build on in Friday's CIF Southern Section Division 5AA championship game.
Moments like the rebound led the Coyotes to win their first CIF-SS title with a 63-52 victory against El Segundo at Azusa Pacific University.
It's not the only second try that Castaic (19-14) has had, nor the most impactful. Castaic seized secondchance opportunities to develop a championship team, improve individual players and give head coach Dominique Butler renewed life.
“I had to be strong for the guys but I really wanted to (get emotional), especially to see them crying and seeing them happy like that,” Butler said. “It's always been about them and we stayed the course.”
Butler was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism in his heart and lungs in 2021, which led to a stage four ulcer that left a hole in his back. The health scare forced him to relearn how to walk and consider living a more active lifestyle.
He saw that Castaic was seeking a boys basketball coach when he moved into the area and decided to apply. He was hired on the same day he interviewed.
“This team, not only have they helped us win a championship,” Butler said, “but they've helped me as well, too, health-wise and staying active and being a better person so I could be a mentor.”
It took two seasons under Butler's guidance for the Coyotes to win a CIF-SS title despite winning only one Foothill League game — on a forfeit — in their three years of existence as a varsity program.
Castaic won the opening tip in Friday's championship game and scored the first points on a layup by Thomas, but El Segundo (23-10) went on a 6-0 run to build a lead.
Kevin Curtis made a 3-pointer for the Coyotes with 2:32 left in the opening quarter and Lucas Milan grabbed a steal as soon as the Eagles got the ball and took it in for a layup. He made the and-one shot was fouled and made the free throw to tie it at 9-9.
El Segundo recaptured the lead by the end of the frame. The Eagles made 17 of 20 free throws in the first half for a 25-23 advantage at the break, although each team scored 13 points in the second quarter.
Giovanni Valentin scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half to give the Coyotes a boost. Valentin spent the last two seasons academically ineligible but has maintained a 3.0 GPA this season as a senior.
“I've been talking with coach and he's been helping me out with school,” Valentin said. “I like to say I'm a student-athlete, not an athlete-student.”
Milan, who finished with 10 points and four steals, hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the third quarter and Castaic went on to close out the frame with a 47-43 lead and didn't trail for the entirety of the final quarter.
Thomas scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds after illness prevented him from taking the court for all of last season. The senior has to drink more water than most people to keep his health in check, but the situation provided an opportunity for him and Butler to work together to achieve their health goals.
“We have a shared story,” Butler said. “So it's like, you hold me to mine and I'll hold you to yours.”
Players and coaches have had their individual second chances that have allowed them to hoist a championship trophy, but the team as a whole had a do-over when it got into the Division 5AA playoffs as an at-large bid after another winless Foothill League season.
“Something clicked in our heads and we're like, oh, it's go time,” Milan said. “It's a brand-new season, a brand-new start.”