Santiago will face a familiar opponent in state title game

Santiago girls basketball coach Mike Mitchell said he has not had to play up the revenge factor in today’s CIF State Division II championship game against Oakland Tech.

The teams squared off in the opening round of the West Coast Jamboree in December. Santiago trailed by 15 points heading to the final period, but the Sharks battled back and had a chance to tie the score in the final minute. Oakland Tech ultimately prevailed 62-57.

Santiago will have a chance to avenge the loss today at 6 p.m. at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The game will be televised live on Spectrum News 1 and Sportsnet LA.

“I really don’t have to say anything because the girls already feel it,” Mitchell said of the revenge factor. “Oakland Tech hit us in the mouth right from the start, and it was not one of our best games. They want to show everybody we could have and should have won that game.”

Santiago (25-9) was selected for the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs this season. The Sharks lost pool-play games to Etiwanda and Mater Dei by a combined 95 points but bounced back to beat Windward in the final game of pool play.

Santiago escaped with a 49-48 victory in its CIF State playoffs opener, but the Sharks won their next three games by an average margin of 17 points per game to win the program’s first regional championship.

“I think it is a testament to this team’s tenacity and will,” Mitchell said. “We knew the Open Division would be an uphill battle. We had our heads in the lion’s mouth, but the girls took those losses in stride, stayed the course and focused on winning state.”

Mckinley Willardson, a 6-foot-1 senior center, has been a force in the state playoffs. She scored 24 points in wins over Brentwood and San Diego Del Norte. Santiago also has had solid production from guards Rylee Ghent, Queen Ruffin and Jayda Cobbs, and junior forward Zawadi Ogot has provided a boost since she joined the starting lineup.

“We have been getting production from the entire lineup during state,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell took over the program during the 201516 season, and the Sharks went 3-20 in his first season at the helm. Santiago improved each season and claimed section titles in 2019 (Division 3AA) and 2022 (Division 2A). This year’s squad looks to take another step forward by bringing home the program’s first state title.

“We had to rebuild the culture when I first got here,” Mitchell said. “It started with the ABCS of basketball and just continued from there. It reminds me of ‘Field of Dreams’ a little bit — If you build it, they will come... It has been fun watching it, and I’m proud of everyone who has played a part in making it happen.”