Wrestlers win state titles; CCS basketball champions crowned
It was a huge day for Bay Area wrestlers at the state championships in Bakersfield.
Branham's Clarence Moore — ranked No. 6 in the state by the California Wrestler at 106 pounds — showed he was quite a bit better than that.
The senior captured the state championship in that weight division, upsetting Buchanan freshman Rocklin Zinkin by fall at 4:45.
Zinkin entered the meet ranked No. 1 in the state.
Moore was among five wrestlers — four boys, one girl — from Central Coast Section schools to win state titles
The others:
• Gilroy sophomore Isaiah Cortez, who edged El Dorado junior Isaiah Quintero 1-0 at 120 pounds.
• Gilroy sophomore Elijah Cortez, Isaiah's twin. Elijah beat Buchanan freshman Joseph Toscano 2-1 at 126 pounds.
• Gilroy sophomore Daniel Zepeda, who toppled Clovis North junior Gavin Bauder by technical fall at 132 pounds. The score was 20-5 at 5:28.
• Menlo-atherton senior Kiely Tabaldo, who beat Paloma Valley's Karissa Turnwall 3-0 at 111 pounds in the girls championships.
Gilroy scored 194 points to place third in the boys team standings, finishing behind Buchanan (244) and Poway (202.5). Los Gatos (89) was eighth, with freshman Antonio Rodriguez runner-up to Walnut sophomore Ronnie Ramirez in the 113-pound bracket.
In the girls team standings, Gilroy (73) was fourth and Evergreen Valley (55) finished seventh. Marina won the girls state team title with 114 points.
CCS basketball finals
Midway through the fourth quarter of Archbishop Mitty's 74-51 victory over Pinewood in the Open Division girls final, Mitty's 6-1 senior post Maya Hernandez missed a point-blank layup. Then 6-2 freshman Mckenna Woliczko jumped over Pinewood's front line and tried to tip it in.
When the freshman phenom couldn't score, 6-2 junior Morgan Cheli was right there to pull down the offensive board and score. The point guard, who missed the majority of the regular season with a foot sprain, was everywhere on Feb. 24.
“Being back with my team was always the motivation for me,” Cheli said after she hoisted the trophy.
Pinewood's seven-player roster played with grit and passion, but no amount of determination could overcome Mitty's overwhelming size advantage — Pinewood's tallest player was 5-11 — at
Santa Clara University as the Monarchs beat the Los Altos Hills school in the CCS final for the seventh time in eight seasons.
Wolickzo scored 22 points, Cheli had 18 points, Hernandez scored 12 and reserve big Layla Woods had four offensive rebounds. Pinewood's Alex Facelo scored 23 points and made five 3-pointers, while Jolyn Ding scored 13.
OPEN BOYS >> RL Miller picked a fine time to have a career game.
Better known as a football standout who will play at Fresno State in the fall, Miller displayed his hoops aptitude Feb. 24. He scored a career-high 24 points to lead Sacred Heart Cathedral to a 64-59 victory over Serra at
Santa Clara University,
“One of the best athletes I've seen at the high school level,” SHC coach Caesar Smith said. “He's a great teammate. He plays hard. Pull out a chess board, he tries to beat you. Play video games, he tries to beat you. He's a kid I love to be around.”
D-I BOYS >> It almost seemed like he couldn't miss.
Sophomore Brayden Harris hit a jumper for the first score of the game. That was only the start. He added six more buckets by halftime, one of them a 3-pointer.
He finally missed a couple of shots in the second half but finished with 24 points to lead Bellarmine College Prep to a 63-55 win over Los Gatos at Santa Clara High.
“Brayden has a very bright future,” Bellarmine coach Alex Sarrettt said. “Keep in mind he's a 15-year-old sophomore. He's got a lot of room to grow.”
It was CCS basketball title number 15 for the Bells.
D-I GIRLS >> In a showdown of great offense vs. staunch defense, free-flowing Evergreen Valley pulled away in the second quarter against defensive-minded Los Altos and won comfortably 67-45 at Mission College
The San Jose school won the title with only seven players on its roster.
Evergreen Valley's Ryka Aprameyan led all scorers with 31 points, while Aastha Bhagat had 16 points.
Los Altos' Tara Davari and Natalie Holm each scored 11.
D-II >> St. Francis point guard Maia Jimenez, who lists herself at 5-1, frequently is the shortest player on the court. But she plays big.
The sophomore scored 23 points and went 16-for-18 from the free-throw line to lead the Lancers past Christopher 66-52 for the girls title at Mission College.
“She's so quick,” St. Francis coach Sami Pompei said. “Tiny but mighty.”
St. Francis swept the titles as a regular season that ended with six straight defeats for the boys looked a whole lot brighter after the Lancers eased past Christopher
50-21 in other final at Mission College.
The 21 points were the fewest allowed by the Lancers since Feb. 27, 2010. St. Francis' Anujan Tennathur scored 15 points.
D-III >> Mills won its first girls title since 1985 with a 6652 victory over Santa Cruz. Michelle Tang led the way with 28 points, making six 3-pointers.
Burlingame fell to Monterey 62-43 in the boys final.
D-IV >> Menlo School claimed its fifth CCS girls title in the 15 years with John Paye at head coach after a 49-34 thumping of Half Moon Bay.
Sophomores Ruiqi Liu and Karen Xin combined for 28 points – 17 by Liu – and senior Riley Jensen added 11 points.
In the boys final, The King's Academy erased a 12-point halftime deficit to claim its first CCS title with a 59-53 victory over Half Moon Bay.
Jon Taylor scored 21 points and Tylek Barnett had 18 for TKA.
D-V >> The Priory boys repeated as champions as they rolled to a 69-45 victory over Oakwood. Clint Smith led the Panthers with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Priory's girls were not as fortunate, unable to defend their title after a 64-39 loss to Summit Shasta.