SACRAMENTO — The back-and-gold-clad Granada followers arrived early Friday night time. They cheered on the ladies from Oakland Tech within the earlier sport, then gave their very own crew the roars they hoped would finish in championship jubilation.
There was celebrating.
However on this night time, Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks was doing most of it on the finish as Duke-bound Caleb Foster put an exclamation level on a spectacular senior season, scoring 33 factors to steer the Southern California college to a 67-58 victory within the Division I state championship sport at Golden 1 Middle.
Miller, a switch from Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, broke the D-I ultimate scoring document of 32 factors that Castlemont’s Michael Manning held since 1981.
“He was very troublesome,” Granada coach Quaran Johnson mentioned whereas addressing the challenges the 6-foot-4 guard offered. “He’s a proficient child. He performs with poise. He’s sturdy. Shoots the basketball. Can get to the basket and move. He’s a superb participant.”
Notre Dame (27-10) took cost within the second quarter, withstood a Granada rally within the third interval that introduced the Livermore college to inside six after which put the rating out of attain within the early phases fourth quarter.
The sport ended with Granada’s Matai Faiaipa’u hitting a three-quarters-length shot on the buzzer.
Nevertheless it was too little, too late.
Johnson, in a postgame information convention, wanted a second to gather his ideas earlier than talking emotionally about his crew’s journey.
The Matadors (26-11) had been a battle-tested bunch from the East Bay Athletic League — the Bay Space’s strongest this season — that reached the ultimate of their league match, made the semifinals of the North Coast Part Open Division playoffs after which defeated 4 higher-seeded groups within the regionals to advance to a state ultimate for the primary time in program historical past.
However they fell one sport in need of the last word aim.
“It hurts, as you possibly can think about,” Johnson mentioned. “The crew fought extraordinarily onerous all 12 months. There are lots of people who in all probability dominated us out again firstly of the 12 months after we misplaced some video games that folks might have thought that we must always have received.”
However, Johnson added concerning the gamers, “They saved believing. They saved believing in me. They saved believing in one another. For that, they at all times can be champions to me in my eyes. Unhappy we couldn’t pull it off, however we had a hell of a journey. I'm happy with the crew.”
Tyler Harris led Granada with 17 factors and 10 rebounds. Nate Keaney added 16 on 4-of-6 capturing from 3-point vary.
St. Mary’s-bound 7-foot heart Andrew McKeever completed with 12 factors and 9 rebounds. The Granada star picked up two fouls late within the third quarter, giving him 4 for the sport.
He fouled out with 4:42 to play, ending his highschool profession.
“It was robust,” McKeever mentioned of sitting for these ultimate minutes. “We weren’t going to tug it out. However I used to be simply interested by us getting right here, how onerous we labored via the summer time, via the preseason. Everybody doubting us. It meant rather a lot simply to be right here.”
Notre Dame, which routed Bronny James’ Sierra Canyon crew within the SoCal ultimate on Tuesday, led Granada by 12 factors at halftime. The Knights shot a staggering 66.7% via the primary two quarters.
Mercy Miller completed with 17 factors and Dante Ogbu had 10 factors for Notre Dame.
The Knights cooled off within the second half — they completed at 49.0% — however had greater than sufficient to show again Granada.
“We went via lots of adversity this 12 months to get right here,” Notre Dame coach Matt Sargeant mentioned. “It has been fairly the 12 months. And the general character of the crew and the general want of the crew to wish to win and be at this second is why we’re right here. Couldn’t be extra happy with each individual on our squad.”
