State Basketball Finals Preview: The matchups for Sacramento

The final weekend of high school basketball is held Friday and Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. These are the state championships with six games per day.

Here’s a look at games:

Games on Friday

Boys

Section I: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (26-10) vs. Livermore Granada (10/26), 8:00 PM Notre Dame is looking for its first state title. The Knights consider themselves an open division team featuring the talented trio of Caleb Foster (Duke Commitment), Dusty Stromer (Gonzaga), and Mercy Miller (Houston). Granada was the number 9 seed in Northern California and is led by the 2-foot-tall Andrew McKeever.

Section V: Lynwood (26-11) vs. Tollhouse Sierra (5/31), noon. This is perhaps the most entertaining individual matchup, featuring Lynwood rookie phenom Jason Crowe Jr. vs. Sierra’s four-handed Logan Kilbert. Kilbert scored 54 points in a game this season. Crowe scored 60 points.

Section III: Ventura Buena (31-5) vs. Oakland (26-8), 4pm Buena survived a three-overtime thriller in the Regional Finals and now faces Oakland’s star player with a great first name, Money Williams, a senior guard averaging 17.6. marked. Zane Carter averages 16.7 points for Buena.

Girl

Section IV: Shalhevet (25-2) vs. San Anselmo San Domenico (27-7), 10 a.m. This is a repeat of last year’s Division V Final, won by San Domenico. This time, Shalhevet hopes leading scorer Yalee Schwartz, who averages 20.6 points, can play more after being injured in the first quarter of last season’s final. Coach Ryan Coleman is one of the few to coach boys and girls teams at the same time. Shalhevet takes a charter bus to Sacramento, then flies home at 2 p.m. to make sure players are back for Jewish Shabbat.

Section III: Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos (28-5) vs. Colfax (34-2), 2 p.m. freshman point guard Jackie Polk is the player to watch at Los Osos, averaging nearly 14 points per game. Colfax is the only team from the Sacramento area playing at the Golden 1 Center this weekend, giving the Falcons home court advantage and also a 22-game winning streak to rely on.

Section I: Corona Santiago (26-9) vs. Oakland Tech (29-5), 6pm The Sharks make their Finals debut in the mighty Big VIII League, earning 24 points from McKinley Willardson in a 52-39 regional final. Oakland Tech is looking for its third consecutive state championship and has three players taller than six feet.

Saturday games

Boys

Open section: Harvard-Westlake (32-2) vs. Santa Mariastrasse. Joseph (28-6), 8 p.m. As good as the Wolverines have been this season, their challenge will be to take on one of California’s top sophomores, the six-foot-tall, 210-pound Tonde Yessoufou deal who scored an average of 28 points. Harvard-Westlake fields five future Division I collegiate players, led by standout junior point guard Trent Perry and top senior forward Brady Dunlap. The Wolverines won Division III titles in 1996 and 1997 led by twins Jason and Jarron Collins.

Section IV: Valencia (26-10) vs. Half Moon Bay (10/21), noon. The Vikings were chasing a 6-6 goal from Mikah Ballew and a 6-10 rebound from Bryce Bedgood, son of head coach Bill Bedgood. Half Moon Bay came through as No. 1. 10-ranked in Northern California and has its own big man in 6-8 Junior Jaeden Hutchins.

Section II: Newport Beach Pacifica Christian (27-9) vs. San Joaquin Memorial (25-9), 4 p.m. Pacifica Christian played under coach Jeff Berokoff all season against the best teams in the Southern Section and that served as good preparation. Mike Davis Jr., a 6-7 senior, scored 25 points for the San Joaquin Memorial in a regional overtime final.

Girl

Open part: Etiwanda (31-3) vs. San Jose Archbishop Mitty (28-2), 6:00 PM Etiwanda has already achieved the improbable – defeating two nationally ranked teams in the undefeated Sierra Canyon and La Jolla Country Day to reach the finals range. Kennedy Smith & Co. knows how to adapt, compete and win. The coaching match alone is elite as Etiwanda’s Stan Delus takes on the nationally respected Sue Phillips. Junior Morgan Cheli and freshman McKenna Woliczko both have Stanford offers. Woliczko had 29 points and 21 rebounds for Mitty in the regional finals.

Section V: Huntington Beach Marina (21-15) vs. Bret Harte (25-7), 10 a.m. freshman guard Rylee Bradley was a key factor in a surprising Marina team that relies on defense and force turnovers. Junior Makenna Tutthil and freshman Maddie Kane put in a strong performance for Bret Harte.

Section II: Chula Vista Bonita Vista (23-9) vs. Central Fresno (22-12), 2:00 PM This is the only game without a South Section team.