Six basketball teams from the Daily News area will travel to Sacramento to compete in the CIF State championships this week at the Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
Here’s a look at the matchups for the four boys teams and two girls teams playing in the finals on Friday and Saturday:
CIF STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
All games at Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
BOYS BASKETBALL
OPEN DIVISION
Harvard-Westlake (32-3) vs. Salesian College Prep (31-1), Saturday, 8 p.m.
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Preview: The Wolverines are headed to Sacramento to defend their Open Division state title against a Salesian College Prep team that has beaten five of its six playoff opponents by nine points or more. Harvard-Westlake shook off a double-digit deficit to beat Roosevelt in the SoCal regional final Tuesday and earned a trip to the state championships. USC commit Trent Perry and Harvard commit Robert Hinton combined for 44 points in the win. The two also bring leadership to a deep team that also won a CIF Southern Section Open Division championship this season.
DIVISION III
Alemany (24-15) vs. Santa Cruz (27-6), Friday, 4 p.m.
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Preview: Alemany earned just one win in Mission League play, but the level of competition in the league prepared the Warriors to win a CIF-SS championship, a regional championship and now an appearance in the state finals. It’ll be Alemany’s first state finals appearance since 2012. Senior Jared Mims is the Warriors’ leading scorer and has averaged 17.4 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game across 20 games. Michael Lindsay, a dual-sport athlete in basketball and football, is averaging 9.1 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game. Santa Cruz leans on forwards Kirby Seals and Demarco Hunter, who average 15.7 and 12.6 points per game, respectively. Center Ben Dotten averages 16.2 points per game.
DIVISION IV
Chatsworth (20-14) vs. Monterey (24-6), Saturday, noon
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Preview: Two players recorded double-doubles in Chatsworth’s regional championship win over Cleveland: Alijah Arenas (21 points, 16 rebounds) and Taj Unuakhalu (17 points, 17 rebounds). Arenas has been a scoring force all season and posted 53 points in the Chancellors’ regional semifinal win. Chatsworth has defeated its state playoff opponents by an average of 17.5 points. Monterey senior guard Ryan Roth scored 22 points in the team’s regional championship win, which was also its fourth straight win on the road.
DIVISION V
Verdugo Hills (25-11) vs. Athenian (27-8), Friday, noon
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Preview: The Dons’ last three wins have come by three points or less, but they’ve won 10 straight games since Jan. 31. Verdugo Hills got stronger as the season went on after bouncing back from two-game losing skids on three different occasions. Alexander Martinez averages 15.6 points per game and is shooting 45% from the field. Four different players average over seven rebounds per game: Georges Abdulnor, Gianmarco Figueroa, William Gharabekyan and Alexander Martinez Martinez. Athenenian has offensive power in Surya Devasenapathy (16.4 ppg) and Evan Lucas (16.1 ppg).
GIRLS BASKETBALL
DIVISION II
Harvard-Westlake (18-18) vs. Colfax (34-2), Saturday, 2 p.m.
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Preview: Don’t let the Wolverines’ .500 record fool you. Harvard-Westlake is peaking at the right time and is making its first state finals appearance since 2010. The team is fully healthy except for Bella Spencer, who has been out due to an ACL injury. Valentina Guerrero broke her nose and entered concussion protocol on Jan. 16 but returned to play in the regional championship game and scored a game-high 15 points. Deana Thompson has been reliable offensively, averaging 16.0 points per game, and the Wolverines can sustain a defensive press throughout all four quarters. Colfax is coming off its second consecutive regional title and is on a 12-game win streak. Three players average 10 or more points per game.
@haleymsawyer Harvard-Westlake girls basketball is going to the state championships for the first time in almost 15 years 🏆🏀 full story: https://www.dailynews.com/2024/03/05/harvard-westlake-girls-basketball-comes-together-to-beat-notre-dame-and-win-cif-regional-championship/ #sports #basketball #highschoolsports #coach #studiocity #girlpower #womensbasketball #girlsbasketball #highschoolbasketball #rain #championships
DIVISION III
Granada Hills (21-11) vs. Caruthers (24-8), Friday, 2 p.m.
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Preview: The Highlanders are the first girls basketball team to represent the CIF Los Angeles City Section in the state championships in Sacramento since 2001. The gritty Granada Hills team has pulled off wins by three or four points in its last three games and is led offensively by senior Karma Paez’s 13 points per game. Brigita Bulotaite’s 41 precent shooting from the field and Emma Perez’s 8.9 rebounds per game have been assets for the Highlanders. Fourteenth-seeded Caruthers will be making its third state championship in the last six years.