CC’s boys hoops offense goes ice cold as they fall to Vanden in the Div. III Final
For a brief period in the third quarter on Friday, Central Catholic’s boys basketball team looked like its usual self.
The Raiders cut Vanden’s 17-point halftime lead down to seven and were moving the ball on offense while forcing turnovers.
“We were doing what we were supposed to do,” Raiders coach Mike Wilson said. “The problem was most of the game, we were calling plays and doing the opposite.”
Too much dribbling and isolation offense plagued the Raiders as they fell to the Vikings, 57-41, in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Championship at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
It was Vanden’s eighth section championship and first since 1995.
Both teams had early nerves with multiple turnovers and Vanden led 15-7 after the first quarter.
The Raiders’ problems went from bad to worse in the second quarter as Central Catholic (24-8) was 1-of-18 from the field in the quarter and trailed by 17 at half. Central Catholic made only three field-goals in the first half.
“The plan (on offense) was to screen away and pass away,” Wilson said.
Central Catholic guards Dayton Magana (11 points) and Arvind Sandhu (10 points) struggled to get space against the Vikings (26-6) defenders.
The Raiders got Vanden’s lead down to seven after the third but the Vikings pulled away in the fourth behind sophomore Takai Emerson-Hardy (14 points, nine rebounds) and junior I’saac Montgomery (14 points).
Senior forward Nic Sani had 11 points and 18 rebounds for the Raiders.
While Wilson said Friday was a “bump” in the road for his team, the season is not over as they advanced to the CIF State playoffs, which start next week.
“I divide our season into quarters,” Wilson said. “We are about to start the fourth.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
