Central Catholic can’t slow down West Campus duo, falls in D-IV SJS title game
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- West Campus rode Naomi Johnson and Loismary Justice to a 47-38 win
- Early fouls slowed Central Catholic’s press and tempo, altering their game
- Raiders finish 27-2 and advance to CIF Northern California regionals
The Central Catholic girls basketball team was not just happy to be at Golden 1 Center Friday afternoon.
The Raiders wanted to win.
“On our board, we have our wins and just getting here wasn’t the pinnacle,” Raiders’ head coach Alison Murata Nichols said. “When we were here, we were still saying, ‘One more win.’”
No one on this year’s Raiders team was born the last time a Central Catholic girls team played for a section title game, but they weren’t intimidated by making the program’s first appearance since 2000.
Nichols stressed the importance of keeping everything the same.
They believed they would be able to continue their 10-game win streak and improve on their program-best 27-1 overall record if they just played their game. The stage was bigger: the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship against No. 3 West Campus. But the tough, gritty top-seeded Raiders always show up to play.
“We told them to enjoy this moment, but we did everything we always do,” Murata Nichols said. “Of course, the big stage, you can’t really duplicate that if you’ve never played on the Golden 1 Center floor, so maybe we were a little bit shocked. But in terms of preparation, there was nothing different.”
The Raiders, as always held a strong defensive presence, starting the game without allowing a made field goal in the first few minutes, but West Campus established an inside presence late in the first quarter. In its first title game appearance since 2019, the Warriors took home the blue banner, winning 47-38.
“They were ready. They were well prepared, we just came up against a really good team tonight,” Murata Nichols said.
Central Catholic started strong, forcing a pair of turnovers and holding West Campus to 0-for-6 shooting, but early fouls plagued the No. 1 seed. Ayla Parcon picked up her second with 4 minutes, 53 seconds in the first frame and Samantha Nichols earned her second with 37 seconds left.
They tried to gain momentum in the second quarter, forcing a West Campus turnover on the first possession of the frame, but the Warriors stayed composed, taking a 22-12 lead into halftime.
By the end of the game, a pair of Raiders fouled out and two more finished with at least two fouls.
“We just weren’t able to quite play the style and the pace we wanted to. Early foul trouble changes the way we play because we like to press the ball, we like to get up. Early fouls take the aggressiveness out of our hands and now it becomes more of a slower-paced game, which is what (West Campus) likes to do.”
Minutes after the final buzzer, West Campus guard Naomi Johnson shared a long embrace with her head coach, John Langston. The senior who averages 22 points a game had just willed her team to victory with a 30-point outburst. She scored 14 points in the first half then poured in 10 in just the third quarter.
“We were trying to deny her the ball, but she still got her looks. She’s a great player,” Murata Nichols said.
Loismary Justice was a constant force in the paint. She altered Raiders’ shots at the rim, recorded a pair of blocks, scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds with six offensive boards. She entered the contest needing 20 boards for 1,000 on her career, according to West Coast Preps, the junior finished the game with 999 career rebounds, but the Warriors hope she will have plenty of chances this season to reach the mark.
“We haven’t seen anybody her size in our league or in the preseason,” Murata Nichols said. “Not only is she tall, but she can move. She has a good all-around game, I tip my hat off to them.”
The Johnson and Justice were the Raiders’ biggest problems and their team’s catalysts. A Johnson third quarter three gave West Campus a 34-20 lead with 3:01 left in the third quarter.
From that point on, any run Central Catholic made, West Campus immediately answered. The Raiders cut the deficit to 10 points twice in the fourth quarter, only for the third-seeded team to regain control.
“They answered back whenever we made a run,” Murata Nichols said.
Samantha Nichols finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and eight steals to lead the Raiders. Mia Cardoza finished with five points and nine rebounds and freshman Marissa Garcia was the Raiders other double-digit scorer, adding 10 points.
The best season in program history continues into next week when they play in the program’s first ever CIF Northern California regional playoff games. They find out their seed Sunday then begin preparing for the state’s single-elimination tournament.
“We’ve talked to our team about having multiple seasons, so we’re going into season four now,” Murata Nichols said. “I think knowing we didn’t play our best today, we’re hoping that it fuels us to be able to get back on the court.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 5:28 PM.
