Notebook: CIF will hold state title games at Golden 1 Center through 2018

The CIF announced Thursday that Golden 1 Center, the new downtown home for the Sacramento Kings, will host the state basketball championships through 2018.

There’s been no word, however, if Golden 1 will provide a home for the Sac-Joaquin Section and Northern California regional championships, though it seems unlikely since Golden 1 figures to host games in the NCAA men’s tournament.

The section’s association with the Kings dates back 30 years, when the team played in the old Arco Arena.

“It is an honor to continue to host student-athletes, coaches and educators from around the state as they compete at the highest level,” Kings President Chris Granger said in a press release issued by the CIF. “We’re proud Sacramento and Golden 1 Center will be home to treasured memories and special experiences.”

The Kings’ arena has hosted the CIF state championship games for 19 of the past 35 years, one of a select few NBA facilities in the country to host state championship games.

Swimming in the talent pool – Ayala High (34-4) may be the best Division III team in Southern California, but they’re not even the best team in their city. That honor goes to Chino Hills High (33-0), the No. 1 team in the nation, as ranked by MaxPreps and USA Today.

The Huskies are led by the Ball Brothers: 6-foot-6 senior Lonzo (23.3 ppg) , 6-6 junior LiAngelo (27.7 ppg) and 5-10 freshman LaMelo (13.6 ppg). There’s even a cousin, 6-5 sophomore Andre Ball (3.8 ppg) on the roster.

Lonzo has signed to play at UCLA next season, while his brothers have already given their verbal commitments.

That’s a lot of talent in a town of just over 76,000 residents, just about the same size as Manteca.

Size matters – It was thought that Ayala might have trouble shooting in cavernous Sleep Train Arena, and that theory bore itself out in the first half when the Bulldogs shot 31 percent (8-for-26), while Manteca, which was playing its second game in the arena since March 4, hit at a 70 percent clip (14-for-20) in the first 16 minutes.

But head coach John Mounce said it had less to do with the arena and more with the Buffaloes.

“When you’re shooting over size, it’s difficult,” said Mounce. “When they run-off shots, they’re sending a 6-8 or 6-9 guy at your shooter and not a 6-2 guy.”

Northern exposure – Through four games of the CIF state championships, Northern California skunked SoCal.

In the D-V boys final, St. Joseph (Alameda) defeated St. Bernard (Playa del Rey) 57-50. On the girls side, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) beat Lakeside (Lake Elsinore) 50-47 in the D-III matchup, while Eastside College Prep (East Palo Alto) topped Village Christian (Sun Valley) 57-50. And, of course, Manteca (29-6) defeated Ayala 60-51 for its first CIF title.

St. Francis (Sacramento) was trailing Brea Olinda (Brea) at press time.

The King holds court – Sacramento Kings all-star DeMarcus Cousins visited both locker rooms before the Division III championship game. He wished both teams luck and joked around with the Buffaloes, saying they looked tense. Manteca certainly didn’t play tense, bolting to a 33-19 lead at halftime.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Notebook: CIF will hold state title games at Golden 1 Center through 2018."