CIF basketball championships 2025: Lincoln-Stockton tells reporters he believed his team was not officiated fairly, International reps the City, San Gabriel had religious reason to play earlier, and more
CIF basketball championships 2025: Lincoln-Stockton tells reporters he believed his team was not officiated fairly, International reps the City, San Gabriel had religious reason to play earlier, and more
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SACRAMENTO — Lincoln-Stockton coach Anthony Matthews stepped to the podium after his team lost a 58-53 heartbreaker to SoCal powerhouse Sierra Canyon in the Division I title game and asked the reporters in the room, “Do you want the real thing about tonight’s game or do you want the politically correct answer first?”
The longtime head coach went on to rip the game’s officials after he believed his team was robbed of a state championship.
“In a meaningful game like this, you have your whole starting five in foul trouble,” Matthews said. “Both teams were in foul trouble, but 30-18 on free throws? We only had one kid in foul trouble going into halftime and we’re sitting in a 2-3 zone. It’s not like we’re pressing full court.
“I’m so proud of these guys. They deserve better.”
The game got choppy in the second half with referees calling the game much tighter than the first.
Lincoln starters Donez Lindsey and Tre Simmons fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Weber State commit Anthony Moore and backup center Dilan Fanucchi each played the fourth quarter with four fouls.
With each foul called, the crowd of more than 1,000 Lincoln fans booed and jeered as the game started to slip away without its star players on the floor.
When asked point blank if his team got robbed, Matthews said, “Yup. 100%.” Moore then turned to his team and asked, “What do you guys think?” to which the players all nodded succinctly.
While Sierra Canyon celebrated the win, the Trailblazers couldn’t help but notice how the rhythm of the game was disrupted by the fouls in the second half.
“I just thought that they didn’t allow us to go up and down,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said. “It’s tough to get a flow of the game when there’s a whistle every single time.”
The Trailblazers Friday’s Division I title with NBA superstar LeBron James sitting courtside.
James’ son, Bryce James, was a starter for Sierra Canyon and scored three points on 1 for 9 shooting from the field.
In their last games as high school players, Lindsey and Moore each scored 18 points.
– Nathan Canilao
INTERNATIONAL-SAN FRANCISCO: REPPING THE CITY
The CIF state boys basketball championship games at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento could be bookended by San Francisco victories.
In Division V, International-San Francisco routed Diamond Ranch-Pomona 71-52 to capture the program’s first state title on Friday afternoon. Archbishop Riordan will take on Roosevelt-Eastvale in the Open Division final on Saturday night.
“I think there’s a lot of great basketball in our city, and we’ve represented very well as of late,” International coach Paul Cortes said.
Cortes said that San Francisco’s various coaches form a tight-knit community, which includes Riordan coach Joey Curtin.
“I’ve had a tremendous amount of support from all of the different coaches,” Cortes said. “There’s all these guys, texting each other before and after every single game.”
Conor Maguire scored 32 points for International, and despite having the talent to play elsewhere in SF or even other places in the Bay Area, the senior hoped the team’s victory would show the benefits of playing at the small private school.
“Hopefully this could be a start for us to keep those players at our school,” Maguire said. “One of the best decisions I ever made was coming here for high school.”
– Joseph Dycus
SAN GABRIEL ACADEMY: WHY TIPOFF TIME CHANGED
The boys Division III state championship game was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday. But when San Gabriel Academy secured a spot in the final, the CIF quickly moved 2 p.m. to accommodate the school and its religious beliefs.
“We’re a Seventh-Day Adventist school, and our sabbath is our priority,” Daniel Piepoli said. “We can’t do anything from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.”
The Marin Catholic vs. Mater Dei-Chula Vista girls D-III game swapped places with the boys matchup. The Eagles survived an epic rally by The King’s Academy and captured the state title 52-51.
– Joseph Dycus
THE KING’S ACADEMY: BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD
Despite TKA’s heartbreaking 52-51 loss to San Gabriel Academy, the Knights have tons of daylight ahead of them.
Freshman sensation Boss Mhoon is slated to return along with all-league junior guards Claxton Ladine and Xavier Barnett.
Still, the expectations won’t change for the budding South Bay program.
TKA made it to the Division III NorCal semifinals in 2023. The Knights had their greatest season in school history this year, winning a West Bay Athletic League, Central Coast Section Division IV and a NorCal Division III title.
The goal is to reach a higher level next season.
“We were kind of bummed out that we weren’t invited to the (CCS) Open but at the end of the day, God’s plan is always greater,” TKA coach Cameron Bradford said. “The program is here. We have some younger guys that are pretty good players, so I hope they all remember this feeling, and we’ll get to work in the summer and try to do it again.”
– Nathan Canilao
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