Talia Maxwell’s monster double-double lifts Central to CIF state girls basketball title
She is a 6-footer with skills, a tenacious defender and a versatile scorer with a knack of playing out of her mind when it matters most.
And Talia Maxwell may just be the best player in the history of the Central High School girls basketball program.
The super senior forward certainly had the greatest game in program history on Saturday afternoon, doing so on the big stage that is Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA Kings. Maxwell scored 24 points and yanked down 24 rebounds and had six blocked shots, and it was fitting that she scored the final points and had the last rebound as the Grizzlies held off Bonita Vista-Chula Vista 52-41 to win the CIF State Division II championship.
To repeat: 24, 24 and six. That led to the program’s first state championship in a postseason of second chances. Central went from Central Section D-I quarterfinal heartbreak loser to Buchanan to the top of the D-II mountain.
Maxwell’s rebounding total represent a state D-II championship-game record and second all-time for any state girls final. Prep great Teri Mann of Point Loma of San Diego had 25 boards in the 1987 D-I state final against Grant-Sacramento.
Maxwell scored on inside moves, on layups and from the free-throw line. The only time she wasn’t active was after it was over when she mustered the strength to celebrate. She was that spent.
“She’s the best player in the Valley — we’ve got to start there,” Central coach Paul Kariuki said of Maxwell, who looked down shyly while seated nearby. “That might be somewhat of a controversial statement, but I believe it. She’s our engine. She makes things happen for us. I looked up at the board — 24 points, 24 rebounds — and it didn’t surprise me. She rolls out of bed and has 25. When she’s really feeling good, it’s 40. She’s been unbelievable.”
A four-year varsity player, Maxwell had a playoff run to remember: 36 points in one game, 42 in another, a game-winner in yet another. The Grizzlies rode her dominance to a 5-0 state-playoff run. Not bad for a program that finished third in league play and for a school known athletically in recent years as a football power. How about now some mention as a basketball school, coach?
“Not just a basketball school,” the coach said, surrounded by players in the postgame media session, “but a girls basketball school.”
Homegrown Grizzlies
The players cheered that declaration. Kariuki said he has coached a number of Central players since their middle-school days. The bulk of the team are homegrown, products of neighboring middle schools, and that’s also something to celebrate in an era of players coming and going across the state.
“We’re a big ol’ family,” Kariuki said. “The Central community is real tight. We have three middle schools. We all know each other, and these girls are tight-knit. I can’t speak enough of the character of these girls. It’s been an honor to see them go from little girls to young ladies.”
Central made just 1 of 10 3-pointers and had 27 turnovers, but the Grizzlies only trailed once, by two early, and the Barons of the San Diego Section had no answer for Maxwell. When she was fouled, which was often, Maxwell made 10 of 12 free throws. The Grizzlies stymied a prolific team that managed to make just 15 of 81 shots, including 2 of 27 from 3-point range.
“We’re a high-scoring team and that’s not like us (to shoot so poorly),” said Bonita Vista coach Tristan Lamb, whose team was led by Kaylyn Buchanon-Lamb (17 points) and Mahliya Wilson (14). “We played a really tough team, a good team.”
On Maxwell’s 24/24/6 numbers, Lamb said, “Those are huge numbers, especially for a state-championship game. You expect your big-time players to do big-time things, and she did that.”
Maxwell, per her humble nature, said her teammates played big, too. Sophomore guard Illicia Ross had 10 points and junior point guard and floor leader Keytonna Ross had four points, three assists and two steals.
“Unbelievable player,” Kariuki said of Keytonna Ross. “She doesn’t get enough respect in our section or in the state but we don’t win ball games without this lady. Talk about a tremendous leader. So much confidence and she doesn’t back down. I’m a better coach because of her. She’s off the charts.”
Kariuki is a Fresno product, born and raised. He played sports at Hoover High, where he first started to think about coaching long-term, but he never expected to be at Golden 1 celebrating as a girls coach. He quickly grew to appreciate how hard and how committed girls can be.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be a state champion as a coach,” he said. “I’ve been around the block coaching boys. A lot of great coaches that I respect never made it (to a state final). Here we are.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 6:23 PM.