Sacramento-area teams win to set up section championship game showdowns at Golden 1 Center
Geoff Broyles got back into coaching for these sorts of pressure-cooker moments and rewards.
The longtime basketball coach at Del Oro High School took a three-year breather from this grind and kept busy as athletic director, but he jumped back into the fray two seasons ago. On Monday night in Carmichael, it was well worth the return.
Looking the part of cool customer on the outside but twisting and turning inside like everyone else in the gym, Broyles led a jubilant charge off the floor after his No. 4-seeded Golden Eagles of Loomis toppled top-seeded Jesuit 66-62 in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal that was every bit as tight, tense and terrific as anticipated.
Broyles said he displays a look of calm because he doesn’t want his team to see him frantic. Del Oro players followed their coach’s lead, handling the heat against the storied Marauders in their house and then letting loose afterwards.
The Golden Eagles prevailed behind the efforts of senior point guard star Caden Pinnick, 6-foot-5 senior post Jake Williams and freshman guard Brenden Hawkins, who doesn’t play like a first-year prep player. The support crew is as good as you’ll find with Reid Brear, Carter Erickson, Alex Kime, Luke Galer and Cole Kelley.
“So proud of them and so happy for them,” Broyles said. “That was a heck of a basketball team we beat. What a fun basketball environment, back and forth. Total team effort. Everyone believes in each other. Carter Erickson hit a big 3 and never hesitated.”
Pinnick had the ball in his hands down the stretch, the crafty leader salting the game away with a pass to Erickson for a 65-60 lead with 17.5 seconds left and then icing it with a free throw with 8.9 seconds to go. Pinnick scored 17, making 3-pointers, driving to the bucket and directing traffic.
Jesuit will be glad the three-sport star is graduating. As a hard-to-tackle dual-threat quarterback, Pinnick ended Jesuit’s football season with a dramatic triple-overtime effort on Jesuit’s turf. Pinnick, The Bee’s Large School Football Player of the Year, earlier this month signed a letter of intent with UC Davis, where he will also play baseball.
“He’s a great basketball player with a great basketball IQ,” Broyles said. “Just makes things happen.”
The coach also raved about the footwork, hands and tenacity of Williams, who sports a hearty beard to match his rugged interior play. Broyles joked that Williams will still be taking it to people in a 35-and-under league someday, not that his facial hair doesn’t make him look like he’s already a pick-up league ringer. Williams muscled inside for eight fourth-quarter points and had 13 total.
“He really knows how to play,” Broyles said. “Great hands, post moves. All of it.”
Del Oro (24-7) advanced to its first section basketball final since 2009, last winning one in 1998. The Golden Eagles will play No. 3-seeded Vanden of Fairfield in the championship game at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. Vanden beat No. 2 Capital Christian 78-59 in the other semifinal.
Senior star guard Kevin Haupt scored 27 for Jesuit, which had its 11-game winning streak halted and will take its 23-8 record into next week’s CIF Northern California regional tournament. All section semifinalists advance to the NorCal rounds, placed in divisions based on competitive equity. Those brackets will be released by the CIF on Sunday afternoon.
Division I
Monday’s games
Modesto Christian 64, Inderkum 56
Lincoln-Stockton 67, Rocklin 62
Wednesday’s championship game
No. 1 Modesto Christian vs. No. 7 Lincoln at Golden 1 Center, 8 p.m.
Comment: Senior guard Gavin Sykes scored 19 points to power Modesto Christian, which seeks a championship D-I three-peat and its 22nd section banner overall, spanning various divisions. The Lincoln Trojans are back in a final for just the second time, having won D-I honors in 1980. Sophomore guard Jagger Merolla scored 17 points to lead Lincoln (26-5), which beat The Bee’s top-ranked teams all season by downing Monterey Trail 93-88 in double-overtime in a quarterfinal and then Rocklin in Placer County.
Freshman guard Siincere Hudson led Inderkum with 18 points. Rocklin senior guard Kanyon Rice had 16 points.
Division II
Monday’s games
Del Oro 66, Jesuit 62
Vanden 78, Capital Christian 59
Wednesday’s championship game
No. 3 Vanden vs. No. 4 Del Oro at Golden 1 Center, 4 p.m.
Comment: Vanden lost to Sacramento in the D-III finals last season and now aim for its 10th championship. The Vikings (23-8) have a 10-game winning streak and are led by perhaps the top player in the section in 6-5 senior guard Tyler Thompson, who had 19 points, including three 3-pointers. CJ Willenborg and Jaylen Valdez led Capital Christian with 19 and 17 points, respectively.
Division III
Monday’s games
Sacramento 59, Central Catholic 50
Christian Brothers 65, West Park 61
Wednesday’s championship game
No. 1 Sacramento vs. No. 6 Christian Brothers at Golden 1 Center, noon
Comment: What a night for the Capital Athletic League with Sacramento and Christian Brothers set to square off for the third time after splitting their first two matchups. Sacramento is the defending champion and has won eight banners since 2010. The Dragons are led by three returning starters in Kendahl Hearne, SirMarius Jones and Shobal Barksdale.
Christian Brothers, meanwhile, is back in a section final for the first time since winning it in D-IV in 2001, and it has been a remarkable climb from six wins three seasons ago to the current 19-12 showing under coach Jermaine Brown. Stephan Hewitt had 23 points and seven rebounds, Daniel Powers had 11 points and five rebounds, Kamari Simpson had 14 points and six boards, and Shawn Underwood had seven points and 10 rebounds.
▪ For complete brackets and ticket information, visit the Sac-Joaquin Section website.