Christian Brothers withstands defending champ Whitney in double OT to reach 5th CIF final
After four quarters of regulation and two grueling overtimes on Tuesday night, the Christian Brothers Falcons insist they will have enough legs to grind out another game this week.
The gritty Falcons of Oak Park have no choice. They outlasted Whitney of Rocklin, 64-54, in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinal and have one day to prepare for the championship. But the survivors in such tournaments are glad to still be standing. There’s no time to complain.
At 6 p.m. Thursday at Golden 1 Center, the top-seeded Falcons take on second-seeded Atwater, a 70-54 winner over Grant in the other semifinal, for the title.
This is old hat for CB coach Shandyn Foster, an alumnus of the school when she went by Shandyn Hicks. She has her fifth team in a section final in eight seasons, winning two of them. Christian Brothers and Whitney have engaged in some titanic playoff duels, topped only by this one.
Six-foot sophomore guard Olivia Novi had 17 points to lead Christian Brothers, including three 3-pointers. Senior star guard Aleyah Harmon had 18, and junior forward Joy Omishakin 15.
Those are the leading acts. The Christian Brothers role players also contributed. Leila Serrano had 8, Journey Williams contributed 7 and Bella Holbert scored 6.
For defending champion Whitney, Kendall Dykstra scored 18, and Maile Takahashi and Natalia Benavidez had 13 each.
“I told them that this would be a dog fight, but games like this build championship teams,” Foster said. “Told them to trust their work, their conditioning, play within ourselves, withstand their runs and we will come out victorious.”
As for returning to another final at Golden 1, this time with the Christian Brothers boys also joining the fun as the top seed in Division III under coach Jermaine Brown, Foster said, “Man, it’s never felt better, and to be able to enjoy this moment with my basketball brother Jermaine ... I’m so proud of him and our programs. And our team has not even scratched the surface of our potential.”
All section semifinalists advance to CIF Northern California tournaments that start next week.
Division I
Folsom 61, Oak Ridge 42
For the third time this season, Sierra Foothill League rivals met. Folsom, the top seed and Sacramento Bee No. 1-ranked all season, pulled away from a tight game to return to a section final for the fourth consecutive season.
Senior guard Ava Rawlins, healthy again after two lost seasons, helped lead the way for Folsom.
McClatchy 67, St. Mary’s 59
Behind senior anchors and fourth-year varsity starters Nina Cain and Norret Lewis, third-seeded McClatchy toppled the host Rams in Stockton to set up a showdown with Folsom, 6 p.m. Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
Folsom and McClatchy have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by The Bee all season, respectively, as they were last season, too. Cain, last season’s Bee Player of the Year, powered inside and scored on layups and jumpers and had 16 points. Lewis, a ball handler and play maker, had 21. The leading scorer Tuesday was Daisy Throckmorton, the program’s next star.
The 5-foot-11 junior guard had 24 points.
Beating St. Mary’s is a big deal, as the Rams have stacked a section record 22 blue banners in their trophy case, including nine in D-I since 2013, the last coming last season. St. Mary’s has won 11 NorCal championships and eight state crowns, making the Rams program far and away the greatest girls dynasty in section history for any sport.
McClatchy players doused head coach Jeff Ota with water bottles in a jubilant postgame locker room setting.
Sac-Joaquin Section girls basketball semifinals
All section finals will be at Golden 1 Center
Division I
Folsom 61, Oak Ridge 42
McClatchy 67, St. Mary’s 59
Friday’s championship
No. 1 Folsom vs. No. 3 McClatchy, 6 p.m.
Division II
Christian Brothers 64, Whitney 54
Atwater 70, Grant 54
Thursday’s championship
No. 1 Christian Brothers vs. No. 2 Atwater, 6 p.m.
Division III
Colfax 45, Rio Linda 22
Ponderosa 63, East Union 51
Friday’s championship
No. 1 Colfax vs. No. 2 Ponderosa, 2 p.m.
Division IV
Liberty Ranch 36, West Campus 32
Riverbank 62, Marysville 60
Friday’s championship
No. 1 Liberty Ranch vs. No. 2 Riverbank
Division V
Bret Harte 55, Fortune 41
Woodland Christian 65, Argonaut 36
Friday’s championship
No. 1 Bret Harte vs. No. 2 Woodland Christian, 10 a.m.
Division VI
Faith Christian 83, Vacaville Christian 34
Sacramento Adventist 53, Sacramento Waldorf 34
Thursday’s championship
No. 1 Faith Christian vs. No. 2 Sacramento Adventist, 10 a.m.
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 10:59 PM.