Boys State Basketball Finals Preview

Division I State Final – Westchester vs. McClymonds
Saturday, March 21st at 8:00pm; ARCO Arena

Westchester (34-2, 11-1) – Western League Champions (Tied w/Fairfax), City Division 1 Champions, Southern Region Division 1 Champions

The 2nd ranked team in the country, Westchester comes into Saturday night’s division 1 state final winners of 12 in a row including a 17 point dismantling of the then #2 ranked team in the country M.L. King in the regional final. Defense has been key for the Comets during their 8-0 run through the playoffs, as they’ve held their opponents to just 47 points per game on average. A win on Saturday would bring the Comets their first state championship since the ’04-’05 season.

Road to the State Finals:

1st Round: Westchester 80, Carson 35
Quarterfinals: Westchester 75, Fremont 33
Semi-Finals: Westchester 71, Cleveland 56
Finals: Westchester 60, Taft 55
Regional 1st Round: Westchester 85, Central 51
Regional Quarterfinals: Westchester 65, El Camino 52
Regional Semi-Finals: Westchester 55, Fairfax 54
Regional Finals: Westchester 56, M.L. King 39

McClymonds (29-1, 10-0) –Oakland League Champions, Northern Regional Division 1 Champions

The 20th ranked team in the country, McClymonds is looking to make it back to back state championships after defeating Compton Dominguez last season for the title, 73-54. The Warriors come into Saturday night’s state final winners of 12 in a row dating back to their only loss of the season on January 19th against De La Salle 43-38. Like Westchester, McClymonds gets it done on the defensive end holding their last seven opponents to an average of 45 points per game.

Road to the State Finals:

Regional Quarterfinals: McClymonds 65, Franklin 53
Regional Semi-Finals: McClymonds 58, Newark Memorial 33
Regional Finals: McClymonds 46, Monte Vista 43
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Division IV State Final – Bishop Montgomery vs. Salesian
Saturday, March 21st at11:15am; ARCO Arena

Bishop Montgomery (28-4, 7-1) –Del Rey League Champions, CIF Division IVAA Semi-Finalist, Southern Region Division IV Champions

Winners in 10 of their last 11, Bishop enters Saturday’s final as the 34th ranked team in the state. After losing in overtime to Inglewood in the CIF Division IV semi-finals, Bishop has been on a mission to capture the state division IV championship. Relying on a high octane offense that has averaged 76 points per game in the Knights six playoff games, Bishop has only been challenged so far in the playoffs when teams score over 80 points on them (Inglewood 97 and Price 82). Bishop was one and one in those two games and both contests went to overtime. In all of Bishop’s other playoff wins, they have held their opponents to no more than 62 points.

Road to the State Finals

1st Round: BYE
2nd Round: Bishop Montgomery 67, St. Francis 59
Quarterfinals: Bishop Montgomery 58, Atascadero 53
Semi-Finals: Inglewood 97, Bishop Montgomery 93
Regional 1st Round: Bishop Montgomery 71, Kingsburg 62
Regional Semi-Finals: Bishop Montgomery 76, Bakersfield Christian 52
Regional Finals: Bishop Montgomery 85, Price 82 (2OT)

Salesian (30-4, 12-0) – Bay Shore League Champions, BSAL Champions, NCS Champions, Region Division IV Champions

A winner of 15 in a row, Salesian comes into Saturday’s state division IV final ranked 18th in the state. While averaging 69 points per game in their eight playoff victories, Salesian has advanced to the state finals largely due to their defense which is only giving up 53 points per game in that same stretch. In an unusual occurrence, Salesian had to face St. Mary’s three separate times in the playoffs defeating them each time by a score of 69-59, 63-55 and 56-52, respectively.

Road to the State Finals

Semi-Finals BSAL: Salesian 78, St Patrick/St. Vincent 63
Finals BSAL: Salesian 69, St. Mary’s 59
Quarterfinals NCS: Salesian 80, Healdsburg 48
Semi-Finals NCS: Salesian 68, Arcata 51
Finals NCS: Salesian 63, St. Mary’s 55
Regional Quarterfinals: Salesian 65, Christian Brothers 47
Regional Semi-Finals: Salesian 72, Sutter 47
Regional Finals: Salesian 56, St. Mary’s 52