SANTA CLARA — Palo Alto doesn’t lose CCS championship games.
Entering Saturday, the Vikings were 8-0 all-time in boys basketball section title matchups, most recently winning the Division I title in 2020.
Carlmont, on the other hand, never wins them. The Scots were without a CCS championship in their 72-year school history, making only one section championship game appearance all time in 2009.
But that’s the past. The Scots were only concerned with the present on Saturday night at Mission College.
And what a present it is for the Carlmont program.
Facing top-seeded Palo Alto in the CCS D-I title game in Santa Clara, the No. 3 Scots led most of the way and withstood a late surge from the Vikings, emerging with a 66-62 victory and the very first section boys basketball title in the history of the long-tenured Belmont institution.
“That was crazy,” said Carlmont guard Camden Ngo, who hit a clutch 3-pointer to give Carlmont a fourth-point lead late in the fourth quarter. “A lot of our team, it was just like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna win this game.’ We kind of had a feeling. We fought for it well. It was a lot closer than I wanted it to be.”
The Scots (17-10) played with the confidence of a team that had nothing to lose and everything to gain, steadily building a lead early in the fourth quarter that peaked at 60-51 with 3:06 to go. But the seasoned champs from Palo Alto still had plenty left to say about the outcome.
Jorell Clark, who scored 34 of the Vikings’ 62 points, drove to the rim for an and-one layup, then Jake Wang’s putback layup brought Paly within four.
Moments later, Clark was back for more, sinking a double-clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key to nearly tie the game. At 60-59, it looked like Palo Alto might be back where it belonged.
“Extremely proud of our guys and the effort they gave throughout the entire game,” Paly coach Jeff LaMere said. “Never shutting it down and never quitting, and trying to find a way to win.”
But all that did was set up Ngo’s star turn. With 32.9 seconds remaining, Ngo picked up a loose ball and launched a fadeaway 3-pointer from well beyond the arc, swishing it and drawing a foul in the process.
Never was it clearer that a sea change had arrived for the Scots’ legacy in the CCS.
“I went nuts,” Carlmont coach John Schrup said. “I was fired up. I was on the floor. I had to take a step back. I didn’t want to get a technical. But I was on the floor yelling at him.”
Ngo only needed one word to describe the moment.
“Exhilarating,” he said.
But the game still wasn’t over. Clark, back again like a bad penny, nailed another 3 at the top of the key with 11.6 seconds to play. Then it was Ngo’s turn one more time.
Fouled in the backcourt, Ngo converted both of his bonus free throws with 10.8 left, putting Carlmont up 65-62. An intentional foul put Palo Alto at the line with 5.3 to go, but the Vikings missed both shots.
And when Jordan Rice’s second free throw found the bottom of the net with 3.4 on the clock, the Scots could finally let loose as CCS champions.
“It feels fantastic,” Schrup said. “It validates the talent and the hard work and everything that all these guys in this locker room put in. They’ve been on the border for many years, and this group has pushed them over the edge. And I hope that this has a lasting effect for the culture and the expectations for Carlmont as a program. Hopefully, we continue to elevate.”
Ngo and his teammates had the confidence that they only could, but should, do something the Scots had never done before. With their play, they made what could have been construed as naivete or arrogance into a new reality.
So does the CCS have an emerging power in Division I?
“We just wanted to come out physically and beat them,” Ngo said. “Win your matchup, basically. That was the whole thing. Just be more physical in general, and we’ll come out on top, usually. Because we’re a really talented team as individuals and as a group together.”
Ngo, who was face-guarded by Palo Alto for most of the game, still led Carlmont with 22 points. Franklin Kuo added 18 points for the Scots, and Jeremiah Phillips scored 14.
Both teams will now advance to the CIF NorCal Regional Tournament. Brackets for the regionals will be announced on Sunday.
