STUDIO CITY — Campbell Hall boys basketball made a strong first impression in its CIF Southern Section Division 1 debut Wednesday night.
The Vikings put together a strong third quarter to come back and beat Chaminade 82-69.
“We’ve got 507 kids in the school and we’re going up against big schools with great traditions,” Campbell Hall head coach David Grace said. “We’re building it and I’m really, really proud of how our kids played.”
Isaiah Johnson led Campbell Hall with 35 points and made 17 of 23 free throws. James Bass added 18 points and Deuce Newt had 15 points.
Jonas Thurman led Chaminade with 19 points.
Nikita Kochnev passed to Johnson for a layup that tied the game at 37-all with 7:40 left in the third quarter. Kochnev took the ball in himself and scored on a put-back on the Vikings’ next possession.
Campbell Hall put together a 12-3 scoring run over the course of the quarter. Bass threw down a dunk with a minute remaining for a 57-43 lead that the Eagles couldn’t overcome.
Both teams committed multiple turnovers to open the game before Chaminade decided to attack from the perimeter, avoiding battles with bigs Bass and Kochnev in the paint. The former checks in at 6-foot-9 and the latter is 6-foot-7.
“They’re a huge part of our team,” Grace said. “They’re so gifted, they’re such great kids, but they’re still learning. And once they keep the chemistry going and we keep winning, the sky’s the limit for both of them.”
Chaminade, which won just two games in Mission League play, didn’t have the size to compete with the Vikings down low but drained four 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Grace called for a press with less than three minutes remaining in the opening frame and the Vikings were able to hold the Eagles to a 21-20 advantage by the time the buzzer sounded.
“We wanted to run them off the line,” Grace said. “We had 20-some game films on them. I’m a longtime Division I college coach, so our preparation, I think, is like no other.”
They gained momentum on offense and made back-to-back baskets to start the second quarter. While Chaminade had scoring contributions from multiple players, Campbell Hall’s Deuce Newt took the reins for his team and added nine points in the quarter.
Chaminade remained in the lead at halftime. Kahlil Cantrell, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, came off the bench to knock down two timely 3-pointers to help his team pull ahead 37-35 at the break.
Campbell Hall will face Crespi — its second straight Mission League opponent — on Friday in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs. The Celt beat Edison 90-54 on Wednesday night.
“It’s going to be a great battle, especially in a small gym like this. We’re excited,” Grace said.
More boys basketball scores:
Open Division
Roosevelt 74, Heritage Christian 57
Harvard-Westlake 73, La Mirada 50
Division 1
Crespi 90, Edison 54
Rolling Hills Prep 76, Oaks Christian 62
Division 2AA
Viewpoint 43, Capistrano Valley 42
Village Christian 56, Wiseburn DaVinci 49
Pacifica Christian 62, Saugus 41
Calabasas 78, Millikan 54
Division 2A
Canyon 58, El Dorado 49
Valencia 70, Walnut 48
Oak Park 46, ML King 38