BOYS OPEN DIVISION STATE FINAL: ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN VS. ROOSEVELT-EASTVALE
Records: Riordan 29-1, Roosevelt 34-2
Tipoff: Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, 8 p.m.
Storylines: Riordan will need to defeat arguably the best team in the country to make its first appearance in an Open Division state final a triumphant one. … Only one NorCal team has won the Open Division since the classification was added in 2013, Bishop O’Dowd in 2015. … Roosevelt is ranked No. 2 in the country by MaxPreps. … The Crusaders are appearing in their fourth state final, having captured the D-II crown in 2002. Roosevelt beat James Logan 54-45 in the 2017 D-I final in its only other appearance. … Riordan went 14-0 in the West Catholic Athletic league, winning by an average of 38 points per game. The Crusaders then won the Central Coast Section Open Division title in similarly dominant fashion. … Led by coach Joey Curtin, Riordan defeated defending NorCal Open champ Salesian in the semifinals last weekend and De La Salle in the championship round on Tuesday to exorcise the program’s NorCal demons. … The San Francisco school has the talent to upset the favored Mustangs. Forward Jasir Rencher, a four-star forward who is committed to Texas A&M, has elite athleticism to pair with a dogged defensive mindset and solid shooting mechanics. … Junior guard Andrew Hilman might be the team’s most potent scorer, and Ryder Bush is a willing shooter. John Tofi and Kirby Seals are 6-foot-6 wings who can defend any position. … Speaking of defense, JP Pihtovs and Nes Emeneke are both 6-foot-9 shot-blockers who anchor a defense that has not given up over 60 points in any game this season. … The defense will be tested by Roosevelt. The Mustangs have scored over 100 points in three games this season and have been held under 60 just four times. … The Inland Empire program has five-star guard Brayden Burries leading the attack. Point guard Issac Williamson is committed to New Mexico State and backcourt mate Myles Walker is expected to play college ball. … Roosevelt talented Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks 79-76 in the SoCal final to advance to Sacramento. … The boys Open final will be the last high school basketball game of the season in California.
– Joseph Dycus