Brayden Burries brilliant in 44-point effort to elevate Eastvale Roosevelt boys basketball team to 80-60 win against Archbishop Riordan in Open Division state final

SACRAMENTO – Relentless, but not reckless.

Explosive, while still remaining efficient.

And dynamic, without sacrificing discipline.

It didn’t matter to the Eastvale Roosevelt High boys basketball team that its debut in the Open Division state final Saturday was against one of the elite programs in CIF-Central Coast Section history playing on a bigger court inside an NBA Arena at Golden 1 Center, led by a defense that hadn’t allowed more than 60 points in a single game all season.

The Mustangs featured a McDonald’s All-American in Brayden Burries, an effective point guard in Myles Walker, an exceptional defender in Isaac Williamson and several significant role players who were instrumental in Roosevelt running the gauntlet in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs and the Southern California Open Division regionals to reach the state title game.

Post-game interviews

Archbishop Riordan remained within striking distance for the first 12 minutes, before Roosevelt’s defensive tenacity, offensive efficiency and Burries’ versatility eventually wore down the Crusaders.

Burries scored 27 of his Open Division state finals record 44 points in the first half, the Mustangs made 21 of 23 free-throw attempts and forced 15 turnovers to secure an 80-60 victory and the program’s first state championship since winning the Division 1 crown at the same venue in 2017.

Roosevelt (35-2) also set a team record for most points in an Open Division state final, in addition to matching the largest margin of victory in an Open championship game since the division was established in 2013. Chino Hills produced a 70-50 win in 2016 against Concord De La Salle.

Burries eclipsed the previous Open Division title game record of 35 points achieved in 2017 by Jordan Brown of Woodcreek, surpassing the mark by making two free throws with 1:47 left in the third quarter.

Burries also equaled the second-highest scoring performance by any competitor in a boys basketball state final, matching the 44-point effort of Chatsworth’s Alijah Arenas in last year’s Division 4 championship game.

Only Tracy Murray of Glendora, who scored 64 points in an 89-83 loss to Menlo-Atherton in the 1989 Division 2 state final, remains ahead of Arenas and Burries.

But Burries, who shot 15 of 22 from the field and made 10 of 12 free throws along with grabbing 12 rebounds and recording three blocked shots, was the only athlete among the talented trio to earn a victory in his state finals appearance.

After leading by only two points midway through the second quarter, Roosevelt stretched its advantage to 44-33 at halftime, benefiting from making all 13 free-throw attempts in the opening quarter, in addition to hitting five 3-pointers.

Despite Texas A&M commit Jasir Rencher scoring 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second half for Archbishop Riordan (29-2), the Crusaders were unable to cut the deficit to a single-digit margin at any point during the final 16 minutes.

Andrew Hilman, who had 10 points in the first half for Archbishop Riordan, endured a hard fall after landing awkwardly while attempting a layup in the final minute of the third quarter.

Hilman stayed in the game to make one of his free-throw attempts to finish with 11 points, but his limited availability late in the contest added to an already compromised Archbishop Riordan roster that included Ryder Bush competing with a broken finger suffered Tuesday in a 52-40 victory against Concord De La Salle in the Northern California Open Division Regional final.

Roosevelt extended its lead to 69-48 with 4:40 left on a layup by Williamson, who scored seven points, and despite a few surges from Rencher and Archbishop Riordan, the drought for Northern California programs reached a decade in the Open Division state final since Ivan Rabb led Bishop O’Dowd to a title in 2015 with an overtime victory against Mater Dei.

Burries converted one slam dunk with 1:47 left and looked to add a couple of others to the highlight reel on Roosevelt’s final offensive possessions, but following a pair of free throws with 38 seconds remaining, he was finally substituted out and was met with a loud ovation from his teammates, coaches and spectators at Golden 1 Center.

Walker, a senior, added 15 points, four assists and three steals, in addition to making all five of his free-throw attempts and knocking down two 3-point field goals in his final game for the Mustangs.

Jackson Haggins, a junior, contributed 12 points, converting all six free-throw opportunities, along with hitting a pair of 3-pointers, as Roosevelt made nine overall from behind the arc.

Nes Emeneke had nine points and four rebounds, with JP Pihtovs scoring six points for the Crusaders, who made nine free throws in the final quarter.

Archbishop Riordan, which was seeking its first state title since winning a Division 3 crown in 2002, endured its first loss of the calendar year, snapping a 20-game winning streak.

The Crusaders suffered a 52-47 setback Dec. 30 against JSerra in the National Division final at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in their other loss.

Roosevelt concluded the season with a 12-game winning streak and remained unbeaten against California competition, only losing to Brennan High of Texas in November and Gonzaga College Prep from Washington D.C. at the Hoophall Classic in January in Massachusetts.