Carmichael Jesuit captures first Division 2 boys basketball state championship, with Alijah Arenas and Chatsworth falling in final for second year in a row

SACRAMENTO – Although Chatsworth was returning to the Golden 1 Center for the second straight year to compete for a state boys basketball championship, even that familiarity for the Chancellors couldn’t match how Carmichael Jesuit felt playing at the NBA arena twice in a 17-day span.

And the motivation Chatsworth had entering the Division 2 state final after suffering a setback last season in the Division 4 championship game was only surpassed by the drive and determination the Marauders carried after coming within 15 seconds of capturing a Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 crown Feb. 27 in a one-point loss on the same court against Rocklin.

Jesuit made sure to leave nothing to chance Saturday by not allowing McDonald’s All-American Alijah Arenas many openings against the Marauders’ matchup zone defense, in addition to showcasing exceptional execution on offense by assisting on 19 of 22 field goals and committing just four turnovers in a 66-53 victory to capture the program’s first state title.

Post-game interviews

Maison Phillips, a freshman, had a career-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead four players scoring in double figures for Jesuit (27-9), which made 6 of 8 field-goal attempts and sank 10 of 12 free-throw opportunities in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

Arenas, who scored a Division 4 state finals record 44 points in a 74-66 loss to Monterey last season, led the Chancellors (26-9) with a game-high 22 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists.

But the USC-bound Arenas made only one of seven 3-point attempts and finished 8 of 21 from the field, including just 3 of 13 in the second half.

Taj Unuakhalu scored seven of his nine points in the second half and contributed 10 rebounds for Chatsworth, which became the first L.A. City Section program to compete in state finals in consecutive years since Westchester in Division 1 in 2009-10.

View Park Prep is the only L.A. City Section school to win a boys basketball state title in any division since Westchester’s back-to-back victories, capturing the Division 4 crown in 2018 against Stuart Hall of San Francisco.

Chatsworth rallied from a seven-point deficit early in the third to tie the score at 34-34 on a basket by Aaron Krueger with 3:30 remaining in the quarter.

But Jesuit responded with seven unanswered points of its own during a two-minute stretch, including back-to-back shots from Phillips, who finished 6 of 10 from the field, in addition to making all four free-throw attempts.

V’Elijah Miller hit a 3-pointer just before the end of the quarter to bring the Chancellors to within 43-40 entering the fourth, but Chatsworth never got any closer down the stretch.

Luke Browne had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter for Jesuit, with fellow senior Asher Schroeder adding five of his 12 points, as well as Phillips producing six points, contributing to the Marauders outscoring Chatsworth 23-13 in the final eight minutes.

Browne added four assists, three steals and three rebounds, Schroeder had six rebounds and Phillips recorded four rebounds for the Marauders, who received four points and five assists from junior point guard Brandon Williams.

Amaury McKinney, a senior forward, scored 13 points, including one of Jesuit’s eight 3-point field goals, as the Marauders won their last five games following the heartbreaking 46-45 setback to Rocklin in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 final.

Arenas hit three free throws with 38 seconds remaining, before being substituted out in his final contest with the Chancellors, who received eight points from Krueger, along with seven points and five rebounds from Miller.

Chatsworth suffered a 65-55 setback Feb. 28 against Westchester in the L.A. City Section Open Division final, before rebounding to knock off the Comets by a 75-61 margin March 8 in the Southern California Regional semifinals and producing a 66-51 victory March 11 against Bakersfield Christian in the regional final to earn a second straight trip to compete in a state title game.

Jesuit, which is located less than 20 minutes from Golden 1 Center, was making its first appearance in a state final since back-to-back losses in the Division 1 championship in 1993 and 1994 against Crenshaw and legendary coach Willie West.

The Marauders were energized by a boisterous student section throughout the contest, responding to the support by shooting 22 of 43 from the field (51.2 percent) and making 14 of 16 free-throw attempts overall.