Conor Maguire, International School adapt in second half of Division 5 boys basketball state final to prevail against Diamond Ranch

SACRAMENTO – Conor Maguire made CIF-North Coast Section history Feb. 6 by hitting a record 14 3-pointers and scoring 63 points in a 100-point effort for International School of San Francisco against Drew.

Maguire didn’t hit a single 3-point field goal Friday for International School against Diamond Ranch in the Division 5 boys basketball state final, but still achieved multiple all-time marks and produced a little more than half of his career-high output to lift the Jaguars to their first title in program history.

Maguire tied the Division 5 championship record for free throws with 12 and set a new division all-time performance with 17 attempts from the line, contributing to a game-high 32 points to lift International School to a 71-52 victory in a battle of first-time finalists at Golden 1 Center.

Post-game interviews

Maguire matched the effort of 12 free throws achieved in 2004 by Darren Morrison of Price and surpassed the previous standard of 13 attempts shared by three athletes, including Morrison, in addition to making 10 of 25 field-goal attempts.

Although Maguire was unsuccessful in six 3-point opportunities – as International School struggled to a 2-of-18 performance behind the arc – the Jaguars (25-12) were incredibly efficient in the second half, making 15 of 25 field-goal attempts and hitting 15 of 21 free throws to outscore Diamond Ranch (23-15) by a 47-22 margin.

Maguire also had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for International School, which held the edge in points in the paint, bench points as well as boasting a 44-38 rebounding edge.

Will Savill-Welch, a senior forward, contributed 12 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocked shots for International School, with junior Jason Meisel adding 11 points for the Jaguars, who overcame a 30-24 halftime deficit by producing 16 unanswered points and holding Diamond Ranch scoreless for 5:30 during the third quarter.

Michael Salazar had 14 first-half points for the Panthers, but didn’t score in the third and fourth quarters, before fouling out with three minutes left. Salazar also had a team-high 11 rebounds.

Devin Turner had 11 of his 16 points in the second half, with Jaidyn Pullian contributing eight of his 10 points after halftime for Diamond Ranch, but the Panthers managed to hit only 8 of 37 field-goal attempts following the break.

Turner hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth quarter and Pullian followed with a layup less than a minute later to bring Diamond Ranch as close as 47-45, but International School responded by scoring nine consecutive points in less than two minutes and the Panthers were unable to recover.

Reign Savill-Welch added eight points and four rebounds for the Jaguars, who rebounded from a 50-41 loss Feb. 28 against Alhambra in the CIF-North Coast Section final to win five state playoff contests.

It marked the second year in a row that a North Coast Section program won the Division 5 boys state championship, with Athenian capturing its first title last season.

The last time the North Coast Section secured consecutive Division 5 boys crowns was from 2006-08, when Ross Branson won three titles in a row.