SACRAMENTO – Woodside Priory School didn’t panic when Aden Millwee hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first half to give Fresno Christian a one-point lead at the break.
The Panthers didn’t lose confidence in their interior play, despite Fresno Christian holding a 10-rebound edge in the opening half.
And coach David Moseley didn’t scrap Priory’s primary gameplan of full-court pressure and trapping defense, just because the Division 4 boys basketball state final was being played Saturday on a much bigger court inside an NBA arena at the Golden 1 Center.
The Panthers were rewarded in the second half, as their depth and relentless defense eventually wore down Fresno Christian, with six players scoring in double figures and 22 turnovers by the Eagles resulting in 33 points for Priory in an 83-66 victory and the program’s first state championship.
Priory (26-6), which concluded the season winning nine in a row including the CIF-Central Coast Section Division 5 title, overcame a six-point deficit early in the second half by scoring 14 unanswered points during a stretch of 4 minutes, 30 seconds, closing the third quarter on a 22-2 run and the Eagles (30-7) never recovered.
It marked the second year in a row that a Central Coast Section program won the Division 4 state championship, following Monterey producing a 74-66 victory last season against Chatsworth.
Before the back-to-back titles, Palma was the last Central Coast Section school to capture a Division 4 state crown in 1992.
Following a 61-52 victory against Palma in the Central Coast Section Division 5 final March 1, Priory received the top seed in the Northern California Regional and had the benefit of four home games during the journey to compete at the Golden 1 Center.
The Panthers survived a scare March 6 in the regional quarterfinals against Natomas in a 66-65 win, before winning their final three contests all by double-digit margins.
Priory, who also had 83 points in a Central Coast Section Division 5 quarterfinal triumph against Basis Independent Silicon Valley became one of five schools in Division 4 state championship history to score at least that many points in the final.
The Panthers were also the only team among all 24 state finalists to have six players score in double figures.
Etiwanda was the only girls program with five athletes scoring in double figures in the Open Division championship game.
Priory also made five 3-point field goals during its third-quarter run, finishing 10 of 23 from behind the arc.
The Panthers also neutralized Fresno Christian on the boards in the second half, outrebounding the Eagles by a 20-9 margin in the final 16 minutes.
After converting 11 first-half turnovers into only 12 points, Priory forced another 11 miscues in the final two quarters, contributing to 21 points.
Devin Gaines, who led Fresno Christian with 21 points and six rebounds, scored to cut the deficit to 66-55 with 6:45 remaining, but Priory responded with seven consecutive points on a 3-pointer by Jai Gerrodette, followed by a layup and a pair of free throws from sophomore Teddy Xanthopoulos on consecutive offensive possessions to erase hope of an Eagles’ comeback in the final three minutes.
Mate Palotai and Balazs Nyikos, both Hungarian standouts for the Panthers, each had 16 points and six rebounds apiece, in addition to combining for four assists and seven steals.
Xanthopoulos added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks, with Gerrodette producing 13 points – including three 3-point field goals – as well as four steals, three rebounds and three assists.
Kasten Eggers contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, with fellow junior Noah Gallon scoring all 10 of his points in the second half and recording four of Priory’s 18 steals.
Noah Coulton, a junior, had 18 points and three assists, in addition to making all six free-throw attempts for Fresno Christian, with Millwee making three 3-pointers to finish with 14 points, plus six rebounds.
The Eagles, who had their 16-game winning streak snapped following a thrilling 50-49 victory March 11 against Granada Hills Charter in the Southern California Regional final, suffered their first setback since a 78-51 loss Jan. 18 against San Joaquin Memorial.
Fresno Christian captured the Central Section Division 4 championship Feb. 28 with a 73-50 victory against Monache at Selland Arena, but wasn’t able to keep pace with Priory in a battle of first-time state finalists at Golden 1 Center.