Eastvale Roosevelt gets big second half from Brayden Burries against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame to capture first CIF-Southern Section Open Division boys basketball crown

ONTARIO – Even after one of the more challenging halves of basketball in his entire high school career Saturday night, Brayden Burries could only look around the Eastvale Roosevelt bench and smile.

Burries was able to appreciate the unselfish approach of Isaac Williamson, applaud the confidence of freshman Cameron Anderson and recognize the playmaking ability of Myles Walker, which allowed the second-seeded Mustangs to build a five-point halftime advantage against No. 5 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, despite the McDonald’s All-American contributing only two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

But Burries elevated his performance in the second half, scoring 17 of his 19 points after the break, and Roosevelt withstood a late surge from the Knights to secure a 74-67 victory in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division boys basketball final at Toyota Arena.

The Mustangs (32-2) won their ninth in a row, capturing the first section championship in program history, in addition to denying Notre Dame (26-7) back-to-back titles after the Knights won the Division 1 crown last season.

Eastvale Roosevelt boys basketball coach Stephen Singleton | Photo courtesy of Eastvale Roosevelt

Both teams are expected to be top seeds in the Southern California Regionals of the Open Division state playoffs when the pairings are released Sunday.

Notre Dame took a brief 55-54 lead in the opening minute of the final quarter, but the Mustangs were in control the rest of the way, as Jackson Haggins, Burries, Walker and Williamson each contributed five points in the fourth.

Roosevelt showcased its composure and maturity Saturday following a 54-47 setback in last year’s Open Division final against Harvard-Westlake, committing only seven turnovers and making all 13 free-throw attempts.

Tyran Stokes, who led Notre Dame with 21 points and 13 rebounds, converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to 61-60 with 3:51 remaining.

But Haggins, a junior who finished with nine points, responded with his only 3-pointer of the contest on the ensuing possession to provide the Mustangs another four-point advantage.

A layup by NaVorro Bowman pulled the Knights as close as 64-62 with 3:18 remaining, before Walker connected on his fifth 3-pointer of the night 30 seconds later for Roosevelt, which made 11 of 21 shots from behind the arc (52.4 percent) for the entire contest.

Stokes’ slam dunk with 2:30 left helped Notre Dame pull within 67-64 with 2:30 left, but the Mustangs scored seven in a row in less than a minute on a 3-pointer by Williamson and a pair of free throws each from Haggins and Walker to secure the title.

Walker matched Burries by scoring 19 points, in addition to contributing five assists and four steals, with Williamson adding 15 points, three assists and three steals for Roosevelt, which also produced a 76-58 victory Dec. 21 against Notre Dame at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas.

Anderson contributed seven of his nine points in the first half, with Haggins also scoring nine points for the Mustangs, who received eight rebounds from the 6-foot-5 Burries.

Zachary White had 11 of his 15 points in the opening half for Notre Dame, which regrouped following a 67-64 loss Feb. 5 to Harvard-Westlake in the Mission League tournament to win all four Open Division pool-play games, including a 68-61 victory in the rematch against the top-seeded Wolverines.

Lino Mark and Bowman both contributed 11 points apiece for Notre Dame, which committed 13 turnovers and shot only 6 of 13 from the free-throw line.

Roosevelt finally earned its first Southern Section crown under coach Stephen Singleton after the Mustangs won a Division 1 state championship in 2017.

Notre Dame is seeking a second state title in three years after winning the Division 1 championship in 2023 under coach Matt Sargeant.