09 Mar Salesian High Earns Fourth Regional Title in School History

Salesian High won its 19th straight game to win the NCS regionals and advance to the state championship.

Salesian College Preparatory High bested Archbishop Riordan High 49-44 Tuesday in San Pablo, taking home its fourth North Coast Section regional finals title.

Winning its 19th straight, Salesian High is ranked No. 4 in California and No.14 in the country.

“We’ve been planning and working for this the entire year, and now that we’re here and we executed, it feels amazing,” said Pride senior guard Amani Johnson.

Playing at Contra Costa College to provide ample seating — as the Pride have in their last five games — many fans were still unable to purchase tickets to the sold-out bout and were left standing outside. Just finding a parking spot was like looking for spilled sugar on the beach.

“We had a great crowd, and I thought Riordan had a great crowd too,” said Pride head coach Bill Mellis. “It was a good celebration of two great high school teams.”

From the opening tipoff, both teams were diving on the floor for loose balls, getting into each other’s jerseys, and deploying defense with fervor.

 

 

Crusaders 6-foot-8-inch senior small forward Zion Sensley got things rolling by scoring his team’s first six points. The currently ranked No. 58 high school prospect in the nation led his team with 13 points, but managed only two after halftime.

Sinking a three-pointer near the end of the first, Salesian High senior power forward De’Undrae Perteete made it 13-12 at the first intermission.

Then, Riordan went on a 7-2 run to extend their lead. In a mucked up stanza featuring handfuls of transition turnovers and blocks at the rim, the Pride went into halftime down 28-20.

In the first and second, play was stopped when lights above the court went off. Just as the bulbs worked normally in the second half, so too did Salesian get back to its usual production.

“In the locker room, everyone was helping each other out… making sure nobody had their head down and that we all knew we could come back,” said Pride sophomore small forward Carlton Perrilliat.

 

 

The Pride started the third on a 7-2 run of their own to make it a one-possession game. A dunk that cut the deficit to one brought the crowd to its feet. Salesian stole the ball to net a transition layup and retake the lead (31-30) for the first time since opening 3-0.

“The crowd and the student section were going crazy,” said Johnson. “It was really amazing to see all of the support.”

The energy of the fans would continue to grow in a back and forth final quarter that saw Salesian High go up four points with three minutes left. But the Crusaders were not done, tying the game at 44 with a little over one minute to go.

Then, the Pride got a go-ahead three-pointer from junior shooting guard Alvin Loving. Riordan had multiple chances to tie the game and could not capitalize. 

The two sides got testy with one another on the final play when Perrilliat tried ending the matchup with authority on a dunk but was fouled and knocked out of midair by a Crusaders defender.

 

Perrilliat spent lots of time at the charity stripe, where he made more shots than the other team put together. He went 9-10 on free throws; the Crusaders, 7-12.

Perilliat also led his team in scoring and was the only player in double figures with 11 points.

“It starts with my teammates,” he said. “We all hold each other accountable.”

Locking down defensively in crunch time, the Pride gave up only six points in the fourth quarter. Neither team scored over 15 points in a stanza during the physical battle, and Riordan scored only 16 the whole second half.

Salesian also continued its brand of balanced scoring, netting at least one three-point shot in every quarter and having five different players with makes from deep.

Both teams had their lowest-scoring output of the season. 

Riordan’s only other game this season without eclipsing 50 points was in January, also against Salesian, who are the only team to beat their San Francisco opponent for about the past three months. 

Coming in, the Crusaders were on a 16-game winning streak and ranked No. 2 in California, with a roster consisting of 11 players at least 6-feet-4-inches tall.

“They were taller than us and bigger than us, but we boxed out everyone for rebounds,” said Johnson.

 

After securing their place as the best team in Northern California, the Pride have another towering task on their hands in their ensuing matchup for the state championship against Harvard-Westlake High of Los Angeles.

“To lose the game before (the state championship) last year and actually be going this time, it just shows how hard this team has worked this year and how hungry we were to get here,” said Perteete.

The defending champion Wolverines are the top ranked team in California, No. 6 in the U.S., and have two players on the ESPN Top 100 high school recruits list — including senior point guard Trent Perry who is listed at No. 26 in the country.

“We’re ready to get on that state championship stage and compete with the best team in Southern California,” said Johnson.

The pair of top seeds in the tournament collide this Saturday at the Golden One Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. 

“When you start playing basketball, playing in an NBA arena is something you dream about; now I get to do it with these guys, it’s really a blessing,” said Perteete.