06 Mar Salesian’s Title Defense Ends as De La Salle Claims NCS Crown
The De La Salle Spartans of Concord beat Richmond’s Salesian Pride on Saturday for the NCS Open Division basketball title.
Story and photos by Joe Porrello
In a North Coast Section Open Division Championship rematch from last season, No. 2 seed Salesian College Preparatory fell 59-42 to top-seeded De La Salle High on Saturday night in Dublin.
A bigger and more experienced Spartans team secured its first NCS title in five years after losing three consecutive championship games, preventing the Pride from claiming their second straight and seventh in nine tournaments.
“It’s special to get here four times in a row, but it’s important to get it done,” said Spartans senior point guard Alec Blair.
Though every player on both rosters stands over 6 feet tall, De La Salle’s starting lineup features two 6-foot-7 players and three over 200 pounds — marks that no Salesian player meets. Additionally, the Spartans roster includes nine seniors compared with just two for the Pride.
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- De La Salle had a key size advantage with players like the 6-foot-7, 230-pound senior Braddock Kjellesvig, next to 6-foot sophomore Salesian guard Asante Johnson.
One of those starters, 6-foot-7, 230-pound senior forward Braddock Kjellesvig, said his team desperately wanted a shot at redemption.
Typically evenly matched, the teams entered the game tied 3-3 in head-to-head matchups since 2013, after not playing each other the previous decade. Each of those contests had been decided by single digits — until now — and neither team has scored more than 60 points in any meeting.
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- Pride guard Alvin Loving, one of just two seniors on the roster, rises for a contested mid-range jumper.
A standing room only crowd of roughly 1,000 people packed into the gym to cheer on the No. 17 in the state Salesian, which entered on a seven-game winning streak, and No. 13 De La Salle, which had won 10 of its last 11.
The Spartans quickly jumped out to a 16-5 lead, forcing Salesian to call a timeout just over five minutes in. De La Salle’s size made it difficult for Salesian to find open shots or driving lanes.
Already ahead by double digits at the end of the first quarter, the Spartans looked energized — hyping each other up and engaging with the crowd — while the Pride appeared rushed, committing far more turnovers than usual.
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- Spartans senior Alec Blair’s first-half energy helped build a cushion that set the stage for his team’s victory. Blair, one of the top high school basketball recruits in the county, is committed to Oklahoma for next season.
With its defense holding Salesian to just 19 points by halftime and the offense running through Blair, De La Salle extended its lead to 12 at the break. Ranked No. 58 on ESPN’s Top 100 High School Basketball Recruits list, Blair is committed to play for the University of Oklahoma next season.
About a minute into the third quarter, Blair drove into the paint and floated in a basket, but he landed on a Salesian player’s foot and sprained his ankle — an injury that kept him out for the rest of the game.
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- Spartans senior point guard and star player Alec Blair left the game after spraining his ankle early in the second half, though he returned to the bench later to cheer on his teammates.
Undeterred, the Spartans thrived without their top scorer. They extended their lead to 20 by the start of the fourth, never allowing Salesian to mount a run and shutting them out for the final three minutes.
“I was just hearing the cheers in the locker room. I came out and saw the score — we were playing fantastic,” Blair said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.”
Spartans fourth-year head coach Marcus Schroeder credited his team’s resilience to the challenges they faced throughout the season.
“We’ve gone through some adversity — we hit some in that game… our best player, Alec Blair, going down, our guys stepped up and played great,” he said.
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- Pride sophomore guard Elijah Stanley arcs a three-pointer over 6-foot-6, 215-pound senior Spartans forward David Balogun.
Though playing on neutral ground, the Spartans benefited from their student section, which hollered and heckled from tip-off to the final whistle.
“To the crowd, thank you so much. Y’all were a huge factor in this game, and this is your trophy as well,” Blair said. “They’ve been absent a lot of games, but they came to the big one, and that’s all that matters.”
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- Spartans junior guard Ibrahim Monawar lets a three-pointer fly over Pride junior forward Carlton Perrilliat, who hit the court with a loud thud after a hard screen.
Both teams will continue their season in the CIF Open Division State Tournament, featuring 11 schools and four rounds.
Earning a No. 2 seed, De La Salle gets a first-round bye before facing No. 3 seed Folsom High—ranked No. 9 statewide—on Saturday for a spot in the semifinals. Last year, the Spartans were knocked out in the first round of the state tournament in a two-point loss to Modesto Christian High.
Blair said he plans to play in the next game.
“I’ll be OK. One hundred percent, I’ll be playing next game,” he said.
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- Pride junior forward Carlton Perrilliat drives to the hoop but finds himself surrounded by four Spartans defenders.
As the No. 4 seed, Salesian took on No. 5 Modesto Christian High in the first round on Wednesday in Albany and ended the Crusaders season for the second straight year.
The Pride, themselves looking for redemption after losing the state championship by just five points last season, faces a third straight team out for revenge when they take on top seeded Archbishop Riordan High on Saturday. Salesian also ended Riordan’s season in 2024, a team that is now ranked No. 3 statewide and No. 25 nationally.
Salesian and De La Salle, two perennial basketball powerhouses, have combined for 16 NCS titles over the last 16 tournaments, though in different divisions over the years. Salesian accounts for 10 of those championships.
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