SACRAMENTO — When Athenian point guard Evan Lucas tells people where he goes to school, the first response he often hears is “Where is that?”
But after Athenian’s 67-49 Division V state title game win over Verdugo Hills, he hopes more people know the small private school in Danville is no joke on the basketball court.
“I’ve been at Athenian for a while and it’s been a long journey here,” Lucas said. “I just hope we get put on the map for the future.”
Lucas led Athenian with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Surya Devasenapathy totaled 15 points and seven assists while Teni Salako had eight points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.
Athenian’s Evan Lucas (2) shoots a three point basket past Verdugo Hills’ Jabez Agustin (2) in the third quarter of the CIF State Basketball Championship Division V Boys game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday, March 8, 2024. Athenian defeats Verdugo Hills 67-49. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Jabez Agustin led Verdugo Hills with 15 points and Alexander Martinez had 12 points and seven steals.
“I thought the boys came out like champions,” said Athenian coach Jordan Boreman. “They’re smart, hard-working and determined. All you got to do is present problems to these guys and they problem solve. Kudos to these guys, they’re awesome in multiple ways.”
Athenian took control of the game in the second quarter.
Lucas scored nine consecutive points to put the Owls up 27-17 midway through the second period. The Danville school took advantage of Verdugo Hill’s zone by hitting outside shots and finding cutters near the basket.
At halftime, Athenian led 36-20.
Athenian’s Surya Devasenapathy (3) passes the ball while playing against Verdugo Hills in the second quarter of the CIF State Basketball Championship Division V Boys game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday, March 8, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Verdugo Hills came into Friday’s game as one of the highest scoring teams in its section, averaging 62 points a game. But Athenian locked down the Dons’ top scorers and forced other players to win the game for Verdugo Hills.
“They sat (Salako) in the key to clog up the middle and it really affected us since we weren’t hitting outside shots,” said Verdugo Hills coach Jared Gibson. “We just didn’t make enough and we had a bad stint in the second quarter.”
The Dons went on a 9-2 run coming out of halftime to cut the Athenian lead to nine, but that’s as close as they would get. Lucas continued to make shots and the Owls got a big scoring lift from sophomore Koen Feyock who scored eight of his 10 points in the second half.
“We just had to organize our thoughts,” Boreman said about stopping Verdugo Hills’ second half run. “The only time we had turnovers was when we weren’t operating correctly.”
The exclamation point of the win came when Salako drove to the paint and threw down a one-handed slam with a minute left in the fourth quarter to put Athenian up 17 and seal the state title.
Athenian’s run to the title game had its ups and downs. The Owls lost to league rival Head-Royce four times this season, the last being in the North Coast Section Division V championship a couple of weeks ago.
Athenian’s Teni Salako (20) dunks the ball against Verdugo Hills in the fourth quarter of the CIF State Basketball Championship Division V Boys game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday, March 8, 2024. Athenian defeats Verdugo Hills 67-49. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The losses might have been a blessing in disguise as Head-Royce was placed at the No. 16 seed in Division III and lost to No. 1 seed Santa Cruz in the first round of NorCal playoffs. Athenian stayed in Division V and made a run to the state title.
“We learned from it,” Boreman said about Athenian’s losses to Head-Royce. “After the fourth time we lost to Head-Royce, we sat in the locker room and said, ‘You know what? Thank you because you’re able to expose some challenges that we have and now we can go back into the lab and fix it.’”
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The private school in Danville is often overshadowed by the much bigger and more successful public schools in the same area. Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley have been East Bay powerhouses across all sports for years, but there is a hope Athenian can join the list of top basketball programs in the East Bay.
“Now it’s Athenian,” Boreman said jokingly when asked if his program is the top school in Danville. “I hope it (puts us on the map). There’s a lot of good talent in the East Bay and this time our hard work paid off.”
Athenian players gather for a team photo after defeating Verdugo Hills during their CIF State Basketball Championship Division V Boys game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday, March 8, 2024. Athenian defeats Verdugo Hills 67-49. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The Athenian student section celebrates after a basket against Verdugo Hills in the fourth quarter of the CIF State Basketball Championship Division V Boys game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday, March 8, 2024. Athenian defeats Verdugo Hills 67-49. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
