SACRAMENTO – Salesian, under the brightest lights, on the state’s biggest stage, against California’s most talented team, played its game.
After Elias Obenyah bullied his way to the bucket and flipped in a hook shot with 1 ½ minutes left to give Salesian a one-point lead, the Richmond program stood on the brink of a monumental upset.
The ultimate embodiment of a team, one that went 10-deep, lost that lead and the state title when Harvard-Westlake McDonald’s All-American Trent Perry made a layup past all five defenders, hit a tough mid-range jumper and canned two free throws to finish the game.
Harvard-Westlake defeated Salesian 50-45 to repeat as the California Open Division champions.
The fact that Salesian pushed one of SoCal’s great teams to the brink was a testament to Richmond’s system and the selfless players that made it great.
The Pride passed the ball from one side to the other and screened with a purpose. Being hounded by Harvard-Westlake’s taller and more athletic defenders at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center and playing in front of thousands, Salesian’s players ran their motion sets, taking and making their open shots.
Staring down the defending champion and its array of high-profile stars, Salesian coach Bill Mellis’ team trusted in their system in Salesian’s heartbreaking loss.
Each player, none standing taller than 6-foot-5, worked as part of a larger collective, passing off and taking on assignments until they needed to contest the shot.
With the stakes at their highest, Salesian did what it had all season against elite teams.
The Pride trailed just 31-27 at halftime, and was tied with the SoCal power at 42 apiece with around four minutes left in the game.
Salesian lost one game, a 68-66 overtime thriller to eventual CIF Division I state champions St. John Bosco-Bellflower, in the regular season. The Richmond program entered Saturday night on a 19-game winning streak, something that wasn’t achieved against a cupcake schedule.
After cruising to yet another Tri-County Athletic League title, Salesian defeated traditional East Bay powers San Ramon Valley and De La Salle to capture the North Coast Section Open Division title.
Mellis’ juggernaut then carried that momentum into NorCal Open play.
After not winning a game in five trips to the region’s toughest bracket, the Pride suffocated perennial participant Modesto Christian in the semifinals before outlasting a more athletic and taller Archbishop Riordan team to punch its ticket to Sacramento.
