Championship Saturday proved again that basketball is a team sport – Orange County Register
Mater Dei players cheer for their team after a shot late in the fourth half against Etiwanda at the CIF SS Division 1 Basketball Championship on Saturday February 25, 2023 in Anaheim. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Carson Brown played great for the Tesoro boys basketball team at the CIF Southern Section Championship on Saturday.
Zack Davidson also stood out for Mater Deo.
Sage Hill’s Carter Bryant had another exceptional game.
Tesoro senior Jake Bennett’s game and post-game commentary provided a reminder of what it takes to win a CIF basketball championship.
“It’s a team sport,” said Bennett.
Brown scored 27 points, half his team’s total, in the Titans’ 54-35 win over Orange Lutheran in Saturday night’s CIF-SS Division 2AA championship game at Edison High.
Bennett scored 13 points with eight rebounds.
Nathan Draper gave his team an emotional boost by taking a stunning bank shot late in the third quarter, and he made a crucial 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Draper also had seven rebounds and Blake Manning had four assists.
Davidson scored 27 points with 11 rebounds and led the Monarchs to a 66-53 win over Etiwanda in the Division 1 Finals at the Honda Center. The Monarchs won’t win this game without their two newcomers, Luke Barnett and Brannon Martinsen, doing their part. Barnett scored 12 points and Martinsen had nine points with five rebounds.
Bryant did what was expected of him. He had 22 points with 16 rebounds and four steals.
He needed more support, however, and Sage Hill couldn’t match Long Beach Jordan’s offensive versatility and the Lightning lost 68-57 in the Division 4A Finals.
Jordan allowed three players to score 14 or more points.
Bryant, Brown and Davidson played like the All-Orange County first-team picks. Brown and Davidson improved their nominations for Orange County Player of the Year. These two and Canyon student Brandon Benjamin are the three finalists for the honor.
All have been great players this season. Great as they were, Saturday proved once again that, as Bennett said, basketball is and always will be a team game.