The boys basketball team heads into California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) open division playoffs with an overall record of 28-1 and undefeated league record of 8-0 after beating Notre Dame High School 75-71 in the Mission League Championship . The team’s run so far is one of the most successful in the program’s history.
The competition in the CIF southern section open division is unlike what the team has faced during the regular season. In reflecting on the team’s success, Forward Brady Dunlap ’23 said the squad is motivated to take home the CIF Open Division title after losing to Corona Centennial in last year’s CIF final.
“Our team chemistry was very good during the regular season,” Dunlap said. “We played hard and really bounced back since the loss and played with a different kind of fire. [Corona Centennial] crushed us in the championship game, so just bouncing back from that proves our resilience.”
Guard Trent Perry ’24 said he attributes much of the team’s success to the close bond they have built over the year and the passion they approach each game with.
“We’re brothers on and off the court,” Perry said. “We are with each other a lot at school and we don’t just talk on the court. I feel like each person on the team wants to be there. We have great perseverance in us to just want to get the win. In the postseason, nothing should change. At the end of the day, it’s a game that is really important, so we have to go out and act like we’ve been there before.”
Both Perry and Dunlap have contributed to the squad’s offensive success, consistently averaging high double-digit points. Dunlap said in tight games like the Mission League semi-final against St. Francis, overcoming deficits is less about individual play-making and more on the effort from the whole group.
“[All our success stems from] our leadership,” Dunlap said. “Trent, Jacob, and myself just try to galvanize the group. When we know we’re not playing necessarily well, we just have to come together more as a team. We did that especially in the fourth quarter [against St. Francis], but we have to start communicating as a team sooner in games.”
Forward Nik Khamenia ’25 said the team needs to replicate the same level of intensity they showed against St. Francis on Feb. 1. Khamenia the team will be focused and confident even in its first round match-up.
“Going into the Open Division, we will see a lot of teams that were just as tough as St. Francis,” Khamenia said. “The togetherness is [what makes us effective], I would say for this team. Everybody likes each other, we are all friends, and we all have the same goals for this team.”
The team will begin its CIF Southern Section playoffs on Feb. 10 and its CIF State playoffs on March 1 with hopes of making another finals appearance.