Boys basketball wins first CCS championship in 20 years

With a five-point lead following three consecutive field goals and two throws in the clutch, a 10-0 run near the end of the fourth quarter had the Dons celebrating as the Valley Christian Warriors began showing signs of defeat, intentionally fouling with a minute left in regulation. Following that, clutch free throws by senior guard Alex Manu and senior forward Toby Liebergesell along with solid defense for the rest of the game held the Warriors to only four points as the Dons pulled closer to their eventual 61-55 win and 2013-2014 Division III championship title.

Prior to the game, the Dons were forced to make adjustments to their lineup. Starting forward junior Kono Filimoehala-Egan was sidelined due to a shoulder procedure, so players like senior forward Keith Samujh had to play big minutes in the second and third quarters—especially after starting junior forward Jacob Andriola suffered an injury while fighting for a rebound in the third quarter and was forced to sit the rest of the game.

Having had two days to rest after their triple overtime victory in the semifinals against Aptos High School on Wednesday, Aragon came out strong at the tip, scoring nine points, including five straight points from senior guard Trevor Pagaduan, and forced Valley Christian to take an early timeout. Head coach Sam Manu also elected to deviate from their regular 2-2-1 full-court press in order to slow the pace down in light of the heavy minutes and injuries sustained from their last game. However, Valley Christian’s own 2-2-1 press also forced three first quarter turnovers by the Dons, including two 10-second calls and a backcourt violation. Stephen Ellis of the Warriors posted five first-half three-pointers, and the Dons found themselves down 35-29 at the half.

After trailing the entire second half, a three-pointer by Liebergesell from the top of the arc with 5:20 left on the clock made the score a one-possession game with a score of 51-49. Then, after forcing the Warriors into a turnover with the next possession, senior forward Kevin Hahn converted on his second three of the game to put his team up one. On the other end, Aragon’s 2-3 zone took Valley Christian out of their offense, resulting in another turnover, which led to a pull-up jumper from Manu with 4:03 left which completed the 8-0 run and extended the lead to 54-51.

After the Warriors’ timeout, Aragon’s 2-3 forced two crucial turnovers when the Warriors attempted to take advantage of Hahn in the post, who responded with his third block and a steal off the post entry pass. Then, free throws and tight defense that held the Warriors to only nine fourth-quarter points on 28.6 percent shooting to the Dons’ 18 gave Aragon their first Central Coast Section Championship since 1994.

Liebergesell finished with a game-high 28 points on 8-13 shooting and 10-11 free throws, followed by Manu’s 17 points on 50 percent shooting. Hahn finished with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Update 6:28 PM: Aragon will play against Vanden High School in the first round of CIF state playoffs on Wednesday, Mar. 12, at 7 p.m. at Aragon.