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The San Ramon Valley Wolves brought home their first-ever boys basketball state title Friday night, defeating the Chino Hills Huskies 79-71 in double overtime in the CIF Division I state championship game at UC Berkeley’s Haas Pavilion.
Senior guard Keith Smith led the way for the Wolves with 20 points and eight assists. Fellow senior guard Christian Fuca added 18 points, and senior center Kyle Spackman posted a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Chino Hills junior guard Lonzo Ball was the game’s top scorer with 30 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Freshman Andre Ball, Lonzo’s cousin, added 23 points for the Huskies in the losing effort.
The two squads battled back and forth throughout Friday’s state final, but the complexion of the game turned for both sides when Lonzo Ball, one of the top high school players in California and a UCLA commit, fouled out with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter and Chino Hills up by a point.
The Wolves held the Huskies to only 11 points in the final 11-plus minutes of the game with Lonzo Ball off the court.
Still, San Ramon Valley had to work to put the game into overtime, with Fuca hitting two free throws in the final minute of the fourth to tie things up at 63-63 and help send the game into the first extra period.
Both teams struggled from the field in the first overtime, and the game moved to double overtime knotted at 67.
The Wolves’ offense would pick up in the final frame. They jumped out to a 72-67 lead with two minutes left in double overtime and held off Chino Hills with steady play on both ends, closing out the game from the free-throw line to earn the 79-71 victory.
It marked the first state final win in three tries for San Ramon Valley, and the second straight CIF Division I basketball championship for Danville — the boys from Monte Vista High took home the title last year.
The Wolves’ previous state basketball championship game appearances dated back more than two decades, when they lost back-to-back opportunities for the CIF Division II title in 1991 and 1992.
The 2015 state crown also came in head coach Brian Botteen’s first season leading the San Ramon Valley varsity squad.
Botteen’s Wolves got out to quick 6-0 lead to start the game, as Chino Hills missed its first nine shot-attempts until a jumper finally fell with 4:50 left in the first quarter.
After trailing 16-14 at the end of the first, the Huskies held the Wolves to nine second-quarter points en route to taking a 29-25 halftime lead.
The third quarter proved vital for the Wolves, who started hitting their shots with more consistency while erupting for 24 points during the period.
The Huskies were dealt another blow in the third when Lonzo Ball picked up three personal fouls in a nearly three-minute stretch. He sat on the bench for the closing seconds of the period, which ended with San Ramon Valley up 49-44.
The Wolves would extend that lead to six points about 2 1/2 minutes later before the Huskies, led by Lonzo Ball, went on an offensive run to regain the lead at 60-59 with 3:40 remaining in the fourth.
But on San Ramon Valley’s ensuing possession, Lonzo Ball picked up his final foul while battling for a defensive rebound.
Even with their star scorer on the sideline, the Huskies held a two-point in the final minute of regulation before Fuca hit two free throws for the Wolves with 40.8 seconds left.
Chino Hills turned the ball over their next time down the court, giving San Ramon Valley a chance to win the game at the end of the fourth.
In those closing seconds, Fuca nearly committed a turnover on a pass outside the 3-point arc, but he recovered it near midcourt, took a dribble and heaved up a shot that hit the backboard and clipped the rim but ultimately missed, sending the state Division I final to overtime at 63-63.
Neither team shot the ball well in the first overtime, combining for just eight points in the four-minute extra period. The Wolves missed all of their field-goal attempts, scoring only on four free throws.
The Huskies had an opportunity to win in the final seconds of overtime, but guard Cameron Shelton’s 3-point attempt from five feet behind the arc missed the mark.
The second overtime remained tied at 67-67 until Fuca hit a 3-pointer with 2:44 remaining. Spackman added a tip-in the next time down the floor to give the Wolves a 72-67 lead. The teams would trade baskets before San Ramon Valley sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
The 79-71 double-overtime win improved the Wolves overall record to 27-6.
With the loss, Chino Hills dropped to 17-15 for the season — which included having to forfeit nine early-season victories because of using an ineligible player.
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HUGE CONGRATS SRVHS!
If you had a chance to watch it on CSN (or better, see it live @ Cal), it was one of the most exciting basketball games ever. Excellent TEAM play by the Wolves. Congratulations to the SRVHS team who played their hearts out for Coach Botteen! Well deserved!
What a game!. Watched it on Channel 41 and we were hollering like we were in the stands over at Cal. Talk about exciting. The great Wolves hung in there thru two overtimes and finally won the game for the Championship. The new coach did a fabulous job with these good kids and we are very proud of all of them! Our three sons went to SR and we wrote them all about their Alma Mater’s basketball team. And kudos to the Monte Vista coach; for being supportive of SR’s team and coach this year. Good sportsmanship, for sure..