With Brayden Burries taking control in the second half after being limited to two points, with Myles Walker making three after three, and with Issac Williamson contributing his usual clutch baskets, Eastvale Roosevelt made history Saturday night, winning its first Southern Section Open Division championship with a 74-67 win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Toyota Arena in Ontario.
Burries scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half. Walker made five of nine threes and finished with 19 points. Williamson delivered a three with just more than one minute left to serve as the dagger to Notre Dame’s title hopes.
Roosevelt (32-2) lost to Harvard-Westlake in last year’s final, and the Mustangs’ motivation all season has been to get a second chance.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” coach Stephen Singleton said. “We knew they were going to throw their best punch. Our guys are so resilient.”
Notre Dame (26-7) will look at film and wonder about a missed opportunity. The Knights made 60% of their shots and outrebounded Roosevelt 22-16. They took a 55-54 lead in the fourth quarter behind Tyran Stokes, who was playing despite a bloody puncture wound on his hand. He had 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Roosevelt closed out the Knights with Jackson Haggins making a key three on his birthday and Burries trusting teammates to step up.
“At the beginning of the game, something wasn’t going my way,” Burries said. “They were loading up on me. I had to get my teammates more involved. In the second half, I just felt I had to flip the switch.”
Zachary White did his best to help Stokes with 15 points on seven-for-eight shooting. He also was a standout in a win over Harvard-Westlake last week.
“He’s playing phenomenally,” Notre Dame coach Matt Sargeant said.
Roosevelt also received contributions from freshman Cameron Anderson and Haggins, who each had nine points.
Singleton won a section and state title in 2000 at Compton Dominguez when Tyson Chandler was his star player. He said he felt “blessed” to be coaching Burries, California’s top uncommitted high school player.
Next up are the state playoffs that begin this coming week, with the state championships set for March 14 and 15 in Sacramento. Pairings will be announced Sunday.
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