Schools
Calabasas Boys Hoops Wins First Ever CIF Title [VIDEO]
See highlights and interviews with Coach Jon Palarz, Jeremy Lieberman, Joshua Cohan and Spencer Levy after the Coyotes' 69-39 victory over South Torrance.
first opened its doors in 1975, but it wasn’t until Thursday night at the Anaheim Convention Center when the school hoisted up its first ever CIF boys basketball championship.
“This is absolutely incredible,” said senior Spencer Levy. “We’ve always dreamed about this since we were little kids.”
Calabasas (27-3) defeated South Torrance 69-39 for the Div. 3AA title.
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“I think (the team) executed the gameplan flawlessly,” said Coach Jon Palarz. “We defended well, and we then got the rebounds. We won the boards 45-32. It’s what you pray for as a coach.”
The Coyotes jumped out to a quick 27-2 start and never looked back.
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“I think it all started on defense, and then we just executed on the other end,” said Jeremy Lieberman, who finished with a game-high 15.
The Coyotes dedicated the season to assistant coach Joe Frazier, who is currently in a coma after suffering a head injury in a hit-and-run accident.
“Joe is a coach, a mentor, a father, a brother to all of us. He’s smiling right now, and when he wakes up, he’ll have a big, old ring on his finger,” said Levy, who finished with 13 points.
The win means Calabasas advances to the first round of the Div. 3 State Championship tournament on Wednesday, March 7.
“This is huge for us,” said Lieberman. “Our school’s never won a championship ever. It was a dream season, but it’s not over yet."
Leading Scorers:
Jeremy Lieberman scored 15. Holden Israel scored 14. Spencer Levy added 13. Austin Smith had 10. Alex Monsegue scored five. Zac Hepps had four. Nema Sahebifard, Max Levinson, Joshua Cohan and Eric Skylar each contributed two points.