Boys Basketball: Vikings Come up Short in State Title Game

St. Joseph Notre Dame 47, St. Bernard 44

The Star: Brandon Randolph led the Vikings with 14 points.

The Turning Point: A three from St. Joseph's Jacari Whitfield was the shot that gave the Pilots enough for the win, but after St. Bernard setup a press with about 30 seconds left the Pilots easily broke it and got a layup from Gemeny Givens to pretty much seal the deal.

The Quote: "If I would have told someone at the start of the year that we were going to be in the state championship I would have got laughed at." — St. Bernard coach Reggie Morris said.

Bottom Line: It was a winnable game for the Vikings, but the three-point shooting of Whitfeld proved to be the difference.

Live Blog:  for a transcript of live blog coverage.

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As Brandon Randolph launched a shot from halfcourt as time expired, he thought it had a chance to tie the game. 

The heave, which actually wouldn't have counted, hit front iron and the Vikings' improbable run to the California Interscholastic Federation Division V state championhip came to an end with a 47-44 loss to of Alameda.

"It felt good, it felt like a regular shot," he said.

When the Vikings' state title dreams ended, the weren't many tears to be shed. The team accomplished more than most thought it would and put forth a solid showing on the biggest stage California has to offer.

"If I would have told someone at the start of the year that we were going to be in the state championship I would have got laughed at," St. Bernard coach Reggie Morris said. "It stings a little bit because this was a game that we could have won."

Morris lauded St. Joseph's preparation and poise and was equally impressed by the effort of his own group, not only in this game, but all year.

Moving forward, Morris has high expecations for the program.

"To take an overview of the whole year of where the program stands, we definitely feel like we'll be one of the bigger programs in Southern California," he said. "Not just in Division V. We want to stand out and be a powerhouse with the other big-name schools."

Friday's game at newly re-named Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento was close throughout. It was tied at the end of each of the first two quarters and the Vikings led 36-35 through three.

St. Bernard stayed in front until a three from Jacari Whitfield made it 42-40 St. Joes (27-9) with four minutes, 35 seconds left in the game. The Vikings evened it up with 2:17 left, but Whitfield delivered a dagger with an NBA-range three with a minute to play to put St. Joes up 45-42.

Daniel Cordoba hit a pair of free throws to bring St. Bernard (26-9) to within one with 35.2 seconds left, but after a Vikings time out, the Pilots easily broke St. Bernard's full-court press and Gemeny Givens made it 47-44 with an easy layup.

Whitfield, who scored a game-high 15 points, missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2.2 seconds to give St. Bernard a final shot, but it wasn't enough time. 

Randolph led the Vikings with 14 points and Emani Gant added 10.

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St. Joseph Notre Dame 47, St. Bernard 44

1

2

3

4

F

SB

12

16

8

8

44

SJND

12

16

7

12

47

Individuals — (fg ftm tp)

SB

Daniel Cordoba 0 4-4 4, Brandon Morrison 0 0-2 0, Brandon Randolph 6 0-0 14, Thurman Thomas 4 1-2 10, Uzoma Bbelu 1 0-0 2, Jason Pepperes 1 0-0 2, Michael Garcia 1 0-0 2, Emani Gant 5 0-0 10. Totals 21 5-9 44.

SJND

Jacari Whitfield 5 0-1 15, Dominic Lippi 1 0-0 3, Evander Woods 0 0-0 0, Gemeny Givens 4 0-0 9, Brendan Keane 5 0-2 10, Sean Harding 0 0-0 0, Nick Lacy 2 1-2 6, Garrett Rich 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 1-5 47.

3-point goals: SJND 8 (Whitfield 5, Lippi, Givens, Lacy). SB 3 (Randolph 2, Thomas).

Records: St. Joseph Notre Dame 27-9, St. Bernard 26-8.

CIF Division V State Finals, March 25, 2011