CIF-SS Championship Capsule: Div. 3AA

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend marks the culmination of the Southern Section post season with 18 teams competing for championships across nine divisions. In this capsule we break down the names to know and things to watch out for in the Division 3AA matchup between Knight of Palmdale and Sage Hill of Newport Beach which will be played Saturday evening at Edison high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Knight</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record:</strong> 25-5 overall; 14-0 Golden League (1st)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Got Here:</strong> The Hawks defeated Arcadia (63-55), Hesperia (56-53), Price (68-67) and Maranatha (58-56) to advance to the 3AA championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Win:</strong> Knight has gone as far as Da'vian Brooks has taken them over the last few seasons. The 6-foot-3 point guard is one of the most under-appreciated and under-recruited prospects in the state and his ability to take over the game with his three-level scoring prowess will play a major role in whether the Hawks come away with a CIF Southern Section title. Sage Hill coach D'Cean Bryant has seen what Brooks is capable of up close and personal at last summer's HoopsByUgland Skills Summit and will be prepared for him which makes it crucial for Knight's peripheral players to step up and produce. Jay'len Brooks is a playmaking junior point guard who can get into the lane and find teammates. Amare Larane is effective as a screener and dribble hand-off threat in half-court offense and Zi'aire Hardwell creates problems with his ability to attack the rim in transition, but it will be up to Knight's team defensive scheme to keep Sage Hill's big men from impacting the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sage Hill</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record: </strong>19-9 overall; 7-3 Pacific Coast League (2nd)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Got Here: </strong>The Lightning defeated Oakwood (45-39), West Torrance (42-39), Tustin (43-39) and San Gabriel Academy (45-43) to advance to the 3AA championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Win: </strong>The Lightning have hung their hat on the defensive end all season long as they've held opponents to 50 or fewer points in 15 of their 19 wins this season. Six-foot-10 center [player_tooltip player_id='1896219' first='Jackson' last='Cryst'], who is committed to Long Beach State for volleyball, anchors the Sage Hill defense with his rim protection and is also a key offensive component with his ability to run the floor and finish in transition, create second chance point on the offensive glass and as a threat in ball screen action. Underclass brothers Timi Akomolafe (2027) and Tolu Akomolafe (2028) are versatile on both ends of the floor while sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2436283' first='Tre' last='Cradle'], Charles Gomez and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2779907' first='Carson' last='Ellis'] can stretch the floor from the three-point line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->