What to Watch for in the CIF-SS D2 Championship Game

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the CIF Southern Section playoff brackets were released, most looked at the Division 2 field and saw two perennial powers - Mater Dei and Roosevelt - among the field and jumped to the conclusion those programs would be facing off on championship Saturday but Hesperia and Bishop Amat had other plans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amat took down Roosevelt on the road, 65-51, and Hesperia upended the historic Monarchs, 57-52, in the high desert to set up a Division 2 title game of underrated and unheralded prospects. Below are our championship capsules and outlook for Saturday's game at Ontario Arena.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Bishop Amat</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overall Record + League Result: </strong>27-5 overall; 6-2 Del Rey League (2nd)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Got Here: </strong>The Lancers defeated La Serna (68-42), Chino Hills (81-74), Anaheim Canyon (74-70) and Eastvale Roosevelt (65-51) to reach the CIF-SS Division 2 championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2750200' first='Aiden' last='Shaw']</strong> (6-1, G, So., *pictured) - a dynamic open-court scoring and playmaking guard who is averaging better than 21 points per game on the season; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3520086' first='Omar' last='Cox-Labomme']</strong> (6-0, G, Fr.) 0 one of the most talented freshmen in Southern California. Cox-Labomme is a three-level scorer with tremendous feel for the game; <strong>Rayshaun White</strong> (6-0, G, Sr.) - the senior captain is a 1,000-point career scorer who knocks down perimeter jumpers at a high clip and rebounds well for his size and position; <strong>Chris Blakely</strong> (6-5, F, Sr. ) - Blakely brings the size and physicality to the Amat lineup that is filled with dynamic guards; <strong>Vince Diaz</strong> (5-8, G, Sr.) - a three-year varsity player and team captain who is a dead-eye shooter from three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Outlook:</strong> Amat earned a spot in the championship game by spreading the floor, pushing the tempo and allowing Shaw and Cox-Labomme to get downhill in space and create offense as scorers and passers. Paint touches might be hard to come by in the half-court as Hesperia has a good mix of size and athleticism in the front court, so generating turnovers and getting out in transition will be a key factor in Amat coming away with a win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hesperia</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overall Record + League Result:</strong> 24-8 overall; 9-1 Mojave River League (1st)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Got Here:</strong> The Scorpions defeated San Clemente (52-41); Elsinore (77-62); Rancho Verde (54-52) and Mater Dei (57-52) to reach the CIF-SS Division 2 championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong> <strong>Nolan Newman-Gomez</strong> (6-7, WF, Sr.) - a skilled wing who impacts the game as an inside-out scoring threat. Gomez scored the first 17 points for Hesperia in its semifinal win over Hesperia; <strong>Nate Hinojos</strong> (6-3, G, Jr.) - Hinojos is a savvy scoring guard with shifty ball handling ability and crafty finishing ability with good footwork and touch in the paint; <strong>Jacob Henry</strong> (6-5, F, Sr.) - one of the scorpions' main interior players. Henry is a force on the offensive and defensive boards and a very good transition slasher and finisher; <strong>JJ Herd </strong>(5-9, PG, So.) - Herd can knock down perimeter jumpers at a high clip both off the catch and off the bounce but he is at his best when controlling the pace and tempo of the game. The sophomore is a smart, measured and high IQ decision-maker with the ball in his hands; <strong>Damian Byrd </strong>(6-3, G, Sr.) - Byrd brings a defensive versatility to the floor that allows him to guard multiple positions with his combination of physicality and athleticism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Outlook:</strong> Look for Hesperia to expose its size advantage early in the game with touches for Newman-Gomez and Henry around the rim. Bishop Amat can't match the front-line size of the Scorpions and playing inside-out to start the game, and getting some high percentage looks at the rim and the free throw line, could slow down the Amat transition attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->