Central Cali's Section Championships: Day 1 Standout Performers

Fresno, CA - This past weekend, the CIF Central Section held its annual boys and girls Section Championships at Selland Arena, an event that is one of the best basketball championships in the state. Friday featured even division boys and girls championship games (Divisions 2, 4, and 6), while Saturday featured the odd division boys and girls title games (Division 1, 3, and 5). This article focuses on the standout players from Day 1 of the Section Championships from the boys games. In this article I include relevant stats from each player in their respective title game, how they played, and their impact on the game. I start with the standout players from the Friday night headliner, the Division 2 title game.   Division 2: Clovis Cougars 65 Atascadero Greyhounds 47   [player_tooltip player_id='2954272' first='Sier' last='Harbin'] (6'3 | 2027) - Clovis (POG)   Harbin played in the D2 Section title game last year with Central East and suffered a tough double-overtime loss to Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo. Harbin, after transferring to Clovis, got his shot at redemption and made the most of his opportunity, taking home Player of the Game honors and winning the D2 Section championship. Harbin came out and asserted himself early, with 6 points in the first quarter. After intermission, with the Cougars leading Atascadero by two points, 30-28, it was Harbin that would lead his squad in scoring in the final two quarters to finish with a game-high of 19 points. Harbin was not just looking to score, as he would find open teammates with the hot hand to accumulate 6 assists, showcasing his play-making abilities. Harbin also locked in on the defensive end and generated 3 steals to get out and score in the open court, or find his running mates up the court. The addition of Harbin to the Cougar roster proved to be the ideal player to piece together with the talented perimeter duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2843567' first='Anthony' last='Smith'] and Damon Jackson Jr., and brought a title to a program that has been down the past 4 to 5 years.     [player_tooltip player_id='2843567' first='Anthony' last='Smith'] (6'4 | 2028) - Clovis    Smith has been the leading catalyst for the Cougars this season and was coming off a huge 29 point outing in the semifinal win over Bakersfield High, but Smith had help from several other players in the title game, taking the scoring pressure off the young and talented sophomore lead guard. Smith had a strong first half, scoring 7 of his 11 points before halftime, when the game was still close and Clovis needed all the points it could muster. Smith showed he is a great positional rebounder that can push the pace of play or get second chance points off the offensive rebound, pulling down 6 rebounds in the D2 Section championship. Defensively, Smith has a long wingspan, good lateral footspeed to stay in front of his opponent, and has good instincts to deflect or jump passing lanes to turn defense to offense, snagging a pair of steals in the win.    Jackson Scarborough (6'9 | 2026) - Clovis   Scarborough, after spending a season at San Joaquin Memorial, transferred back to Clovis, where he spent his first two years, and did this move prove to be worth it for the senior bigman, as he would win his first Section title. Not only did he get a Section title, he played a major factor in the outcome, as he would control the paint on the boards and protect the basket. On top of that, Scarborough also had some critical buckets around the basket to give a balanced attack scoring the ball, as he would finish with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Scarborough played arguably the best game I have seen in person since he started high school four years ago, as he had a chip on his shoulder and welcomed the physical play that the Greyhounds were trying to use to bully the lengthy power forward. This is one of those great high school sports stories that I love to see, knowing he had battled injuries over the past year.    Damon Jackson Jr. (6'5 | 2027) - Clovis    Jackson, one of the best perimeter shooters in the Section, off the dribble or the catch, but it was his work on the glass that left the biggest imprint on the championship game. Jackson had a balanced scoring game with five points in each half for a total of 10 points and a pair of threes. Jackson seemed to make the focus of his game against Atascadero on crashing the boards on both ends, as he would pull down a game-high 17 rebounds, limiting the Greyhounds to single-shot possessions, as well as giving his team second chance scoring opportunities off the offensive boards. Jackson likes to push the ball up the court off the glass, and made some great finds off the offensive rebound to open teammates for catch and shoot looks. Jackson, known more for his scoring, was a great example of how this team was able to win the D2 Section title, do what the team needs, not worry about individual stats. It took some time, but the way this squad put the pieces together and learned to play together, combined with the depth and talent, made for a winning pedigree.    [player_tooltip player_id='2920237' first='Shea' last='Buckley'] (6' | 2026) - Atascadero (POG)   Buckley has been the primary scorer for the Greyhounds the past few seasons, and he did all he could to help his team win a D2 Section title in a rematch game from early in the season, which saw Atascadero defeat the Cougars by twenty points, 70 to 50. It was clear this time around, it was not the same Clovis team that it had defeated in early December. Buckley scored 5 points in the first half, as his teammates Damon Mitchell had a big first half, helping keep the Greyhounds close going into the break. Buckley was a one man show in the second half for Atascadero, scoring 9 of its 19 points after the break. Buckley would finish with 14 points, connecting on a pair of threes, being the only Greyhound player to reach double-digit scoring. Buckley would add 5 rebounds and 2 blocks to show off his defensive versatility and ability to stay active on the boards, as a quality positional rebounder.   Damon Mitchell (6'2 | 2026) - Atascadero    Mitchell had a hot start to the D2 Section title game and made his presence felt on the scoreboard in the first half, leading the Greyhounds with 8 points, and a two-point deficit going into halftime. Mitchell was impressive on the glass, especially given the length and height of the Clovis roster, as he would pull down 11 rebounds. Unfortunately for Atascadero, Mitchell would only account for a point on a free throw in the 3rd quarter, as the Cougar defensive intensity took its toll on him and the rest of the Atascadero roster outside of Buckle   Division 4: McLane Highlanders 61 Sanger West Hornets 57   Keyvon Burcher (5'10 | 2026) -  McLane (POG)   Burcher has had an outstanding four year varsity career at McLane and he came up huge in the biggest game of his high school career, the D4 Section title game against league foe Sanger West. Burcher had a slow start to the game scoring the ball, with 3 free throws in the opening quarter of the game, as the Highlanders took an 18 to 12 lead going into the second quarter. Burcher took his play to another gear in the 2nd quarter, putting the team on his back, scoring 12 of the teams 16 points to keep his squad up by five points going into the break, 35 to 29. After a relatively quiet 3rd quarter, it was Burcher who came up huge down the stretch, after the Hornets had tied the game with less than 6 minutes remaining in regulation, with four clutch free throws to seal the win a cap off a high school career with a D4 Section title, as McLane would win 61 to 57. Burcher would finish with a game-high 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals, and earned Player of the Game honors.    Ladell Brooks (5'11 | 2027) - McLane   Brooks was sensational in the D4 Section title game, as he would hit timely shots throughout the game and was the X-factor in the Highlanders win over the Hornets. Brooks connected on a pair of threes in the first half to help give McLane the five point halftime lead. It was Brook's 3rd quarter scoring that had the biggest impact on the win, going for 7 points in that period and the only player for his team to score more than one basket, knocking down four free throws along with a 3-ball. In the final period, Brooks connected on his fourth, and maybe his most important three pointer of the game, as Sanger West had tied the game in the fourth quarter, to help keep the Hornets at arms length. Brooks would finish with 16 points, connecting on 4 threes in the game, to go with 4 rebounds. Brooks' ability to get to the open spot, square his shoulders, and connect on the catch and shoot 3-ball was on full display and a huge reason McLane got the win over the Hornets.     16 points (4 threes)   Kamani Harris (6'2 | 2028) - McLane    Harris' play was critical in the first half of play, as he would score 7 points in the first quarter to provide the scoring punch needed to give his team the lead going into the second period. Harris was inserted early in the first quarter, as Demetrius Simon got in foul trouble early, and the sophomore made his presence felt when needed. Harris would finish with 9 points and 6 rebounds, and quality minutes when needed to help his team win its first Section title since the 60's. Harris' 9 points were four more than he averaged during the season, which consequently was the difference in the final score, 61 to 57.    Demetrius Simon (6'2 | 2026) - McLane   Simon, the Highlanders second leading scorer and leading rebounder, picked up two fouls in the first quarter, which limited his minutes in the first half. As mentioned above, Harris came in and filled the void adequately, but Simon made his impact in the fourth quarter, scoring 4 of his 7 points down the stretch to go along with his 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. It was Simon's activity on the boards, as well as his defensive presence, that had the biggest impact on the Highlanders' win and much needed in the final period with the Hornets on McLane's tail until the final horn sounded.   Justin Armbrister (6'2 | 2026) - Sanger West (POG)   Armbrister left his imprint on various facets of the D4 Section title game and did all he could to give his team a shot at winning the Section. Armbrister would score 7 points in the first half to help keep his team within striking distance, as it trailed 34 to 29 at intermission. Armbrister would be held to one point in the 3rd quarter, but had a strong final period, as he would score 8 points in the fourth and help pull his team to a tie as late as the 3:40 mark left in regulation. Armbrister would account for 16 points to lead the Hornets in scoring, five more than his season average. Armbrister pulled down 9 rebounds, which was more than his season average, combined with his scoring, earned him Player of the Game honors for the Hornets, which is a great way to end Section play for a senior.     Kharon Parks (6'3 | 2027) - Sanger West    Parks has been the leading scorer for the Hornets this season, and its most versatile bucket getter, and he lived up to his season averages in the tough D4 Section title loss to McLane. Parks would score 6 points in the first half to keep his team close to the Highlanders, followed with consistent scoring throughout the second half, and finishing with 15 points for the game. Parks also snagged 7 rebounds, which showed his ability to be a solid positional rebounder with the handles to push the pace of play. Parks did enough to help his team compete in the D4 title game, but outside of the top four players, the bench didn't reach their season averages, which were needed to put Sanger West over the top and get the win.    Aedan Norton (6'1 | 2028) - Sanger West    Norton was impressive when I saw the Hornets at the Edison MLK Showcase back in January, and he had his long range shooting on display in the D4 Section title game. Norton led the Hornets with 8 points in the first half connecting on a pair of threes in the process, and was a major reason Sanger West was able to stay close in the first half. Norton was only able to add one more three in the second half, finishing with 11 points, his season average, as he played more of the facilitating role after the break. Norton would dish out 6 assists over the course of the game, and showcased his defensive presence on the perimeter, generating 3 steals, which allowed him to get out in the open court and make plays or set up for the transition 3-ball. An impressive sophomore that is having a great season and will likely see his scoring average go up next season.    Jordan Ruffin (6'5 | 2027) - Sanger West    Ruffin has been the interior presence for the Hornets this season, as he has been a near double-double threat throughout the course of play. In the Section title game, Ruffin got in foul trouble early in the second period and saw limited minutes the rest of the half. Despite limited play in the first half, Ruffin had a solid second half, scoring 6 of his 10 points after intermission. Ruffin also 9 rebounds and 2 blocks controlling the boards and altering shots in the paint, which was key in forcing the Highlanders to shoot more perimeter shots instead of getting to the basket. He will be a key piece for the Hornets again next year and the remainder of the state playoffs.   Division 6: Orosi Cardinals 57 Summit Charter (Porterville) 42   Ramiro Garcia (6' | 2026) - Orosi (POG)   Garcia had a productive showing against Summit Charter in the opening Boys Section title game, scoring 15 points and earning Player of the Game honors.    James Beltran (6'3 | 2027) - Orosi    Beltran had an impressive double-double to help Orosi win the D6 Section championship. Beltran would go for 12 points and 13 rebounds to control the paint on both ends.     Michael Corrales (5'11 | 2026) - Orosi    Corrales led all players with 17 points, and nearly had a double-double with 9 rebounds to help with the dominance of the paint from Orosi.    Shawn Smith (5'7 | 2026) - Summit Charter (POG)   Smith would lead his team in scoring and assists with 12 points and 4 dimes, but Summit Charter would come up short in the D6 title game.    Fernando Valera (6' | 2028) - Summit Charter    Valera had a strong showing for Summit Charter, going for 12 points and 7 rebounds, and will be relied upon to lead Summit Charter next season, as he is only a sophomore.

Fresno, CA - This past weekend, the CIF Central Section held its annual boys and girls Section Championships at Selland Arena, an event that is one of the best basketball championships in the state. Friday featured even division boys and girls championship games (Divisions 2, 4, and 6), while Saturday featured the odd division boys and girls title games (Division 1, 3, and 5). This article focuses on the standout players from Day 1 of the Section Championships from the boys games. In this article I include relevant stats from each player in their respective title game, how they played, and their impact on the game. I start with the standout players from the Friday night headliner, the Division 2 title game.