Two Oakland Public Schools Win State Basketball Crowns

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Less than halfway through the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Basketball Championship, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) and the Oakland Athletic League (OAL) have already won the weekend.

Oakland High School boys won their first state title in program history, defeating Buena 59-43 in the Division III championship, and Oakland Institute of Technology girls defeated Santiago 75-52 to capture the Division I crown.

“My town is a real parade,” senior guard Erin Sellers said after scoring 14 points in her last high school game.

By the end of the night, Bulldog fans weren’t the only ones chanting the school song “OT.” Even the student section of Granada, which was waiting for the guys from Matador to play in a nightcap, was delighted.

Oakland Tech guard Nia Hunter (30) attempts to drive past Santiago’s forward Zawadi Ogota (54) during the fourth quarter game of the CIF Division I Girls’ State Basketball Championship at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on March 10, 2023. | Ethan Cassel/Standard

“We had the whole gym working,” said Nia Hunter, who scored 13 points off the bench.

While the girls from Oakland Tech had a big win among the two OUSD schools, the boys from Wildcat were just as dominant. They were leading 23–13 at halftime despite shooting 32.1% from the field and missing all nine of their three-point attempts, then blasted the game 10–0 to start the third.

Despite missing a late dunk that would have served as an exclamation point, point guard Money Williams lived up to his name in his last game for the Wildcats. Team Montana had 22 points and nine rebounds, while Te’Shon Gamble had nine points, six assists and six steals.

Oakland guard Te’Shon Gamble (13) dribbles during the fourth quarter of the CIF Division III State Basketball Championship game against Buena at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on March 10, 2023. | Ethan Cassel/Standard

“Apart from Ray Holmes Brown in the early 2000s, nobody plays more than Tae,” head coach Orlando Watkins said of Gamble, who is 5’11 but regularly dunks. “Ray protected Leon Pau. Leon was only 6’8, 6-9 and Ray was a good 5-9 and he defended Leon so hard.”

Pau will be remembered as one of the best OTech boys to ever make it through, and the outgoing seniors will be remembered as some of the best ever to play for the Tech girls team.

Their class has never lost in the playoffs. Sellers, Hunter, Sofia Askew-Goncalves, Marie Somvichian and twins Jada and Jala Williams won the Northern California Second Division title as a freshman in 2020 before the state championship was canceled in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, they became Division III state champions and then completed a Division I trial.

“You never get tired of sitting on this podium,” Hurt said. “I told everyone here last year that we are a D-1 school. We should be at D-1. I am so proud of the kids for responding and taking care of the business.”

Oakland Tech Center Jay Johnson (5) dribbles during the fourth quarter game of the CIF Division I Girls State Basketball Championship against Santiago at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on March 10, 2023. | Ethan Cassel/Standard

The Oakland Tech bench swept Santiago 32-1, with freshman Terry’A Russell scoring 15 in just 18 minutes to join Hunter in double figures. Starter Junior Talia Loguewood scored 16 points and led all players with 12 rebounds (seven on offense). In total, Oakland Tech (30-5) had 25 turnovers and 17 interceptions. Freshman Jay Johnson, the son of San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback and Oakland Tech alumnus Josh Johnson, had five such steals, along with six points and eight rebounds.

“I’m very proud of them,” Sellers said of the freshmen. “They are always good. They play aggressively.”

The Oakland Tech boys could have joined the girls if they hadn’t lost to Oakland on Tuesday in the Northern California Division 3 championship game in front of a packed crowd at Laney College. Despite losing to their rivals, the Bulldog boys cheered for the Wildcats on Friday, with head coach Karega Hart, a member of the CIF Advisory Committee, accompanying Oakland to the Golden 1 Center.

Oakland head coach Orlando Watkins hugs guard Djimon Campbell (5) during the fourth quarter of the CIF Division III State Basketball Championship game against Buena at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on March 10, 2023. | Ethan Cassel/Standard

“As Djimon Campbell said, he wanted to win it for the city of Auckland. Oakland has supported us all year,” Watkins said. “When we went to Portland, people from Oakland went to Portland. When we went to Vegas, people from Oakland went to Vegas. When we went to Fresno, people from Oakland went to Fresno.”

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