OCEANSIDE — Friday night’s CIF San Diego Section Open Division boys’ championship at Frontwave Arena was a story of contrasts.
Top-seeded Montgomery’s smothering team defense juxtaposed with Carlsbad’s Mr. 3,000 [career points scored] Jake Hall; the big four of the Sanchez brothers, Xair Mendez and Devin Hamilton versus an eight-man rotation; experience on one side of the court, a reshuffled deck on the other; the meeting of unstoppable force and immovable object; Lancers and Aztecs.
In a back-and-forth game that, at times, felt more like heavyweight boxing than prep hoops, Montgomery defeated Carlsbad 53-45 in a rematch of last year’s Open Division title game.
The section championship is the Aztecs’ first since 1996.
“Trying to score on them is like squeezing water from a rock,” said Carlsbad head coach Clark Allard. “They are one of, if not the best, defensive team in the state. The way that they rotate and help is unique for a high school team. They rarely have any defensive breakdowns. We’ve been nose to the grindstone trying to figure out some ways to do it.”
“I had a hard time thinking about the things we wanted to do with Jake [Hall],” Montgomery head coach Ed Martin said. “His impact on the game is so [difficult] for opposing coaches.”
Montgomery won the opening tip before turning the ball over on an errant pass out of bounds, foreshadowing a game long march through the defensive sludge.
A midrange right-elbow jumper from Hall on the Lancers’ first possession opened the scoring, on what would end up a quiet night for the offensive virtuoso.
After the first period, Carlsbad trailed the Aztecs,12-9.
Coming off the bench, Lancers 7-foot senior Roman Payne slowed a potential Montgomery run in the second period, hitting a layup under the basket on his first touch and then acting as a disruptor on the defensive end.
The first half ended as it began, with Hall knocking down an elbow jumper, bringing Carlsbad within one, 20-19.
“Our team defense is one of the toughest in the state,” said Mendez, Montgomery’s senior guard. “We all have motors and are really good at using our length, IQ and angles to mess up different offenses.”
Carlsbad, often using a 1-2-2 extended zone, kept Aztec best J.J. Sanchez — over 19 points per game on the season — out of the scoring column for nearly the entire first half. His first points came from the free throw line with under three minutes left in the second period.
“J.J. is a great post player and a tremendous passer,” Allard said. He is so smart basketball I.Q. wise. He can get anyone in foul trouble; get to the free throw line and if he has any space on the three-point line, he has a high release like Dirk Nowitzki did. He was a center point of our game plan – trying to figure out how to stop him.”
Hall entering the game at 3,023 career points, was held to only six in the first half.
“I’d call it a coin flip,” Martin said. “J.J. is as important to us as Hall is to them. If we are being honest, they are the two best players in San Diego County.”
Montgomery pulled ahead by 13 in a disastrous five-minute stretch of the fourth period for Carlsbad. During the slide, the Lancers scored only one basket.
“Chemistry and defense are their two biggest strengths,” Allard said. “They have been playing together for a number of years now so they know where everybody likes the ball. They have all their sets dialed in.”
Mendez, absent from last year’s section championship game, proved to be the difference with 23 points.
“You have a kid like Xair where if we didn’t have J.J., he could be the best player in his own right,” Martin said.
Behind a late push, Carlsbad whittled the deficit to four with a minute-and-a-half left.
Montgomery, despite a poor free throw shooting night, and an officiating mistake that cost the Aztecs a free throw opportunity, held on.
“It means everything to have had a shot at that third ring,” Hall said. “I am Super blessed to do it with this great group of guys.”
In addition to last year’s Open Division championship, Carlsbad won section championships at the Division II and I level in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
Hall now has 3,035 career points, trailing only Troy Leaf of Foothills Christian (3,318 points) in San Diego section history.
Hall is one of only 13 players in California to score more than 3,000 points at the prep level.
“It’s definitely a huge blessing and I couldn’t have done it without all these great people in my corner,” Hall said. “It means a lot knowing I came in and made a huge impact on Carlsbad and San Diego and I hope I did enough to solidify myself as an all-time great San Diego player because coming in that was one of the goals I had set for myself.”
Both teams will advance to the state-playoff tournament starting March 4.
