Ontario, CA—For the first time in school history, the Colton boys basketball team are CIF champions.
The Yellowjackets defeated the Pacific Pirates 55-42 at the Toyota Arena in front of a large crowd of family, friends and community members to take home the CIF division nine title.
Behind a game-high 23 point, 3 rebound, 4 steal performance by senior Andres Elenes, the Yellowjackets took control of the game in the second quarter and were never seriously threatened as they cruised to the 13 point victory.
In the first quarter, both teams came out tight, clearly trying to live up to the moment. Pacific struggled to hold on to the ball, turning it over 10 times in the quarter, and 24 times for the game, leading to 18 Yellowjacket points.
Things broke open in the second quarter as Colton outscored the Pirates 17-8. During one crucial stretch, Elenes went coast-to-coast, grabbing a rebound and sprinting it back for the fast break layup. On the next possession he knocked down a three-pointer to put the Yellowjackets up 23-15.
“They were playing a zone,” Elenes said. “I just tried to attack the gaps like coach said. He told me to take it in strong and I came out successful doing it.”
Off the bench, Michael Collins came up huge for Colton. He scored six points, but it was his defense that proved to be the X-factor. Late in the first half, as Pirates’ guard Romon Bryant looked to have a breakaway layup, Collins chased him down for the block from behind. He would continue to disrupt the Pirate offense throughout the second half.
For Collins, the experience of being a freshman playing on this stage was “crazy.” “It felt like I was in the NBA,” he said. “But my dad told me, ‘It’s just a basket.’ I play on a basket at home and at my school. So, I just had to adjust and we went out there and got the dub.”
Senior Isaiah Stuart played a complete game, finishing with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. As Pacific focused more on stopping Elenes, Stuart picked his spots and put up 8 points in the second half, knocking down a huge three pointer to set the tone to begin the fourth quarter.
A huge contribution came from starting center Isac Sanchez, who added 12 points and 3 rebounds. His presence near the basket anchored the Yellowjacket offense, and he played his best late in the game when he put in 6 points in the fourth.
After the game, head coach Kendrick Ayres talked about timing. “I feel like this was kind of like the maturation of everything coming together,” he said. “I feel like we peaked at the right time.”
Colton began the season struggling, losing 7 of their first 10 games. However, the team kept fighting, and went undefeated in Skyline league, winning their second consecutive league title. The team took a 7 game winning streak into the CIF playoffs, and kept it going, defeating Hesperia Christian, Newbury Park Adventist, Sherman Indian, and Valley Christian Academy en route to the championship win over Pacific.
While this is the first time Colton took home the CIF championship trophy, it is not their first time playing in the championship game. The last time the Yellowjackets played a CIF championship game was in 1920, when they lost to Orange 20-16. For context: the 10-second rule to cross the half-court line was not implemented until 1933, and the shot clock was not put into play until 1954.
During the postgame press conference, senior Andres Elenes learned that Colton had not even appeared in a CIF final since 1920, when Calvin Coolidge was President. “I don’t even know who that President is,” he said, laughing.
The journey does not end here for the Colton Yellowjackets. They will move on to play in the CIF State Championship tournament. Bracket information will be released on Mar. 1, with regional games set to be played starting Mar. 3.
“We’re gonna try to keep this thing rolling for state playoffs,” Coach Ayres said, then added, “Today, I want to just enjoy the moment.”
