Carlsbad beats Montgomery, captures San Diego Section Open Division title: Live updates, recap

Carlsbad and Montgomery are both looking for their first Open Division title on Saturday night

Carlsbad and Montgomery are facing off in the San Diego Section Open Division boys basketball championship tonight.

The Lancers, who earned the top seed this season, were eliminated by the Aztecs in last season's Open Division semifinal round.

Carlsbad took down Cathedral Catholic in the first round before beating La Jolla Country Day in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Montgomery, seeded third in the bracket, beat Mission Hills in round one before taking down St. Augustine on the road earlier this week.

• San Diego Section boys basketball brackets, matchups

• San Diego Section girls basketball brackets, matchups

Carlsbad will be playing in their first Open Division title game while the Aztecs are looking for redemption following last season's championship game loss to St. Augustine.

Stay with SBLive for highlights, stories and more live coverage from reporter Bodie De Silva at Saturdays's game. The game is being streamed live on the NFHS Network (subscription required).

Scroll down below and refresh for the latest highlights, scoring plays and more live updates:

• Postgame interview with Carlsbad junior Jake Hall

• Photos from Saturday's Open Division Championship game

FINAL

Carlsbad 56, Montgomery 47

Tied at six after the opening six minutes of Saturday's championship game, Carlsbad closed out the quarter on an 8-0 run take a 14-6 lead. The Lancers never trailed again, beating Montgomery 56-47 to capture their CIF Open Division boys basketball title.

“It’s incredible," Carlsbad head coach Clark Allard said after winning his second CIF title in his third season. "Obviously, this is a once in a career roster. We had the talent and knew we could compete."

The top-seeded Lancers, playing in their first Open Division title game, outscored the Aztecs 8-3 over the final four minutes of the game.

Carlsbad leading scorer Jake Hall, who led the Lancers to the Division 1 title as a freshman two seasons ago, ended a scoreless drought by both teams of more than three minutes with a 3-pointer from the right wing as the clock ticked under two minutes.

After getting a stop on the defensive end, Hall added another 3-pointer from the right corner and showed rare emotion as the lead climbed to nine.

“He’s got my vote for CIF Player of the Year," Allard said of his star guard. "He’s built for these moments."

Hall, who's closing in on 2,000 career points with another year to play, led the Lancers with 19 points on Saturday.

"He doesn’t panic and he’s always the same level as far as emotions go," Allard added. "When his time came, he trusted the work and really got it done."

Carlsbad has now won 19 straight games dating back to a loss against Montgomery at Torrey Pines Holiday Classic tipoff night on December 23.

Carlsbad's Jael Martin swats away a Montgomery shot attempts during the first half of Saturday's Open Division championship game / Photo by Justin Fine

FOURTH QUARTER

-- Hall hits another with one minute remaining in the game. The Lancers have extended their lead to 54-45.

-- Jake Hall knocked down a deep 3-pointer from the right wing to extend Carlsbad's lead to 51-45. The two teams had gone more than three minutes since scoring.

-- Timeout Montgomery. The Aztecs trail Carlsbad 48-45 with 3:39 left to play.

-- Jael Martin played two minutes in the fourth quarter before picking up his final foul on a charge. A 9-3 run from Montgomery has cut the lead to 48-45. Four minutes remaining.

THIRD QUARTER

-- END OF 3, Carlsbad leads 43-36

-- Official's timeout on the floor with 32.5 remaining in the third quarter. Carlsbad's Euan David is bleeding following a collision. Lancers lead 41-36.

-- Montgomery's Devin Hamilton has to go to the bench with his fourth personal foul. Carlsbad leads 39-32 with two minutes remaining in the quarter.

-- David Soto ended a Carlsbad 9-2 run with a layup. Carlsbad leads 36-29 with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter.

-- Carlsbad's Jael Martin picked up his fourth personal foul two minutes into the quarter, sending him to the bench.

SECOND QUARTER

-- HALFTIME, Carlsbad leads Montgomery 25-23

JJ Sanchez beats the buzzer. Carlsbad leads Montgomery at halftime, 25-23. pic.twitter.com/1iIFs4bUCh

— Bodie DeSilva (@SDPreps) February 25, 2024

-- Montgomery call the first timeout of the game, trailing by three. (17-14 | 4:09)

FIRST QUARTER

-- END OF 1, Carlsbad leads Montgomery 14-6

-- Carlsbad ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run.

-- The first quarter was extremely physical to no surprise. A technical foul was assessed to Montgomery's Alek Sanchez after officials ruled he pushed Jael Martin over the scorers table during a loose ball.

-- Halfway through the first quarter and both teams are struggling offensively. Carlsbad's Tony Duckett flushed home a tip dunk plus the foul to give the Lancers a 4-2 lead.

PREGAME

-- Montgomery will be playing down a starter. Junior guard Xair Mendez was ejected in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's semifinal and must sit out due to CIF rules.

-- Carlsbad senior forward Jael Martin, who's signed with Pepperdine, missed Wednesday's game with an ankle injury. He's suited up and appears on track to play in Saturday's championship.