Athenian boys wins first California championship, beats Verdugo Hills: Live update recap

Evan Lucas goes for 20 points and 11 rebounds leading the Owls of Danville to 67-49 win over Southern Section representative in the 2024 California Division 5 boys basketball state championship game

SACRAMENTO — Who, who are the Owls of Athenian. 

They are state champions. 

Evan Lucas had 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists leading North Coast Section representative from Danville to a 67-49 CIF Division 5 boys championship win over Verdugo Hills. 

Surya Devasenapathy added 15 points and five rebounds and Teni Salako added 13 rebounds and eight points for the Owls (28-8), making their first state appearance. 

Jabez Agustin had 15 points, Alexander Martinez 12 and George Abdulnour 11 for Verdugo Hills (27-9), also making their first state title-game appearance. 

PREGAME: 

The 2024 California (CIF) boys and girls high school basketball state championships have arrived. All 12 state championship games will be played at Golden 1 Center, the home of the Sacramento Kings.

The CIF State championship games continue Friday at noon with the Division V boys  basketball matchup between Verdugo Hills and Athenian.

You can follow live updates of Verdugo Hills vs. Athenian on SBLive, including real-time score updates, game highlights and much more. You can also watch the game live on the NFHS Network.

• CIF STATE GIRLS SCOREBOARD | CIF STATE BOYS SCOREBOARD

(Refresh for the latest updates)

4TH QUARTER UPDATES

Athenian 67, Verdugo Hills 49: Final 

Athenian 65, Verdugo Hills 49: Both teams emptying the bench. 

3RD QUARTER UPDATES

Athenian 52, Verdugo Hills 37 (end of 3): Lucas is up to 20 points, Athenian eight minutes away from first state title. 

Athenian 38, Verdugo Hills 29 (4:41): Layups from Jabez Agustin and Georges Abdulnour leads a 9-2 run for VH to forces a timeout by Athenian. 

2ND QUARTER UPDATES

Athenian 36, Verdugo Hills 20 (halftime): Lucas has 15 points as the Owls finish half on a 9-0 run to take 16-point lead into the third quarter. Athenian's 14 of 27 shooting (51 percent) compared to 8-for-31 for VH is the difference through 16 minutes. 

Athenian 26, Verdugo Hills 17 (4:26): A quick 5-0 run forces Athenian to call timeout and Lucas responds with a pair of 3-pointers and a fastbreak bucket. He's already up to 14 points.   

1ST QUARTER UPDATES:

Athenian 18, Verdugo Hills 12: End of first quarter. 

Athenian 12, Verdugo Hills 8: Evan Lucas scores three quick buckets for the Owls who take quick lead. Both teams making shots, looking sharp. 

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HOW TO WATCH CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Can't make it to a game but still want to watch your favorite team play live? You can watch the CIF State high school basketball championship games live on the NFHS Network:

WATCH LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app:

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SBLive Sports is an official digital content partner of the CIF and a member of the Sports Illustrated Media Network.