Central Coast Section boys basketball playoff roundup: Riordan leaves no doubt in Open

'We haven't relaxed all season,' coach Joey Curtin said after holding St. Ignatius scoreless the first seven minutes en route to another blowout victory

Andrew Hilman holds up the CCS Open Division hardware after a 64-38 win over St. Ignatius at Santa Clara University's Leavey Center on 2/28/2025 / Photo: Ethan Kassel

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA — One of, if not the, most dominating Central Coast Section boys basketball seasons was completed Friday night appropriately enough in a college gym. 

Archbishop Riordan, with a collection of high-level, hard-working and many college-bound players, won the CCS Open Division title, its second straight and third in four years, with a 64-38 victory over St. Ignatius at Santa Clara University. 

Traditionally, the CCS Open game has been a down-to-the-wire affair, even when the likes of Aaron Gordon and Logan Johnson have competed under the lights of the Leavey Center.

It's a tradition the Crusaders didn't care to uphold.

The team that had rolled its way to the WCAL title, winning its 14 league games by an average of 38.1 points, made quick work of the Wildcats. 

The 2024-25 Riordan boys basketball team might go down as the most dominating in Central Coast Section history after winning its third Open Division title in four years. / Photo: Ethan Kassel

"This is what we wanted to do," head coach Joey Curtin said after his team won its second consecutive Open title and third in four years. "These guys haven't relaxed all year."

Riordan (27-1) scored the first 16 points and held St. Ignatius (20-8) scoreless for the first seven minutes. The Crusaders led 17-4 after a quarter, 49-24 midway through the third and 62-30 after Andrew Hilman's steal and one-handed dunk with 2:05 left.

"We lost by 43, 28 and 26, so we're getting closer," Wildcats head coach Jason Greenfield quipped. "We'll beat them after 15 or 20 more times."

Perhaps Riordan wouldn't have been able to empty its bench if SI had shot better than its abysmal 7-for-21 from the line. But the Wildcats would have needed to be nearly perfect to have a chance to take down a Crusader team that's firmly established itself as one of the best the WCAL and CCS has ever seen.

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"These guys are cohesive and disciplined on defense. It's hard to get an edge," Greenfield said. "They used to have holes, and you could exploit them. Not anymore."

Hilman, who was also the lead scorer in last year's championship win over Mitty, led the way with 18 points and five assists.

"I think sometimes (Hilman) will defer and try to get his teammates involved, but when it comes to these games, he's a big-time player," Curtin said. "This is what he plays for."

Kirby Seals scored 10 in the first half and 6-foot-10 UC Irvine commit Nes Emeneke scored 10 in the second half, even knocking down a three from the top of the arc. Emeneke also defended the lane all night, with his voice ringing out across the Leavey Center as he directed his teammates.

"Nes is our big talker," Hilman said of his fellow Cameroonian. "He's a senior, he's got that deep voice and he keeps us together."

Ryder Bush, who transferred from Priory alongside Emeneke before last season, finished with nine.

Vince Crisp knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and led the Wildcats with 11 points. Second-seeded St. Ignatius, making its first Open Championship appearance, got scoring from nine different players, but none of Crisp's teammates had more than six points against a team that's laid claim to the title of best in WCAL history.

"I can't think of anyone better, to be honest. Having that good of a starting five with a bench, that's not typical," Curtin reflected when asked to compare his team to past great units. "I think some of those teams have had a lot of depth, but I don't think they had the firepower that we do."

The 2024-25 Crusaders are the third team in the Open Division's 13-year history to go 14-0 in WCAL play and sweep their way to the Open title, joining the 2015-16 St. Francis team that brought Johnson off the bench as a sophomore and last year's unit. But last year's team had to fight through close games, including a six-point thriller over Mitty for the championship. This one is on a uniquely dominant run, one so lopsided that it discouraged some of the fans who typically pack the championship game from turning out.

They missed out on just one of the clinical performances that this generational Riordan team has become known for, and they also missed out on seeing Jasir Rencher become the first three-time Open champ in section history. The SI defense keyed in on the Texas A&M commit, limiting him to just a bank three in the first quarter. But he still managed four assists while battling through a bizarre allergic reaction, and has set a mark that Hilman and Cole White can try to match next year.

But that's a ways off. The Crusaders' attention will immediately turn to the Northern California Open Division, where they lost in the championship game last year.

"We want that 1 seed for NorCal," Curtin added.

Division 1
Pick 'Em

Championship

No. 3 Carlmont 66, No. 1 Palo Alto 62

Camden Ngo had 22 points, Franklin Kuo 18 and Jeremiah Phillips 14 leading unlikely Carlmont (17-10) to its first CCS title, remarkably enough against a team that was 8-0 in CCS championship games. Palo Alto (22-5) had the game's best player in Jorell Clark (34 points) but the Scots just had a little more balance and determination. Great read by BANG's Christian Babcock who was at the game. in Santa Clara's Mission College.

Division 2

Pick 'Em

Championship

No. 1 Christopher 51, No. 2 Westmont 50

Christopher (25-2) overcame a four-point deficit with 25.2 seconds left on a three-pointer by Anton Mendezona and a Trey Caragio rebound, length-of-the-court dribble drive and game-winner floater in the lane with 2.1 seconds left to give Christopher its first CCS title. Seth Reese led all scorers with 19 points for Westmont, Gabe Mathiesen added 13 and Ryan Yee 11. Jaxen Robinson led Christopher with 10 points.

Division 3
Pick 'Em

Championship

No. 2 Santa Cruz 47, No. 1 Aptos 44

DeMarco Hunter made a three-pointer from the top of the key with 26.3 seconds left to lift the Cardinals (18-11) of the Mariners (24-5), who beat Santa Cruz twice during the regular season.

Division 4
Pick 'Em

Championship

No. 1 King's Academy 66, No. 2 Carmel 63

Freshman Boss Mhoon had 22 points, Xavier Barnett 16 and Claxton Ladine 11 as King's Academy went on an 18-10 to finish the game and pull out the win.

Division 5
Pick 'Em

Championship

No. 1 Priory 61, No. 2 Palma 52

Jai Gerrodetto had 16 points, Teddy Xanthopoulos 11 and Balazs Nyikos 10 for Priory of Woodside which overcame a game-high 19 by Palma's Tai Suich. Priory improved to 21-6 and Palma dropped to 20-7.