The Town’s champion: Oakland High finally gets past Oakland Tech, advances to CIF D-III state final
OAKLAND – After losing a third consecutive one-possession game to Oakland Tech in the section championship a little over a week ago, Oakland High coach Orlando Watkins believed his squad had been “bullied” by a tougher Tech team each time.
On Tuesday night, Oakland looked like the hungrier, more physical unit when the schools matched up in the NorCal Division III championship game.
Jimon Campbell and Te’Shawn Gamble flew around the court and grabbed seemingly every loose ball, and Anthony Lacy jumped over and through Tech rebounders for boards. If there was an extra possession or edge to be gained, Oakland was the team that grabbed it. What would have been a Tech layup in previous games turned into a tie-up or a jump ball.
The result?
A 77-61 thrashing at Laney College, and Oakland’s first-ever trip to a state championship game in Sacramento.
“I told everyone it was going to be a physical game, and we matched their physicality,” Watkins said. “That’s why we won the game.”
The action on the floor was akin to a brawl, but the atmosphere in the crowd was party-like. The Laney gymnasium was packed well beyond its official capacity of 2,500, and many more were denied entry outside. Oakland mayor Sheng Thao hyped up the crowd with a pre-game address, and the crowd’s energy never dissipated at any point, even when half of the ceiling lights went out in the second-half.
It was close for the first 16 minutes, when Tech’s slippery and relentless guard Ahmaree Muhammad scored 17 of his 23 points, nine of those coming at the free throw line. Tech’s Asher Kramer opened the second half with a three-pointer to cut Oakland’s lead to 36-33, and it appeared the fourth matchup between the schools would turn into another classic.
Instead, Oakland ended the third quarter up 52-41 in a dimly-lit gymnasium and turned the lights out on the Tech offense by getting Muhammad in foul trouble. Money Williams scored six points on three acrobatic layups in the frame and finished the game with 25 points. Defenders tried to force the southpaw to his right, and Williams used his guile to get to his left anyways.
“The way he sees the game, the way he thinks the game, he’s on a whole other level,” Lacy said of Williams. “He sees things we don’t see, and when he brings it to our attention, it boosts the team to a whole other level.”
Oakland (26-8) led by double-digits for the rest of the game. Aside from Williams’ 25, Lacy scored 17, and Gamble scored 13 points. ArDarius Gates scored 14 points and Devin Haynes scored 10 for Tech (22-12).
After Oakland guard Couraji West made the final layup and time expired, a sea of Oakland High supporters and alumni stormed the court to celebrate. Among them was Edgar Jackson, a graduate of the class of 2001 who wore a huge smile when talking about his team.
“It was lit in here, and it was exciting to watch,” Jackson said. “We’ve had great teams over the years, and it’s great to see the team make it to this part.”
Tech coach Karega Hart was far more somber as he walked back to the locker room, but he still focused more on the positives of the season rather than the bitter final result.
“I’m proud of my team, and we’ve been persevering all year,” Hart said. “It just wasn’t our night, and hats off to Oakland.”
Oakland Tech had won the first three games 81-79, 61-59 and 53-50. While No. 3 seed Tech played each of its previous two playoff games at its Broadway Street gymnasium, No. 9 seeded Oakland had to go on the road, where it beat Ponderosa and the King’s Academy to set up the all-Oakland final.
Up next is a Friday game against Buena-Ventura, a team that went 31-5 and beat Culver City 82-79 in the SoCal final. Oakland is the section’s first team since McClymonds in 2009 to advance to the state championship.
After surviving the NorCal gauntlet and finally vanquishing Tech, one of Oakland’s star players believed the team knows what it takes to finally bring state hardware back to The Town.
“Don’t get caught up in our head and don’t get caught up in the crowd,” Lacy said. “Stay with our team and stay connected…don’t let them outwork us.”