SAN FRANCISCO – With every thunderous dunk, suffocating defensive sequence and convincing victory against Bay Area foes, the overpowering Archbishop Riordan boys basketball team has left no doubt it is the finest team in Northern California.
Now, after years of postseason heartbreak, the Crusaders can establish themselves as the California’s best team with a victory over Roosevelt-Eastvale in the Open Division state final at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday night.
“It’s been a long time coming,” coach Joey Curtin said. “We’ve been knocking on the door for a long time.”
The Crusaders are seeking to become just the second NorCal team to win the Open title since the elite division was added in 2013. Ivan Rabb-led Bishop O’Dowd got past Mater Dei in 2015.
Riordan will find itself in an unfamiliar place in more ways than one when it takes the King’s NBA-sized floor at 8 p.m. in Sacramento, seeking its first state title since winning Division III in 2002.
The San Francisco juggernaut will be an underdog against Roosevelt, a team that boasts arguably the best player in California, combo-guard Brayden Burries, and a slew of other incredible talents.
But if there’s one challenger that has the personnel to slow down a program that has scored over 100 points in a game three times this season, it is Riordan.
The Crusaders have not allowed more than 60 points in any of their 30 games.
Riordan’s strength begins in the middle, where Nes Emeneke and JP Pihtovs each stand over 6-foot-9 and have the athleticism to play above the rim against a Roosevelt team that does not have a player taller than 6-7.
“We’ve been working every day, doing defensive drills more than offensive drills,” forward JP Pihtovs said. “That’s how we do our thing.”
Riordan bigs Nes Emeneke (23) and JP Pihtovs (21) are a fearsome interior duo for the Crusaders (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Should Curtin roll out the twin towers lineup that was so effective in Riordan’s 52-40 NorCal Open championship victory over De La Salle on Tuesday, Roosevelt might have trouble getting to the basket against two players with great chemistry.
“That’s my brother,” Emeneke said. “I love him, and it shows on the court. We play together, and we play for each other.”
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Riordan’s offense is not to be taken lightly either. Texas A&M commit Jasir Rencher leads a group that also includes high-scoring guards Andrew Hilman, Ryder Bush and John Tofi.
The Crusaders won each of their 14 West Catholic Athletic League games by an average of 38 points and captured a second consecutive Central Coast Section Open Division title by beating each of its four opponents by double figures.
Such dominance had Curtin proclaiming his team’s greatness.
“I think the consistency and the dominance, as you can see, just what we do to teams with our style of play, I can’t think of anyone better, to be honest,” Curtin said when asked a few weeks ago if his team was the best in CCS history.
The Crusaders’ NorCal performances have only strengthened Curtin’s argument. Riordan avenged last season’s NorCal title game loss to Salesian in the semifinals, pulling away from the Richmond powerhouse in a 64-57 victory.
After handling North Coast Section Open champ De La Salle in front of a standing room-only crowd in San Francisco, Riordan had vanquished the best in NorCal and proven itself worthy of challenging for the state crown.
After all they have accomplished so far, Rencher and the team won’t be satisfied with anything less than a title.
“You know, it took me four years, but we finally got it,” Rencher said after hoisting the NorCal trophy. “But we’re not done. We’ve got one more game.”
Riordan’s Jasir Rencher (4) hopes to win a state title before he enrolls at Texas A&M (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
