Santiago’s boys basketball team had already played Los Amigos twice in Coast League games.

Santiago lost both games, 60-49 at Los Amigos and 69-59 at Santiago.

And then the two teams, who had been rivals for decades in the Garden Grove League before joining the Coast League, had to play each other in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 4AA playoffs.

Santiago won the playoff game, 45-42, at Los Amigos on Feb. 12, and it has continued to win from there.

The Cavaliers will play in a boys basketball championship game for the first time Saturday at 9:30 a.m. when they take on Ramona of Riverside in the Division 4AA final at Toyota Arena in Ontario.

Jorden De La Mora is Santiago’s star player. Last week he scored 36 points in the Cavaliers’ 66-64 win over Workman in the quarterfinals and scored 25 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, in their 50-43 win over Pacifica in the semifinals.

“He is a great offensive player,” said Santiago coach Matt Moorhouse, who is in his eighth season in charge of the Cavaliers. “He’s not the fastest player out there, but nobody can stop him.”

Santiago guard Jayden Baude, right, drives past Pacifica forward Leo Adams in the CIF-SS Division 4AA semifinal boys basketball playoff in Garden Grove on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Jayden Baude, a 6-2 senior guard, and 5-6 senior guard Anthony Bermudez also have been consistent contributors for Santiago. Moorhouse said Baude “has a college-ready physique” and just needs to get better “skills-wise.” Of Bermudez the coach said, “he’ll be the smallest player on the court but he’s been our leading rebounder in many of our games.”

Santiago finished third in the six-team Coast League in which Savanna and Los Amigos tied for the league championship. Moorhouse had an inkling in December that this season could be a special one.

“We lost to Los Altos and to Mark Keppel, both higher-division teams, by two points,” he said. “Both of those games showed what we could do.”

NOTES

Los Alamitos coach Nathan Berger was a sophomore sitting on the bench when the Griffins won a CIF-SS basketball championship in 2007, the last time the Griffins reached the CIF-SS finals. He watched seniors like Clint Amberry, Corbin Moore and Cameron Jones play. “I was a super fan of those guys,” Berger said, “and now when we’re winning games, those guys are texting me. And Corbin Moore was at our game Friday (when Los Alamitos beat Crean Lutheran in the Division 1 semifinals).”

Los Alamitos plays Mira Costa in the Division 1 final Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Toyota Arena. …

Berger and Mira Costa coach Neal Perlmutter said their teams are very similar – both like to press, both like to push the tempo. “The key to beating Los Alamitos,” Perlmutter said, “is ball security because they’re going to come at us with incredible pressure. Shot selection will be important, too, and we pride ourselves on taking good shots.” …

Pacifica Christian and Fairmont Prep meet again in the Division 2AA championship game at Toyota Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. The teams split their two San Joaquin League games and shared the league title. Fairmont Prep won at Pacifica Christian 60-56, and Pacifica Christian won at Fairmont Prep 67-55. …

Admission to the CIF-SS boys basketball finals at Toyota Arena is $24 for adults general admission and $12 for students and for children. GoFan.co is the exclusive place to buy tickets. Parking is $15 at Toyota Arena, which is a cashless venue. …

Admission to the CIF-SS boys basketball finals at Edison High, where Sage Hill plays Knight of Palmdale in the 3AA championship game, is $15 and $7, and GoFan.co is the site for tickets. Parking is $10 and cash only is accepted at Edison. …

Sage Hill’s scoring has been consistent in the 3AA playoffs. The team’s playoff scores: 44-39 over Oakwood in the first round; 42-39 over West Torrance in the second round; 43-39 over Tustin in the quarterfinals; and 45-43 over San Gabriel Academy in the semifinals. …

Sage Hill coach D’Cean Bryant’s son, Carter Bryant, is a freshman at Arizona where he is averaging 6 points a game.

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