SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – The St. Bernard boys basketball team usually could count on one or two players to make 3-point shots.
More than one or two Vikings were making 3s on Friday. Five of them made shots from behind the arc as St. Bernard beat JSerra 71-59 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game at JSerra High.
It’s the fifth CIF-SS title in the sport for St. Bernard. The previous one happened in 2015.
St. Bernard players, coaches, and family members celebrate the Vikings’ CIF-SS Division 1 title after they defeated JSerra 71-59 on the road on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra point guard Aidan Fowler shoots a jump shot during a 59-71 loss to St. Bernard in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra students celebrate a Lions’ bucket during the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game against St. Bernard in their home gym on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra point guard Aidan Fowler brings the ball up the court during a 59-71 loss to St. Bernard in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Jason Hart Jr. brings the ball up the court during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Darius Carr puts up an off-balance jump shot during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022 in San Juan Capistrano. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra point guard Aidan Fowler shoots a layup during a 59-71 loss to St. Bernard in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Tyler Rolison brings the ball up the court during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra point guard Aidan Fowler brings the ball up the court during a 59-71 loss to St. Bernard in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Darius Carr shoots a layup during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022 in San Juan Capistrano. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard forward Malachi Roach blocks JSerra power forward Austin Persek during Friday’s CIF-SS Division 1 championship game between the two teams on February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra power forward Dane Persek shoots a floater in the key during the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game against St. Bernard on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Jason Hart Jr. shoots a jump shot during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard players, coaches, and family members celebrate the Vikings’ CIF-SS Division 1 title after they defeated JSerra 71-59 on the road on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Jason Hart Jr. shoots a layup during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Darius Carr goes for a dunk during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra shooting guard Joshua Ragsdale makes a layup during the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game against St. Bernard on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Rayniel Wright shoots a three-pointer during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra shooting guard Robert Diaz shoots a reverse layup during the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game against St. Bernard on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
JSerra and St. Bernard players scramble for a ball on the court during Friday’s CIF-SS Division 1 championship game between the two teams on February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard guard Tyler Rolison shoots a layup during a 71-59 win over JSerra in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game on Friday, February 25, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
St. Bernard (19-6) and JSerra (19-10) start playing in the state tournament next week. Both teams qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional when they advanced to the CIF-SS semifinals. The regional brackets will be released Sunday.
Vikings senior guard Jason Hart scored a game-high 28 points. He made six of St. Bernard’s 13 3-pointers. Junior guard Darius Carr scored 14 points, including one 3, junior guard Tyler Rolison scored 12 points with two 3s, senior guard Rayniel Wright made three 3s for his nine points and senior forward Malachi Roach made a 3.
St. Bernard coach Tony Bland was equally surprised and ecstatic that so many Vikings had their outside shooting game going in a championship game.
“Jason’s been shooting the ball really well,” Bland said. “Tonight Wright came out and made a couple, Malachi made a couple. They all have been been shooting sporadically, and they all decided to put it together at the right time.”
JSerra’s defensive game plan was to stop St. Bernard’s penchant for penetration to force the Vikings to take outside shots.
“If they were going to beat us they’d have to make 3s,” JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson said. “And give them credit, they made a lot of them.”
JSerra sophomore guard Aidan Fowler led the Lions with 19 points. JSerra senior guard Rob Diaz scored 18 points. He has been JSerra’s best and most consistent player in the playoffs, but he struggled offensively in a couple of segments Friday, including a streak of eight straight missed shots.
Lions senior forward Dane Persek had 10 rebounds.
St. Bernard shot 21 for 47 from the floor including 13 of 24 on 3-pointers. JSerra was 22 of 55 from the floor, 9 of 22 on 3s.
The Vikings had a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter in which they made five 3s. They had a 26-24 lead at halftime, a 45-37 lead at the end of the third quarter and scored 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Hart scored 15 points in the fourth quarter in which he was 3 for 3 on 3-point shots and 6 for 6 at the free-throw line.
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The Vikings’ season included going 2-2 at the Tarkanian Classic tournament in Las Vegas in December, a five-game winning streak in Del Rey League games, and back-to-back league losses to Bishop Montgomery during the final week of the regular season.
“Then when we got into the playoffs,” Hart said, “everything started clicking for us.”
On Friday, 3-point shots started to go in for them, too.
