POMONA – Sonora boys basketball coach Mike Murphy called senior point guard Josh Rodriguez “the best player in the county” after the Raiders defeated Diamond Ranch of Pomona, 76-56, on Friday night in a CIF-SS Division 3AA semifinal.
Rodriguez, the Raiders’ captain, stands just under 5-foot-11, but he took the contest over with 10 second-quarter points and finished with a game-high 24 to send Sonora (27-4) to the finals against Gahr (25-6).
Rodriguez hit four 3-pointers, dished out seven assists and had five rebounds and four steals.
“I wouldn’t trade him for anybody in the county,” Murphy said. “Anything we need, Josh gets it done.”
Diamond Ranch (20-9) got off to a quick start, but top-seeded Sonora used its speed and double-digit scoring from five players to return to the title game.
“It won’t really sink in until we get back in the Honda Center, but I knew we’d get back there because we all worked so hard and believe in one another,” Rodriguez said. “I did my part, but everyone on this team makes a contribution.”
Jason McClung came off the bench and scored all 11 of his points in the second half, and Christian Rhodes waited until Diamond Ranch got to within 52-46 before scoring all 10 of his points in the final period.
“They told me I was going to start in the second half and I just wanted to do whatever I could to help us win,” McClung said. “We learned from last year’s final loss and will head in with much more confidence and a year’s worth of experience and maturity.”
Ben Rico was injured early and helped off the court, but he reentered the game in the second quarter and finished with 13 points, while Aashad Womack chipped in with 10.
Diamond Ranch was led by 7-foot center Roman Silva, who had 12 points.
Sonora had an 8-1 advantage from behind the 3-point arc and made 21 of its 27 free-throw attempts, including 7-of-8 from Rhodes late when the Panthers were forced to foul.
“There is a lot of pressure on 17-year old kids in this kind of an environment, but Josh settled us down and we found a way to counter their size with our speed and had so many kids making big plays,” Murphy said.