AZUSA – JSerra point guard Johnnie Vassar did just about whatever he wanted but made sure his teammates could too. Twin towers Dylan Osetkowski and Jayce Johnson lived up to their billing. Guards Blake McBride and Dante Pettis manifested their athleticism.
Forward Dillon Kohler provided the glue. Reserves Hatham Chehabi and Brandon Francisco knocked down their 3-pointers.
The Lions made history Friday. And they did it together.
JSerra claimed the school’s first boys basketball title with a dominating 83-62 win against Oaks Christian of Westlake Village in the CIF-SS Division 4AA championship at Azusa Pacific.
“I had a five-year plan and our goal was to get to the CIF finals,” fifth-year coach Joedy Gardner said. “I didn’t say win it, so it’s sweet. I’m happy for the school. It’s the first major sports championship in the school’s history. I’m happy for the guys. They persevered through a lot.
“It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of backing.”
The fifth-seeded Lions (18-11) led from the opening tip in its first title appearance and built a 19-point cushion by the middle of the second quarter. They didn’t let up, jumping ahead by 31 points following a 13-0 run to open the third quarter.
Afterward, JSerra partly attributed being at its best against No. 2 seed Oaks Christian (25-6), and in the playoffs in general, to a game three weeks ago, when the team was at its worst. The Lions lost four of their final five games in the regular season, but it was a 30-point loss to Trinity League foe Santa Margarita that had a resounding effect.
“That was definitely a turning point,” Vassar said. “You can either lay down or get back up and keep fighting. It was one of those feelings that you never want to have again. We just took it out on everybody else we played from then on.”
Added Gardner: “They really decided they were going to play for each other. I think that made a difference.”
Vassar has undergone a notable transformation in the postseason, becoming more facilitator than scorer. He handed out 15 assists in JSerra’s win over top-seeded Buckley of Sherman Oaks in the semifinals. He had seven more against Oaks Christian. Late in the fourth quarter, Vassar drove to the basket and faked a layup, only to reach underneath a defender and flip it to Osetkowski for an easy dunk.
The Northwestern-bound senior attempted just nine field goals yet still ended up with a game-high 21 points, thanks to his 11-of-14 night at the free-throw line.
“His job today was to feed it and get everybody involved and that paid dividends for our team,” Gardner said of Vassar. “He was really unselfish.”
Johnson and Osetkowski each scored 16 points and combined for 17 rebounds while dutifully protecting the rim on defense.
“It takes chemistry,” Vassar said. “It takes time to click. What matters is we did it. The bigs made it easy for me. If we play our game, I don’t think there are a lot of teams that can compete with us.”
Next up for JSerra is the state tournament. Pairings will be released Sunday.
“We’re reaching our potential at the right time,” Gardner said. “It’s a process. Our record doesn’t indicate how good this team is.”
Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com
