The players, coaches and fans soaked up every special moment of the state basketball championships, which hadn’t been played since 2019 because of the pandemic.
Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.SACRAMENTO — They recalled the weekly COVID-19 tests, the missed opportunities in a “changed world” and the steady flow of adversity. But for the first time since 2019, players and coaches from some of the best boys and girls basketball teams in California spoke with enthusiasm and gratitude at the CIF State championships.
“It’s huge,” Damien senior forward Kaleb Smith said after the Spartans’ 65-57 victory against Clovis North in the Division I final. “All of us here have worked hard our whole lives for this moment. As a kid, you think about this: ‘State championship, I’m going to go out there and I’m going to win.’ “I don’t think there’s another team out there that has been through what we’ve been through,” he said. “COVID testing daily. COVID testing twice-a-week. This kid is out, that kid is out. A lot occurred this year, so to get through this year and win it all … is very satisfying for myself and I know it’s satisfying for the kids.”The players also soaked up competing in the 17,000-seat home of the Sacramento Kings. A massive scoreboard above the floor captured their every move.
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