Bishop Alemany wins Division III state boys’ basketball championship
Michael Lindsay, the nephew of Hall of Fame basketball player Reggie Miller, turned his final basketball game into a moment to cherish Friday on an NBA court at the Golden 1 Center. He scored 25 points, including two threes that would have left Uncle Reggie smiling.
Most importantly, he led Bishop Alemany to a 63-53 victory over Santa Cruz to help deliver a Division III state championship for the Mission Hills school.
“I feel great,†Lindsay said.
He enjoyed his threes and had a dunk too. His basketball days are over because he’s headed to Idaho State to play defensive back.
“No regrets,†he said. “I’m happy to play football.â€
Said coach Mike Dulaney: “That guy is such a spark plug and plays the game so effortlessly. We got to get him to do intramural or something.â€
Bishop Alemany (25-15) barely made the Southern Section playoffs with a 15-15 record, winning its final regular-season game and getting a forfeit win to reach the .500 record needed to be considered for an at-large bid. Once in the postseason, there was no stopping the Warriors, who were tested by the likes of Harvard-Westlake, Crespi, Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the powerful Mission League.
“That prepared us,†Dulaney said. “We got hot at the right moment coming out of Mission League.â€
It’s been tough to score inside against Alemany because of their rim protectors, 6-foot-9 Samuel Mbingazo and 6-8 Bourgeois Tshilobo. They combined for seven blocked shots and 16 rebounds Friday. Jared Mims had 14 points and eight steals.
Sophomore Demarco Hunter had a terrific game for Santa Cruz, contributing 22 points and 12 rebounds.
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