ONTARIO — Notre Dame boys basketball didn’t quite look like itself on Saturday night. After defeating its first four playoff opponents by an average of 10.5 points, the Knights were hung up on Windward in the first half.
A high-powered third quarter helped Notre Dame turn the game around and win the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship 69-65 at Toyota Arena.
It was the Knights’ first appearance in a championship game since 2016 and first championship win since 1993.
“We’re resilient,” Notre Dame senior Mercy Miller said. “We’re going to fight until the end and the way we fought until the end, I’m super proud of my guys. Everyone stepped up.”
Next up for Notre Dame is the CIF state tournament. Brackets are set to be released on Sunday afternoon.
Miller scored a game-high 22 points after scoring just six in the first half.
Trust in Notre Dame’s process kept him level-headed even when the shots weren’t falling.
“Knowing the work I put in, knowing the work the team put in, trusting everybody, having faith that if the offense isn’t going, we’re going to get a stop on defense,” Miller said. “Everybody’s got that killer mindset.”
Notre Dame’s Lino Mark added 16 points and five rebounds and Caleb Ogbu scored 14 points and pulled down four rebounds. Ogbu also shot a perfect 4 of 4 from range.
Windward appeared to be the aggressor and took a 9-8 advantage with four minutes left in the first quarter and held onto it for the next three minutes.
Miller dribbled in for a layup and a 16-15 lead, then the Wildcats closed out the frame with a 5-0 scoring run to take back the lead.
Miller, a McDonald’s All-American nominee, was heavily guarded throughout the first half and often double-teamed, which allowed his teammates to step up.
The Knights remained one step behind Windward in the second quarter despite fierce efforts from Miller and Mark. Mark grabbed a loose ball and took it in for a lay-in to tie the game at…
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