In a thrilling back-and-forth battle, the University City High School (UCHS) boys’ basketball team edged Mission Bay High 63-62 to claim its first CIF championship title in the sport on March 5. “Nobody believed in us. We lost our first four league games but those kids believed and they hung in there,” said UCHS head coach Terry Stonebraker. “Good things happen when people work hard. It was a hell of a game. It had to be a fun game to watch. It was a fun game to coach.” The contest could have gone either way until the final buzzer sounded. While the UC Centurions celebrated their improbable underdog run through the playoffs, the Buccaneers were left in shock. “Playing in this kind of atmosphere was a dream. But winning it was far past our expectations, even though that’s what we really wanted,” said Mission Bay High guard Jerald Albritton. “I really wanted to win.” With four seconds left in the game, point guard Stephen Rivera had a chance to give UCHS a bigger cushion, but the senior missed both of his free-throw attempts, setting up one last chance for MBHS. Albritton desperately tried to find some open space for a final heave after securing the rebound, but he couldn’t get around a stout UCHS defense. “Trying to shoot over a 6-foot-4-inch dude with his hands up is hard, but we played our hearts out and that’s all that matters,” said Albritton, who had a team-high 20 points. With the score tied 56-56, Centurion sharpshooter Kyle Holder hit a wide-open three-pointer with the shot clock winding down and just over two minutes left, giving his team a lead it would not relinquish. Holder nailed six three-pointers in all and finished with a team-high 20 points. “As soon as I hit the first shot I knew I had to take every open shot,” the junior said. “It feels amazing.” An Albritton basket cut the UCHS lead to 63-62 with 10 seconds left and the Bucs were forced to foul, setting up the game’s final possession. With no timeouts left, MBHS had to go the length of the court after Rivera missed his second free-throw attempt. In fact, the missed foul shots actually helped UCHS secure the victory. “Our guys did a pretty good job of picking them up on the wing and not letting them get a good shot off,” Stonebraker said. Amir Hicks, the Centurions’ athletic forward, scored his team’s final four crucial points and finished with 13. Tim Patrick added 13 points to go along with nine rebounds, five steals and three blocks, while Rivera chipped in 12 for UCHS. For the Buccaneers, 6-foot-7-inch center CJ Rayford, a senior, contributed 15 points while providing hard work in the paint. Junior guard Dylan Holler buried three treys and totaled 11 points for Mission Bay High.