Destiny: For first time in 57 years, Willow Glen boys win CCS basketball title

SANTA CLARA — In 1969, the Willow Glen High boys basketball team was known as the “Team of Destiny,” and remains one of the greatest in San Jose basketball history.

For years, the Team of Destiny was the only Willow Glen team to win a Central Coast Section boys title. On Saturday, another joined them.

Caiden Morefield converted a turnover into a go-ahead layup with 40 seconds left to help lift the Rams from a 12-point second-half deficit to a 47-44 victory over St. Francis in the CCS Division II championship game at Mission College.

Willow Glen held the Lancers to two fourth-quarter points and only 1-for-13 shooting over the final 9 minutes, 33 seconds. A double-teamed prayer at the buzzer fell well short, prompting a Willow Glen celebration 57 years in the making.

In the midst of the midcourt jubilation, point guard Brayden Gumabo looked into the eyes of a teammate and repeated, “We did it! We did it!”

First-year coach Patrick Judge simply shook his head as he walked aimlessly around the court.

“It was 10 months ago today that we were hired,” Judge said. “I told the boys in the locker room, this has always been our dream to come and build something and win a CCS championship. And today our dream came true.”

The message hammered home from that initial team meeting was effort and defense. Judge, now a CCS champion head coach for the first time after years at Leigh, Saratoga and Santa Teresa, was “120-All In.” If you give 120 percent effort against the opponent’s 100, you can’t lose.

“We work hard and we practice hard,” said Morefield, who led the Rams with 13 points. “We go at each other in practice. A lot of running, a lot of moving. It’s just us going up and down the court, going fast. And that’s how we want to play.

“The games are easier than practice.”

Using only a six-player rotation, Willow Glen seems at a disadvantage. In fact, the Rams see it as the opposite. They are so fit that when the opponent brings on its second unit, the Rams are still playing their starters and those mismatches make a difference over the course of a game.

While St. Francis (11-17) opened with a three from sophomore guard Weston Edwards, top-seeded Willow Glen (24-2) committed six turnovers in the opening quarter, including on its first two possessions.

The Lancers built a second-quarter lead of 23-13 and extended it to 36-24 when sophomore forward Jackson Corbett scored on a putback at the outset of the second half. St. Francis did a decent job of breaking the press early, but the Rams’ defensive intensity rose a notch and the Lancers failed to gain even a step during any offensive sequence.

“Staying ‘connected,’” Judge said. “We use that word a lot. We’re not just connected at practice, we’re connected at school. We do things together and I feel that builds that connection on the court as well. And, defensively, when we’re connected – with our switching defense and communication – I feel like we’re one of the best defensive teams around.”

You could see it coming. Little by little, the Rams chipped into the lead, finally catching up on a Miles Ingram three from the left corner to open the final quarter. When Corbett immediately answered back with a layup with 7:33 to play – he had a game-high 14 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and two assists – those would be the Lancers’ final points.

“Down the stretch, they were the tougher team,” St. Francis coach Rodney Tention said.

Willow Glen’s winning basket was its first lead of the game.

After nine consecutive defensive stops, Willow Glen finally was in position to take the lead. Gumabo tried to work a pick and roll to Morefield, only to be swarmed and the ball was knocked free.

In the scramble, the Lancers gained possession, but Willow Glen’s Wyatt Ahlbrand tipped the ball away to Gumabo, who had the presence to spot an open Morefield under the hoop for the score and a 46-44 lead.

“Honestly, it was a blur,” Gumabo said. “But we knew that if we fell behind, we were going to make a comeback. We were going to do whatever it takes to win.”

Ahlbrand made the first of two free free throws with 18 seconds left to extend the lead, but two contested Lancer shots in the final seconds failed to fall and a long-awaited second CCS boys basketball banner will soon be unveiled at Willow Glen’s Main Gym.

Back in 1969, the Rams went 27-0. They were led by sharpshooting future USF forward Phil White and coach Andy Locatelli and beat Santa Cruz, 64-53, in the CCS final at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. Since the advent of the CCS tournament in 1968 only two section teams have finished undefeated – state Division III champion Palo Alto in 1993 and Willow Glen in 1969.

Locatelli left after that season for Santa Barbara City College and his replacement was Dan Belluomini, who would win a league title at Willow Glen before eventually becoming head coach at USF and later a college basketball television analyst.

While Saturday’s game represented the 22nd CCS final for St. Francis, it was only Willow Glen’s third. Its only other CCS final was a 2013 Division II loss to the Lancers.

“We’re trying to create a legacy,” Gumabo said. “And it’s not going to be no 57 years before we win another one.”

Another Team of Destiny? Maybe so.

“I guess we’re the Team of Destiny, Round Two,” Judge said.