Over the course of Feb. 19 to Feb. 27, Jesuit High School Sacramento’s varsity basketball team played in the section tournament, fought all the way to the final, and suffered a devastating loss to Rocklin High School. 

Despite ending the section tournament without a banner to hang, Jesuit did make the NorCal tournament as the three seed. Then, from March 4 to March 15, the Marauders would go undefeated over their next five games winning the Norcal Final and the first State Title in program history.

Their first game in Norcals was against Bellarmine College Preparatory, where Jesuit won fairly comfortably, winning 64-50. Next, Jesuit defeated Archbishop Mitty High, which sent Jesuit to the NorCal semi-final, where they sneaked out a 3 point win against Clovis East High School. For the first time since the mid-90’s, Jesuit was bound for the Norcal Final. They won comfortably against Destiny Christian Academy, 65 to 55, cheered on by what was likely the loudest student section of the season.

Following the Norcal Championship, Varsity Basketball Coach Timothy Kelly and the Marauders traveled to Golden 1 Center for the second time this season to face the Chatsworth Chancellors of Los Angeles, led by shooting guard Alijah Arenas, a five star recruit and the son of three-time All-NBA Guard Gilbert Arenas.

The first quarter was slow, with only two made field goals from Jesuit, both from center Amaury McKinney ’25, but guard Maison Phillips ’28 went 4 for 4 from the free throw line to keep the game close. 

The Marauders found their stride in the second quarter, outscoring the Chancellors 20 to 12 to build a 29-25 lead going into the half, a lead that they would not lose for the rest of the game.

In the third, both teams were neck and neck, with no team gaining an upper hand, but Jesuit narrowly ended up on top, 43-40. Maison broke out this quarter, accounting for 8 of the 14 points scored by the Marauders.

The fourth quarter was where the Chancellor’s weaknesses were revealed. With very little offensive production from Alijah, who didn’t make a field goal in the quarter, Jesuit’s offense erupted for 23 points to secure a comfortable 66-53 win. Maison led Jesuit scorers with 19. Jesuit’s well-rounded, team approach just couldn’t be stopped. 

In the end, the Marauders brought home the banner and title that mattered the most: State Champions.

With amazing leadership from seniors Amaury,  Luke Browne ’25, and Ascher Schroeder ’25, who received All-League honors, the team’s success is a testament to Coach Kelly’s development of these young players at an incredible level. The future of the basketball team is nothing if not bright, and with most of the roster returning, they promise to be a force in the 2025-2026 season.