Kingsburg boys end long basketball title drought. Memorial girls keep streak going
A raucous hometown crowd celebrated a momentous Kingsburg High boys basketball victory at Selland Arena.
The top-seeded Vikings finished their cruise through the Central Section Division IV playoffs with a 71-59 victory over Delano on Saturday afternoon for the championship.
The last time Kingsburg celebrated a section basketball title was when sock hops were all the rage: 1956. That came in an era when the Vikings were the class of the Valley, also winning in 1952, ‘53 and ‘54, according to section historian Bob Barnett.
They didn’t win another until Saturday.
Vikings junior forward Jose Martinez finished with 13 points and a game-high 21 rebounds. Nate Towsley, who had two buzzer-beaters including past half-court, led Kingsburg (27-4) with 16 points.
San Joaquin Memorial 79, Mission Prep 53
Macie James scored a game-high 30 points, leading the Panthers to the section Division II girls title.
SJM has won four straight section championships, 13 overall.
Memorial trailed by nine points with 3:24 left in the second quarter before turning on the jets, building a lead of as much as 30 points.
Independence 60, Redwood 45
The Rangers’ bid for their first section title fell short after the Falcons built their lead to 20 points early in the fourth quarter.
Conner Gilcrest finished with 15 points for the Rangers.
This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
