St. Joseph boys basketball wins elite CIF Open Division in CIF-Central Section

FRESNO, Calif. - St. Joseph played like a champion all season long and now they have the title to prove it.

The Knights edged #1 seed San Joaquin Memorial on the road 70-64 to win the CIF-Central Section Open Division championship.

St. Joseph trailed at half 35-29 but they outscored the Panthers by ten in the third quarter to lead 55-49.

Jincho Rivera put the Knights up 61-56 with a dunk with less than five minutes to play.

But San Joaquin Memorial made a late push to tie the game at 63 with two minutes left.

But the #2 seed St. Joseph Knights made the plays down the stretch to secure the championship.

The 27-2 Knights will now play in the State Regionals.

The pairings come out on Sunday.