Marina boys’ basketball beats Long Beach Poly, breaks through for first CIF title
Marina threw up a lot of threes and hit enough of them to spot itself a halftime lead of a dozen points.
By the midway point of the third quarter, that lead had vanished entirely — and the game was on.
The Vikings responded to that challenge, never relinquishing the lead again, going on to claim a 53-49 victory over third-seeded Long Beach Poly in the CIF Southern Section Division 2A boys’ basketball final on Saturday at Edison High.
Marina won for the first time in its five championship game appearances, the most recent of which had come in its home gym against Glendora on a June evening in 2021 following the resumption of high school athletics from the coronavirus pandemic.
In doing so, the Vikings spared their coach from delivering a runner-up speech he felt he could not bear to deliver.
“We were in [the CIF finals] three years ago, and I think our coaching staff’s mindset was different than it was then,” Marina coach Nick Racklin said. “We really didn’t want to go back to the school with another speech of, ‘... Still a great season by getting to the finals.’ I was not that prepared and ready to give that speech again. That was why I felt pretty emotional about holding that [championship] plaque.”
Barak Simon had 19 points for Marina (26-8), matching Jovani Ruff of Poly (24-10) for the game-leading mark. They were matched up against each other throughout the game.
“I was in eighth grade when it happened, when [Marina] went to the finals and lost [to Glendora],” Simon said. “We were up 12 [points], and we came back, and I did not want to face that talk. [Racklin] didn’t want to give that talk. We didn’t want to face that talk. We decided to get the win.”
A deliberate approach on the offensive end saw the Vikings swing the ball around the perimeter, forcing the Jackrabbits to defend for full possessions, some of which they maximized.
Marina made six of 17 attempts from the three-point line in the first half. The conversions included a pull-up three from Simon off a steal in the front court, as well as a buzzer-beater from the left corner by Dylan Gomez to end the second quarter.
“In this type of game, we don’t really care who scored,” Gomez said. “We just wanted to win, and we trust each other. Guys were open, we found them, and shots went in that second quarter.”
Mark Yeager finished with nine points and eight rebounds for Marina. Luke Pratali added four points and nine rebounds. Jared Palacio and Ryan O’Rourke each recorded two blocked shots.
Poly needed just four minutes to turn a 34-22 halftime deficit into a new game, a 12-0 run being keyed by two three-pointers from Giovanni Ofoegbu.
Yeager’s only points of the second half — a baseline floater plus the free throw — put Marina back in front 37-34. Gomez drained another corner three to double the lead.
The score remained within two possessions for all but the first two minutes of the second half. Marina made critical effort plays to stay on the right side of the scoreline.
As the teams jostled for momentum, O’Rourke made a steal under his own basket and a block the next time the Jackrabbits had the ball. Those contributions canceled out potential momentum-shifting blocks by Ruff and Austin Unegbu. All four possessions happened within a minute midway through the fourth quarter.
“We were never going to step our foot off the gas,” said O’Rourke, who added eight points and six rebounds. “... It’s just the next play. If you mess up, [commit] a turnover, just go to the next play. If you make a shot, it’s next play. Don’t think about it too much.”
The Jackrabbits beat visiting Corona del Mar 57-54 in the semifinals. Poly coach Shelton Diggs noted that the Vikings received more balanced contributions than their Sunset Conference counterparts, who saw Maxwell Scott put up 33 points for the Sea Kings on Feb. 16.
Racklin was still in disbelief as the press conference ended, saying it would take a couple of days for reality to set in.
Poly was seeking its 20th section title in boys’ basketball, and it was that history that Racklin used as a rallying cry for his team.
“We had zero [CIF titles],” Racklin said. “I think that was motivation enough for our guys to just say, ‘Why not? Why not Marina?’ We played San Gabriel Academy in the semis, and we talked about how we had to be the best box-out team on the planet and how we had to be the toughest team on that floor.
“I’m all about our guys not settling for success, and so my challenge to them today was could we box out better than we did against San Gabriel Academy and could we be tougher, and we certainly met both of those goals today.”
The CIF State Southern California Regional Division II playoffs got underway on Tuesday. Third-seeded Marina was upset by Los Angeles King Drew 55-46 at home, ending the Vikings’ historic season.
Poly, which was placed in the bracket as the No. 5 seed, was also eliminated after a narrow 51-49 defeat to visiting Bakersfield Christian.
CIF Southern Section Division 2A final
Marina 53, Long Beach Poly 49
Marina 17 - 17 - 6 - 13 — 53
Long Beach Poly 9 - 13 - 16 - 11 — 49
M — Simon 19, Gomez 11, Yeager 9, O’Rourke 8, Pratali 4, Palacio 2.
3-pt. goals — Simon 3, Gomez 3, Yeager 2.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
LBP — Ruff 19, G. Ofoegbu 13, Unegbu 10, Oware 2, N. Ofoegbu 3, Hagans 2.
3-pt. goals — G. Ofoegbu 2, Unegbu 2, Ruff 1, N. Ofoegbu 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
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