State champions! Oakland Tech routs Centennial-Bakersfield in dominant display
SACRAMENTO – The painted area from the free-throw line to the baseline is a purple hue in Sacramento’s Golden 1 Arena. On Saturday night, Oakland Tech’s relentless boys basketball team covered the rest of the 94-feet in a purple shade. The Bulldogs, decked out in white, gold and purple jerseys picked up Centennial-Bakersfield’s guards from one baseline to the other, and overwhelmed the SoCal ballhandlers with their quickness and determination. Then Oakland Tech’s standouts wowed the crowd with quick passes and electrifying finishes. By the end of Oakland Tech’s 79-55 CIF Division II state championship victory, the school’s trademark “O-T, Ohhhhhh-Teeeee” chants echoed throughout the building. “It means everything to me,” Oakland Tech coach Karega Hart said about the chants. “We take pride in being Bulldogs, and we take pride in being from Tech. But most of all, we take pride in being from the city of Oakland.” ArDarius Grayson was the engine of this frenetic system, a blur capable of transitioning from a relentless point-of-attack defender to an acrobat with the ball, capable of twisting and contorting his body around defenders on spectacular finishes.