The Santa Maria boys basketball team walked off the Selland Arena floor on Saturday afternoon with tears in their eyes.
The players couldn’t believe what had happened.
Coalinga was fouled on a breakaway fast break with 0.2 seconds left that sent Tucker Corona to the line.
The second one broke the Saints hearts.
Santa Maria lost the CIF-Central Division 5 championship, 63-62.
Santa Maria guard Isiah Canogo gets triple teamed during the CIF-Central high school basketball championships Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 at Selland Arena in Fresno.
Ryan Kuhn
“That one was tough,” coach Johnny Rodriguez said, as Coalinga celebrated nearby. “I can’t ask for anything more from this team.”
Santa Maria thought this season was going to be one that ended the drought.
It had been 60 years since the Saints basketball team raised a CIF banner.
Its 3-point shooting has been the team’s fuel all season but they couldn’t find their rhythm early.
Finally, senior Daveyon Tyler hit their first 3-pointer with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Senior Julius Medina added one and the Saints held a 13-10 lead.
Santa Maria’s offense started to heat up in the second quarter as the players found their rhythm.
Members of the Santa Maria boys basketball team react to a 63-62 loss in the CIF-Central high school basketball championships Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 at Selland Arena in Fresno.
Ryan Kuhn
Isiah Canongo hit a 3-pointer, followed by two more from Medina. Tyler added another three and the Saints skipped into the locker room, excitedly holding a 34-23 lead.
“We put in the work,” Jordan Medina said. “We had it.”
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The Saints built off their halftime lead at the start of the third quarter as five quick points by Jordan Medina put Santa Maria ahead by as many as 15 points.
But Coalinga found an answer.
The combination of Daymen Tamayo and Patrick Salazar ignited the Horned Toads to go on a 10-0 run.
Canongo’s free throw tried to break up some momentum but Coalinga got right back into the game, trailing 49-47 to start the fourth quarter.
The game remained close, and both teams seemed to have an answer for the other.
Coalinga even took the lead midway through the fourth quarter but the Saints got right back on track with a 3-pointer from Julius Medina.
He finished the game with a team-high 25 points, nine rebounds and six steals.
Santa Maria held the lead with 41 seconds left but Tamayo tied it up with a free throw.
The Saints had a chance to win the game with about 12 seconds left, but a costly turnover caused the fast break and Salazar was fouled on a layup at the buzzer.
“I was trying to get it to Isiah but they knocked it out of my hand,” Julius said, tears in his eyes.
When the second free throw made it, there was nothing the Saints could do.
“We win as a team and we lose as a team,” Rodriguez said. “We had a couple opportunities down the stretch but we just didn’t take care of business.”
The Saints graduate six players, including Jordan and Julius Medina.
“I just hope next year will be better for them,” Jordan said. “I enjoyed it so much.”
They finished with 26 wins and qualified for the CIF state tournament bid. The state brackets have not been released yet.
“It’s phenomenal how powerful you can be when you put your mind towards a common goal,” Rodriguez said. “Look what we achieved. It hurts, but I love this game.”