The last four years, Montgomery High School boys basketball coach Ed Martin admits, “I was living a dream.”
When your teams post four consecutive seasons of at least 24 wins and play in three straight CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship games, you can get spoiled. Especially when you get to coach JJ Sanchez, Alek Sanchez, Devin Hamilton and Xair Mendez, among the best foursomes in city history.
But the Big Four are in college now, and the Aztecs are fighting for every win.
Saturday in the Battle at the Bay at Mission Bay High School, the last big event before the end of the regular season, Montgomery fell behind by 17 points, went on a 16-0 run, and then lost 57-56 to Steele Canyon when a desperation last-second shot banged off the rim.
“This one hurts,” Martin said. “You get behind by 17, go on a great run, then lose at the buzzer. The key, I guess, is not getting behind by 17.”
The key for the 16-10 Aztecs, who have lost five in a row, is getting healthy.
Xavier Guerrero, who averages 10.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, missed his fifth consecutive contest with a concussion. Starting guard Marcos Heredia stayed home because he was sick.
“We were 16-5 and playing well,” Martin said. “Then Guerrero got undercut, landed on his head and got a concussion. And we’ve lost every game with him out.”
Guerrero, who is in the concussion protocol, warmed up before Saturday’s game to work up a sweat and get some contact. Those are the last steps he needs before being cleared to play.
“Then the flu hit us hard,” Martin said. ”I’ve got two kids home in bed. I know every team goes through the flu, so my hope is that we get it out of the way now and are healthy for the playoffs.”
Plus, Nick Villa, who made a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers Saturday, left the game with a shoulder injury.
The Aztecs are, for now, a Division 1 team in the postseason and sit as the No. 9 seed. As things stand now, they would play at Mission Hills in the first round.
“I don’t see that changing,” Martin said.
Montgomery’s Xavier Guerrero #10, right, looks on during their game against Steele Canyon at Mission Bay High School on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Cathedral Catholic, Torrey Pines, St. Augustine and Carlsbad are the top four seeds as it stands now in the 16-team field.
DJ Montgomery led all scorers Saturday with 21 points, including five 3-pointers and five rebounds,
Chayse Miles led Steele Canyon (15-12) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Alex Andrews added 12 points and the Cougars overwhelmed the Aztecs inside with Miles, Jacob Allen and Trevor Zenno.
“Last year was a good experience for me,” said DK Montgomery, who averages 20.6 points a game. “We played hard, we practiced hard. We need to get well, get all our full squad back. When we’re all together, we’re hard to beat.
“No question we can compete in Division 1. But we don’t just want to compete, we want to win it.”
To win it all, Guerrero has to be on the floor.
“I was a role player last year, learned a lot,” Guerrero said. “I’ve added scoring to my game this season. I’ve become a leader, something I embrace. We’ve got a lot of young players and new guys, so they need a leader. I think we can win it all. We have good players. And Coach Ed is the best.”
JJ Sanchez, last season’s San Diego Section Player of the Year, is playing at Citrus College. So is his brother Alek and Devin Hamilton.
JJ Sanchez is averaging 12.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game on an Owls team that is 22-1 and averages 106 points a game. Alex Sanchez is averaging 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Hamilton is averaging 14.4 points. 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
“It has worked out really well for them,” Martin said. “Citrus was on them from the start. JJ had a chance to play at Point Loma Nazarene, but decided against it. So when Citrus wanted all three guys, it was the place to be.”
Xair Mendez is a redshirt freshman at Cal State San Marcos.
In other games:
Christian 69, Mira Mesa 67: Christian’s Julian Lebel led all scorers with 27 points while Dwight McDonald added 15 and Ronnie Scott had 14. Jeremiah McCaleb led Mira Mesa with 22 points while Diego Ortiz added 11.
Cathedral Catholic 54, Carlsbad 51: Sei’Mir Roberson led Cathedral Catholic with 15 points, including the go-ahead basket with 10 seconds to play. Charlie Barajas added 14 points, including the clinching free throws with 2 seconds to play. Dylan Sims led Carlsbad with 18 pints while Briggs Young added 13.
Mater Dei Catholic 52, Del Norte 48
Lincoln 71, Foothills Christian 31