.jpeg "The San Joaquin Memorial boys basketball team poses for a photo after winning the CIF Division II state championship in Sacramento on Saturday, March 14, 2026.")
The San Joaquin Memorial boys basketball team poses for a photo after winning the CIF Division II state championship in Sacramento on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
Frank Pucher
San Joaquin Memorial
When the final inbound pass floated through the air, time seemed to slow down for San Joaquin Memorial.
The Panthers clung to a one-point lead in the closing seconds Saturday when the ball was thrown deep downcourt to Parker Spees with 4.2 seconds remaining.
He secured the pass and, as the clock expired, tossed the ball high into the air when the buzzer sounded, sealing a dramatic 46-45 victory over Bakersfield Christian for the CIF Division II state championship at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
For Panthers coach Brad Roznovsky, those last seconds felt much longer.
“I think I lost about five years of my life when that ball was in the air,” Roznovsky said. “But Parker’s a smart player, and he did the right thing.”
The victory marked Memorial’s second state championship since 2023 and served as redemption against a familiar opponent.
The Panthers had already faced Bakersfield Christian twice this season, including a loss in the Central Section playoffs and another in December.
They were 0 for 2 against the Eagles, but not on Saturday.
“We kind of had a chip on our shoulder,” Roznovsky said. “We felt like we let that one get away about three weeks ago. We were up big at halftime and didn’t play well in the second half.”
This time, the Panthers made just enough plays late.
With the game tight in the fourth quarter, Sajjin Sidhu delivered the decisive moment, knocking down a shot that gave San Joaquin Memorial a 46-44 lead.
The Eagles didn’t make a field goal for at least four minutes in the fourth quarter.
The final possession unfolded exactly as the Panthers hoped.
“Our message to Dominick (Olanrewaju) was, ‘Listen, we have no more timeouts. If you can’t get it in, just throw it down the floor.’ They didn’t have any timeouts, so even if they caught it they’d only have about 2 1/2 seconds for a half-court shot.”
Instead, the pass found Spees, who secured the championship by tossing the ball skyward.
While the ending provided the drama, Roznovsky credited the team’s chemistry for the season-long success.
“I say this all the time: the success we’ve had at this school is because we’ve had great players, smart players and great kids,” he said. “Hats off to these kids behind me.”
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Anthony Galaviz writes about sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He’s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology.
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