Aragon girls’ hoops upsets rival Hillsdale to claim CCS Division II title

While the Knights won the regular-season series, it was the Dons who captured the CCS title, defeating top-seeded Hillsdale 52-47.

For the Dons’ four seniors, it’s the perfect bookend to their high school careers. Jordan Beaumont, Beth Parangan, Mabryn Manu and Megan Grant were all part of Aragon’s 2019 CCS championship.

“You get to the point — what does this mean to the girls?” Aragon head coach Sam Manu said. “Seeing it through their eyes, it becomes more a blessing for me.”

For Hillsdale (24-2), it was their second finals appearance. The Knights lost to Branham 47-33 in the 2015 title game. The Knights are still seeking their first CCS girls’ basketball championship.

“I don’t know what to say,” said an emotional Hillsdale head coach David Ichiki. “I wanted those kids to win this so bad. These [Hillsdale girls] had such a great season.”

Played in front of the first packed gym of the season at Hillsdale, both teams struggled with shooting in the first half, as Hillsdale led just 17-15 at halftime. Combined, the teams were 9 for 59 from the field. Aragon managed only three field goals through the first two quarters.

What kept the Dons in the game, however, was their rebounding and defense, which is the key to the Dons’ success.

“Defense and rebounding — those are non-negotiable,” Coach Manu said.

Grant was an absolute vacuum on the boards, pulling down 17 rebounds, tied for the most in CCS Division II history. It helped that the Dons were 7 for 9 at the free-throw line to help keep them in the game.

Hillsdale was just as strong on the boards, as the Dons had only a three-rebound advantage after the first two quarters, 23-20.

“The first half, we couldn’t hit the side of a barn,” Coach Manu said.

The Knights used the Dons’ cold shooting to build a 17-8 lead midway through the second quarter following a Lizzy Manis put-back to cap a 5-0 run

But Aragon (19-8) closed the half on a 6-0 run. Grant knocked down a pair of free throws, Grace Nai hit on a 3-pointer and Parangan scored off the bounce to cut the Hillsdale lead to just two points at halftime.

In the second half, both teams appeared to find their groove as the game turned into a barnburner.

“We saw they were going to a zone. We love zones,” Coach Manu said. “Let’s spread it out. Our shots will fall.”

The Dons showed they rediscovered their shooting touch early in the third as Grant, who finished with 12 points, knocked down a jumper to tie the score at 17 and Beaumont, who was limited to just three free throws in the first half, knocked down her first 3 of the night to give Aragon a 20-17 lead, their first since leading 4-0 to start the game.

Beaumont would go on to score 12 of her 15 points in the second half.

“She was shooting blanks in the first half,” Coach Manu said of Beaumont. “But she’s our thoroughbred.”

Hillsdale, however, was not going down without a fight.

Bailey Fong, who scored a game-high 24 points, tied for fourth all-time in Division II play and accounted for 10 of the Knights’ 12 first-quarter points and 13 of the team’s 17 first-half points, showed she was in the zone, connecting on a circus shot to the game at 22-all.

When Jaelee Wilson scored on back-to-back buckets, the second coming on a fast break halfway through the third quarter, the Knights held a 31-30 lead. A bucket off the bounce from Makena Nitao, who finished 12 points for the Knights, gave them a 33-32 advantage with a little more than a minute left in the quarter.


It would be the last lead of the night for the Knights as Mabryn Manu and Beaumont connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to close the quarter — with Beaumont’s trifecta coming as the buzzer sounded for a 38-33 Aragon lead going into the fourth.

The Dons scored 23 points in the third quarter.

Aragon spent the fourth period simply trying to keep Hillsdale at arm’s length. Another improbable bucket from Fong cut the Dons’ lead to three, 42-39, halfway through the final quarter, but Mabryn Manu buried a 3 and Beaumont connected on four straight free throws to push the Dons’ lead to eight, 49-41, with 1:33 left.

The Knights cut the lead to three, 50-47, on a Manis put-back, but Grant’s put-back with 19 seconds left proved to be the final nail in the Knights’ coffin. After Hillsdale missed on a last-second shot, Mabryn Manu grabbed the rebound and spiked the ball as the final horn sounded.

Coach Manu credited his team’s resilience in its overtime semifinal win over Burlingame that helped propel the Dons to their second CCS title in four years.

“Championship teams have poise,” Coach Manu said. “I told them [after the Burlingame game] to take this medicine, take this lesson.”

In the Division V championship game, top-seeded Priory faced off with West Bay Athletic League foe Crystal Springs, with the Panthers coming away with a 42-32 win.

On to the CIF Northern California, where Aragon and Hillsdale both qualified for the Division II tournament. No. 15 Aragon travels to No. 2 McClatchy-Sacramento, Tuesday at 6 p.m. No. 16 Burlingame takes on the No. 1 seed, traveling to Piedmont, Tuesday, for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

Also in the Division II tourney, No. 3 Menlo hosts No. 13 Alhambra, Tuesday, at 6 p.m.