Central Coast Section Division III finals
No. 5 Saratoga (19-8) vs. No. 2 Monterey (23-3) at Santa Clara High, 3 p.m.
It seems only fitting that the Toreadores are playing for a Central Coast Section title at Santa Clara High.
The last and only time Monterey has played for a section title came in 1991 at Santa Clara, a 87-73 loss to Aragon.
The road to the finals hasn't been easy for the Toreadores, who had to make two trips to St. Ignatius in San Francisco, not to mention end a quarterfinals losing streak that had stretched two plus decades.
Now Monterey faces a Saratoga squad that wasn't expected to be here as a No. 5 seed, but knocked off No. 4 Aptos in overtime in the quarterfinals, and held off Gunderson 60-55 in the semifinals.
The Falcons limped into the playoffs, having dropped two of their final three regular season games, but turned the tournament into a new season with three impressive wins.
A common opponent is Aptos, who Saratoga beat in overtime in the quarterfinals by one. Monterey upended Aptos by two points back on Dec. 16.
Kobe Ordonio has put Monterey on his shoulders with his shooting and senior leadership, which was crucial with four sophomores seeing extensive time on the hardwood.
Ordonio is coming off a 29-point outing against Jefferson in the semifinals while his brother Tahjae added 20.
In the quarterfinals, it was sophomore Mohammed Adam burying three straight 3-point goals to send Riordan home while Evans Charles put together a double-double.
As a team, the Toreadores have knocked down over 150 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, with the Ordonio brothers having combined for 98.
Saratoga could give Monterey some problems in the paint with a 6-foot-6 post and 6-4 forward. The Toreadores don't have anyone standing 6-2 or taller.
Monterey is explosive and tenacious on defense with Adam and Charles each having compiled over 60 steals this season.
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