SUNNYVALE — When The King’s Academy’s offense gets going, it doesn’t just score.
It hums.
Cut after cut ran with purpose. Passes zipped through open space. Shots dropped in rhythm. On Saturday night, the Knights turned their gym into a clinic on precision basketball.
And when the moment called for a closer, sophomore star Boss Mhoon made sure the performance ended with a flourish.
Behind a balanced offensive attack and a dominant fourth quarter from the four-star forward, TKA pulled away late for a 82-59 victory over Oakland High in the CIF NorCal Division I semifinals. The Knights outscored the Wildcats 32-17 in the final period, with Mhoon delivering the key stops and shots down the stretch, to punch their ticket to Tuesday’s NorCal championship game at Folsom.
The win also carries extra meaning for a program that has rapidly risen under coach Cameron Bradoford, avenging a 2023 NorCal semifinal loss to Oakland and sending TKA to its second consecutive NorCal final.
“This win means everything,” Bradford said. “Four years ago, nobody knew who we were. And now we have made the NorCal finals in back-to-back years. God is good, man, God is good.”
Mhoon finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal. Senior Claxton Ladine finished with a game-high 23 points and Nathan Hong had nine on three made 3-pointers.
Freshman D-Ari Bruce gave Oakland 15 points and seven rebounds while senior Da’sean Armstrong scored 10 points in his final game as a Wildcat.
After both teams went into the second quarter tied at 13, the Knights seemingly couldn’t miss.
TKA outscored Oakland 20-11 behind a barrage of 3-pointers from Nathan Hong, who didn’t come into the game until the 3-minute mark of the second quarter.
The senior proceeded to hit three straight 3s to give TKA a 33-24 lead at halftime.
“Oh my gosh, Nathan Hong came up big and kept us in it,” Mhoon said. “If we didn’t have Nate hitting 3s, I don’t know where we would be right now. He changed the momentum of the game by himself.”
TKA’s offense continued to dominate in the third quarter as the Knights led by as much as 12, but Oakland hung around into the early stages of the fourth.
A layup from Armstrong in the first minute of the period cut the deficit to six as Oakland looked to rally. In their previous game, the Wildcats made a stunning comeback to upset Clovis North and the momentum seemed to be swinging their way as they inched closer to TKA’s lead.
But Mhoon ensured a second Oakland comeback this week would not happen.
The Sunnyvale school proceeded to go on an 8-0 run in which Mhoon scored six points and assisted on the final two. Mhoon locked in on defense, swatting away shots as TKA’s rim protector while coming up with huge rebounds.
With the buckets flowing, Oakland had no answer. After point guard Xavier Barnett hit two free throws with under two minutes left, the Knights led by 21 points and both coaches cleared their bench.
It was a masterclass performance from one of the most dynamic offenses in the Bay Area.
“In the first half, we were kind of just playing one-on-one type of ball,” Barnett said. “But in the fourth quarter we just came together. We played as a team and it showed in the fourth.”
It’s a brutal end to the season for Oakland (25-8), which upset Archbishop Mitty and Clovis North – two NorCal powers – in the first two rounds.
But the future is bright for the Wildcats, who are slated to return Bruce, the Oakland Athletics League MVP.
“I’m just super proud of the team,” Oakland coach Orlando Watkins said. “It didn’t end the way that we wanted it to, but to get to this point and have a chance to get to a NorCal championship, what else can I say?”
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Bradford said he will be in deep prep as the Knights prepare for a tough road challenge.
“They’re a good team,” Bradford said. ‘They’re well-coached, big and have shooters. We’re going to be on the road, it’ll be going to be a tough game, but I’m excited for the challenge.”
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