A late first-half burst turned an 18-point halftime lead into a 30-point victory on March 13, propelling the Owls to a berth in the 3C2A final four.
Citrus College (30-1) defeated West Valley (24-7) 84-54 in the quarterfinal round of the 3C2A State Championships, advancing the Owls into the semi-final round and avenging a quarterfinal loss to the Vikings in 2022.
After 10 early lead changes in the first half, the Owls ended the half on a 14-3 run to take a 44-26 lead into the break. This run resulted after the head coach of the Owls, Brett Lauer, reminded the team that a run would eventually happen if they played a complete game.
“We talked a lot about playing all 40 minutes,” Lauer said. “Eventually, we would go on a run, and that’s what happened.”
Citrus went into halftime hot, shooting 50% from the field, 57.6% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free-throw line. The Owls also forced 11 turnovers and seven steals.
JJ Sanchez led all first-half scorers with 14 points, shooting 3-for-4 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point range. He also went 6-for-8 at the free-throw line. Sanchez said the trust provided by his teammates and coaches fueled his first-half performance.
“They believe in me and have all the confidence in me to shoot the ball anywhere, anytime,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez ended the game with 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Amiri Meadows was a key defensive contributor in the first half, accounting for four first-half steals. Meadows said turnovers were key to controlling the tempo.
“That kind of sets the tone for our pace,” Meadows said. “You know, getting steals and stuff like that. … We like to play at our pace, not at their pace.”
Meadows finished the game with four steals and was one of three Citrus players to have 16 points, joining Sanchez and Dev Hamilton. West Valley’s leading scorer was CJ Willenborg, who also had 16 points.
Controlling the pace proved crucial for the Owls’ win, holding West Valley to only 54 points on 32.4% shooting. Citrus also caused 15 turnovers and drew 20 personal fouls and held West Valley to zero transition points, something Lauer credited to his guys hustling back on defense.
“We did a good job of sprinting back and making sure we were not giving up layups,” Lauer said. “We didn’t think they would want to play in a high-paced game; they wanted it to be more slow.”
The Owls carried their late first-half run into the second half, outscoring the Vikings 40-28 with the largest lead, 33 points, at the 4:42 mark.
Citrus returns to the final four for the second straight year, a moment Lauer said the team acknowledges.
“That was great,” Lauer said. “We got another chance.”
The Owls will play City College of San Francisco (30-1) at 7 p.m. on March 14. San Francisco is coming off a 78-67 win over San Diego City and has beaten Citrus in the Owls’ most recent final four appearances in 2019, 2023 and 2025.
The winner will advance to the championship game at 3 p.m. on March 15 to face the winner of Santa Rosa vs. Fullerton.
