Never any doubt. Caruthers wins second state basketball championship in Sacramento

It is another CIF state championship for the Caruthers High girls basketball team.

The Blue Raiders went on a big run in the state playoffs and capped it with a 54-48 victory over Granada Hills Charter 54-48 to win the Division III state championship on Friday afternoon at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

There wasn’t any doubt what the Blue Raiders wanted to do when the state playoffs began.

Blue Raiders coach Anna Almeida kept her team focused especially with a strong defense that kept opposing teams on their heels.

Granada Hills found that out early on despite going on a run of its own.

Caruthers led early 16-8 at the end of the first quarter. The lead dwindled later with Caruthers only leading by two in the first half, but the Highlanders could never take the lead.

Emmi Almeida’s basket gave Caruthers an eight-point lead with under a minute left in the half. The sophomore finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and six rebounds.

The Blue Raiders led by 13 points to begin the fourth quarter and never squandered away the lead.

Instead, the Blue Raiders stayed focused throughout the fourth quarter to seal the second state title in school history.

Anna Almeida led Caruthers to a 2019 state title, a 62-38 victory over Ramona in Division V.

The Blue Raiders’ defense was the focal point on their 2024 state run. Friday’s game was no exception, including a big block by 6-foot-2 Celeste Mack in the third quarter.

Gizelle Aguirre also had a part in the victory, draining a 3-pointer in the first half.

The senior finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Caruthers’ run to the state championship began with a win over No. 3 Christopher-Gilroy 85-52 as the 14th seed. The Blue Raiders followed that win with victories over No. 11 Heritage-Brentwood 44-40, No. 2 Central 36-34 and top-seed University-San Francisco 58-55.