Montgomery, San Marcos win Boys California Live championships

Over the past two seasons, Montgomery has participated in three high-school evaluation period events -- and made the championship game of their respective brackets each time.

But the first two attempts ended in defeat - to the same team, Archbishop Mitty.

On Sunday, the Aztecs squared off against another Northern California opponent, Stockton Lincoln, and the third championship game proved to be a charm.

Led by the stellar play of 6-5 rising senior JJ Sanchez, Montgomery pulled away in dominant fashion, defeating the Trojans 55-38 to clinch the third division of the Boys California Live tournament.

Held this year in the climate-controlled confines of the recently opened 12-court Roebbelen Center in Roseville, the tournament provided 168 high school teams from California and surrounding states an opportunity to compete in front of college coaches under one roof.

Nine San Diego teams attended the tournament. Two - Montgomery and San Marcos - won their respective divisions.

The Aztecs road to the title game saw them score major wins over Southern Section powers Notre Dame and St. Bernard and Northern California stalwart Moreau Catholic before using a 25-9 run over the final 10 minutes of the championship game to turn a 29-28 deficit into a rout.

It wasn't a one-man show for the Aztecs, as its senior quartet of Sanchez, his twin brother, 6-4 Alek Sanchez, 6-2 G Xair Mendez and 6-4 W Devin Hamilton each contributed to the team's success. Mendez, especially, shined this weekend, scoring 32 points in the win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in front of dozens of college coaches.

Montgomery's performance solidifies their standing as the preseason No. 1 team in San Diego, as they have collected wins over multiple Southern Section title winners and contenders during the June scholastic periods.

San Marcos was also impressive going 4-0 on the weekend with wins over Oaks Christian, San Jose Valley Christian, Servite and a 51-48 championship game win over Berkeley St. Mary's in an impressive defensive effort.

The shorthanded Knights (without rotation players Elias Flaim, Colton Kelley, Nico Mott and Ty Sagaser) were led all weekend by their dynamic back court duo of 2026 G Jalen Williams and 2027 G Richie Ramirez (pictured center), but got clutch performances from their front court duo of 2026 F Michael Brown (left) and 2027 F Jackson McCall (right) throughout the weekend.

Here's how the other San Diego teams performed:

Carlsbad - The Lancers made the championship game of the fifth division, racking up wins against Crespi, Rancho Cucamonga and Weston Ranch before falling in the title game to a very good Notre Dame Prep squad out of Arizona. 2025 G Jake Hall had a strong weekend, as did fellow senior guard Jordan Garner and 2026 G Trenton Mehl.

Cathedral Catholic - The Dons finished 3-1 with an impressive trio of wins over Bishop O'Dowd, Chaminade (in sudden death OT) and Sacramento Jesuit, with their only loss coming to eventual champions Crossroads. 2025 G PJ Jourdain and W Steven Evans-Glynn and 2026 G Max Meza picked up the slack for the Dons, who didn’t play with standouts Patrick O’Brien and Kai Carlson after the second game and sharpshooter Coen Sponsel the entire weekend.

Rancho Buena Vista - 2026 G CJ Aldrich dazzled coaches throughout the weekend, leading the Longhorns to a 3-1 record with comeback wins over Alameda and Calabasas and a win over Bakersfield North in what was effectively the third-place game of the division.

La Costa Canyon - The Mavericks finished 2-2 on the weekend, dropping their first two contests to Democracy Prep out of Las Vegas and Ygnacio Valley, before turning it around with wins over Woodcreek and Grant Union. 2025 G Jasper Buck spearheaded the Mavs attack.

Mission Bay - The Buccaneers were 90 seconds from advancing to the championship of its pool, leading pool leader Los Alamitos by 5 before the Griffins went on a 7-0 run to close the contest in a 91-89 sudden death overtime defeat. The loss instead dropped the Buccaneers to 1-2 (they didn’t play their final game due to a flight conflict). 6-3 2026 G Caleb Newton had a solid weekend, as well as fellow rising junior wing Clay Grebing and seniors Pablo Balderas and Maseyo Elliott.

Francis Parker - The Lancers finished 1-3, scoring a good win over solid St. Monica team and losses to Santa Ana Foothill, Elk Grove Franklin and Dougherty Valley. 6-2 rising sophomore Tavid Johnson lived up to his billing of being one of the top sophomores statewide.

Coronado - The Islanders ended their weekend on a high note with a win over Maranatha to finish 1-3, with losses to San Juan Hills, Marin Catholic and Saugus. 5-11 senior guard Loxly Johnson was a bright spot for the undersized Islanders.