Mission Prep’s season ends in 74-60 loss in state: ‘I couldn’t be more proud of this group’
For the fourth straight CIF playoff game, Mission Prep tried to make a heroic comeback.
But in the second-round of the CIF State Tournament, the Royals couldn’t muster one last great feat to extend a magical season.
No. 4 Mission Prep’s luck may have run out of luck in a 74-60 loss to No. 5 San Gabriel Academy (18-13) at home Thursday in a Division 3 matchup.
But the Royals (26-8) still thrilled the home crowd and earned deep respect from the coaching staff who have watched the team mature before their eyes and show fortitude even in the most difficult of games and circumstances.
The Royals were led by a group of steadfast seniors in Brody Miller, who had 21 points and drained multiple big 3-point shots to keep Mission Prep within range, Roman Benedetti, who had 13 points, and Brayden Mott, a defensive specialist and ball handler who had a career-high 12 points and buried some big shots from behind the arc.
“I’m just happy that I got to play with these guys,” Benedetti said. “I’m so thankful for God blessing me with friends like these, and a lot of people aren’t blessed with that. Whether we win or lose. Whether we won the first game of playoffs or not, I’m going to love these guys just the same, so it is special.”
Mission Prep was up against a skilled, tall and athletic team from Los Angeles County, including 6-foot-11 sophomore center Mahamadou Diop, who dropped 24 points against the Royals and threw down multiple dunks as the Royals struggled to match up with Diop’s strong inside presence.
Senior Eagles guard Coco Britt and Xavier Wang each had 13 points.
The Royals also had to contend with 6-foot-8 freshman Oumar Dabo and 6-foot-4 junior Mamadou Traore.
Mission Prep, down by double digits with the game at risk of getting out of hand in the third quarter, started pouring in clutch long-range shots from seniors Benedetti, Miller, Mott and Stokes Whalen, who had six points.
The Royals pulled within 57-50 in the fourth quarter and gave the energized fans belief that the team could find the recipe yet again after comeback wins in each of its three previous CIF postseason victories.
But the Eagles edged out the Royals, who were without senior point guard Jayden Nozil.
Nozil sprained an ankle in the first-round win over Venice.
“The size was a problem,” said Mission Prep Coach Terrance Harris. “Their size just overwhelmed us a little bit. Everything else, I thought we overcame fine. But in the end, the size was something that we just didn’t quite have an adjustment for.”
After the game, the Royals huddled, hugged, took pictures and some cried to reflect on a season of accomplishment.
The 2024-25 campaign marked Harris’ first-ever CIF-Central Section title and a deep playoff run.
“I’m proud of this group,” Harris said. “I feel joy for the journey that we’ve been on. I feel sadness that it’s over. But I couldn’t be more proud of this group. They put up a good fight all year. They never backed down. We fell short of maybe what we’d hoped for in the end. But these guys are champions. Nobody will ever be able to take that away.”
Mott took several charges throughout the year and put his body on the line with the largest of players steamrolling toward him.
Mott said that he’ll remember playing with a close-knit group of friends since they were young, learning the fundamentals from former Cal Poly star Mike Wozniak, who coaches kids at Kennedy Club Fitness as part of his 3Ball camps.
“We would not be here without Coach Woz,” Mott said. “He taught us so much.”
Mott said that while they didn’t reach the goal of winning a CIF state championship, they brought back a charged atmosphere to the school gym that he remembers before him, when he was a kid looking up to past Royals stars.
“I remember what it was like when I was little kid, and then for the last like six years, it hasn’t been anything like this,” Mott said. “I think we brought it back.”
Senior guard Ethan Orozco credited Harris for his leadership and helping the Royals to a successful season.
“We won CIF, and that’s arguably the best time of our life,” Orozco said. “On and off the court, (Harris) is one of the best, if not the best coach I’ve ever had. We all love him. We love playing for him.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 10:43 PM.
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