SAN LEANDRO — Moreau Catholic senior guard Jalen Arnold stepped to the free throw line Saturday night for one of the most pressure-filled moments of his basketball life. Just 0.4 seconds remained on the clock in a game through which his team trailed. Just two free throws separated disappointment and triumph for the Mariners.
Arnold took three dribbles, rolled the ball in his left hand and bottomed the first free throw to tie the game. The San Leandro High gymnasium shook from the roar of Moreau Catholic fans as his teammates swarmed him at the line.
Job wasn’t finished, though.
The court cleared after a Cardinal Newman timeout to freeze him. But Arnold maintained his focus. He stepped back to the line, took three more dribbles, rolled the ball around his left hand, and sank what would be the game-winning free throw. Top-seeded Moreau Catholic survived, beating No. 2 Cardinal Newman 58-57 to claim the North Coast Section Division II championship.
“It felt good,” said Arnold, who in the fall helped Moreau win a state football title. “Everybody cheering, that’s what was going through my mind. They’re all cheering for me. That I already won the game, and I’m gonna knock these free throws down. It was amazing not only to do this for myself, but for my team. For coach (Frank) Knight. He’s put so much effort into this. He’s sick right now and we’re doing this for him. We’re just a big family, so it’s a great encouragement.”
Moreau Catholic’s Jalen Arnold sinks the first of two clutch freethrows with 0.4 seconds left in a comeback 58-57 victory against Cardinal Newman in the NCS Division II boys basketball championship at San Leandro High School on Saturday, March. 1, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
How Arnold got to the line added to the drama. It was Cardinal Newman’s ball with 0.4 seconds on the clock. As the Mariners (25-5) heavily pressured the inbounds pass, Cardinal Newman (26-6) attempted a long throw over the top. A collision happened as the ball flew through the air. Cardinal Newman was called for a loose ball foul and Arnold was awarded two free throws.
His clutch free throws snapped Cardinal Newman’s 17-game win streak and gave Moreau Catholic its first NCS crown since 2019 — redeeming last year’s heart-breaking semifinal loss to Montgomery. This is the Mariners’ fifth NCS title under Knight and third in Division II.
With 0.4 on the clock in a 1-point game Cardinal Newman’s Tatum Kurpinsky fouls Moreau Catholic’s Jalen Arnold, leading to Moreau’s winning free throws in the NCS Division II boy’s basketball championship at San Leandro High School on Saturday, March. 1, 2025, in Santa Leandro, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Kellen Hampton led the Mariners with 19 points, 10 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Arnold added nine points of his own.
Sunday, Moreau Catholic will learn the path for its quest to win the school’s first state championship in boys basketball. The Mariners finished runner-up in Division II in 2017.
Nothing had gone right for the Mariners all night as the smaller, quicker Cardinals pestered them with speed, energy and a barrage of three-pointers. Cardinal Newman was led by a Herculean performance from senior guard Tatum Kurpinsky — who finished the night with a game-high 29 points, including nine threes. His last was a step back from the left wing that put the Cardinals up 42-37 headed into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals had an answer for everything the Mariners did and seemed to have the top seed’s number.
That is until about three minutes left.
Moreau Catholic’s 6-foot-7 senior forward Kellen Hampton snapped the Mariners out of an offensive rut with a defense-to-offense sequence. His team down six, Hampton blocked a dunk attempt by Cardinal Newman guard A.J. Cole. Hampton, collected the rebound from his block, dribbled down the right side of the court and knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Cardinals’ lead in half. The Mariners hadn’t been that close since 9-6.
Moreau Catholic head coach Frank Knight hugs Jalen Arnold who sank the winning freethrows with 0.4 seconds left in a comeback 58-57 victory over Cardinal Newman in the NCS Division II boys basketball championship at San Leandro High School on Saturday, March. 1, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The top seeds traded buckets down the stretch. Cardinal Newman’s lead was still there with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Hampton, who led Moreau Catholic with 19 points, had two clean looks from behind the arc rim out. A hush came over the Mariners fans in attendance.
Cole had a chance to put Cardinal Newman up five, but he split a pair of free throws with four seconds left. Hampton collected the miss and, with Moreau Catholic down 57-53, immediately turned his attention to the threes he narrowly missed.
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“Man, I was stressed,” Hampton said. “I missed two threes to tie the game up. But I stayed poised and, honestly, on that last three, something’s gotta happen.”
It did. Hampton pushed the ball in transition, pulled up from at least three feet behind the arc and drilled the clutch 3-pointer.
It initially seemed to be too little too late as time expired shortly after Hampton’s 3-pointer. But Moreau Catholic coach Frank Knight was screaming for a timeout as soon as the ball went through the net. After the referees deliberated, Knight was awarded the timeout and 0.4 seconds were placed on the clock, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“Crazy man — 0.4 seconds and you get a win like that,” Knight said.” It’s crazy, God was looking out for us today. Nothing I did. Nothing the kids did. They just competed until the end and they ended up getting it done.”
Moreau Catholic’s Kellen Hampton (22) scores against Cardinal Newman in the NCS Division II boys basketball championship at San Leandro High School on Saturday, March. 1, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Moreau Catholic celebrates their 58-57 comeback victory over Cardinal Newman in the NCS Division II boys basketball championship at San Leandro High School on Saturday, March. 1, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Moreau Catholic’s Kareem Jackson Jr. (25) is defended by Cardinal Newman’s Legend Haile (3) in the first half of the NCS Division II boy basketball championship at San Leandro High School, Saturday, March. 1, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Moreau Catholic’s Cole Loud (12) drives into the paint against Cardinal Newman’s Tatum Kurpinsky (2) in the first half of the NCS Division II boy basketball championship at San Leandro High School, Saturday, March. 1, 2025, in San Leandro, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
