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Several players stepped up for the St. Bernard’s Crusaders on Saturday night, as they secured their place in the 2025 NorCal Division-6 boys basketball championship game.

A clutch performance by a group of players who seem to play more and more like a unit every time they take the floor saw them knock off a higher seed to advance to Tuesday night’s final.

The No. 3 seeds led for much of the night, before some clutch free throws carried them across the line in a 70-60 victory over No. 2 Stone Ridge Christian in Merced.

“In a packed road gym seven hours away from our hometown our guys brought the passion and heart they have been playing with all year and especially these last few weeks of playoff basketball,” St. Bernard’s assistant coach Pat Shanahan said.

Head coach Issac Gildea admitted afterwards that his players played with a chip on their shoulders.

They felt they should have been the higher seed and when they took the court they proved it.

But regardless of where this game was played, the Crusaders were worthy and deserved winners.

As usual, Liam Dyer led St. Bernard’s in scoring with 27 points and the dynamic junior guard also had seven rebounds, while in-form teammate Prince Latimer, who has been nothing short of outstanding during the team’s playoff run, added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Garrett Shanahan also had a huge night in the win, picking up the slack when teammate Carson Costa was forced to the sideline early after suffering an injury.

The sophomore standout finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and four inspiring blocks.

Some of the bench players also had to play a bigger role than usual after Costa was sidelined and Latimer, Garrett Shanahan and Tyler Hinrichs all got in foul trouble in the second quarter, but the team never skipped a beat.

In fact, if anything the Crusaders began to play even better as they overturned a one-point deficit heading into the second quarter into a nine-point advantage at halftime.

“With four starters on the bench, our other guys came in and not only maintained but extended our lead with team basketball and tough defense,” Pat Shanahan said.

It’s that team-first mentality that has made this group of mostly juniors an unstoppable force through the 2025 postseason.

“It’s a credit to the players,” head coach Issac Gildea said. “They’re great friends off the court and they’re unselfish when it comes to minutes. They know their roles.

“I’m just really enjoying my basketball team and the way they’re connecting.”

Luke Brunton made some key baskets off the bench and finished with seven points and four rebounds, while Trenten Hagler added five points and Hinrichs finished with five rebounds.

“Liam was sensational tonight,” Pat Shanahan said. “He was hard to stop and also rebounded well.

“Prince was electric and channeled his energy into defensive stops.

“Garrett was patient and strong and continued to be a leader on the court.

“Tyler defended so well, especially on their 6-foot-6 big.

“Luke came off the bench and went 3-for-3 along with a timely steal that helped us take the lead in the second quarter.

“Trenten was aggressive on both ends of the floor and knocked down a couple big shots.”

Thien Dang also saw more minutes than usual and rose to the occasion.

“Dang came in and gave us some controlled minutes, got to the line and hit a couple free throws,” the assistant coach added.

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After they took the lead in the second quarter the Crusaders never relinquished the advantage, holding a dangerous Knights team at arm’s length down the stretch with some clutch free throws.

“They hit some tough shots tonight, but we just kept our composure,” Gildea said. “And I thought we did an outstanding job maintaining the lead.”

It was a victory this team and all the fans who made the trip south will relish.

“It was an exciting game full of ups and downs,” Pat Shanahan said. 

And now it’s on to the championship game and another road trip to play No, 1 seed Redding Christian on Tuesday night.

And you can expect a large contingent of SB fans to make that trip as well.

“We’re going to Redding and we’re going to bring some fans,” Gildea said.

For a full game report, see Crusaders advance to NorCal championship game …