YOUR 2026 3C2A STATE CHAMPIONS - FULLERTON DEFEATS SAN FRANCISCO

The Fullerton College men's basketball team defeated City College of San Francisco on Sunday afternoon 67-64 finishing a 32-1 season as the 3C2A State Champions for the sixth time in program history.

Fullerton's big win marks the third championship under head coach Perry Webster in the last six seasons the 3C2A tournament was played. All three title victories came against the Rams of San Francisco in 2019, 2023, and now 2026.

This is Webster's fifth time achieving a State Title as he won three as a head coach, one as an assistant with Saddleback, and one as a player with Saddleback.

Both teams entered the game with identical 31-1 records and had mirrored one another throughout the season fighting one another for the No. 1 spot in the CCCMBCA rankings. The highly anticipated championship matchup lived up to the billing, and after a remarkable second half surge the Hornets willed themselves to victory.

San Francisco grabbed early control in the opening five minutes jumping out to a 12-4 lead capped by a three-pointer from Jaylen Wheeler. Fullerton slowly chipped away at the deficit and pulled within one at 16-15 after Trey Thompson knocked down a three. The Rams responded with a run of their own and pushed the lead to 33-23 just under the three-minute mark following a dunk by Kirby Seals. With their back against the wall, Fullerton headed into the locker room by the halftime break trailing 33-24.

Entering the second half, a huge spark came from sophomore guard Jaqari Miles. Still feeling the sting from last season's championship loss to the Rams, Miles delivered one of the most memorable performances in Hornet history. Coming off the bench, the sophomore guard erupted for 25 second-half points putting the team on his back.

Miles attacked the rim, knocked down timely three-pointers, and repeatedly got to the free-throw line to keep Fullerton within striking distance. As the second half wore on, the Hornets slowly erased the deficit and the game turned into a back-and-forth battle featuring eight ties and five lead changes.

The Hornets finally grabbed control late behind Miles' clutch play down the stretch. With the Hornets holding a slim two-point lead in the final seconds, Miles stepped to the line and buried 3-4 free throws to seal the championship victory.

Fullerton finished the game shooting 41.3% from the field while holding San Francisco to 39.7% shooting. The Hornets also forced the Rams into a difficult day from beyond the arc limiting them to 4-22 shooting (18.2%) from three-point range.

Depth also played a major role in the win as the Hornet's bench dominated the Rams 42-15 in points. Miles' 25 points were a game-high and Trey Thompson played a huge role off the bench adding 17 points and 4 steals. Stater Yoda Oke recorded his third double-double of the tournament with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Donovan Pitts played all forty minutes leaving it all on the floor with tough defense while chipping in with 6 rebounds.

All-Tournament Team
MVP - Yoda Oke, Fullerton
Donovan Pitts, Fullerton
James Moore, City College of San Francisco
Kenyon DeMuynck, City College of San Francisco
Travis Hightower, Santa Rosa
Leo Ricketts, Citrus

The Fullerton College men's basketball program now has six championships overall and is now tied with San Francisco for the most titles in state history.

The Hornet State Champions

1954 - 65-57 win over Grant Tech - Coach Alex Omalev - 31-2 overall

1961 - 94-85 win over San Jose City - Coach Bill Mann - 32-2 overall

2006 - 81-67 win over West Valley - Coach Dieter Horton - 37-0 overall

2019 - 85-79 win over San Francisco - Coach Perry Webster - 30-3 overall

2023 - 83-73 win over San Francisco - Coach Perry Webster - 32-1 overall

2026 - 67-64 win over San Francisco - Coach Perry Webster - 32-1 overall

Story by Phil Thurman, Fullerton College