San Francisco City Wins the College's Sixth State Men's Basketball Title
Head coach Justin Labagh becomes the sports all-time leader in titles won with four
Photos by Richard Quinton
Five has a good ring to it.
Just ask San Francisco City head coach Justin Labagh who just coached his Rams to a championship ring after winning the 3C2A Men's Basketball Championship tournament at Mt. San Antonio College.
With the 75-58 win over Fullerton, Labagh secured the college's sixth men's state championship and his fifth, breaking his tie with legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian for most men's basketball state title. Tarkanian won four state titles with Riverside City and Pasadena City colleges before going on to a hall of fame career at the NCAA level. Labagh has now won titles in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2022 and now 2025. Ironically, this was Fullerton's and San Francisco City's third time meeting in the state finals in the last six years. Fullerton had won the two previous meetings in 2019 and 2023.
"When I got into this I wasn't look into building a resume," Labagh said. "I wanted to build a dynasty. It is a word that isn't used much today, but that really was my focus."
Here is a look at San Francisco City's championship game history
1962 - CC San Francisco (20-12) Sid Phelan 71-56 vs. Citrus at Orange Coast
1966 - Riverside City (33-1) Jerry Tarkanian 91-61 vs. CC San Francisco (30-3) at Bakersfield
1978 - Bakersfield (33-2) Ralph Krafve 100-85 vs. CC San Francisco (22-11) at Long Beach Arena
1981 - El Camino (32-4) Paul Landreaux 78-53 vs. CC San Francisco (33-3) at CSU Fullerton
1986 - Sacramento City (27-7) Mike Syas 77-71 vs. CC San Francisco (31-3) at Cerritos
2010 - Saddleback (29-5) Andy Ground 63-57 vs. CC San Francisco (28-5) at Cal Lutheran
2011 - CC San Francisco (32-1) Justin Labagh 83-81 vs. Citrus (27-6) at Ventura
2016 - CC San Francisco (32-1) Justin Labagh 68-57 vs. Saddleback (31-2) at Las Positas
2018 - CC San Francisco (33-1) Justin Labagh 82-72 vs. San Diego City (33-3) at Ventura
2019 - Fullerton (30-3) Perry Webster 85-79 vs. CC San Francisco (31-2) at Ventura
2022 - CC San Francisco (32-1) Justin Labagh 91-66 vs. West Valley (28-4) at West Hills-Lemoore
2023 - Fullerton (32-1) Perry Webster 83-73 vs. CC San Francisco (29-4) at West Hills-Lemoore
2025 - CC San Francisco (32-1) Justin Labagh 75-58 vs. Fullerton (30-4) at Mt. San Antonio
Meanwhile, the loss kept Fullerton (30-4) from winning head coach Perry Webster's fifth community championship. Webster, who became the Hornets' 15th head coach in 2015, won a state title while a player at Saddleback and eventually as an assistant for the Bobcats. In 2019 and 2025, Webster led Fullerton to state title, beating San Francisco City in both title games. Webster is the only person in California Community College history to a win state championship as a head coach, assistant and player
The championship game was a battle for points as both teams struggled offensively.
In fact, the 56 points scored by Fullerton was a season low. The Hornets struggled on the offense and defense ends of the floor. San Francisco City, which has rebounded well all season, was especially good in the finals. The Rams limited Fullerton to eight offensive rebounds, resulting in only nine second-chance points. Meanwhile, San Francisco City with a plus-5 in the rebound battle, grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, several leading to putback layups. Fullerton made just 1 of 10 three-pointers, a season low. The Hornets were also 19 of 52 from the floor (36.5 percent), and at one point had more turnovers than field goals. After shooting 31 percent in the first half, San Francisco City made 15 of 29 second-half field goals - an improvement of 21 percent. The Rams also made 15 of 21 three pointers, after making just four in the first half.
"We talked about winning the rebounding war," Labagh said. "On way down here, we talked defense on the bus, so I'm not surprised about the how we played defensive and controlled the boards. We can't control a lot of things, but we can control our defense. I think our players were dialed in through this tournament. WE have talked about this moment all season long, so of these guys have been talking about it since last season. It has been a great journey."
Fullerton had only two starters score in the first half, led by Joe Grahovac, the south's Player of the Year who had nine points but managed just six in the second half, finishing with 15. Reserve Jaqari Miles led the Hornets with 23 points, after scoring eight in the first half. Ten of Fullerton's 23 points came from reserves in the first half and 27 of their 58 points were produced by the bench. San Francisco City Miles Amos, the Coast-North's Player of the Year and the state tournament MVP, led the Rams with 20 points. He made five field goals, with three being three pointers and made 7 of 8 free throws. Teammates Rickey Mitchell Jr. and John Squirre added 14 and 13, respectively.
San Francisco City put the game away after Fullerton got within five points at 37-32 with 16:19 left. The Rams went on a 13-2 run over five minutes to take a 50-34 lead. San Francisco City increased its lead to 20 points at 69-49 with 3:28 left and cruised from there.
"I wish I could play Citrus and Fullerton every other game," Labagh said. "They make you a better coach and makes your team better. I have a lot of respect for my last two opponents, and us, too. But Fullerton is always a top team, and you have to dig in to beat guys like Perry and Brett Lauder (Citrus)."
The victory capped a 32-1 season for the Rams, its second 32-win season in the last three years.
All-Tournament Team
MVP - Miles Amos, San Francisco City
KJ Perry, Citrus
John Squire, San Francisco City
Tyler Isaak, Citrus
Khemanni Davis, San Bernardino Valley
Jaqari Miles, Fullerton
Joe Grahovac, Fullerton