Boss Mhoon, King’s Academy cruise past Oakland to reach NorCal D1 final

SUNNYVALE – When King’s Academy’s the offense is moving, not just scoring.

It’s popular.

Cut after cut ran with purpose. It goes through the zip in the open area. The shots fell in rhythm. On Saturday night, the Knights turned their gym into a precision basketball clinic.

And when time calls for the nearest star, the second Boss Mhoon he ensured that the operation ended in prosperity.

After a balanced attack and a dominant fourth quarter from the four-star forward, TKA pulled away late with an 82-59 victory. Oakland High in the CIF NorCal Division I semifinals. The Knights outscored the Wildcats 32-17 in the final period, with Mhoon making key stops and shots down the stretch, punching their ticket to Tuesday’s NorCal championship game in Folsom.

The win also means more to a program that has grown rapidly under coach Cameron Bradford, avenging a 2023 NorCal semifinal loss to Oakland and sending TKA to its second straight NorCal final.

“This win means everything,” Bradford said. “Four years ago nobody knew who we were. And now we’ve been to the NorCal finals in consecutive years. God is good, man, God is good.”

Moon finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal. Senior Claxton Ladine finished with 23 points and Nathan Hong had nine 3-pointers.

Freshman D-Ari Bruce gave Oakland 15 points and seven rebounds while senior Da’sean Armstrong led the way with 10 points in his final game as a Wildcat.

After both teams entered the second round tied at 13, the Knights looked like they would not miss.

TKA outscored Oakland 20-11 behind a flurry of 3-pointers from Nathan Hong, who didn’t enter the game until 3 minutes into the second quarter.

The big went on to hit back-to-back 3s to give TKA a 33-24 lead at halftime.

“Oh my god, Nathan Hong came out big and kept us at it,” said Mhoon. “If we didn’t have Nate hitting 3s, I don’t know where we’d be right now. He single-handedly changed the game.”

TKA’s offense continued to dominate in the third quarter as the Knights led by 12 percent, but Oakland trailed in the first quarter.

Armstrong’s layup in the first minute of the period cut the deficit to 6 as Oakland looked to rally. In their previous game, the Wildcats made a dramatic comeback to upset Clovis North and the momentum seemed to shift as they approached the TKA opportunity.

But Mhoon assured Oakland’s second comeback this week won’t happen.

Sunnyvale School went on an 8-0 run where Mhoon scored six points and assisted on the last two. Moon locked in defensively, taking shots as a TKA rim protector while coming up with big rebounds.

As the buckets flowed, Oakland had no answer. After point guard Xavier Barnett made two free throws with less than two minutes remaining, the Knights led by 21 points and both coaches cleared their bench.

It was a classy performance from one of the Bay Area’s most dynamic offenses.

“In the first half, we were playing one-on-one football,” Barnett said. “But in the fourth quarter we just came together. We played as a team and it showed in the fourth.”

Oakland’s (25-8) season ended with a bang, upsetting Archbishop Mitty and Clovis North — two NorCal powers — in the first two rounds.

But the future is bright for the Wildcats, who are expected to bring back Bruce, the Oakland Athletics League MVP.

“I’m very proud of the team,” Oakland coach Orlando Watkins said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted, but to get to this point and have a chance to get to the NorCal championship, what else can I say?”