STATE PREP BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : Boys’ Division II : Williams, HH Wilson Finish With a Flourish, 72-46

Hacienda Heights Wilson center Scott Williams, advertised all season long as the top player in the state, put on a show Saturday in the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Williams scored 22 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked 6 shots to lead Wilson to a 72-46 victory over Aptos in the State Division II championship game.

The Wildcats (31-3) opened a 14-3 lead and were never threatened by the smaller Mariners (32-2). Wilson won two regional games and the State title by an average of 20 points.

When told his team made it look easy against Aptos, Wilson Coach Mike Lowe said: “You mean Scott Williams made it look easy. He’s the greatest high school player I’ve ever seen.”

Williams established his authority early, blocking three shots in the opening four minutes of play, and the Mariners were forced to shoot outside. Aptos made only 17 of 62 shot attempts.

It was quite a farewell performance for the 6-10 senior who will attend North Carolina in the fall. He made 8 of 14 field-goal attempts and 6 of 11 foul shots.

“Scott scored 22 points, but he did all the little things well, too,” Lowe said. “He has such a great mind for the game. It will be a whole new world without him next year.”

Williams said it was important for the Wildcats to gain control of the game early, and he knew exactly what to do.

“I had a couple of dunks and blocks and I don’t think they wanted to go inside after that,” he said. “This is exactly the way I wanted to end my high school career. It was my last high school game, and I’ll never forget it.”

Aptos, which had a 23-game winning streak snapped, got no closer than 15 points in the second half.

With the victory, Wilson regained some respect for the Southern Section. The Wildcats were the only team from the section to win in Oakland.

Wilson also became only the second Southern Section boys team to win a State title since 1981. Long Beach Poly won the Division I championship in 1984.