Serra basketball fights through adversity to beat Pilibos in OT in D5 final

AZUSA — CJ Anyikwa has been through far more stressful moments to be overwhelmed by anything that transpired Friday during a CIF Southern Section Division 5 boys basketball championship game that had plenty of pressure-filled moments.

The senior forward for Serra remembers a transitional period when the Cavaliers went through five coaching changes in a single summer nearly two years ago.

Through it all, Anyikwa, the lone returner on the team that offseason, remained with the program as players and coaches went elsewhere. The perseverance paid off, as he powered the rebuild and helped secure the team’s first CIF-SS title in 10 years.

Anyikwa had 25 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots to lead Serra over Pilibos 57-51 in an overtime thriller at Azusa Pacific University.

“It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s good to see it come down to this, for sure,” Anyikwa said after finishing eight of 17 from the field and converting half of his eight 3-point attempts.

“Sophomore year, made it to the semis, one game away from this (championship game). Then we lose first round in state (playoffs) and then everybody leaves. We go through five coaching changes in one summer. Man, I was the only one who stayed, and you kind of just gotta buy in.”

Second-year coach De’Jon Frazier guided top-seeded Serra (21-13) to a turnaround season a year after the team went winless in the Del Rey League. The team was moved to the Camino Real League this seson.

“I’m blessed, I’m grateful,” Frazier said as he cradled the championship plaque. “ I’m just so proud of all the hard work this group put together. I know some of the times, these players, they think I’m crazy with some of my antics and how hard I push ‘em. But it was all worth it for this moment right here.”

It marked the program’s first title since winning Division 4AA in 2016.

FINAL : Serra defeats Pilibos 57-51 to win the @CIFSS Division 5 boys basketball title @breezepreps @DamianCalhoun pic.twitter.com/Agq982oyAv

— Tracy McDannald (@Tracy_McDannald) February 27, 2026

The Cavs’ championship moment came with some bumps in the journey.

Pilibos (17-16), with a physical on-ball defense, erased a seven-point deficit over the final 3:10 in regulation and held Serra scoreless in that stretch.

The Cavs, who led 47-40, had seven consecutive empty possessions including three turnovers.

Tied 47-47 with 2.8 seconds left, the Eagles forced overtime after guard Aren Iskenderian caught up to streaking Cavs guard Drew Carter and forced a missed layup at the rim before the buzzer.

“It was a defensive breakdown on my end,” Iskenderian said. “(Carter) went backdoor and I just tried to make a play.”

Before the final play of regulation, Serra was fortunate when Pilibos forward Alex Andriassian missed a pair of free throws with 3.1 seconds left.

Eagles coach Berj Krikorian grimaced as he went over some of his team’s missed opportunities, including an 11 of 20 showing at the free-throw line.

“It’s tough,” Krikorian said. “I don’t know what to say, it’s just tough. I wish we could’ve had many moments back, but we always try to say we can’t take moments for granted and this is why. We missed nine free throws, had a chance to win the game at the free-throw line, didn’t make ‘em.”

Tied 49-49 in overtime, Serra reserve Zach Sams had a key put-back basket and Carter followed with a tough, contested jump shot to snap another tie with 1:27 left and ignite the final push.

“Coach had told us over watching film that they were going to be aggressive,” Carter said of Pilibos’ defense. “Heavy, on-ball defense. I think practice made it what it is in the game. We run all practice — we run a lot. I don’t think they conditioned enough to hang around with us.”

The Cavs’ defense did not allow a point over the final 1:47.

Frazier commended some of the team’s unsung heroes, including Sams, who had 10 of his 13 rebounds on the offensive glass over 28 minutes.

Serra owned a 14-12 advantage in offensive rebounds and limited Pilibos to 1 of 7 shooting in the extra session.

“When I see people like Zach Sams step up…I trust each and every one of them,” Frazier said of his seven-man rotation.

Carter added eight of his 14 points in the second half and overtime to go with four assists.

Pilibos was led by forward Demetri Galadijan, who finished with 23 points but was limited to just nine points in the second half and overtime. Andriassian added 16 points. Both players collected nine rebounds.

Galadijan made two of his first four 3-point attempts before cooling off and finishing three of 10 beyond the arc. He was also matched up against Anyikwa as the two traded baskets for most of the first half.

“They were the better team tonight,” Galadijan said after finishing nine of 24 overall from the field. “Credit to (Anyikwa), he played a helluva game.”

Serra turned things around quickly early after making just one of its first nine shots and trailing 17-10 through one quarter.

The Cavaliers’ defense allowed just two made field goals and forced seven consecutive missed shots between the two baskets in the second quarter.

Serra outscored Pilibos 13-4 in the second quarter and led 23-21 at the break.

Trailing 36-34 entering the fourth, the Cavs once again relied on a strong start defensively. The Eagles went four minutes without a made shot from field to fall behind and set up the finish to regulation.

“We just know how to overcome adversity,” Frazier said of the strong starts to the second and fourth quarters. “I feel like if any team punches us, we expect to get punched but we know we’re going to punch back. We’ve been getting punched all season and we fight back every moment.”

Both teams will move on to play in the CIF State Regional playoffs that begin next week. The regional pairings will be released Sunday.