Damien Silences the Superstar, Rolls Past St. John Bosco 48-41 to Punch Ticket to CIF State Championship in Sacramento

March 10, 2026 | RepMaxMedia.com

BELLFLOWER, CA — The McDonald’s All-American didn’t score a single point in the first half. And that was the ballgame.

Damien High School pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 CIF State playoffs on Tuesday night, defeating No. 4-seeded St. John Bosco 48-41 in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I Championship to punch their ticket to Friday’s state title game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The Spartans (31-7) locked down Bosco’s five-star superstar Christian Collins (#11) without a single first-half point, while senior guard Elijah Smith (#2) erupted for 10 points in the first quarter alone to set a commanding tone that the Braves never fully recovered from.

FINAL SCORE BREAKDOWN





Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Final




Damien
13
11
16
8
48


St. John Bosco
7
7
14
13
41

Halftime: Damien 24, St. John Bosco 14 End of 3rd Quarter: Damien 40, St. John Bosco 28

DAMIEN BOX SCORE




Player
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Total




#2 Elijah Smith
10
3
6
1
20 pts


#25 Eli Garner
0
6
10
0
16 pts


#15 Zaire Rasshan
3
0
0
5
8 pts


#22 Sammy Franco
0
2
0
2
4 pts

ST. JOHN BOSCO BOX SCORE




Player
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Total




#11 Christian Collins
0
0
10
7
17 pts


#1 Gavin Dean-Moss
0
4
2
1
7 pts


#24 (unlisted)
3
2
0
0
5 pts


#5 Max Ellis
2
0
0
2
4 pts


#22 Chace Patterson
2
0
2
0
4 pts


#12 Tariq Iscandari
0
0
0
3
3 pts


#4 Joem Fidello
0
1
0
0
1 pt

Elijah Smith Sets the Tone — 10 Points in Q1

If Tuesday night had a defining moment, it was the opening quarter.

Senior guard Elijah Smith (#2) came out on absolute fire. He knocked down two 3-pointers and two 2-point field goals in the first quarter alone — 10 of Damien’s opening 13 points — while Collins stood on the other end without a single bucket. By the time the first buzzer sounded, Damien led 13-7 and the tone was set.

Smith didn’t slow down in the second quarter either, finishing the first half with 13 points as Damien extended its lead to 24-14 at the break. He ended the night as the game’s leading scorer with 20 points, a performance that will go down as one of the best individual outings of this entire CIF State playoff run.

Elijah Smith Final Line: 20 points — two 3-pointers, multiple 2s and free throws | Game-high scorer on either team

Eli Garner Takes Over in Q3

If Smith sparked the fire in the first half, Eli Garner (#25) poured gas on it in the third quarter.

With Bosco rallying in the early minutes of Q3 — Collins finally woke up and scored 10 of his 17 points in the period — Garner answered back with authority. The senior wing scored 10 of Damien’s 16 third-quarter points, including a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 34-26 and a follow-up basket that made it 37-26. By the end of three quarters, Damien led 40-28 and Bosco’s window to come back was shrinking fast.

Garner finished with 16 points, making him the second Spartan to crack double figures on a night when Damien needed multiple contributors to hold off a Bosco squad that refused to go quietly.

Eli Garner Final Line: 16 points | 10 of those in Q3 — a quarter that essentially decided the game

Zaire Rasshan: The Clutch Closer

When Collins’ fourth-quarter surge brought Bosco within striking distance — he scored 7 fourth-quarter points including a basket that cut it to 44-41 with under two minutes left — junior point guard Zaire Rasshan (#15) delivered the knockout blow.

Rasshan had already drilled a 3-pointer early in the fourth to push the lead to 44-35 right after Iscandari’s three trimmed it to 41-35. Then, with the game on the line and fouls mounting, Rasshan stepped to the free-throw line in the final minute and calmly knocked down two free throws to make it 48-41 and seal the win.

Eight points on paper. But the 3-pointer and the two clutch free throws at the most critical moment of the game were worth every bit of what got Damien to Sacramento. Rasshan leads Damien on the season averaging 21.0 points per game — the fact that a 20-point per game scorer played the complementary, disciplined role when needed says everything about how this team is built.

Zaire Rasshan Final Line: 8 points — 1 3-pointer, 2 clutch free throws late | The dagger when it mattered most

Collins’ Story: Silent First Half, Too Little Too Late

Christian Collins is averaging 26.1 points per game this season. He just dropped 32 points and 17 rebounds in overtime against Mater Dei to drag Bosco into this regional final.

On Tuesday, he was held scoreless through two full quarters of basketball. His first bucket didn’t come until the third quarter, where he erupted for 10 points in a Bosco run that briefly made things interesting. He added 7 more in the fourth — including a basket with under two minutes to play that cut the lead to three — but Damien’s Rasshan answered every time.

Collins finished with 17 points, but the first-half damage Damien built before he found his footing was simply too much to overcome. The game plan from coach LeDuc was masterful: make Collins beat you in the first half. He couldn’t.

Christian Collins Final Line: 17 points — 0 in Q1 | 0 in Q2 | 10 in Q3 | 7 in Q4 | Season avg: 26.1 PPG

A Coaches’ Duel Worth Noting

Beyond the stats, there was a compelling sideline subplot.

Damien head coach Mike LeDuc won the CIF State Division I title with the Spartans in 2022. On the opposing bench, St. John Bosco head coach Matt Dunn — who built Damien into a powerhouse and won the Division III state title there in 2015 — was trying to deny his former program a return trip to Sacramento.

LeDuc won the chess match. His defense held the nation’s most dangerous player scoreless for a half. His team built a 10-point halftime lead and extended it to 12 entering the fourth quarter. Even when Bosco made its run, Damien had just enough.

Now LeDuc is one game from another state title.

Damien’s Full Playoff Road to Sacramento




Round
Opponent
Result




Round 1
Inglewood
W, 84-65


Round 2
Crespi
W, 59-55


Semifinals
Crean Lutheran
W, 49-44 (trailed by 15 in Q3)


Regional Final
St. John Bosco
W, 48-41

What’s Next

Damien heads to Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday for the CIF State Division I Boys Basketball Championship. The Spartans will face a Northern California representative for the state title.

They bring a complete team: a 20-point scorer in Smith, a Q3 takeover artist in Garner, a clutch point guard in Rasshan, and a defensive identity that can blank one of the best players in the country for two full quarters. If they bring that same formula to Sacramento, don’t count them out.

📊 Stats Source: MaxPreps Live Scoretracker | March 10, 2026 📍 CIF State Division I Boys Basketball Championship | Friday | Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

Full CIF State playoff coverage at RepMaxMedia.com.