After section final loss, Greyhounds pull off upset in CIF State Playoffs

By Michael Chaldu · Wed Mar 04 2026

AHS falls to Clovis in Fresno, but as No. 13 seed in state's Division III, Hounds shock Warren 69-62

Feature Image courtesy of AHS Sports

ATASCADERO — It's been bad news and then good news for the Atascadero High boys basketball team in the past week.

The Greyhounds, the top seed in CIF Central Section Division II, played for the division championship on Friday, Feb. 27 against No. 2 seed Clovis. In a game where their shooting touch eluded them, AHS fell to Clovis 65-47 in the title game at Fresno's Selland Arena.

However, reaching the section championship game earned the Greyhounds a spot in the CIF State Division III tournament, involving teams from all the California sections.

AHS was seeded No. 13 and was given a tough task, traveling to Downey to face No. 4 Warren High. The Greyhounds were up to that task, defeating the host Bears 69-62.

It was quite a reversal of the Central Section title game for the Greyhounds, who now stand at 21-10. With the win, AHS heads to the second round of the CIF Southern California bracket, being the only double-digit seed in Division III to do so. Warren, who went undefeated (10-0) in the the Southern Section's San Gabriel Valley League, finished at 24-8 overall.

Like the Central Section title game, the Greyhounds fell behind early as the Bears jumped out to a 14-4 lead. However, two three-pointers by Shea Buckley closed the gap and while Warren continued to hold the lead, AHS was behind by only 36-31 at half.

The Bears led for most of the third quarter before tying it at 48 at the end of the period. Then, in the fourth, the Greyhounds took control.

It was Buckley again, as he drove the lane to give AHS its first lead at 50-48, and then hit a 3-pointer for a five-point lead. The Bears eventually tied it at 57, but then Damon Mitchell put in a basket off a Buckley miss with 3 minutes left, and the Greyhounds had a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

In the final minute, AHS pulled away as Warren kept fouling in desperation, and the Hounds made seven of its eight foul shots down the stretch.

The Greyhounds can now look forward to another trip south as they will travel to Ontario on Thursday, March 5, to play fifth-seeded Colony High at 7 p.m. The Titans, 21-12 and a second-place finisher in the Southern Section's Hacienda League, defeated Norte Vista 90-69 in the first round.

In the Central Section Division II title game, Clovis, who had lost to the Greyhounds by 20 in a regular-season matchup in December, got off to a quick start, scoring 9 of the first 11 points of the game, before AHS battled back and closed to within 15-10 at the end of the first period.

The second period ended up being the Greyhounds' best stretch of the night, scoring 18 points in the quarter and making a run when Damon Mitchell scored consecutive baskets to close the gap, and Timothy Kyle Foster hit a trey and then a layup to give AHS a 26-23 lead. The Cougars' Anthony Smith then wiped out the Greyhounds' advantage with a game-tying 3, and then hit two foul shots for a 30-28 halftime edge, a lead Clovis would not surrender for the rest of the game.

The Cougars, who as the lower seed were the designated as the visiting team although it was a de facto home game for them, scored the first five points of the second half and gradually increased their lead throughout the second half. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Sier Harbin hit a 3-pointer to give Clovis its first double-digit lead at 50-39, and after a trey from Steven Ernst knocked the lead down to eight points, the Cougars scored eight straight to put the game out of reach at 58-42.

As they dribbled out the clock on their title win, the Cougars appeared to score a last three-pointer at the buzzer, and the final was reported as 68-47, but the final trey was ruled no good to keep it at 65-47.

Buckley was the leading scorer for the Hounds with 14 points, while Mitchell added nine points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

The victory Friday would have given AHS its first section title since 1979, which was under legendary coach Arthur Wilmore. The Greyhounds last reached a section final in 2018 but came up short.

However this year's section final berth continued the Greyhounds' success under Augie Johnston, a former Greyhound standout who graduated in 2004 before playing professionally overseas, and has steadily rebuilt the program in his fifth year leading the program.