Less than 12 hours after the Diamond Ranch boys basketball team defeated Math & Science Prep 65-59 to win the CIF Southern California Regional Division V title on Tuesday night, it was back in the gym Wednesday morning getting ready for today’s state championship game.

“We have had morning practices all year,” Diamond Ranch coach Kevin Ryan said. “The mood is the same for us. We go through the process of allowing us to be happy after Tuesday’s victory. But the next day it is back to work and be better every single day. The opportunity we have is rare, and we’re going to make the most of it.”

Diamond Ranch (23-14) will take on International (23-12) of San Francisco today at noon in the Division V state championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

International won the Northern California Regional title as the seventh seed, beating Fortune Early College Prep, 71-63.

Ryan said the only thing he knew about International was that its 5-foot-11 senior guard, Conor Maguire, made headlines in February when he scored 63 points and made 14 3-pointers against league foe Drew. But other than that, Ryan said he had some more homework to do.

“I don’t know anything about them,” Ryan said of International. “I’ve texted as many coaches as I can trying to get information. It will be a couple late nights trying to break them down, but we’ll be ready.”

The Panthers finished fourth in the Mt. Baldy League with a 4-6 record, but was awarded an at-large berth to the Division 5AA playoffs. They made a run to the championship game and lost to Kaiser, 61-48.

In the state playoffs, the Panthers avenged their loss to Kaiser with a 52-47 victory in a second-round rematch. They then knocked off top-seeded Wilson 56-46 in the regional semifinals.

“We just kept improving,” Ryan said, “kept getting better and our kids are figuring it out, making basketball reads and hitting shots. That’s a big thing. We’re hitting hitting shots when we’re open and guys are not panicking under pressure and taking care of the ball.

“We’re a defensive team that tries to hold teams to one shot, and when you’re hitting your shots and making smart plays on the other end, good things happen. We’re just so proud of how far they have come.”

Diamond Ranch senior Michael Salazar and junior Devin Turner have been the team catalysts during the playoff run, along with junior forward Jaiden Pullian. Salazar and Turner each scored 22 points in Tuesday’s win over Math & Science Prep while Pullian finished with 11 points.

“Going to (CIF-SS) finals and losing that, and then playing the same team again (Kaiser) and beating them — that was just a sign for all of us to just keep pushing through,” Salazar said following Tuesday’s win. “Look at us now. We’re going to Sacramento.”

Because of the Panthers’ fast-paced style, Ryan said he is not concerned about playing in the big arena that is home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

“Our pace will help and our guys will adjust,” Ryan said, “and playing in a championship is not new. We lost in the (CIF-SS) finals and they felt what it was like losing in a championship. I don’t think this will feel any different than that game.”