SAN FRANCISCO >> Jasir Rencher had the ball on the perimeter, facing just one Salesian defender but with thousands of eyes fixed upon the 6-foot-7 Archbishop Riordan wing in the NorCal Open Division semifinal at Crusader Forum on Saturday night.

Facing the same team that had shut him down in last year’s NorCal Open title game, Rencher wasn’t going to let Salesian stop him from imposing his will in the rematch.

The Texas A&M commit blasted down the baseline and hammered a one-handed dunk through the rim for two points before letting out a roar.

“This is the best feeling ever,” said Rencher, who led Riordan with 20 points. “But we’re not done.”

It was the loudest two points of Riordan’s 64-57 victory that sent San Francisco school to its second consecutive NorCal Open final, but it didn’t define the quality that secured the victory.

Yes, there were plenty of those trademark Crusaders acrobatics. Andrew Hilman scored 13, Ryder Bush had 11 and John Tofi finished with 10, mostly on an assortment of drives.

But when the game was tight in the second half, the Crusaders’ poise won them the game.

When Salesian’s Isaiah Davis scored on a fast-break floater to give the Richmond program a 42-41 lead with 2:20 left in the third quarter, Rencher made a backdoor layup and then buried a contested 3-pointer to send Riordan into the fourth up 45-41.

“I’m happy for the guys,” Riordan coach Joey Curtin said. “And I’m especially happy for Jasir.”

That set up a winner-take-all fourth quarter that Riordan had been waiting for since last year’s NorCal Open final. Riordan got some revenge in the Gridley Invitational in December, but only a win in the regionals against the storied East Bay program would suffice.

Salesian’s Elias Obenyah carried the Pride on Saturday night, scoring 29 points.

“Whoever gets him in college is going to get a good one, and I’m totally happy with him and how he performed,” Salesian coach Bill Mellis said.

The Crusaders, meanwhile, found themselves in a rare close game after winning their 14 West Catholic Athletic League games by an average of 38 points.

Riordan was seeded No. 1 for the first time in three trips to the NorCal Open playoffs and was awarded with a first-round bye. Rust may have been a factor early as Salesian led by four after one quarter, but Riordan was back in form late.

Hilman went on a personal 5-0 run in the fourth quarter thanks to an acrobatic layup and a poster dunk to give Riordan a 52-46 lead.

Salesian’s Alvin Loving made a layup, Carlton Perrilliat took a steal all the way to the rim for a dunk and Obenyah split a pair of free throws to cut it to 52-51.

Riordan knocked down 10 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

“It was nerve-wracking, but coach Joey told us going into the game, that it was going to be a hell of a game,” Tofi said.

Salesian finished the season 27-4, and longtime coach Mellis stayed even-keeled after the final buzzer.

“It was a tough environment and we handled it well,” Mellis said. “The game was a lot of fun. They made their free throws and made a couple more plays down the stretch. We lost to a really good team.”

Riordan (28-1) kept the postgame celebrations to a minimum.

As gratifying as the win over Salesian was, the Crusaders were already thinking about De La Salle and what would be required to win the school’s first NorCal Open title at home on Tuesday night.

“I’m 1,000% happy, but you know, we have got one more,” Rencher said. “The job isn’t finished.”