SACRAMENTO >> Lincoln-Stockton coach Anthony Matthews stepped to the podium after his team lost a 58-53 heartbreaker to SoCal powerhouse Sierra Canyon in the Division I title game and asked the reporters in the room, “Do you want the real thing about tonight’s game or do you want the politically correct answer first?”

The longtime head coach went on to rip the game’s officials after he believed his team was robbed of a state championship.

“In a meaningful game like this, you have your whole starting five in foul trouble,” Matthews said. “Both teams were in foul trouble, but 30-18 on free throws? We only had one kid in foul trouble going into halftime and we’re sitting in a 2-3 zone. It’s not like we’re pressing full court.

“I’m so proud of these guys. They deserve better.”

The game got choppy in the second half with referees calling the game much tighter than the first.

Lincoln starters Donez Lindsey and Tre Simmons fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Weber State commit Anthony Moore and backup center Dilan Fanucchi each played the fourth quarter with four fouls.

With each foul called, the crowd of more than 1,000 Lincoln fans booed and jeered as the game started to slip away without its star players on the floor.

While Sierra Canyon celebrated the win, the Trailblazers couldn’t help but notice how the rhythm of the game was disrupted by the fouls in the second half.

“I just thought that they didn’t allow us to go up and down,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said. “It’s tough to get a flow of the game when there’s a whistle every single time.”

The Trailblazers won Friday’s Division I title with NBA superstar LeBron James sitting courtside. James’ son, Bryce, was a starter for Sierra Canyon and had three points on 1 for 9 shooting.

INTERNATIONAL-SAN FRANCISCO: REPPING THE CITY >> The CIF state boys basketball championship games could be bookended by San Francisco victories.

In Division V, International-San Francisco routed Diamond Ranch-Pomona 71-52 to capture the program’s first state title on Friday afternoon. Archbishop Riordan took on Roosevelt-Eastvale in the Open Division final on Saturday night.

“I think there’s a lot of great basketball in our city, and we’ve represented very well as of late,” International coach Paul Cortes said.

Conor Maguire scored 32 points for International, and despite having the talent to play elsewhere in SF or even other places in the Bay Area, the senior hoped the team’s victory would show the benefits of playing at the small private school.

“Hopefully, this could be a start for us to keep those players at our school,” Maguire said.