Stanley the Man again for Mater Dei

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ANAHEIM, Ca. – There has have been more overwhelming and esthetically pleasing championships for Santa Ana Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight.

But, undoubtedly, few have been as gratifying as was Southern Section crown No. 22 for McKnight’s Monarchs Saturday night in the Honda Center.

The Monarchs improved to 31-0 in 2013-14 with a gut-crunching 48-44 victory over Chino Hills in the first-ever CIF Southern Section Open Division championship game.

In a game in which the teams shot a combined 30 of 105 from the field — .286 —  it was up to the best player in California to provide the winners with just enough offense and key rebounds to extend their hopes for a mythical national title.

University of Arizona-bound Stanley Johnson scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds (five of those on the offensive side of the floor), scoring the go-ahead bucket and the insurance free throws in the closing seconds to earn, no doubt, the top seed in the Open Division of the State Southern Regional competition when those brackets are released late Sunday afternoon.

Even with their offense so ineffectual – leading scorers Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball, and KC Cyprian, were 11 of 43 from the field – the Huskies (26-5) were in position to position to pull off the stunner in front of a crowd estimated at 12,000-plus by way of half-court zone and full-court pressure defense that forced 21 turnovers and held the Monarchs to one of 14 from behind the arc.

Chino Hills doesn’t meet the State’s criteria for Open play on the regional level and was expected to be the Southern Section’s No. 1 seed in the Division I bracket.

Trailing by a deuce, the Huskies had a chance to pull out a victory but Lonzo Ball’s contested 3 from the left corner after an inbound pass was short with six seconds to go and Johnson rebounded, was fouled, and nailed both free throws.

In the other five Southern Section title games played Saturday in the Honda Center:

 

Long Beach Poly 54, Mission Viejo 46: The Jackrabbits won their program’s 20th Southern Section title behind solid efforts from seniors Kameron Murrell (19 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists)  and Chris Sullivan (eight points, five rebounds and three assists) and junior K.J. Feagin (14 points and three steals) in the 1AA finale.

The Diablos (24-7) got a game-high 27 points from Boise State-bound Chandler Hutchison but no teammate scored than the seven points turned in by senior forward Dallas Hartman (who had a game-high seven rebounds).

Murrell was just three of 12 from the field but hit all 13 of his free throws for the Jackrabbits (24-8).

Riverside Martin Luther King 61, Villa Park 46: The Spartans stunned No. 2 and 3 seeded Alemany and Temecula Valley, respectively, but could not pull off the hat trick against the No. 4 Wolves in the 1A finale.

Seniors Maurice Jones (17) and Chris Lott (15) combined for 32 points while freshmen Matthew Mitchell (11) and Jordan Robinson (9) teamed to add 20 for the Wolves (24-8).

Six-ten senior Lamont Tyler had a very productive game for the Spartans (21-11) with 26 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots.

Santa Margarita 53, Brea Olinda 46: Seniors Devonte Klines missed 16 of 19 shots but had a game-high 15 points with five assists and Joe Furstinger added nine points and 16 rebounds as the Eagles (23-8) prevailed in the last game of the evening, the 3AA clash.

Senior guard Jonathan Wallace had 12 points for the Wildcats (23-10).

  Calabasas 66, Sonora 47: Senior point guard Jeremy Lieberman was credited with six assists but probably had twice that many to go with four steals to help his team to the 2A title.

The Coyotes (27-5) got 19 points and nine rebounds from senior forward Austin Smith and 17 points from junior guard Conner Longmire.

Junior guard Josh Rodriguez led the Raiders (28-4) with 14 points.

Anaheim Canyon 71, Westlake 54: Guards Anthony Ballestero (20 points, six rebounds and seven assists) and Nick Anderson (20 points, 16 rebounds and four steals) helped the Comanches pull away in the fourth quarter in the first game of the day, the IIAA affair.

Canyon (28-4) shot 48 percent from the field and forced 21 turnovers.

Westlake (25-8) got 15 points apiece from forwards Jeremiah Gray and Michael Hayon.