LAS VEGAS – The Chino Hills and Mater Dei high school basketball teams will play a rematch Tuesday night 6:20 in the Platinum Division championship game of the fifth Jerry Tarkanian Memorial Classic at Bishop Gorman High – some 250 miles from where the teams played on Feb. 26 of last season.
And the Monarchs are void of any found memories of that CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinal played at Ayala High in Chino Hills – and won by the Chino Hills Huskies, 102-54, en route to Southern Section and State Open Division titles.
It was the most lopsided loss – by a bunch – suffered by the Monarchs in the Gary McKnight Era that began in the 1982-83 season and has been colored by sheer dominance ever since.
The “rematch”, of sorts, might have occurred in the Platinum Division’s third-place game Tuesday if the Huskies (who knocked off another strong Southern Section club, Eastvale Roosevelt, 76-68) and the Monarchs (86-79, in overtime, over tournament host Bishop Gorman) hadn’t rallied from big second-half deficits Monday evening semifinals played in the Orleans Arena.
In the first of the two games, Roosevelt took control almost immediately by way of play of seniors Jemarl Baker (16 points in the first half, including four 3s) and Matt Mitchell (10 points in the first 16 minutes), who couple their strong shooting performances with determined defensive efforts against the Brothers Ball, sophomore Melo and senior Gelo.
Melo missed five of seven shots and committed three turnovers in the first half while big (as in about 6-foot-6 and something in the neighborhood of 240 pounds) brother Gelo missed 14 of his field-goal attempts.
Baker’s fourth 3, which banked in at the buzzer, put the Mustangs up, 45-33, at intermission and the advantage inched to 13 a couple of times, the last of those at 50-37 two minutes into the second half.
But, after being held in check reasonably well by the defense of Baker, the younger Ball took over.
Melo, who inherited the point guard duties that opened up following the graduation of the oldest Ball Brother, Lonzo (now doing wondrous things in Westwood), sparked a 9-zip run via his scoring, playmaking and defensive tenacity.
A Melo 3 from about 30 feet away and right in the face of Baker put the Huskies up, 57-55, with 8:16 to go but then Baker answered with another of his from-a-different-area-code jumpers 30 seconds later to put the Mustangs back up.
Elizjah Scott offensive rebound bucket while being fouled and ensuing free throw with 6:21 to play put the Huskies of Coach Stephen Gilling up to stay, 62-60, and the lead was at six as sophomore center Onyeka Okongwu followed with a 17-footer jumper and layup after passes from Melo.
The Mustangs got to within 69-68 on consecutive 3s by Baker (who finished with a game-high 27 points), sandwiched around two Scott free throws.
But Scott (23 points and 13 rebounds) hit six more free throws and Melo (19 points and six assists; and no turnovers in the second half) another to close out the team’s third come-from-behind victory in the event.
In the second Platinum semi, the host Gaels were in front by 10 points at intermission – the only deficit, in all likelihood, of more than two or four points all season for the Monarchs – and extended the advantage to 14, at 51-37, after a Jamal Bey bucket with 12 minutes to go in regulation.
But junior point guard Spencer Freedman (who finished with a career-high 26 points – 19 after intermission – and six assists) directed a 11-1 run that led to a timeout call by Bishop Gorman Coach Grant Rice three minutes later.
But the Gaels got their lead back to nine points (69-60) with when McKnight’s club made another decisive push, taking the lead (at 73-71) on a Justice Sueing 3 from the left corner with 2:05 to go in regulation after a Freedman pass.
Sueing, despite picking up his fourth foul five minutes into the second half, never left the game while finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Michael Wang swished two free throws to push the edge to four points but Christian Popoola Jr. answered with a 3 to get Bishop Gorman to within a point with 33 seconds to go.
Wang was fouled almost immediately after the inbound pass but hit just one of two free throws.
Popoola drove into traffic and was fouled with 21 tics and hit both free throws.
A Mater Dei jumper by Matt Weyand was swatted out of bounds with 11 seconds remaining and then the Monarchs turned the ball over with about six seconds to go but Bey’s buzzer-beating shot attempt wasn’t close, setting a four-minute overtime.
Freedman scored the first points in overtime, Popoola answered with tying free throws 10 seconds later but junior Harrison Butler put Mater Dei up to stay with a jumper set by a Freedman pass with 2:14 remaining.
In other division semifinals played at the Orleans Arena Monday:
Eastbay Division
*Tallahassee (FL) Godby 59, Woods Cross 38 (UT): Six-foot-eight Corbin Merritt scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the team from Florida burst to a 18-2 lead and cruised the rest of the way.
Six-three Trevin Knell (who signed with the University of California in November) scored a team-best 15 points for Woods Cross.
*Highlands Ranch (CO) ThunderRidge 67, Las Vegas 56: Senior forwards Corey Sang (23) and Ryan Holt (14) combined for 37 points as the Grizzlies overcame an early deficit to advance to the championship game.
Six-five senior Marquise Raybon led Las Vegas with 14 points despite foul problems.
Orleans Division
*Highland Lone Peak (UT) 89, Denver George Washington 82 (OT): Lone Peak had five players in double figures, led by Steven Ashworth and Nate Harkness, with 19 points each.
Jervay Green (29 points) and Jon’il Fugett (21) paced George Washington.
*Sacramento Sheldon 62, American Fork (UT) 46: Point guard Elishja Duplechan led a balanced attack with 18 points for the winners while 6-9 sophomore Isaac Johnson scored 19 for American Fork.
Didn’t the Monarchs suffer a 50 point thrashing (80-30) at the hands of Harvard-Westlake (Collins Twins) in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic in December, 1996?