CHINO HILLS – When the brackets were unveiled on Sunday afternoon, it was touted as the most compelling matchup of Tuesday night’s first round of the State Southern Regional boys’ basketball playoffs – and by more than just yours truly.
And the Mayfair-Chino Hills, Division I clash proved to be just that.
The visiting Monsoons trailed by 16 points with a little less than four minutes to go, but, behind the superb performance of junior Josh Christopher, came oh-so-close to putting things into overtime before falling, 72-69.
Christopher scored a career-best 44 points – including 20 points in the fourth quarter – but host Chino Hills was able to hold on for the win after Christopher was long on a 3-point jumper following a steal of an inbound pass with 4.6 seconds to go.
The Huskies improved to 21-10 and earned a second-round game in Bellflower Thursday against No. 3 St. John Bosco.
The Monsoons finished their season at 26-7 and were playing just three nights after toppling Rancho Cucamonga at Azusa Pacific University in the Southern Section 2AA title game.
Chino Hills lost to Santa Margarita in the Division I bracket final Saturday afternoon in overtime, 62-61, despite being in front by 10 points with about three minutes to go in regulation.
And, Tuesday night, the Huskies almost completely frittered away another big and late advantage which would have ended their season and the high school career of Okongwu – one of the best big men in the west in a long while.
As has been demonstrated so often this season, when the 6-foot-8 Okongwu is on the floor, the Huskies are usually very good.
Tuesday night illustrated that point succinctly, as the Huskies built a 15-point advantage (at 23-8) midway through the second quarter, and that 16-point edge (at 61-45) after two Okongwu free throws with 3:28 to go in the fourth quarter.
But, as also been the case all season and especially Tuesday night, when Onyeka isn’t on the floor – or playing while deep in foul trouble – things can get precarious for the Huskies in a big hurry.
*Okongwu was whistled for an offensive foul – his third personal – shortly after his team took that 15-point lead in the second quarter and went to the bench.
Christopher then had carte blanche to drive (as well as jump shoot) without Onyeka patrolling the lane and he scored 11 points before Coach Dennis Latimore hustled Okongwu back onto the floor with about a minute to go in the first half.
But the damage had been done – Mayfair was back into the game, emotionally and score-wise, and had pared its deficit to six points at intermission.
With Okongwu back on the floor and dominating in every fashion with 10 points (including a 3), four rebounds, three blocks and three assists in the quarter, the Huskies moved the advantage to 10 points after the third quarter.
But, after building the lead to 16 points and seemingly well on their way to something approaching a 20-plus-point victory, all that Chino Hills momentum shifted abruptly.
Christopher (PICTURED) buried a 3-point after those Okongwu free throws and stole a pass and scored to get his team to within 10 in a literal blink in time.
Okongwu was fouled by Christopher near mid-court, fell to the floor and seemed to get entangled with Christopher’s foot – which he reached and grabbed, resulting in a technical call by an official with 2:24 remaining.
When the three-official crew sorted things out and explained the situation to the respective coaches (Latimore and Tony Davis of Mayfair), Okongwu was given his two free throws because of the Christopher foul and hit just one.
And Christopher went to the other end and hit one of his free throws because of the T, keeping the deficit at 11 points but giving the Monsoons the ball out bounds.
Christopher, fouled while shooting from behind the arc, swished three more free throws before Okongwu was fouled and knocked in two more and the Huskies still led by 10 points (64-54) with two minutes to play.
Christopher had a nearly unchallenged layup (he scored 18 of is 20 fourth-quarter points in barely the final three and a half minutes) and, after Nick Manor Hall hit one of two free throws for Chino Hills, Christopher drilled another 3.
A Chino Hills turnover (they had eight in the fourth quarter) was turned in a Mayfair layup by Michael Ofoegbu and the Monsoons’ deficit was four points.
Anthony Bell missed two free throws for the Huskies but Christopher’s drive to the rim was halted by Okongwu’s seventh block of the evening.
The USC-bound Okongwu – the State Player of the Year last season – was fouled after the ensuing rebounding and hit both free throws for the his 27th and 28th and what proved to be his final points and a five-point edge with 41 seconds to go.
Chris Adimora (who is going to Texas on a football scholarship) scored an uncontested layup for Mayfair but, after a Monsoon’s timeout, Will Pluma was fouled and pushed Chino Hills’ advantage back to five points with both free throws and 24 seconds to go.
Christopher drew Okongwu’s fifth and send-to-the-bench foul and swished two free throws with 20.8 seconds.
After Okongwu was replaced, Manor Hall was fouled after catching an inbound pass and converted both of his free throws and the advantage was back to five points a second later – but not for long as Christopher had clear sailing, at full speed, for a dunk and Davis called his final timeout and his team down, 70-67, with 14.1 seconds on the game clock.
When play resumed, Chino Hills threw the inbound pass away, Christopher snagged the ball but missed a 3.
In the ensuing scramble, Ofoegbu picked up the ball and converted a layup as the clock seemed on its way to expiring – but not before a Mayfair slapped the ball out of bounds before a Chino Hills player could secure it out of bounds, seemingly, to either try to inbound or just let the clock expire on the Monsoons.
The officials did stop the clock before it ran out, conferred at center court, and gave the Monsoons a technical for “delay of game” (for the Monsoon interfering with the ball out of bounds).
Normally, a warning is only given in that situation with a “T” going on the second offense unless the team charged with the delay of game had no remaining timeouts as was the case with the Monsoons.
Pluma swished both free throws and a three-point edge and Chino Hills had to inbound nearest its basket – and the pass was batted loose with Christopher picking up the ball but firing just too long on the tying and buzzer-beating attempt to add four more minutes to the game.
And how confident would the Monsoons have been about winning those four minutes with Okongwu on the bench?
Christopher, after hitting 15 of 34 shots from the floor and 10 of 11 free throws to go with 11 rebounds, can now focus on spending the spring and summer on the camp and travel ball scene demonstrating why he is one of the very best players, anywhere, in the Class of 2020.
Okongwu, after hitting eight of 12 shots from the floor and 11 of 14 free throws to go with 14 rebounds, four assists and his 28 points and seven blocks, saw his high school career extended by at least one more Thursday night game.
And what are the chances that it will be Okongwu and his teammates – and not St. John Bosco – playing Washington Prep or Rancho Verde Saturday night in a D-I semifinal?
That’s another rhetorical question, of course.
The answer is “that depends on how long Okongwu is on the floor Thursday night in the St. John Bosco gym”.
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