CIF State Roundup: McClymonds Moe-nificent

Key run: Spurts of 8-0 to start and end the fourth quarter. Five different players scored during the runs.

Key stat: McClymonds shot 47 percent from the floor to 32 percent for Dominguez.

Key play: A putback and three-point play by Damon Powell with 6:01 left in the game to complete an 8-0 run and give McClymonds a 57-43 lead.

ESPN highlight: Powell had several but a stunning follow dunk with 6:41 left in the third quarter shook the rim and Arco.

Unsung heroes: Undoubtedly guards William Cherry, Damario Sims and Quincy Hill, afterthoughts in McClymonds largely dominated frontline attack. The trio combined for 43 points.

Something heard: “Put that (do-do) down!” McClymonds coach Dwight Nathaniel told Frank Otis in no uncertain terms late in the fourth quarter when his powerful 6-6 forward didn’t go up for a dunk late in the fourth quarter but instead was fouled on a layup attempt.

By Mitch Stephens

MaxPreps.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – It was 30 minutes after McClymonds’ stunning and thorough 73-54 upset of the nation's second-ranked team Dominguez in the CIF State Division I boys title game at Arco Arena on Saturday night.

Like a kid running in a playground or a candy store, McClymonds 6-foot-6, 210-pound specimen Damon Powell, without a care in the world, raced through the back vacant halls of Arco, clutching his triumphant blue ribbon, searching for teammates.

“We won the state title,” he said in a childlike sing-song kind of way. “We won a state title.”

He should have been skipping.

Indeed, this was a joyous night for the “Mack” family, a proud and storied school that has produced such NBA greats as Bill Russell, “Jumping” Joe Ellis and Paul Silas.

This was a blissful event for West Oakland, a tough and crime-ridden region of the Bay Area which has experienced its worst murder rate in years.

Mostly this was a perfect ending for coach Dwight Nathaniel – “Coach Moe” – a classy, strong and likeable sort who announced before the season this would be his last and who in the last five years has lost his wife, a daughter and grandchild in fatal vehicle accidents.

The nation’s No. 6 team finished 32-0 and erased an almost embarrassing 54-29 loss to Fairfax (Los Angeles) in last year’s Division I state title game.

“I don’t know if I’m going to sleep tonight,” Nathaniel said with a twinkle. “I have plenty of time for that from now on.”

Unlike last year, the Warriors weren’t sleep walking on offense on Saturday.

While many expected Nathaniel to have his team slow things up like it did in a 50-37 win over De La Salle (Concord) the previous week in the Northern Regional final, instead he instructed his unheralded guard trio to attack fire with fire and fastbreaks at every opportunity.

The strategy worked as they 47 percent of its shots (26 of 55) mostly via transition and interior shots while easily more doubling last year’s total when McClymonds shot a paltry 22 percent.

The guard trio of senior Damario Sims and juniors William Cherry and Quincy Hill, often an afterthought in the Warriors’ attack, were absolutely dynamic and fearless, making 15 of 30 shots while combing for 43 points. They came in averaging a combined 29.

Cherry had a team-high 19 points, seven assists and four steals, Sims 16 points and eight rebounds and Hill eight points.

“Coach Moe told us early in the week we were going to go right at ‘em and that’s what we did,” Sims said. “We had no fear and went out for glory and to have fun.”

Add in the energetic and often spectacular play of Powell (18 points, eight rebounds, four dunks) and 6-6 senior Frank Otis (eight points, game-high 13 rebounds) and the Warriors had a winning formula.

They finished in style with a 24-11 run in the fourth quarter.

It all helped offset a 20-point night for super junior Jordan Hamilton of Dominguez (32-3), which had no one else score more than six.

“We didn’t want Coach Moe to go out sad,” Cherry said. “He told us not to play for him but to play for ourselves but still we didn’t want him to leave 31-1. We wanted to be Mack perfect.”

Nathaniel said it really didn’t matter if McClymonds ended the season with a loss. The Warriors returned just two starters off last year’s squad and its 31-0 start was a complete shocker.

“On paper (Dominguez) man-for-man looked like the better team,” he said. “I told our guys that you don’t have to be better than them. You just have to be better tonight.”

Besides, he eased the pressure by letting them know this: “There was no unhappy ending win or lose. We’ve had a fairytale season no matter what.”

But the Warriors weren’t skipping through warm-ups. By game time the energy level at Arco Arena was palatable.

Of the 5,500 fans in attendance, only a few hundred were rooting for the Southern California champions.

“All of West Oakland was in Sacramento tonight,” Frank Otis said.

Said Hamilton: “You could definitely feel their fans. It was their home court no doubt about it.”

Hamilton, a 6-8 combo player who led the Dons through one of the toughest national schedules in the country, thrives against the odds and was doing it all, especially bombing away, while leading Dominguez to a 27-23 lead.

Ranked one of the top 10 juniors in the country by most services, Hamilton buried three NBA 3-pointers and had 15 points by then and McClymonds seemed like it might be fighting an uphill battle.

But after an exchange of buckets, the Warriors got moving with a 10-0 run, three of the buckets on transition. Cherry had two of the baskets, including an absolutely spectacular hanging lay-up that helped McClymonds take a 35-31 lead into halftime.

Powell then took over in the third quarter with a pretty turnaround jumper, two free throws and then the play of the night, a high-flying follow right-hand jam that increased the lead to 41-33.

“I thought (Powell) was the difference,” Hamilton said. “He really got after it. He’s a good player.”

Dominguez closed to 49-43 at the end of the third quarter, but McClymonds took absolute control with an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter started with a fastbreak layup by Sims off a feed from Cherry. Otis hit one free throw, Cherry two more and then Powell finished things off with a three-point play off a rebound.

That gave McClymonds a 57-43 lead with 6:01 remaining. Dominguez would never cut the deficit within double digits and McClymonds ended with a 9-0 run.

“They just seemed hungrier than us,” Hamilton said. “And they were better prepared.”

Hamilton said the Dons hadn’t seen tape of McClymonds and wasn’t really sure what to expect. After the game, Dominguez coach Russell Otis said his team had internal problems during the week that affected its play.

“We ran into a better team,” Russell Otis said. “They executed and seemed to want it a little more. They’re definitely tough.”

Frank Otis said: “Last year was kind of a joke. This time was didn’t play scared. We wanted to send coach Moe out with a bang.”

Like always, as the final seconds wound down, Nathaniel remained calm and stoic. When the final buzzer hit, he raised his right fist into the air. He was mobbed by his coaching staff and players. One of his coaches had a watch that grazed across Nathaniel’s cheek, drawing blood.

Maybe it was symbolic.

Nathaniel, however, never shed a tear or showed any particular emotion. He smiled a lot. His eyes showed pride.

As Powell ran by, skipping and singing, Nathaniel just admired.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” he said. “Probably will tomorrow or the next. I know I couldn’t ask for a better ending. Now let the fun begin.”

E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com