CIF boys state championship preview: No. 3 Mater Dei leads new-life finalists

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Among the boys, the 2011 CIF State Basketball Championships, is a shot at redemption.

Eight of the 10 teams actually didn't win section championships, meaning those squads rebounded in a big way to win three of four straight at the regional level. Now they are all just one wins from the ultimate goal - a state crown.

The lone section champions were Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (Division II) and 2009 state champion Salesian-Richmond (Division IV).

Though 80 percent of the finalist had to claw and scratch back into the title race, 90 percent of those programs have state title-game experience.  The lone newcomer to Power Balance Pavilion (previous Arco Arena) is Summit-Fontana, a fifth-year program which last week stunned defending Division II state champion Lincoln-San Diego.

The other nine programs have earned 34 times state-final games, including a state record 11 appearances by Mater Dei-Santa Ana. With a victory Saturday in the Division I game with De La Salle-Concord, the Monarchs can tie Crenshaw-Los Angeles for the most state boys crowns with eight.

The only defending champion in the group is Lutheran-La Verne, but the Trojans won't be after another Division V title. Lutheran has jumped up two classes to Division III.

The only nationally ranked squad among the 10 is Mater Dei, which is No. 3 according to the MaxPreps Freeman (computer) rankings and No. 9 in the Xcellent 25.

With a clean sweep last season, the South has now won twice as many title games as the North (90-45) in contests played since 1981. The South owns big leads in Division I (23-7), II (22-7) and IV (17-6). The South also leads in Division III (15-13) and the North holds a 12-11 edge in Division V.

DIVISION I, Saturday 8 p.m.

Mater Dei-Santa Ana (31-3) vs. De La Salle-Concord (27-5)

WIN STREAKS: Mater Dei 4, De La Salle 3.

STATE RECORD: Mater Dei 7-4, De La Salle 2-2.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: Mater Dei – G Katin Reinhardt, F Xavier Johnson, G David Brown. De La Salle – F Travis Pacos, G Amadi Udenyi, G Elliot Pitts.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Mater Dei 75.4 (52.9); De La Salle 51.3 (38.1).

Two of the more storied sports programs in the state, if not country, clash and few people – at least this season – thought either would get there.

Mater Dei has terrific talent and depth, but with only one senior among its top 10 in rotation, most thought the Monarchs' marquee season was next.

Mater Dei avenged a Southern Section defeat to Centennial-Corona with a 76-64 victory last week at the Galen Center as the Reinhardt, a 6-5 junior with great shooting range, and Johnson, a 6-7 junior with great length and leaping ability, scored 17 and 15 points, respectively.

The two lead four Monarchs in double figures.

"We're better when a lot of people contribute," Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight said. "We're not at our best when only a few people contribute."

McKnight and De La Salle coach Frank Allocco are very good friends and the teams scrimmage every quarter.

Asked how last summer's scrimmage went and Allocco said: "We played eight quarters, it's tough to keep track."

Translation: Mater Dei got the better of it.

De La Salle, without an obvious next-level player on the squad, overachieved all season and like Mater Dei avenged a section loss by defeating Castro Valley 49-43 in the NorCal finals on Saturday.

Pacos, a 6-2 senior forward without much athleticism, leads the team with a 17 points per game average. He had 19 against Castro Valley, 13 coming during an 18-0 run that keyed the victory and avenged an 18-point loss in the section finals.

The Spartans aren't big – not a player taller than 6-4 on their roster – and shooting isn't a strength either. Defense, as usual, is. Udenyi, strong 5-10, 185-pound guard, leads the perimeter defense.

Though De La Salle looks overmatched on paper – the Spartans have looked like prohibitive underdogs all season. Asked how he plans to slow down Mater Dei and Allocco said:

"We've kind of stopped looking at our opponents at this point and just said, 'Hey, we are what we are. We just have to keep gutting it out and find a way to win.' "

The best match-up here may be of the coaches: McKnight (831-81, seven state titles) versus Allocco (552-76, three state titles).PREDICTED SCORE: Mater Dei 61, De La Salle 52.

DIVISION II, Friday 8 p.m.

Summit-Fontana (28-7) vs. Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (31-2)

WIN STREAKS: Summit 4, Mitty 19.

STATE RECORD: Summit 0-0, Mitty 0-2

TERRIFIC TRIOS: Summit – G Montigo Alford, F Cameron Lewis, G Devon Alexander. Mitty – C Aaron Gordon, G Kyle Toth, G Brandon White.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Summit 74.6 (50.8), Mitty 63.9 (46.9).

Most had penciled in Lincoln into this spot, but Summit pulled off a 56-48 stunner in the Southern California Regional at the Galen Center last week.

It was no surprise to Summit, a rising fifth-year program which has played one of the Southland's toughest schedules. The aptly named Skyhawks had lost twice to nationally ranked Etiwanda and once each to Centennial and Mission Viejo, which combined for 59 wins.

Lincoln came into the Southern Regional finals ranked fifth in the nation according to MaxPreps.com.

"We've been playing like this all year," Summit coach Steve Hickey told reporters after the Lincoln win. "At the start of the year we were finding our identity, and playing tough teams early helped these guys have success."

Alford had 18 points against Lincoln, Arnold had 14 and Devon Alexander and Lewis added 12 apiece.

Mitty played better than any of the Northern California teams in its regional final, a 67-44 victory over Woodcreek-Roseville, a team that eliminated the Monarchs the previous season.

Mitty is led by one of the nation's top sophomores Gordon, a 6-7 post who has guard skills. He plays post for the smallish Monarchs and was the first ninth-grader ever to be named Player of the Year in the West Catholic Athletic League, considered the top league top-to-bottom in Northern California.

Gordon, whose brother Drew led Mitty to back-to-back NorCal titles in 2007 and 2008, averages more than 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game.

Toth, a 6-foot junior, was the key to Saturday's game with four 3-pointers and 20 points. His outside shooting is key in order to open the court down low for Gordon. Neil Vranicar, a 6-5 junior, also had three 3-pointers for Mitty.

"We haven't played our best game yet," Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said after last week's win. "We're going to need to in order to win (this) week."

PREDICTED SCORE: Mitty 61, Summit 59.

DIVISION III, Saturday 2:45 p.m.

Lutheran-La Verne (26-5) vs. Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland (25-6)

WIN STREAKS: Lutheran 4, Bishop O'Dowd 4.

STATE RECORD: Lutheran 1-0, Bishop O'Dowd 1-6.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: Summit – F Grant Jerrett, G Bruce English, G C.J. Cooper. Bishop O'Dowd – F Brandon Ashley, F Richard Longrus, G Anders Haas.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Lutheran 75.2 (43.8), Bishop O'Dowd 67.6 (48.4).
Both these teams left Babobank Arena in Bakersfield riding totally opposite emotions last season.

Lutheran fought back from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to edge Branson-Ross 35-32 in the Division V finals, while O'Dowd fought back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime, only to lose to Serra-Gardena 63-59.

Both fought back after losing section games to win Regional titles.

Lutheran used superb defense from English and Cooper, plus 22 points from Arizona-bound Jerrett to post a 57-45 regional final win over La Canada. English, a 6-1 senior, had 15 points and Cooper, a 6-foot senior point guard, added 10 points. English has signed to Loyola-Marymount and Cooper has committed to UTEP.

Bishop O'Dowd overcame a sluggish offensive performance with superb defense in a 50-32 Northern Regional win over El Cerrito. Kendall Jackson, an ever-improving 5-8 point guard, led the way with 11 points but O'Dowd allowed just 25 percent shooting and caused 23 turnovers.

The Dragons feature the rugged and talented front line of Ashley, a 6-8 junior, and 5-7 Longrus, along with the 3-point shooting threat of Haas.

The matchup between Jerrett and Ashley figures to be battle worth watching. Both are considered top 20 national recruits from the Class of 2012. Both are long, skilled and very athletic.

PREDICTED SCORE: Lutheran 51, Bishop O'Dowd 49.

DIVISION IV, Saturday 11:15 a.m.

Windward-Los Angeles (26-8) vs. Salesian-Richmond (25-11)

WIN STREAKS: Windward 3, Salesian 20

STATE RECORD: Windward 1-0, Salesian 1-0.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: Windward – F Wes Saunders, F Nick Stover, G Jordan Wilson. Salesian – G Dominic Artis, F Jabari Bird, C Freddie Tagaloa.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Windward 70.4 (56.4), Salesian 74.7 (51.5).

Both teams would love to repeat performances here from 2009.

Windward played a nearly flawless game while taking the state Division V crown with a 69-53 victory over St. Joseph Notre Dame. Harvard-commit Saunders emerged in that game with 21 points while hitting seven of eight shots.

Saunders, a 6-6 senior, had only eight points in last week's regional final win over Oaks Christian-Westlake Village but had nine rebounds, six steals and three blocks. He averages 20.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Stover (15.9) and Wilson (11.0) also average in double figures.

Don't be fooled by Salesian's record.

The Pride, who beat Bishop Montgomery 65-64 on a buzzer-beater in 2009, forfeited 10 games this season due to a paperwork issue of a transfer player. Salesian is actually 35-1 on the court, its only loss to Division V state finalist St. Joseph Notre Dame 57-54.

Artis, a 6-foot junior, does it all for the Pride, who have had seven players score in double figures this season. Bird, a 6-5 wing, is considered one of the top sophomores in the country and is the team's leading scorer.

Tagaloa, a 6-8, 315-pound post, is one of the nation's top football recruits. He keyed the team's regional championship win over defending Northern California champion St. Mary's-Berkeley, with 10 pounds and 10 rebounds.

PREDICTED SCORE: Salesian 65, Windward 59.

DIVISION V, Friday 1:30 p.m.

St. Bernard-Playa del Rey (26-8) vs. St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda (26-8)

WIN STREAKS: St. Bernard 4, St. Joseph 7

STATE RECORD: St. Bernard 0-1, St. Joseph 3-3.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: St. Bernard – F Brandon Randolph, G Thurman Thomas, F Emani Gant. St. Joseph – C Brendan Keane, G Dominic Lippi, G Jacari Whitfield.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): St. Bernard 71.2 (57.0), St. Joseph 56.4 (46.7).

Both teams would love to erase last performances here, St. Bernard lost a a bitter 61-60 Division IV title game to Tamalpais-Mill Valley in 2000, while St. Joseph lost 69-53 in the 2009 Division championship game to Windward.

St. Bernard won its own buzzer-beater to get here as Thomas, a 6-2 senior scored on a putback at the buzzer to defeat Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 61-59 in the Southern Regional final. Thomas and Daniel Cordoba had 13 points apiece for St. Bernard, which is led by the Randolph, a 6-3 sophomore who averages 18.8 points per game.

Thomas averages 15.8 for a team that was 4-23 a season ago. St. Bernard has turned it around behind first year coach Reggie Morris.

St. Joseph, which won the 2004 title under current coach Don Lippi, is led by 6-10 post Keane, who is headed to Northern Colorado. He averages 17 points and eight rebounds per game. He Whitfield (13 points, six assists per game) and Dominic Lippi (10 points per game), were starters on the 2009 squad.

Lippi had 16 points, eight rebounds and four 3-pointers in the Pilots' 61-43 Northern Regional championship win over University-San Francisco. Keane led all scorers with 17 and Whitfield added eight points and four assists.

St. Joseph won back-to-back Division I state crowns starting in 1991 thanks to a point guard named Jason Kidd.

PREDICTED SCORE: St. Joseph 56, St. Bernard 54.