SACRAMENTO, Calif. – For Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) High School's boys basketball team, this was supposed to happen next year.
Westchester celebrates its fifth
state title.
Photo by Gary Jones
For
McClymonds, this nightmare was never supposed to happen again.
But Westchester's hard-to-watch 49-31 victory in the CIF State Division I finals did occur, before almost 5,291 squirming fans at Arco Arena.
The Comets got 16 points from Los Angeles City Section Player of the Year Dominique O'Connor and nine points, 10 rebounds and a reported two blocks - it seemed like he had more - from Dwayne Pollee Jr. to win its fifth state championship and first since 2005.
Westchester, known for its fast-paced, open-court game, won this one with defense, forcing 21 percent shooting (10 of 49) from McClymonds, which had similar shooting woes in the 2007 Division I final, a 54-29 defeat to another Los Angeles City power Fairfax. The Warriors (29-2) missed 20 of their first 21 shots and were a paltry 3-for-28 in the first half and trailed 24-11.
Dominique O'Connor scored a game-
high 16 points.
Photo by Gary Jones
When McClymonds, the defending state champs, opened the third with an 8-2 run, most thought the Oakland Section champs would make a game of it. But
Jordin Mayes drilled three straight shots and
Kareem Jamar buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer giving the Comets (35-2) a 36-21 lead heading into the fourth.
With no offense to speak, McClymonds made barely a whimper in the fourth quarter.
Westchester, a team dominated by juniors, won going away. Polee, Mayes, Jamar and 6-foot-9 Reggie Murphy all should return next season.
The Comets finished No. 1 nationally in the MaxPreps Freeman computer rankings. McClymonds finished No. 35.
"Next year is when we thought we'd be outstanding," Westchester coach Ed Azzam said. "The juniors simply stepped up."
It helped to have an experienced coach like Azzam, who implemented a 2-3 zone to help stifle the athletic but cold-shooting Warriors, who were led by 10 points from Damon Powell. Montana-bound guard Will Cherry added nine.
McClymonds' super senior Damon
Powell had to fight for every point.
Photo by David Steutel
"Our zone really helped us," OConnor said. "They didn't hit many shots."
That was an understatement.
"Westchester did a great job of executing their offense, getting the ball up in transition and playing tough defense," McClymonds coach Brandon Brooks said. "They were a better team tonight. But I'm still proud of our team."
Powell said the team's cold shooting was hard to explain.
"It's unfortunate that we had to shoot like that tonight in such a big game," Powell said. "They played us tough for sure, but we missed a lot of shots we normally make. Just seemed like nothing would go in."
Azzam said he wasn't particularly shocked by the lopsided score. Not the way the Comets have responded all season.
"We play in a tough league, a tough Section and we play a pretty tough schedule," he said. "We definitely came in battle-tested. I couldn't be prouder of this group."
WESTCHESTER 49, McCLYMONDS 31
O'Connor goes up for two of his
game-high totals.
Photo by David Steutel
O’Connor 7-15 2-2 16, Polee 4-7 1-2 9, Mayes 4-9 0-3 8, McCoy 3-5 2-6 8, Dougl as 0-3 0-0 0, Jamar 2-5 0-0 6, Murphy 0-4 2-3 2, Moon 0-1 0-0 0, Washington 0-0 0-0 0, Nored 0-0 0-0 0, Campbell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-50
7-16 49.
McCLYMONDS (29-2)
Hill 1-8 0-0 2, Cherry 2-13 5-6 9, Standley 1-8 0-2 2, Powell 2-7 6-7 10, Jackson 3-8 0-0 6, Bell 1-2 0-0 0, Haynes 0-2 0-0 0, Otis 0-1 0-0 0, Parker 0-0 0-0 0, Hill 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-49 11-18 31.
Westchester (Los Angeles) 10 14 12 13 -- 49
McClymonds (Oakland) 4 7 10 10 -- 31
Three-point shots: Westchester 2-10 (Jamar 2-6, O‘Connor 0-1, Polee 0-1,Mayes 0-1, Douglas 0-1), McClymonds 0-9 (Hill 0-1, Cherry 0-3, Standley 0-5). Rebounds: Westchester 46 (Polee 10), McClymonds 39 (Powell, Jackson 8). Assists: Westchester 3 (Polee, Douglas, Jamar), McClymonds 5 (Cherry 3). Total fouls: Westchester 17, McClymonds 15. A: 5, 179.
LIVE BLOG
First quarter: The lower deck is mostly packed for this one and most can't wait to see the high-flying matchup of McClymonds' Damon Powell and Westchester's Dwayne Polee, along with a terrific set of guards on both squads. ... The action is up and down but for first 2:30 no one can put the ball in the bucket. ... Powell missed an ally-oop dunk that drew a lot of groans. ... Polee has the first groan that means anything, following a miss with a dunk to go up 2-0 with 5:25 left. ... McClymonds' highly-skilled and fantastic senior guard William Cherry drives in for a deuce to tie it at 4-4, but McClymonds finishes the quarter on a 6-0 run, four coming on two follow buckets by Deshun McCoy. ... McClymonds has gone stone cold, 1 of 14 in the quarter. End of one quarter: Westchester 10, McClymonds 4.
Westchester coach Ed Azzam was
expecting state-title run next
season, not 2008-09.
Photo by David Steutel
Third quarter: McClymonds comes out like a different team the third quarter. ... The Warriors go on 8-2 run, scoring three fastbreak layups by Justin Standley, Cherry and Jackson, to cut the lead to 26-19. ... Westchester coach Ed Azzam, who has seemed very cool and calm throughout, calls a timeout. ... Azzam knows something. His team scores 10 of the last 12 points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer by Kareem Jamar at the buzzer. Jamar gives a Jordan shrug to his cheer section as the horn sounds. End of three quarters: Westchester 36, McClymonds 21.
Fourth quarter: There's a reason O'Connor was Western League Player of the Year over the likes of Renardo Sidney as he scored on a putback and driving layup, leading a 6-2 run. This one is done. ... O'Connor finishes a fantastic season with a drive and scoop shot with 58.7 seconds left to go up 49-27. ... Azzam calls timeout and gives O'Connor a big hug. Nice way to finish. O'Connor finishes with 16 and Powell leads McClymonds with 10 points and eight rebounds. Polee has nine points and 10 rebounds. ... Final score: Westchester 49, McClymonds 31.
DIVISION III: Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 62, Ocean View (Huntington Beach) 55
Thanks largely to the efforts of a first-year varsity player, the Irish finished off a task it didn't get done three seasons previous.
Nate Gartrell (3) had the game of his
life at the most opportune time.
Photo by Gary Jones
, a baseball star who was talked into playing basketball his senior season, scored a game-high 23 points leading Sacred Heart Cathedral to its first state-title championship with a highly entertaining victory at Arco Arena.
Fourth-year starters
Jerry Brown, a Fresno State commit, and USC-bound football player
Kevin Greene were freshmen when the Irish lost a bitterly-fought 60-52 title game to Horizon, also at Arco.
"This feels considerably better," said Brown, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Said Greene: "Jerry and I talked before the game to not let this game slip away. This was our last shot."
Greene didn't let anything slip away. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound specimen grabbed a state Division III-record 20 rebounds to go along with nine points.
"He was a monster," Ocean View coach Jim Harris said of Greene.
Ocean View's Anthony Brown (21)
never let his team quit.
Photo by Gary Jones
Maybe so, but Gartrell's quickness and defense was the key as he helped cause 22 Ocean View turnovers. The Irish didn't exactly take care of the ball themselves with 27 turnovers, but a 57-40 edge on the boards also favored Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Gartrell had 11 points in the first half but it was his eight points, including a circus shot, during a 10-1 run in the third quarter that helped decide this. That gave the Irish a 47-27 lead.
"Nate can do that," Greene said. "He can take over games. I'm sure glad we got him this year. Wish we had him when we were freshmen."
Ocean View (27-8), which got 18 points and 11 rebounds from
Anthony Brown, never stopped coming and actually cut the lead to 56-50 with 2:30 left. But two free throws from
Daryl Cooper and a putback by Greene helped seal in for the Irish (29-4).
"We found a way," Sacred Heart Cathedral coach Darrell Barbour. "With all sorts of combinations and contributors we found a way. I couldn't be prouder of a team."
SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL 62, OCEAN VIEW 55
OCEAN VIEW (27-8)
Jones 0-6 0-0 0, Delgado 0-1 0-0 0, Keller 3-10 4-8 11, Johnson 3-15 1-3
7, Brown 6-14 4-5 18, Yoon 3-4 2-2 8, Martinez 1-3 1-2 3, Okwudibonye 2-7
2-5 7, Rivera 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-60 14-25 55.
SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (29-4)
Gartrell 10-18 3-9 23, Cooper 1-8 6-8 8, Reyes 2-4 0-0 4, J. Brown 4-10
3-7 11, Greene 4-8 1-2 9, Ford 0-1 1-2 1, Cavness 3-5 0-0 6, Bastidas 0-0
0-0 0, Lau 0-0 0-0 0, Edwards 0-0 0-0 0, Fox 0-0 0-0 0, Silvestri 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 24-54 14-28 62.
Ocean View 11 11 9 24 -- 55
Sacred Heart Cathedral 15 18 15 14 -- 62
Three-point shots: Ocean View 5-17 (Brown 2-5, Okwudibonye 1-2, Yoon 1-2, Keller 1-2, Delgado 0-1, Jones 0-2, Johnson 0-3), Sacred Heart Cathedral 0-3 (Cooper 0-1, Reyes 0-1, Brown 0-1). Rebounds: Ocean View 40 (Brown 11), Sacred Heart Cathedral 57 (Greene 20). Assists: Ocean View 3 (Keller 2), Sacred Heart Cathedral 6 (Cooper 4). Total fouls: Ocean View 22, Sacred Heart Cathedral 18. Turnovers: Ocean View 22, Sacred Heart 27. A: 5,963.
Sacred Heart Cathedral celebrates its first boys state title.
Photo by Gary Jones
First quarter: The Irish look considerably quicker at the guard position and take a 7-0 lead on a driving layup by super fleet guard Nate Gartrell, three free throws and an outside jumper by Kevin Greene. ... The Irish increased the lead to 12-1 on a power layup from Jerry Brown, but Ocean View closed on a 10-3 run, keyed by Avery Johnson and Anthony Brown, but capped on a 3-pointer from Ryan Okwudibonye with 24.6 seconds left. The quarter featured 16 fouls which doesn't bode well for the rest of the half. Lots of free throws. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. End of one: Sacred Heart Cathedral 15, Ocean View 11.
Kevin Greene (45) largely owned
the paint.
Photo by Gary Jones
Sacred Heart has just imposed its will up front and appears easily the stronger squad. ... Ocean View closed to 21-17 on a driving layup by Billy Keller, but the Irish scored seven straight on a pair of putbacks by Greene and Brown, a pretty floater from Gartrell and a free throw, giving the Irish their biggest lead 28-17. ... The Seahawks showed some life on a tough putback by Chris Martinez, but Brown gave Sacred Heart all the momentum heading into the second half with a tough, high-arching long-range jumper by Brown.
Halftime score: Sacred Heart Cathedral 33, Ocean View 22.
Halftime stats: No on has more than five points for Ocean View, which made a paltry 6 of 25 shots (24 percent) and was outrebounded 28-15. ... Gartrell, a baseball player - a very good one - who just started playing basketball competitively two years ago, leads all scorers with 11, Jerry Brown has eighth points and six rebounds and Cooper six points and three steals. ... Green has just four points but seven rebounds. ... Ocean View's Anthony Brown, one of the top juniors in the state, has just four points and six turnovers.
Fresno State-bound Jerry Brown
said this felt a lot better than
the 2006 title game.
Photo by Gary Jones
Ocean View coach Jim Harris kept his team in for a short halftime talk, probably a short, but stern message about getting after it. ... Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Sacred Heart's will appears just a little stronger. .. Plus the Irish have Gartrell, who is everywhere. ... He makes three consecutive driving layups, two quite acrobatic, leading an 8-0 run and putting the Irish up 47-27 with 2:34 left in the third quarter. ... Ocean View is playing hard, but just can't shoot and or get any consistent play. ... Doesn't help that its leading scorer Mason Jones is scoreless. He's been sadled with foul trouble.
End of third: Sacred Heart Cathedral 48, Ocean View 31.
Fourth quarter: The Seahawks finally start playing their game. ... They cut the seemingly insurmountable lead all the way to 56-50 following a 3-pointer from Keller with 2:28 remaining. ... But a putback by Greene pretty much seals it. ... Anthony Brown, after a slow start, shows his stuff with a team-high 20 points and Keller adds 11. ... Gartrell was just a monster the entire night and finishes with 23 and Jerry Brown goes for 11 and 11 rebounds. Green has nine points and a Division state-record 20 rebounds. ... Final score: Sacred Heart Cathedral 62, Ocean View 55.
DIVISION IV: Salesian (Richmond) 65, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 64
The moment of truth: Salesian's Kendall Andrews lays in game-winning basket at the buzzer.
Photo by David Steutel
Bill Mellis picked a funny time to have a premonition.
With rock solid Justin Cobbs on the free throw line, 7.9 seconds to play and a chance to put Bishop Montgomery up by three in the CIF State Division IV championship game at Arco Arena, the Salesian coach told himself. “We’re due for a buzzer-beater.”
Fat chance coach.
The Minnesota-bound Cobbs hadn’t even touched the rim while swishing four earlier free throws and he had a game-high 24 points, drilling an assortment of long-range jumpers and 3-pointers.
But Cobbs indeed did miss and Salesian 6-6 junior standout Desmond Simmons rebounded setting up one of the most amazing sequences in state tournament history.
Salesian's Desmond Simmons dribbles up court during final sequence.
Photo by David Steutel
Mellis wasn’t about to step in the way. Despite two timeouts, he let the Pride decide it.
“We’ve been through a ton of tough games and situations,” Mellis said. “This team has developed an unbelievable trust. We trusted that they were going to make the play.”
Plus he had that premonition.
The ball is loose and anything can happen.
Photo by David Steutel
Still he couldn’t have felt good when Simmons, dribbling frantically up court, lost control of the ball and it trickled toward the Salesian bench.
“It was rolling toward Jabari,” Mellis said. “We were all right.”
Jabari is super sophomore Jabari Brown, Salesian’s best all-around player, a poised, polished 6-4 guard. Simmons actually tipped the rolling ball to Brown, who had less than three seconds to figure out what to do.
Good for Salesian. The ball got to Jabari Brown.
Photo by David Steutel
“I knew time was running out,” Brown said. “I had to do something.”
He took one quick dribble to the right and went up.
“My first reaction was to shoot it,” Brown said. “I dribbled and saw Kendall there. If I take one more dribble, the clock might run out.”
Jabari Brown on the way to his game-winning pass.
Photo by Gary Jones
is a tough interior 6-3 forward whose main duty on the team is defense, rebounding and an occasional interior bucket.
Well, this was some occasion.
Kendall Andrews goes up with a
high-flying Justin Cobbs on his
back side.
Photo by Gary Jones
Brown hit him with a pass wide open underneath the bucket. The only question was if Andrews could get the ball in the bucket before the final horn sounded.
“My first thought was just to get the ball up in the basket as soon as possible,” Andrews said.
The ball left his hand, banked off the board and as it crawled into the basket, the horn and light went off simultaneously.
The arena erupted; Salesian players stormed the court including Mellis. Andrews immediately ripped off his jersey.
Mellis’ vision became reality, though he couldn’t have predicted it quite like this: Salesian 65, Bishop Montgomery 64.
The ball is clearly out of Andrew's
hands and Quincy Smith (24) knows
it's good.
Photo by Gary Jones
An impassioned, up-and-down, back-and-forth contest ended in tears.
On both sides. Salesian, making its first state appearance, with the youngest team in the tournament — two freshmen, five sophomores and six juniors (one senior) — had gutted it out.
“I just started crying,” Andrews said. “I just remember everyone running at me. I don’t remember much after. I still can’t believe I just made the game-winning shot in the state championship game.”
Said Mellis: “We’ve won games so many different ways this year. I told someone before the game that we haven’t won a buzzer-beater. … (With Cobbs at the line) I looked up and said, ‘Here comes our buzzer-beater.’ It must have been fate or something.”
The haunting image for Bishop
Montgomery as red light appears and
ball trickles through cylinder.
Photo by Gary Jones
Or something, Bishop Montgomery coach Doug Mitchell said.
When asked to sum up his thoughts 15 minutes after the game, he closed his eyes, rubbed them and his face a few times and said:
“I haven’t had time to really collect my thoughts. I’m just extremely, extremely disappointed for us. To have the game under our control … I’ve been coaching for 20 years and you’re going to have some tough games, but this one is going to stay with me for a long time. … It’s not going to be an easy one to let go.”
It was especially hard for Cobbs, who also thought he made a wrong defensive read on the game-winning sequence.
“I’m disappointed because I had a chance to seal the game with the two free throws,” he said. “Then I saw the loose ball and I went to the wrong guy. It was two bad things in the last 10 seconds. That’s on me.”
The aftermath was as frantic as the final sequence.
Photo by David Steutel
Like a true captain and team leader, Cobbs was shouldering the burden for his teammates. He had no tears. He's a strong kid as he displayed on the court throughout, making one tough shot and play after another.
Mitchell immediately stood up for his star player.
“He’s taking responsibility, and while I like that about him, but two plays don’t decide the game,” he said. “There’s no question he had a great game. The bigger the game, the better he plays.”
Brown (23) connected with Andrews on the game-winning play and shortly after in celebration.
Photo by David Stuetel
The better game and best individual played in the 10-game, two-day tournament was by Simmons, a long and physical 6-6 junior who had 31 points and 19 rebounds, including 13 points in the fourth quarter bringing the Pride back from a 54-44 deficit after three.
Mellis thought coming in that Simmons was the only clear edge his team had. Mitchell was also wary of Simmons, though he wasn’t expecting those numbers. No one was.
Andrews said all he recalls after the game was weeping.
Photo by David Steutel
“He was awesome,” Mitchell said. “Everything I’d heard about him was true. When one guy can lift his game up to a different level like that, he can lift his team up with him.”
Cobbs lifted his team early, drilling a pair of 3-pointers early, giving his team 10-4 lead. Brown (14 points) led an 11-2 run that was capped with a spectacular left-hand dunk by 5-11 Bryce Thompson and Salesian led 15-12 after one.
Together as one, Salesian celebrates
its championship.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
Simmons took over in the second quarter with five quick buckets in a variety of ways as Salesian opened it up to 28-19, before Cobbs and backcourt mate
Mike Panaggio (13 points) found the range late and cut the lead to 32-30 at halftime on a long 3-pointer by Panaggio at the buzzer.
He hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win a double-overtime regional final over Harvard-Westlake.
“They outplayed us the first half and the score was worse than the score indicated,” Panaggio said. “We cut it to two and felt confident about the second half.”
The Knights (28-5) took seemingly utter control in the third, outscoring the Pride 24-12 finished off with a dunk by Richard Solomon at the buzzer. The Knights were up 54-44 heading into the fourth.
Right before the final quarter started a Salesian fan yelled to no one in particular: “There is no tomorrow Salesian. You have eight more minutes.” Something lit a fire under the Pride, who opened on a 13-4 run on three hoops and three free throws by Simmons.
The Washington State-bound Simmons
was an absolute beast with 31 points
and 19 rebounds.
Photo by David Steutel
“I’ve always dreamed of helping us win a state championship,” Simmons said. “The game was on the line and we just all laid it all out there.”
So did the Knights, who got a beautiful spin shot by Cobbs and a clutch 3-pointer from Brandon Bibbins that put them up 64-59 with 2:00 left. But Simmons wasn’t going to be stopped, hitting a pair of tough driving layups with 1:43 and 45 seconds left to cut it to 64-63.
Under heavy duress by Devon Montgomery and the shot clock winding down, Cobbs missed a tough medium-range jumper, but fought to get the ball back. He was then fouled with 7.9 seconds left, setting up the final frenetic sequence.
“A lot of people will remember the last play obviously,” Mellis said. “But a lot of plays happened for us to win that game.”
Justin Cobbs was a man on the court
and in defeat.
Photo by David Steutel
Mitchell agreed. And he thought his guys made enough to win. Just not the last one. And that’s why it hurt so much.
“I wanted it for the guys so bad,” he said. “We’ve had a strong program for many years but this group of seniors helped bring it back to where we are. That’s why I wanted it a state title for these guys so much. I’ll still be coaching here for years but this was their last chance.”
With all but one returning next year, Salesian (31-4) will be a favorite next year. But that was the last thing on their minds after this one. This, for them, was as good as it gets.
“It’s a blessing,” Simmons said.
Said Andrews: “It’s like a dream.”
SALESIAN 65, BISHOP MONTGOMERY 64
BISHOP MONTGOMERY (28-5)
Bibbins 2-5 1-2 6, Cobbs 8-15 4-5 24, Panaggio 5-13 0-0 13, Solomon 3-6
1-1 7, Moore 2-3 1-3 5, Miller 4-11 0-0 9, Lester 0-0 0-0 0, King 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 24-53 7-11 64.
SALESIAN (31-4)
Thompson 1-2 0-0 2, Andrews 3-8 0-4 6, Smith 2-4 0-0 4, Simmons 12-22 7-9
31, Brown 6-15 0-0 14, Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0, Artis 1-4, 2-2 4, Tagaloa 2-3
0-0 4, Ambion 0-2 0-0 0, Tillman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-60 9-15 65.
Bishop Montgomery 12 18 24 10 - 64
Salesian 15 17 12 21 - 65
Three-point shots: -- Bishop Montgomery 9-28 (Cobbs 4-9, Panaggio 3-8, Bibbins 1-3, Miller 1-8), Salesian 2-9 (Brown 2-7, Simmons 0-2). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Bishop Montgomery 28 (Solomon 7), Salesian 44 (Simmons 19). Assists: Bishop Montgomery 5 (Cobbs, Panaggio 2), Salesian 10 (Smith, Simmons, Brown, Artis 2). Total fouls: Bishop Montgomery 14, Salesian 13. Turnovers: Bishop Montgomery 16, Salesian 17.
LIVE BLOG 
Montgomery's Richard Solomon.
Photo by Gary Jones
Montgomery's Michael Panaggio had
13 points.
Photo by Gary Jones
Wow. That’s the best way to describe Salesian 6-6 junior Desmond Simmons who is absolutely taking over. … A long and physical forward, Simmons has scored five buckets in the first five minutes on a variety of putbacks and fastbreak layups as the Pride opens up a 28-19 lead. … Brown, who is one of the most impressive sophomores in the state, is asserting himself with a pretty assist on a Kendall Andrews layup, followed by a long outside jumper as Salesian increased the lead to double digits, 32-22 with 2:07 left. …
Montgomery shows it is indeed battle-tested, finishing off the half with eight quick points all via the backcourt of Cobbs and Panaggio. … Cobbs, a 6-3 senior, scores on a fastbreak layup, then sets up Panaggio on back-to-back 3-pointers, the latter at the buzzer turning a half mostly dominated by Salesian almost dead even. … Halftime score:
Salesian 32, Bishop Montgomery 30. … Panaggio hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer giving the Knights the Regional win over Price.
Halftime statistics: Simmons already has a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds and Brown has nine points. … Cobbs has 10 points and Panaggio six. .. Simmons and Brown has taken 21 of Salesian’s 31 shots. … Solomon has five points and six rebounds and Salesian has outrebounded the Knights 20-17. … Montgomery has made 12 of 29 shots (4 of 15 on 3-pointers) and Salesian 14 of 31.
Simmons was unstoppable from start
to finish.
Photo by David Steutel
Third quarter: The Knights are opening it up, specifically Cobbs, who makes two free throws, an outside jumper and 3-pointer to start a 9-0 run to start the third quarter. .. That completes a 17-0 run overall and gives Montgomery a 39-32 lead. ... Salesian rattles off 8 of the next 13 points to close to 44-40, keyed by a 3-pointer and driving layup by Brown. ... Montgomery, however, closes the quarter hard with a 10-4 run, capped off by a dunk from Solomon at the buzzer. .. Cobbs had another 3-pointer in the run and has 20 points. ... Suddenly Montgomery seems completely in command. ... The young Pride, with two freshman, five sophomores and six juniors (only one senior), seem out of synch. End of three: Bishop Montgomery 54, Salesian 44.
Freshman Freddie Tagaloa (left)
gives a bear hug to a suffocating
teammate.
Photo by Gary Jones
Salesian coach Bill Mellis accepts trophy from CIF Executive Director Marie Ishida.
Photo by David Steutel
