Servite Warms Up to Title-Game Pressure

The signs were all there. Guard Paul Stapleton made only one shot in warm-ups. Center Steve Marusich said he was so nervous, he couldn’t sleep the night before.

The outlook wasn’t good for Servite High School in its first state championship game. But things changed when the game began.

Stapleton made six of 10 three-point shots and Marusich made all nine of his shots to lead Servite to a 67-51 victory over Hayward Mt. Eden Saturday in the state Division III title game at the Oakland Coliseum.

Stapleton made five three-pointers in the first half as Servite took a 36-29 lead. A week ago, his opening two three-point attempts against Dos Pueblos in the Southern California Regional final were air balls.

“When I made my second one today, I thought I was going to have a big game,” Stapleton said. Stapleton made two more three-pointers to push Servite ahead, 33-21, with 4:37 remaining in the first half.

Stapleton has had big games before. He made five three-pointers in a quarter against El Modena in the Valencia tournament. He credited Marusich’s quick start for his success.

“It’s a mental thing,” Stapleton said. “If Steve starts hitting, the whole team starts hitting. Look at all the doubling that Mt. Eden did on him, and he didn’t miss a shot.”

Marusich, a 6-foot-7 center, was expected to have a big game against a Mt. Eden team that didn’t have a starter taller than 6-2. But he exceeded expectations, making five in a row in the first quarter to give Servite a 19-18 lead.

“I don’t know how I got so open,” he said. “I did a lot of cutting to the basket and got some picks from Adam Anderson and Mike Coady. For the most part, I was open and the shots were falling.”

The shots continued to fall for Marusich. His ninth basket gave Servite a 54-39 lead late in the third quarter and he had a perfect game going late in the fourth quarter.

Finally, the streak ended with 49 seconds remaining when Marusich missed his second free throw and Servite leading, 63-50.

“Once I made my first couple of shots, I settled down,” Marusich said. “When I started hitting inside, that left the outside open and Paul started hitting.

“This was great. The shooting was phenomenal. The only thing that would have made all this better was winning the section championship. But I’ll take a state title over a section title any time.”