HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Second Effort Pays Off for Campbell Hall

Austin McKellar held the precious little plastic box in both hands. He practically cradled it, in fact.

He played with the clasp that opened and closed it. He rubbed its front and back with one thumb.

One thing he certainly did not do with the boxed medallion, awarded to players on the Campbell Hall High basketball team, was fumble it away. Most guys, you see, don’t get a second chance to cherish something like this.

“This is like a gold medal,” McKellar said, holding it near his heart.

Campbell Hall, a finalist in 1991, made sure the Southern Section Division V-AA championship didn’t slip away this season by pelting Faith Baptist, 60-40, Saturday night at Pepperdine.

Campbell Hall, playing boys’ basketball for just the eighth season, was vindicated after last year’s defeat. The Vikings advance to the state tournament and will open Tuesday against an opponent to be determined.

“I’ve been dreaming about it,” said McKellar, a senior guard who scored 13 points. “It’s sweet.”

McKellar predicted this week that the game would be a blowout, even though Campbell Hall (18-10) had lost to Faith Baptist (24-6) twice in Delphic League play. Of course, McKellar never predicted which team would be the one caught in the whirlwind.

“I just knew somebody was going to blow out somebody,” he said.

By halftime, he looked like he should be doing more work with crystal balls instead of leather ones.

Despite 10 first-quarter turnovers, Campbell Hall held a 31-18 lead at halftime. Second-seeded Faith Baptist made just eight of 30 shots in the half and 14 of 61 in the game.

“Campbell Hall beat us to every loose ball, beat us to every rebound and flat outplayed us,” Faith Baptist Coach Stuart Mason said. “It’s a shame that we waited until the championship game to play our worst game of the year, and that’s exactly what this was.”

Faith Baptist, which averaged 75 points a game, trailed, 40-30, entering the fourth quarter and cut the lead to seven on a three-point basket by James DeCarriere. Campbell Hall then reeled off 10 consecutive points for a 50-30 lead with 1 minute 58 seconds remaining.

A persistent thorn in Faith Baptist’s side was swingman Taylor Williams and his outside shooting. Williams, a 5-foot-10 senior who scored a game-high 20 points, was sort of the odd man out--on the perimeter, that is.

Williams largely was ignored by Faith Baptist defenders, who instead focused attention on Alex Lopez (13 points, team-high 14 rebounds) and McKellar.

“Taylor will hit the open shot,” first-year Campbell Hall Coach Jon Palarz said. “We just had to make sure to get him the ball.”

Williams made six of 11 shots and four of six three-point attempts to keep Faith Baptist from making any prolonged threat.

Faith Baptist senior guard Alex Estrada struggled throughout, making just three of 18 shots and one of five from the line. He finished with seven points.

* ALEMANY WINS TITLE: C15