1st State Title Caps Monarchs’ Proud Basketball History : Division III: Only the championship was missing from school’s trophy case. The boys team delivered with a 79-72 victory over Monterey Seaside.

In its proud and rich heritage in boys basketball, Morningside High has produced its share of championships and stars.

The Monarchs have won four Southern Section titles, numerous league titles and turned out such players as Byron Scott and Elden Campbell of the Los Angeles Lakers.

But until Saturday night, Morningside had never captured a state title.

The Monarchs erased that blemish with a 79-72 win over Monterey Seaside in the state Division III final at Arco Arena.

In the process, junior guard Stais Boseman of Morningside demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the premier players in the state.

Boseman scored a game high 24 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed nine rebounds to spark the Monarchs to a come-from-behind win.

“When the game is on the line, a good player has to at least want the ball even if you don’t take the shot,” Boseman said. “You have to step up and be a leader.”

Morningside trailed 63-58 when Seaside guard Tito Addison hit a three-point basket with 7:44 remaining in the game.

But the Monarchs went on a 14-0 run, including six points from Boseman, to surge ahead. Morningside took the lead to stay on a steal and layup by guard Sean Harris.

“We felt going into the fourth quarter that we had to give it our best,” Harris said. “It was the state championship and the last game of the season and we couldn’t turn back.”

Boseman scored most of his points close to the basket on an assortment of dunks and layups.

“My jump shot wasn’t going down, so I had to take it inside and see what would happen,” Boseman said.

Morningside Coach Carl Franklin said: “If you look at where his shots came, they came in the paint, and that’s where the game was won. Our shots were designed to go into the (lane), and that’s what we were able to do.”

In finishing with a 25-6 record, Morningside had four players in double figures. In addition to Boseman, guard Donminic Ellison scored 15 points, forward Corey Saffold had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and reserve guard Dwight Curry added 10 points.

Seaside, which finished at 29-4, was led by Addison with 21 points and nine rebounds and guard Markeith Powell with 13 points. Morningside held Seaside’s top offensive player, Tyrone Thomas, to nine points before he fouled out late in the game.

“We brought Dwight Curry in for Pauliasi (Taulava) so we had a much quicker player in there,” Franklin said. “That helped to neutralize Thomas.”

Franklin said his team’s depth was important to its success.

“In our opinion, when we say we’re eight or nine deep we feel like those guys could step in and start,” he said. “We’re not afraid to use players like Dwight or Chris Blunt.”

Franklin and his team were trying to grasp their accomplishment of winning a state championship.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in,” Franklin said. “I don’t think most people really understand the magnitude of winning a title like this. I think it’s very important that we showed we could win at this level.”

It has been a particularly successful school year for Boseman, who also quarterbacked the Monarchs to their first Southern Section Division VIII football championship in December.

With Taulava the team’s only senior starter, Boseman likes the team’s chances of reaching the state finals next season.

“We have four juniors out there,” he said. “So we think we should be back next year.”

But before thinking about next season, Boseman wanted to savor his latest title.

“I’ve been winning championships all year, and this has got to be the most memorable,” he said. “I’m really on cloud nine right now.”