SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION III BOYS : Morningside Gives Up Ball but Not the Game, 65-62

Stais Boseman was perhaps the most relieved of Inglewood Morningside High’s players after the Monarchs successfully defended their Southern Section Division III-AA basketball title Friday night.

An errant pass by Boseman gave South Torrance a chance to tie the score, but Jimmy Williamson’s three-point attempt glanced off the rim at the buzzer and Morningside held on for a 65-62 victory at Cal Poly Pomona.

Morningside (26-5), ranked No. 9 by The Times, appeared to have the game won seconds earlier after Williamson threw a high pass that went out of bounds to Morningside with one second to play. Boseman, however, threw a long inbounds pass that landed near half court, beyond the reach of any teammates, and rolled out of bounds under Morningside’s basket.

“I heard someone say, ‘Throw it,’ and I just threw the ball,” said Boseman, who led Morningside with 19 points and 11 rebounds. “Then I looked up and said, ‘What am I doing?’ I felt so stupid.”

After a Morningside timeout, South Torrance inbounded the ball to Williamson, who missed a running three-point shot.

It wouldn’t have been a surprise if he had made it. The 5-foot-9 point guard scored nine of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to help South Torrance (26-3) rally from a 48-38 deficit at the end of the third quarter.

The Monarchs led, 56-52, with 3:28 to play, but Boseman, a 6-4 swingman, made a three-point basket. He then blocked a shot by Mercer, leading to two free throws by guard Donminic Ellison and a 61-52 lead with 2:34 to play.

A layup by Kyle McIntosh with 31 seconds left and a three-pointer by reserve guard Derek Brown with 14 seconds remaining cut the Spartans’ deficit to 65-62.