Monarchs Rule Again, 71-60 : Girls’ basketball: Morningside wins its fifth Southern Section title in sixth seasons by defeating Alemany, 71-60.

In Tina Thompson’s analysis, the game was decided as soon as the Morningside High center stepped on the court Saturday.

Give or take a few minutes, Thompson was essentially correct as the Monarchs defeated Alemany, 71-60, in the Southern Section Division III-AA championship at Loyola Marymount.

“I know we were going to win because everybody was focused,” Thompson said. “No one ever thought that we weren’t going to win.”

If Alemany had any doubts, they were quickly erased.

The Monarchs took a 10-0 lead after three minutes 43 seconds of play and built a 22-1 lead with 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The USC-bound Thompson made nine of 12 shots from the field and finished with a game-high 25 points. The 6-foot-2 senior also had 10 rebounds and two blocks as Morningside (26-2) won its 16th consecutive game and fifth Southern Section title in six seasons.

“A lot of people discounted us last year,” said Morningside Coach Rod Tatum, whose team lost to Brea-Olinda in last season’s title game. “We had a down year for Morningside, but for most teams it would be a stellar year.”

Morningside, which led, 23-3, after the first quarter and 34-14 at halftime, forced 33 turnovers, including 18 steals. The top-seeded Monarchs led by as many as 29 points and built a 63-34 lead with just over five minutes to play.

Third-seeded Alemany (25-5) outrebounded the Monarchs, 48-43, but made only four of 25 shots in the first half (16%) and 19 of 61 in the game (31.1%).

“I was just ready to win from the beginning,” Morningside forward Cha-Ron Walker said. “Our coach didn’t want us to relax, because if we slacked on defense they would be rewarded. I was going straight to them until the buzzer sounded.”

Walker, who had 20 points despite battling a stomach virus in the Monarchs’ semifinal victory over Newport Harbor on Wednesday, had 18 points and four steals against Alemany.

Kameisha Prewitt added 14 points, including 11 in the first quarter. The senior point guard scored six of Morningside’s first 12 points and had a three-point basket and three steals during the 22-1 spurt. She finished with eight assists and six steals.

Zevette Mitchell had 22 points for Alemany, the defending Division II-A champion. Samantha Rigley also scored 14 points and Carly Funicello had 13 points and 15 rebounds.

“They’re beatable,” Mitchell said. “We could have beat them if we came out in the beginning.”