Morningside Boys Cruise Past Notre Dame, 86-65 : Division III: Stais Boseman scores a game-high 23 points as the Monarchs advance to the regional final.

So that’s how they won the state Division III championship last season.

The Morningside High basketball team held a clinic disguised as the Southern California Division III semifinals on Tuesday night. The “guest” was Notre Dame, which watched the host Monarchs run their way to an 86-65 victory.

“I think this was a showcase game for them,” Notre Dame Coach Mick Cady said. “They wanted to show people they were the top dogs in town.”

Morningside (28-5) will play South Torrance, which it beat in the Southern Section III-AA title game last week, in the regional final Saturday at the Sports Arena.

Notre Dame (25-7) will be content with an excellent season. There wasn’t much they could have done to prolong it.

“I’ve seen Morningside play before,” Cady said, “but I’ve never seen them play like this. When (Stais) Boseman hit a three-pointer while he was falling down, I knew we were in trouble.”

Boseman finished with a game-high 23 points, including five three-point baskets. Guard Dwight Curry and center Corey Saffold scored 18 apiece for the Monarchs.

Notre Dame was led by Monte Marcaccini, who can now rest his tendinitis-riddled knees for a while before enrolling at Indiana, and freshman Eddie Miller, who scored 14 apiece. Marcaccini also had 11 rebounds.

Morningside controlled the game early with a 13-2 run late in the first quarter, stretching the lead to 25-10.

The Monarchs, who led 40-24 at halftime, dominated with equally strong inside and outside games. Six-foot-7 Saffold, who has signed with Oklahoma, scored 12 points in the half.

Boseman, a 6-4 swingman who has signed to play at USC, made his first four three-point shots and scored 13 before halftime.

The Knights, who won their first Southern Section championship to qualify for the regional playoffs, struggled in part because of a lack of outside shooting. Forward Glen Carson, the team’s best three-point shooter, missed his first four shots from the field, three from three-point range. Carson regained his shooting touch somewhat in the second half, finishing with 11 points--including a three-point basket--but it was too late.

The closest Notre Dame came in the second half was 70-53.

“I said before the game we were going to have to play really well and they had to have an off-night,” Cady said. “Well, they played great and we had an off-night.