Crenshaw Beats Mater Dei, 63-61 : Division I boys: Last-second basket eliminates the Monarchs. Cougars advance to the State final.

Crenshaw forward Kristaan Johnson ended Mater Dei’s season with one roll of his right hand.

Johnson, charging down the left lane, took a pass from teammate Rico Laurie and scored on a finger roll at the buzzer to give Los Angeles Crenshaw a 63-61 victory Saturday night in the Southern California Division I regionals at the Sports Arena.

Johnson’s heroics helped Crenshaw (27-2) advance to the State championship game for the fifth time under Coach Willie West and brought back memories of another miracle finish four years ago in the regional final.

The buzzer-beater four years ago was by Mater Dei guard Jason Quinn, who fired up a 20-foot shot just as time expired that gave Mater Dei an unlikely victory over Long Beach Poly.

“Where was Jason Quinn when I needed him?” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight asked after Saturday’s loss. “I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have won some close games. I guess this wasn’t meant to be.”

A crowd of 9,873 saw Mater Dei (33-2) take a 61-59 lead with 34 seconds remaining when guard Miles Simon made two free throws. But Crenshaw tied the score, 61-61, on a short jump shot by Robinson.

With the game on the line, Mater Dei went to its ace, Simon, but the junior missed a 10-foot shot with eight seconds remaining, and Laurie rebounded with six seconds on the clock.

Laurie dribbled the length of the court as Johnson trailed on the left lane. He dished a short pass to Johnson, who drove the baseline, flipped up a finger roll and flipped out the Crenshaw fans.

“It wasn’t luck. It was skill,” Johnson said.

Mater Dei’s Kamran Sufi, who was defending on the play, credited Laurie with making a good pass to set up Johnson.

“I knew if I left my feet, he (Laurie) might go by me,” Sufi said. “So he made a good pass, and Johnson hit the big shot. What can you say?”

What will be talked about at Mater Dei was a great comeback in the fourth quarter that center Terence Wilborn helped ignite.

The Monarchs trailed, 53-45, with 5:33 remaining after Laurie hit a three-point shot. But Wilborn’s inside shooting and rebounding helped Mater Dei get back into the game.

Wilborn’s biggest play came with 2:32 remaining when he rebounded a missed shot and somehow managed to score while falling down. The play gave Mater Dei its first lead since the first quarter, 56-55, and signaled a series of momentum shifts that have made the Mater Dei-Crenshaw series a classic.

Johnson was a force for Crenshaw in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 17 points. He made a key basket with two minutes remaining and added another with 1:30 left to keep Crenshaw close.

“We did a good job of defending him until the last quarter,” McKnight said. “But, to be honest, I thought Miles was going to make the shot at the end. We want the ball in Miles’ hands in that situation.

“We had a great run with this group of seniors. We were 67-4 over the past two years, but I was disappointed the way it ended.”

Crenshaw, which has beaten Mater Dei three times in regional play, will meet Carmichael Jesuit (35-1) next week. But West said he wasn’t sure if his team could match up with Mater Dei.

“I saw them play Huntington Beach last Saturday, and my only concern was that we wouldn’t be physical enough to play with them,” he said. “Obviously, I was wrong.”

For three and a half quarters, Crenshaw beat Mater Dei at its own game. The Cougars were more physical on the boards and played better pressure defense than their more highly ranked rivals.

The result was a nine-point lead at two different points in the game. Maurice Robinson’s one-handed dunk with 2:59 remaining in the first half pushed Crenshaw ahead, 28-19.

And then Termaine Fowlkes’ two free throws with 7:11 remaining in the third quarter put Crenshaw on top, 34-25. But despite shooting only 33% in the game, Mater Dei made an impressive comeback.

“They’ve beaten us twice in overtime and tonight by two points,” McKnight said. “I think the fans saw a great, entertaining game.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this team. I put a lot of pressure on them, maybe more than I should have. But life goes on.”