Monarchs Win With a Big Push : Division III: Morningside holds off South Torrance, 91-82, with a 9-2 run in last 33 seconds.

One by one they came out, casualties of a game that was as physical as it was dramatic. Before it was over, four players had fouled out, and four others were a foul away from ejection.

The pushing, bumping and fouls (47 of them) took a lot out of both teams, but Morningside High proved to have the better stamina. The Monarchs used a 9-2 run in the last 33 seconds to defeat South Torrance, 91-82, in the Southern California Division III regional championship game Saturday at the Sports Arena.

Senior guard Donminic Ellison, who made 11 of 15 shots to lead Morningside with 31 points, summed up a rough afternoon.

“When the (final) buzzer sounded, we were relieved to accomplish this goal,” Ellison said.

One goal remains. Morningside (29-5) will try to win a second consecutive State Division III title Saturday against Northern California champion Palo Alto (30-0) at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

South (28-4) put up a good fight against the top-seeded Monarchs. But after rallying from a 15-point deficit with a 25-8 surge to end the third quarter, the Spartans scored only four field goals in the fourth quarter and were outscored, 30-19.

“They picked up their defense,” South point guard Jimmy Williamson said of the Monarchs.

Williamson finished an outstanding string of playoff performances by scoring 33 points and passing for nine assists, both game highs. But playing the entire 32 minutes under intense pressure may have taken a toll on the 5-foot-9, 150-pound senior. He scored only five points in the fourth quarter and committed a critical turnover in the closing seconds.

After two free throws by Ellison gave Morningside an 86-82 lead with 18 seconds left, Williamson let a pass go through his hands. The turnover led to a layup by Stais Boseman and an 88-82 Monarch lead with seven seconds left.

South was hampered in the fourth quarter after two of its best defensive players fouled out. Guard Chris Hammond fouled out with five minutes 57 seconds left, and reserve forward John Calas picked up his fifth infraction with 4:44 left.

“The difference (in the game) was when Chris and John fouled out,” Williamson said.

The 6-4, 235-pound Calas was assigned to guard Boseman early in the third quarter, and his physical defense helped shut down the Morningside standout. Boseman did not score in the second half until nearly a minute into the fourth quarter, when he scored seven of his 15 points.

In the meantime, South battled back. After falling behind, 53-38, early in the third quarter, the Spartans rallied behind Williamson, who scored 12 points in the quarter, to take a 63-61 lead.

South benefited at the foul line when Morningside picked up its seventh team foul with 1:36 left in the third quarter, putting the Spartans in the bonus. South made 13 of 16 free throws in the third quarter, including six in one-and-one situations.

The game evened out after South picked up its seventh foul early in the fourth quarter.

“After that, I knew it was a brand new game,” Morningside Coach Carl Franklin said. “We could take advantage of situations that (South) had been taking advantage of.”

A three-point shot by forward Dwight Curry (15 points, nine rebounds) gave Morningside a 65-64 lead early in the fourth quarter, and the advantage grew to 69-64 on two fast-break layups after the Monarchs came up with back-to-back steals against South center Kyle McIntosh (25 points, 12 rebounds).

The teams continued to battle back and forth. South pulled to within 82-80 on two free throws by Williamson with 1:02 left. After calling time out, Morningside broke South’s half-court trap for a layup by reserve forward Dennis Savage with 33 seconds left.

A lob pass from Williamson set up McIntosh for a layup, cutting Morningside’s lead to 84-82 with 22 seconds left. Two free throws by Ellison and two turnovers by South decided the game in the waning moments.

Morningside prevailed despite losing center Corey Saffold (13 points, 12 rebounds) and point guard Sean Harris (13 points, four assists) in the final 1:16 because of fouls.

“We made the right adjustments in time,” Franklin said. “It would have been easy to get rattled and allow (South’s) momentum to continue, but we didn’t let that happen. We were able to adjust and get back into our game again.”

South Coach LaMont Henry was proud of his team’s second strong effort against Morningside. Last week, the Spartans rallied from a 12-point deficit before falling to the Monarchs, 65-62, in the Southern Section Division III-AA title game.

“It hurts to lose, but these guys had an excellent year,” Henry said. “I can’t complain at all. The players will remember this game for the rest of their lives.”