Crenshaw Extends Mastery of Mater Dei : Prep basketball: Cougars defeat the Monarchs in Southern Regional Division I final for second consecutive year, 71-67.

Gary McKnight has won more high school basketball titles than about any coach in Southern California, but that does not make the losses any easier.

The veteran Santa Ana Mater Dei coach put on a public display of anger Saturday night as his Monarchs suffered a 71-67 loss to Crenshaw in the Southern Regional Division I final at Anaheim Arena.

Before an estimated crowd of 14,000 and a live television audience, McKnight chided the officials from the opening whistle and never let up. He ranted and raved, cursed and even received a technical. That did not stop him.

The final straw came with one minute and 21 seconds remaining and Crenshaw nursing a 69-66 lead. Clay McKnight, Gary’s son, made a three-pointer apparently to tie the score.

The celebration was short-lived, however, as reserve forward Mike Karich was called for blocking against Crenshaw’s Kristaan Johnson. The foul nullified the basket, sending the Mater Dei bench into a panic.

An angry McKnight paced up and down the court for several minutes, yelling at the officials. It appeared as if he wanted to get thrown out for receiving his second technical.

“I thought by yelling at the officials that I could get them to make the calls I thought they should have been making,” said McKnight, in his 13th season.

“That’s why I did it from the beginning and still at the end. I never gave up on my team.”

Said Johnson of the controversial play: “He (Karich) kind of came up into me. I was trying to get a foul, to tell you the truth, and I flopped a little. I over exaggerated a little. I put my hands in the air to get the ref’s attention.”

The foul took the steam out of Mater Dei, which led, 60-58, heading into the fourth quarter. The Monarchs were forced to foul the rest of the way and missed several three-pointers in an attempt to cut the lead.

The victory continued Crenshaw’s mastery over Mater Dei in the State tournament. The Cougars, 28-2 and ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today, beat the Monarchs in the regional final for the second year in a row and third time since 1986.

Crenshaw, which has won 18 games in a row, advances to the State tournament championship for the sixth time in the last 12 years. The Cougars will face Sacramento Jesuit in the final Saturday night at the Oakland Coliseum.

Mater Dei, which entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation, finished the season 33-1.

The star once again was Johnson, whose shot at the buzzer last year lifted Crenshaw to a 63-61 victory over Mater Dei.

The 6-foot-5 forward, who is headed to UCLA, finished with a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds. He was most effective under the basket, where he had several easy layups.

Crenshaw had been averaging 98 points entering the regional final and started out strong with its fast-break offense. But Mater Dei quickly adjusted and successfully slowed the tempo.

Junior center Shaun Jackson and freshman forward Schea Cotton gave the Monarchs strength under the boards and on offense. Jackson came down with several big rebounds and finished with 19 points.

Cotton, a midseason transfer from Bellflower St. John Bosco, added 16 points and seven rebounds. But he fouled out with 2:45 to play.

Coach Willie West once again shuffled his lineup throughout the game, spreading the scoring around. Junior forward Ronnie Arch scored 12 points, and senior center Tremaine Fowlkes added 13, well below his average of 25.