A Stall Stops Calvary Chapel

Standout guard Baron Davis said he has never questioned Santa Monica Crossroads Coach Daryl Roper, so he didn’t object Friday night when his coach told him that he wanted to start the fourth quarter of the Southern Section Division IV-A boys’ basketball final in an outright stall.

Davis obliged. For nearly five minutes he stood at midcourt, showered with boos, and held the ball, waiting for Calvary Chapel to come out of its tightly packed 2-3 zone defense.

When the Eagles grudgingly obliged as time ticked away, to no one’s surprise, Davis kept the ball in his hands. Davis made 10 of 10 free throws in the final 2 minutes 56 seconds to lead Crossroads to its second consecutive section title with a 50-41 victory over the Eagles at the Bren Center.

Davis finished with 23 points and LeQuan Tolbert finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Roadrunners (27-3), who advance to the state regional playoffs Tuesday. Calvary Chapel, expected to receive a spot in the regionals when pairings are announced Sunday, is 25-5. The Eagles were led by Joe Ortiz, who scored 13 points.

Roper’s decision to stall became the turning point in the game, but it could have backfired. Calvary Chapel Coach Craig Falconer said his team was tired and the five-minute break was just what he was looking for.

But as it turned out, Davis took control of the situation. After breaking the stall, he drew a foul on a drive to the basket and made two free throws for a 39-34 lead.

Calvary Chapel guard Kevin Falconer drove the lane the next time the Eagles had the ball, but his layup rolled in and out. Seconds later Davis went along the baseline and was fouled again while shooting. He made both free throws for a 41-34 lead. The Eagles scored the next five points, including a three-pointer by Ortiz to make it 41-39 with 1:24 left, but Davis came back with six consecutive free throws.

“You don’t want to get into a situation where you are down four or five points with a couple of minutes left and you are chasing Baron Davis around,” Craig Falconer said. “He creates breaks for them. He is a great player.”

Davis said Roper’s stalling decision was wise.

“We were playing really bad,” Davis said. “We weren’t playing like we should and coach always knows what to do. He’s done things like this before to get us out of it and it worked.”

Calvary Chapel, which has not won in the Bren in four tries, suffered another poor shooting night in the arena that Kevin Falconer referred to again Friday night as the “place I absolutely hate.” Falconer, who averages 14.2 points, finished with five and Ortiz made only two of 11 shots from the field.

But despite being outrebounded, 19-13, and making only nine of 22 field-goal attempts in the first half, the Eagles took a 24-23 lead by closing out the second quarter with eight consecutive points.