Mater Dei Knocks Off Glendora

Little-used guard Christian McGuigan, who is maybe a couple of inches shorter than the 6 feet 2 Mater Dei claims on its roster, was nonetheless the big man for the Monarchs on Saturday night.

McGuigan’s assignment: Come off the bench and do whatever you can to slow Glendora’s 6-6 guard Casey Jacobsen, who lit up the floor at the Arrowhead Pond in the Southern Section Division I-A boys’ basketball championship game, scoring 11 first-quarter points.

McGuigan responded with a series of bone-rattling hip-checks worthy of a Mighty Ducks highlight reel, a couple of forearm shivers and one full-on tackle that sent Jacobsen, the 1998 Division I player of the year, crashing to the floor.

Glendora’s attempt to repeat as division champion crashed with him, as Mater Dei bullied its way to a 46-40 upset in front of 11,473.

It marked the seventh section title of the decade for the Monarchs, and the way it played out was similar to Mater Dei’s section championship in football.

“McGuigan is a mad dog on defense,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said. “He stuck to Jacobsen like there was no tomorrow.”

That’s putting it lightly.

After Mater Dei fell behind by 12 points in the first half, McKnight changed the defense, sending McGuigan in to guard Jacobsen in a box and one, while also substituting 6-10 sophomore center Jamal Sampson into the low post, where Glendora had struck for a couple of quick baskets.

It worked. The Stanford-bound Jacobsen, who finished with 17 points, 13 below his average, made only one of his final 10 field-goal attempts after McGuigan came in. He wasn’t too happy about the way he was singled out by the Monarchs.

“I wasn’t tired, but it takes a lot out of you,” Jacobsen said of the tactics. “McKnight sent guys in to beat the crap out of me. If that’s what he wanted to do, it worked.”

Glendora looked like it would put this one away early. The Tartans made six of their first eight shots, including two three-pointers by Jacobsen, and held a 17-5 lead six minutes into the game.

But a slam dunk by Sampson, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, a three-point play by Imran Sufi and another basket by Sampson after a Mike Strawberry miss got the Monarchs within seven points as the quarter ended.

A steal and a basket by Glendora’s Jason Davis got the second quarter going, then guard Steve Scoggin made his first basket, a lay-in.

Mike Ahmad countered with a turn-around jumper and it appeared that Glendora could match the Monarchs basket for basket.

But then, Glendora went cold. The Tartans missed their final eight shots of the quarter.

“I got up into him,” McGuigan said of his defense of Jacobsen. “I talked to him. I bumped him. He doesn’t like contact.”

Mater Dei capitalized. Sampson’s put-back was followed by Scoggin’s 17-footer and after Jacobsen picked up his second foul, Mike Soderberg’s lay-in pulled the Monarchs within a point, 23-22.

Glendora missed at the other end and two free throws by Sampson gave Mater Dei its first lead, 24-23.

Two three-pointers by Glendora’s Chad Clark got Glendora the lead early in the third quarter, then two free throws each from Jason Davis and Jacobsen made it 39-33.

But Jacobsen committed his fourth foul, just after the fourth quarter began when he fouled Scoggin on a three-point attempt. Scoggin made all three free throws and Sampson’s three-point play with 4:41 left and Mike Bayer’s free throw 45 seconds later made it 40-39 in favor of Mater Dei.

Sampson’s slam dunk with 2:19 to go and Derrick Mansell’s baseline layup that just beat the shot clock after a nice pass from from Sufi two minutes later ensured the victory.

Jacobsen, meanwhile, missed his final four field-goal attempts.

“You could tell it was bothering him,” Mater Dei forward Mike Bayer said. “Christian did a really good job.”