Mater Dei Rallies Past Manual Arts

Steve Scoggin has been trying to find his jump shot throughout the playoffs.

Scoggin, a Mater Dei guard, thought he found it Tuesday in a Southern California Division I boys’ basketball first-round playoff victory over Chula Vista Bonita Vista.

But for more than two quarters Thursday night against Los Angeles Manual Arts in the division semifinal, Scoggin was cold again.

His Monarch teammates, however, kept things close with some outstanding free-throw shooting and when Scoggin finally found the range, he drilled three three-pointers and a couple of long-range jumpers to rally Mater Dei to a 66-64 victory at Loyola Marymount.

The Monarchs (33-3) advanced to Saturday’s 8 p.m. regional final at the Cox Arena in San Diego against top-seeded Lakewood Artesia, which defeated Glendora, 73-46, Thursday.

Mater Dei made 23 of 27 free throws, including eight of 10 in the final 3:18, and relied on tough man-to-man defense to keep the Toilers (28-4), the City Section champions, away from the basket in the second half. Manual Arts made only two of its final seven attempts, all forced jumpers.

Manual Arts Coach Randolph Simpson criticized his team for being impatient in the second half after pounding the ball successfully into the key often in the first.

But it was the shooting of Scoggin, who scored only two of his team-high 16 points in the first half, that rallied the Monarchs from an eight-point deficit. They grabbed the lead for the first time, 60-58, on two free throws by guard Imran Sufi with 3:18 to go.

“All my shots felt good,” Scoggin said. “It was just one of those days. I knew it had to come around sooner or later and it did.”

Mater Dei made 13 of 21 field goals in the second half.

Although in foul trouble most of the game, 6-foot-10 center Jamal Sampson made his presence felt. He scored 10 points and had seven rebounds but played only 15 minutes. His layup and free throw with seven minutes left in the game got the Monarchs even for the first time, 47-47.

Derrick Mansell finished with 14 points, as did center Mike Bayer.

Guard James Wright, who made five of eight three-pointers, led all scorers with 23 points. Curtis Millage had 19.

When Manual Arts stopped trying to get the ball inside, it cost the Toilers.

“We were impatient,” Simpson said, “and we didn’t make our free throws. Mater Dei did. They had more of them and we were driving inside, too. If we had 27 free throws, maybe we make six or seven and we win.”

The Toilers made 10 of 18 from the line.

Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight credited the Monarch defense with forcing Manual Arts to change its game plan.

“I thought we handled their press well in the second half and I think that our team defense bothered them quite a bit,” he said.

Manual Arts, which made 12 of 22 field-goal attempts in the first half, came out shooting but Mater Dei, thanks to some good free-throw shooting (the Monarchs made all nine attempts in the half), matched the Toilers, 9-9, midway through the first quarter.