Mater Dei Goes After Its Fourth State Crown

Santa Ana Mater Dei High will make its fifth appearance in a boys’ basketball state final and the Palisades girls’ team will play in its first state championship game tonight in Division I finals at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Here is a look at all of today’s finals except the Division III girls’ final featuring Harvard-Westlake:

BOYS’ GAMES

* DIVISION I--Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-3) vs. Oakland Fremont (28-4), 8 p.m.: Mater Dei is playing in its first state championship game since 1995, when the Monarchs defeated Fremont, 71-67, in overtime.

The Monarchs also won state titles in 1987 and 1990. Their only loss in a championship game came against Jason Kidd and Alameda St. Joseph in 1992.

This season, Mater Dei lacks an individual standout. The Monarchs lost sophomore swingman Cedric Bozeman, arguably their most talented player, because of a leg injury, but still defeated Glendora for the Southern Section Division I-A title and advanced through the Southern California Regional with impressive victories over Chula Vista Bonita Vista, City Section champion Manual Arts and Southern Section I-AA champion Artesia.

Mater Dei’s championship run has been keyed by 6-foot-10 sophomore Jamal Sampson, who gives the Monarchs a dominating presence on the boards to complement the guard play of Derrick Mansell and Steve Scoggin and the inside play of forward Mike Bayer.

Fremont is led by Josh Shavies, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a victory over Concord De La Salle in the Northern California Regional final. Shavies made 10 of 12 shots and had three blocks.

* DIVISION IV--Verbum Dei (30-7) vs. Sacramento Christian Brothers (28-8), 11 a.m.: Verbum Dei is trying to win its second consecutive Division IV title, its third in four years. Senior guard Marlon Parmer is the main reason the Eagles are expected to achieve their goal.

Parmer, a lightning-quick left-hander, averaged 26 points through the regular season and capped the Southern Section IV-A playoffs with a 40-point performance in the championship game against Santa Monica Crossroads. Parmer had 26 points in the Eagles’ 68-62 victory over top-seeded San Diego Horizon in the regional final.

Senior forward Dalron Johnson, who has signed with Nevada Las Vegas, has also been a force in the playoffs for second-year Coach David Greenwood, the former Verbum Dei and UCLA standout who played in the NBA.

Christian Brothers is led by Cedric Franklin, who scored 15 points in a 55-53 victory over Colfax in the regional final.

GIRLS’ GAMES

* DIVISION I--Palisades (29-4) vs. San Jose Archbishop Mitty (30-0), 6 p.m.: Palisades cruised to the City Section championship, came back to defeat San Clemente in its regional opener, then beat Oceanside El Camino and Palos Verdes Peninsula to advance to Sacramento.

Co-Coaches Joi Tanita and Kevin Hall have a team led by senior forward Nicole Funn and point guard Leilani Estavan, both of whom will attend Oregon State.

The biggest question Palisades faced when the state playoffs began was how the Dolphins would fare in a close game after so many blowouts during its City schedule. Palisades showed its mettle against San Clemente and especially against Peninsula.

Now the Dolphins face an unbeaten team from a school that won the Division III state title in 1995 and made it to the final in ’94 and ’96. Mitty is led by Rometra Craig, daughter of former San Francisco 49er running back Roger Craig. She scored 21 points and had 13 rebounds in a 61-53 regional final victory over 1998 runner-up Berkeley.

* DIVISION IV--Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (28-5) vs. Atherton Sacred Heart Prep (29-6), 9:15 a.m.: Calvary Chapel won its first Southern Section IV-A title and has its sights set on its first state championship.

Cathy Joens leads a team that beat San Diego Horizon, Morro Bay and the La Jolla Bishop’s School to advance to the championship game.

Sacred Heart Prep has won four state titles.