Mater Dei Is Good to the End

Santa Ana Mater Dei planted the seed for its fourth state title with two defeats in December.

That’s when the Monarchs lost to national powerhouses Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy and Louisville (Ky.) Ballard. The thinking back then was that those games--no matter the outcome--would prepare Mater Dei for whatever situation it faced in the last game of the season.

And the Monarchs were ready during the final frenetic moments Saturday.

Mater Dei hung on to defeat Modesto Christian, 57-54, before a decidedly pro-Crusader crowd of 13,495 at Arco Arena, after Modesto’s Chuck Hayes misfired on the final shot of his high school career, an NBA-range three-pointer that could have tied the game with less than five seconds left.

“I told [Modesto Coach Gary Porter] that I wanted the ball. I wanted my last game in my hands,” said Hayes, the Kentucky-bound forward who finished with a game-high 18 points and 19 rebounds. “I didn’t want anyone else to take that shot.”

Crusader guard Richard Midgley grabbed the rebound, dribbled beyond the three-point arc and threw up a shot at the buzzer that was well short, giving the Monarchs their first Division I state title since 1995. It was Mater Dei’s first title in three tries at Arco; the Monarchs won their first three championships--in 1987, ’90 and ‘95--at the Oakland Coliseum.

Mater Dei (33-2) rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit with full-court pressure, which contributed to Modesto’s 24 turnovers, and newfound aggressiveness on the offensive end. The Monarchs outscored the Crusaders (34-4), 20-9, in the third quarter to pull ahead, 44-40, entering the fourth. They would never relinquish the lead.

“We were just having fun out there,” said Mater Dei guard Shaun Michel, who finished with nine points, including a free throw that gave Mater Dei a three-point cushion with 10 seconds to go.

The Monarchs appeared in control when center Jamal Sampson grabbed a miss by Mike Strawberry and converted a dunk for a 56-51 edge with less than a minute to go. But Hayes made a baseline three-pointer to pull Modesto within 56-54 with 15 seconds left.

Michel then made one of two free throws to set up Hayes’ final try.

“We were considering fouling at the end, but we decided the worst scenario was that they would tie it,” said Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight, who clutched a cross in his hand during the fourth quarter for good luck.

“We came close the last few years,” said McKnight, whose team lost the state title game to Oakland Fremont in 1999. “To win this is super for our kids.”

Strawberry led the Monarchs with 12 points and eight rebounds, Cedric Bozeman added 11 points and Sampson had eight points and five blocks.

The Monarchs shot only 35.4% from the field for the game. Ricky Porter made three of 14 shots and Bozeman made four of 15.

“I don’t think they intimidated us,” Hayes said. “We got out of our rhythm and didn’t play the basketball we’ve been playing in the playoffs.

“Coach said we had a lot of turnovers that killed us down the stretch. Twenty-four turnovers, and a lot of them were not caused by Mater Dei.”

Midgley had 16 points for Modesto, which was seeking its second state title and first in Division I. The Crusaders won a Division V title in 1997.