Bishop Montgomery Repeats Itself

Torrance Bishop Montgomery High carved a niche in state basketball history Saturday at Arco Arena, becoming the first school to repeat boys’ and girls’ division championships.

Bishop Montgomery’s girls defended their Division III title with a 48-38 victory over San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral. The boys’ team defended its Division III championship with a 55-43 victory over San Francisco Riordan.

The boys’ success was no surprise. With USC-bound twins Errick and Derrick Craven leading the way, the Knights were regarded as one of the top teams in the state in any division.

Errick Craven had 19 points and 11 rebounds and sophomore Fred Washington had 15 points for Bishop Montgomery, which committed only four turnovers.

“They have three kids out on the perimeter that are just so much more physical than us,” Riordan Coach Rich Forslund said, referring to the Cravens and UC Irvine-bound guard DeVaughn Peace. “They were all over us on defense.”

Bishop Montgomery’s girls’ team was a much less certain choice to win its fourth title in six years after center Lauren Ervin and guard Brittney Thomas transferred to Lakewood Artesia before the season.

But their departures provided an opportunity for 5-foot-10 sophomore Noelle Quinn to assume a featured role. Quinn scored 24 points, had 15 rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots Saturday.

“Everybody thought we were going to go downhill,” said Quinn, who admitted that she was also skeptical of the Knights’ chances after Ervin and Thomas left. “But we all came together.”

Sacred Heart played Bishop Montgomery almost even except in the second quarter when Sacred Heart point guard Toni Russell was forced to the bench because of foul trouble. The Knights pressured Sacred Heart into three consecutive turnovers and went on a 13-0 run en route to a 29-17 halftime lead.

In other championship games:

BOYS

Berkeley St. Mary’s 76, Santa Monica Crossroads 62--St. Mary’s used relentless pressure and hustle to win the Division IV championship in its first title game.

Guard Dashawn Freeman scored 20 points and had seven of the Panthers’ 15 steals, many of which resulted in fast-break baskets.

“We knew they came after the ball and our guys did not respond to their energy,” Crossroads Coach Daryl Roper said.

Center Isaiah Fox scored 30 points and had 21 rebounds for Crossroads (25-6), but his effort was not enough to offset the Panthers’ gambling defense that produced 28 Crossroads turnovers.

St. Mary’s (31-4) led, 31-27, at halftime and began pulling away in the third quarter behind Freeman, who scored nine points in the first five minutes of the second half as the Panthers built a 54-41 lead.

GIRLS

La Jolla Bishop’s 59, Stockton St. Mary’s 54--Mallone Winn scored 14 points and Amy Dieckman added 13 for The Bishop’s School (25-6), which won the Division IV title in its first championship-game appearance.

St. Mary’s (35-2), the defending champion, overcame a 15-point third-quarter deficit to take the lead, 45-43, early in the fourth quarter before the Knights regained control.