In a rematch of the 2010 state championship game, #1-ranked City College of San Francisco went on a key 7-0 run late in the second half and held off a stubborn Saddleback squad to come away with a 65-60 win and a berth in the final against Citrus, the same team CCSF defeated the last time it won a state championship.
Neither team led by more than six points until CCSF went on a 7-0 run to take a 62-55 lead with just under two minutes to play. Saddleback scored the game's next five points to close the gap to 62-60 and had a couple of chances to tie or take the lead in the final minute, but didn't score again as CCSF held on for the win.
CCSF got a huge lift from SG Ivan Dorsey, who came off the bench for 14 pts. His long, leaning 2-pointer with 4:32 left tied the game at 51, and he drew a foul; the resulting free throw gave CCSF a 52-51 lead. After Saddleback went back in front on a turnaround jumper by Ctr Wendell Faines, Dorsey hit a 3-point field goal, and the Rams never trailed again.
Saddleback tied the score one last time on a pair of free throws by Faines with 3:29 left. But then SF Jonathan Williams scored on a driving lay-up to put CCSF back in front. Then Williams passed to Ctr Yoan Zola for a basket that made 59-55. And perhaps more importantly, Faines was injured on the play; he returned only for the last few seconds and did not score again.
Zola missed the free throw after his basket - he was fouled by Faines on the play - but Williams gathered the offensive rebound. Then PG De'end Parker hit a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 62-55 and give CCSF the largest lead of the game for either team.
Saddleback PF Myron Green hit a 3-pointer and made a pair of free throws after a rebound to get the Gauchos back within two points at 62-60 with 1:30. Then after Williams missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1:14 left, Saddleback had the chance to tie or go ahead, but a 3-point try by SG Johnel Gray at the end of the shot clock missed.
Parker got the rebound for CCSF and was fouled, but he made just one of two free throws with 36.3 seconds left to make it 63-60. Saddleback had another chance to tie the game, but SF Prince Obasi's 3-point try missed and Williams got the rebound for CCSF. He was fouled and made one of two free throws to make it 64-60 with 22.7 seconds left. He missed the second, but Parker got the rebound and was fouled with 20.4 seconds left. He made one of two free throws to make it 65-60 and close out the scoring.
For much of the game, Saddleback, perhaps inspired by the presence of current Cal State Fullerton PG and last year's playoff MVP Perry Webster, who sat behind the Saddleback bench, the Gauchos controlled the pace, just as Webster did in last year's state tourney. CCSF led by four points at 12-8, but Saddleback tied it at 12 and took a 17-16 lead. CCSF went back in front by four points again on a 3-pointer by PG Daryl Cooper that made it 23-19. The Rams pushed the lead to six moments later on a pair of free throws by Dorsey that made it 25-19, and led by six at halftime at 31-25.
But Saddleback scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 32-31 lead on a 3-pointer by SG Marquis Green. After CCSF briefly went back in front moments later on a lay-up by SG Collin Chiverton, Saddleaback re-took the lead and built a 45-40 advantage after a pair of free throws by Gray with 11 minutes to play.
That, however, would be Saddleback's largest lead of the game. CCSF rallied for a 52-51 lead on a 3-point play by Williams with 4:32 left. Moments later Faines gave Saddleback its final lead, but then CCSF went on its 7-0 spurt and held on for the win.
For San Francisco, Williams had 15 pts, 5 rebs and 3 asts, and Dorsey had 14 pts. Parker, who recently verbally committed to attend UCLA next year, had 12 pts and a team-high 9 rebs. PF Fred Sturdivant had 10 pts, 3 rebs, 4 blocoks and 2 steals despite barely playing in the second half after appearing to be ill from something resembling stomach flu twice late in the first half.
For Saddleback, Faines had a game-high 22 pts plus 9 rebs and a pair of blocked shots. Obasi had 14 pts, 9 rebs and 4 asts, and Myron Green had 8 pts and a game-high 12 rebs. PG Vonchae Richardson did not score (he only tried 2 shots) but dished out a game-high 6 asts and had 2 steals with just one turnover in a solid overall performance.
box score
Friday, March 11, 2011 - 5 pm
at Ventura College
State Semifinal #1
Saddleback Gauchos 60:
10-Vonchae Richardson, PG - 0/2 fg, 5 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 0 pts
23-Myron Green, PF - 2/11 fg, 3/4 ft, 12 reb, 4 pf, 8 pts
31-Marquis Green, SG - 2/8 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 6 pts
32-Prince Obasi, SF - 6/15 fg, 2/3 ft, 9 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 14 pts
35-Wendell Faines, C - 8/13 fg, 5/7 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 4 pf, 22 pts
24-Johnel Gray, G - 1/4 fg, 4/4 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 6 pts
25-Terrell Mack, F - 1/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 2 pf, 4 pts
11-Taylor Cunningham, G - 0 pts
21-Donovan Poole, G - 0 pts
41-Vincent Hatter-Rolland, C - 3 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 20/59 fg (.339), 16/20 ft (.800), 43 reb, 13 ast, 4 blk, 3 stl, 23 pf, 60 pts
3-pt fg (4): Marquis Green 2, Myron Green, Faines
Intentional Foul: Richardson
Turnovers (11): Myron Green 3, Obasi 2, Richardson, Faines, Cunningham, Hatter-Rolland, team 2
San Francisco Rams 65:
4-Fred Sturdivant, PF - 3/7 fg, 4/4 ft, 3 reb, 4 blk, 2 stl, 1 pf, 10 pts
21-De'end Parker, PG - 4/12 fg, 3/7 ft, 9 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 12 pts
23-Jonathan Williams, SF - 5/10 fg, 5/10 ft, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 15 pts
24-Collin Chiverton, SG - 2/12 fg, 1 reb, 2 pf, 5 pts
25-Myron Respress, C - 0/1 fg, 0/2 ft, 7 reb, 3 pf, 0 pts
44-Yoan Zola, C - 2/4 fg, 0/1 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 4 pts
20-Ivan Dorsey, G - 3/5 fg, 6/7 ft, 1 reb, 2 pf, 14 pts
33-Garrett Moon, F - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
3-Daryl Cooper, G - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 3 pts
5-Trevon King, F - 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 20/55 fg (.364), 20/33 ft (.606), 41 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk, 4 stl, 17 pf, 65 pts
3-pt fg (5): Dorsey 2, Parker, Chiverton, Cooper
Turnovers (9): Parker 3, Chiverton 3, Sturdivant, Respress, Zola
Halftime Score: San Francisco 31, Saddleback 25
Updated Records: San Francisco 31-1, Saddleback 27-7
Neither team led by more than 6 pts until CCSF went on a 7-0 run to lead, 62-55, with just under two minutes left. Saddleback got within two at 62-60 but no closer. Single FTs by Parker, Williams and Parker again in the last 36.3 seconds clinched the win for CCSF.
