For the second straight day, SG Kai Drewry scored the game-winning basket for Santa Rosa as the Bear Cubs slipped past San Bernardino Valley, 73-67, to win their first-ever state championship March 16th at Cerritos College.
Santa Rosa (24-8) saw an 8-point lead disappear in the last 2:04, but a day after Drewry scored the game-winning basket the sophomore guard did it again, slithering through the Wolverine defense for a reverse lay-up with 27.6 seconds to go, breaking a 67-all tie. And San Bernardino Valley (29-8) never scored again. SoCal Player of the Year SF Gerry Blakes missed a shot moments later and PG Davone Oliver snatched the rebound for Santa Rosa, and made two free throws with 11/.4 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. After Blakes missed another shot - a 3-point attempt - tournament MVP SF Alec Kobre grabbed the rebound and closed out the scoring with two more free throws with 2.0 seconds left.
It was the culmination of an amazing final three months for Santa Rosa and coach Craig McMillan. After going two-and-out at the Riverside tournament, which included a 64-48 loss to San Bernardino Valley, Santa Rosa's record stood at 3-6 for the season. But McMillan, relying on a 9-man rotation that featured three standout shooters, three role-playing big men and a tough-as-nails point guard from Oakland, found a way to maximize each's player's strengths and mold them together into a championship team.
Sunday afternoon, at first it looked like San Bernardino Valley might have an easy time of it once again as the Wolverines jumped out to an early 10-3 lead behind two three-pointers by the Arizona State-bound Blakes. SBVC's lead expanded to 14-6 a little later.
But that would be San Bernardino Valley's largest lead of the game as Santa Rosa quickly cut the deficit to three points at 18-15. Two free throws by Kobre made it a 2-point game at 28-26 and a 3-pointer by Drewry made it a one-point game at 30-29 late in the first half. San Bernardino Valley got a bakset from PF Austin Daniels to push its lead to 32-29 at the break.
In the second half, Santa Rosa started fast with Ctr Luke Cocheran making a jumper and SG Matthew Hayes draining a 3-pointer in the first minute, giving the Bear Cubs a 34-32 lead. The lead changed hands several times throughout the second half, until Santa Rosa began to take control in the final three minutes.
Santa Rosa held a slim 61-59 lead when Hayes made a jumper with 2:52 left to make it 63-59. Then Drewry stole the ball back near midcourt and dunked to make it 65-59. Two free throws by Cocheran with 2:04 left made it 67-59 and seemed to put Santa Rosa on track for the championship.
But San Bernardino Valley battled back. PG Keith Smith made a mid-range jumper with 1:45 left and Blakes made two free throws with 1:16 left to make it 67-63. Then Blakes stole the ball back and scored with 1:05 left to make it 67-65. Santa Rosa got the ball to Cocheran for a slam dunk, but he missed the two-hand try, and that led to a driving lay-up by Blakes that tied the score with 46.5 seconds remaining.
Then came Drewry's reverse lay-up, and that put the Bear Cubs back in control. Cocheran atoned for his missed dunk with two free throws with 11.4 seconds left following a rebound, and Kobre's final two free throws clinched the title and started the celebration on the Santa Rosa bench.
For Santa Rosa, Kobre led the Bear Cubs with 17 pts, including 5 three-pointers, and was named tournament MVP. Oliver had 14 pts, 7 rebs and 3 asts, and Hayes had 11 pts and 4 asts; Hayes was named to the all-tournament team. Drewry came off the bench to score in double digits for the second straight game, contributing 16 pts on 6-for-9 from the floor and scoring probably the biggest basket in the history of Santa Rosa mens basketball. Cocheran chipped in with 9 pts and grabbed a team-best 9 rebs.
For San Bernardino Valley, Blakes led all scorers with 23 pts including 3 three-pointers, but needed 23 shots to score those points finishing 8-for-23. Smith had 21 pts plus 4 rebs and 3 asts. They were both named to the all-tournament team. SG Charles Callison had 9 pts and 4 asts, and PF Tymarieh TA Dixon had 8 pts and a game-high 10 rebs.
The win was Santa Rosa's 21st in its last 23 games since that 3-6 start, and that run included a championship in arguably Northern Calfornia's toughest conference top-to-bottom, the Big 8. And it included Santa Rosa's first ever state championship as well.
box score
Sunday, March 16, 2014 - 3:30 pm
at Cerritos College, Norwalk
State Championship Game
Santa Rosa Bear Cubs 73:
11-Davone Oliver, PG - 3/6 fg, 6/8 ft, 7 reb, 3 ast, 3 pf, 14 pts
22-Matthew Hayes, SG - 3/13 fg, 4/4 ft, 4 ast, 2 pf, 11 pts
24-Alec Kobre, SF - 5/13 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 17 pts
33-Brian Johnson, PF - 0/1 fg, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 2 pf, 0 pts
44-Luke Cocheran, C - 1/3 fg, 4/4 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 1 pf, 6 pts
25-Kai Drewry, G - 6/9 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 16 pts
34-Corey Hammel, F - 2/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 6 pts
50-Darin Grayer, C - 1/2 fg, 1/1 ft, 2 reb, 1 blk, 1 pf, 3 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 21/51 fg (.412), 21/23 ft (.913), 34 reb, 11 ast, 6 blk, 1 stl, 13 pf, 73 pts
3-pt fg (10): Kobre 5, Oliver 2, Drewry 2, Hayes
Turnovers (10): Oliver 4, Hayes 2, Kobre 2, Johnson, team
San Bernardino Valley Wolverines 67:
3-Keith Smith, PG - 6/15 fg, 9/10 ft, 4 reb, 3 ast, 4 pf, 21 pts
4-Gerry Blakes, SF - 8/23 fg, 4/4 ft, 3 reb, 1 stl, 4 pf, 23 pts
5-Tymarieh TA Dixon, PF - 3/8 fg, 2/2 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 8 pts
21-Marcus Fuggins, C - 1/1 fg, 2 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 2 pts
24-Charles Callison, SG - 4/11 fg, 1 reb, 4 ast, 1 pf, 9 pts
32-Trayvon Bashir, F - 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 0 pts
15-Steven Adams, C - 1/2 fg, 6 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 2 pf, 2 pts
2-Austin Daniels, G - 1/1 fg, 0/1 ft, 1 reb, 2 pts
0-Darren Lockett, F - 3 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 0 pts
34-Darren Smith, C - 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 24/61 fg (.393), 15/17 ft (.882), 34 reb, 12 ast, 4 blk, 6 stl, 21 pf, 67 pts
3-pt fg (4): Blakes 3, Callison
Turnovers (5): K.Smith 2, Blakes, Dixon, Callison
Halftime Score: San Bernardino Valley 32, Santa Rosa 29
Updated Records: Santa Rosa 24-8, San Bernardino Valley 29-8
SBVC led 14-6 early. SRJC led 67-59 with 2:04 left. Those were each team's largest leads.
Blakes tied it at 67 with a driving lay-up with 46.5 seconds left.
Drewry broke the tie with a reverse lay-up with 27.6 seconds left.
Cocheran and Kobre each made 2 FTs in the last 11.4 seconds to clinch it for SR.
This is Santa Rosa's first state championship. SRJC won 21 of its last 23 games.
All-Tourney Team: Kobre (MVP) & Hayes from Santa Rosa; Blakes & K.Smith from SBVC
