PF Connor Gillett earned MVP honors and PG Max Fujii scored 19 pts as #3 Santa Rosa topped Yuba, 71-59, in the championship of the 2012 Kris Kringle Classic December 22nd at Haehl Pavilion.
Gillett is a 6-6 forward from La Mirada HS, where he played alongside 2011 Pacific 10 Player of the Year Derrick Williams, and current Minnesota Timberwolves. And with 17 pts, 18 rebs, 5 asts, 3 steals and a blocked shot he put on a Derrick Williams-type performance Saturday night against Yuba, which won this tournament last year en route to a berth in the state championship game.
The game was last tied at 36 with 14:30 left, after which Santa Rosa (11-4) gradually pulled away. Fujii scored on a short jumper to break the tie, and SG Jajuan Hammond scored on a driving lay-up to make it 40-36. Ctr Darin Grayer scored off a pass from PF Brian Johnson to make it 42-36, and the Bear Cubs led the rest of the way.
Yuba (5-6) narrowed the gap to two points at 42-40, but Santa Rosa pushed its lead to seven points at 49-42 after a short jumper by Hammond. A 3-point play by Hammond made it 52-44. Then Gillett scored on a putback to make it 54-44 with 8:40 left.
Yuba was within single digits until SG Bobby Sharp hit a long 3-pointer to make it 62-50 with just under five minutes left. A steal & stuff by Gillett made it 64-50 moments later. A steal by Sharp led to a pass from Gillett to Fujii, who hit a 3-pointer with 3:30 left to push Santa Rosa's lead to 67-52.
Yuba got the lead down to single digits one last time when SG Achoki Moikobu hit an acrobatic 3-pointer with one minute left to make it 68-59. But Fujii answered with another 3-pointer for Santa Rosa to push the lead back to 12 at 71-59, ending any remaining doubt as to the game's outcome.
All that came after an evenly-played first half that ended with the score tied at 27. Santa Rosa started the game with three-pointers by SF Xavier McCall, Sharp and Fujii to take an early 9-2 lead. But Yuba rallied to take a 20-19 lead after a baseline jumper by PG Akachi Okugo. The lead went back and forth the rest of the half, with Yuba tying the score at 27 on a basket by Ctr Jaysen Williams with about 30 seconds left before halftime.
Gillett was the obvious choice for MVP with his 17 pts, the second-highest total in the game, plus the 18 rebs, more than twice as many as anyone else, and the 5 asts, which were a game-high. Fujii had 19 pts, including 5 threes, and 4 steals and was named to the all-tournament team. Sharp had 12 pts and McCall had 9; McCall was named to the all-tournament team.
For Yuba, Okugo had 15 pts and 3 asts, and Moikobu had 14 pts, 8 rebs and 4 asts. Ctr Jeremy Bubier had 12 pts, all in the second half, on 6-for-7 from the floor. SG Darrell Polee, who had 5 pts, 2 asts and 2 steals in the final, joined Okugo on the all-tournament team.
box score
37th Annual Kris Kringle Classic
Saturday, December 22, 2012 @ Haehl Pavilion, Santa Rosa
Championship Game – 8 pm
Yuba 49ers 59:
1-Akachi Okugo, PG – 5/13 fg, 4/4 ft, 1 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 15 pts
5-Achoki Moikobu, SG – 4/16 fg, 5/6 ft, 8 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 14 pts
12-Jeremy Bubier, C – 6/7 fg, 6 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 3 pf, 12 pts
20-Gary Melvin, PF – 1/4 fg, 6 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 2 pts
34-Chris Smith, SF – 2/7 fg, 1/3 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 5 pts
3-Darrell Polee, G – 2/4 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 5 pts
22-Jaysen Williams, C – 1/4 fg, 3 reb, 1 pf, 2 pts
2-Floyd Wormley, F – 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 0 pts
15-Yev Dyachenko, F – 2/3 fg, 2 reb, 2 pf, 4 pts
21-Vic West Jr., F – 2 reb, 1 blk, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 23/60 fg (.383), 10/13 ft (.769), 35 reb, 14 ast, 4 blk, 6 stl, 15 pf, 59 pts
3-pt fg (3): Okugo, Moikobu, Polee
Turnovers (10): Moikobu 3, Bubier 2, Melvin 2, Smith, Polee, Williams
Santa Rosa Bear Cubs 71:
10-Max Fujii, PG – 7/12 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 19 pts
11-Bobby Sharp, SG – 4/12 fg, 0/1 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 12 pts
24-Xavier McCall, SF – 1/7 fg, 6/8 ft, 1 reb, 2 pf, 9 pts
32-Connor Gillett, PF – 7/11 fg, 3/6 ft, 18 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl, 3 pf, 17 pts
44-Luke Cocheran, C – 1/1 fg, 1 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
50-Darin Grayer, C – 2/6 fg, 0/3 ft, 6 reb, 1 pf, 4 pts
33-Brian Johnson, F – 0/2 fg, 1/3 ft, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 1 pt
23-Jajuan Hammond, G – 3/8 fg, 1/1 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 7 pts
34-Alec Kobre, G – 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 25/61 fg (.410), 11/22 ft (.500), 48 reb, 12 ast, 2 blk, 9 stl, 11 pf, 71 pts
3-pt fg (10): Fujii 5, Sharp 4, McCall
Turnovers (14): McCall 3, Sharp 2, Gillett 2, Grayer 2, Johnson 2, Howard 2, Kobre
Halftime Score: Tied at 27
Updated Records: Santa Rosa (#3-North, #5-Calif) 11-4, Yuba 5-6
It was last tied at 36. Yuba trailed 42-40 and then Santa Rosa gradually pulled away to lead by 15 at 67-52 with 3:30 left.
Yuba got within 9 with one minute to go, but Fujii’s 3-pt dagger with 27.2 seconds left clinched it for Santa Rosa.
Santa Rosa shot 61% (17-for-28) from the floor in the 2nd half.
Gillett (MVP), Fujii & McCall from Santa Rosa, and Okugo & Polee from Yuba were named to the All-Tournament team.
