Once more, Saddleback, led by PG Perry Webster, controlled the pace and found a way to win yet another close game, edging San Francisco, 63-57, to capture the 2009-10 California Community College state championship Sunday afternoon at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks.
Completing a journey that seemed the hardest for any team in the field and avenging an overtime loss in last year's state championship game, Saddleback (29-5) never trailed in the second half but needed several key plays in the final 2:17, including the clinching basket by SF Tyler McManaman with 13.7 seconds left, to come away with the title.
But after overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit in the semifinal against Citrus, after slowing down #1-North seed Ohlone in the quarterfinal, after beating defending state champ and OEC rival Riverside in their gym for the second time in about three weeks in the regional final, and after getting past perennial power Chaffey in the opening round of the playoffs, getting two baskets and making 7 of 8 free throws in the final 2:17 was no sweat for the Gauchos, by now accustomed to winning tough games against good teams.
San Francisco (28-5) showed plenty of grit itself, both in this game and throughout the state tournament. The Rams dispatched Irvine Valley, which finished tied with Saddleback for second in the OEC this season, in the quarterfinal and then upset #1-South seed San Bernardino Valley in the semifinal. Then after a terrible start against Saddleback, CCSF rallied from an 11-point deficit to briefly take the lead against the Gauchos, and were tied late in the game at 52, just less than three minutes away from the championship.
At that point, Webster, after using most of the shot clock, put Saddleback ahead with a driving lay-up with 2:17 left. CCSF never quite caught up after that, largely because of the free throws. But the Rams were still just two points back after a steal & basket by SF De'end Parker with 42.5 seconds left.
Trailing by two points, CCSF elected to just play defense and hope to get the ball back with a few seconds remaining, still trailing by two points, as there was a 7.5-second differential between the shot clock and the game clock. It's a strategy commonly used by former LA Clipper coach Mike Dunleavy during his NBA tenure.
And as often happened to Dunleavy, the strategy backfired badly, allowing Saddleback to clinch the game. The Gauchos took the shot clock all the way down to a few seconds left, and then McManaman made a short jumper from the baseline with 13.7 seconds left to make it a 4-point game at 61-57. After a missed shot by CCSF PF Chris White, PG DeAndre Myles made two more free throws to make it 63-57, sending Saddleback to its second state championship of the decade (the Gauchos also won in 2002).
Early on, it looked as if such dramatics would not be needed for the Gauchos, who jumped out to a 13-2 lead as CCSF missed its first 11 field goal attempts. But after the ragged start, the Rams rallied to take a 20-19 lead on a 3-pointer by PG Calvin Douglas with 3:20 left in the first half. Saddleback answered with a basket by Ctr Wendell Faines and a 3-pointer by Webster to go back in front, and led, 27-24 at the break.
When the second half began, Saddleback quickly pushed its lead back to seven points at 32-25 after McManaman hit a jumper on an inbounds play. But San Francisco responded by cutting the margin to a single point at 34-33 after a basket by SG Daryl Cooper, and stayed close the rest of the way.
Saddleback continued to nurse a short lead of between one and five points as the clock wound down until Ctr Jonathan Williams scored on an acrobatic slam dunk after a steal with 2:45 left to tie the score at 52. Williams, a 6-6, 225-pound freshman, first poked the ball away for the steal, then took the pass from Cooper as he headed downcourt, then appeared to take just one step inside the 3-point line before throwing down the left-handed jam.
But then Saddleback went back in front on Webster's lay-up, and held on for the win. CCSF's first trip to the state championship game since 1986 would not end up with the Rams' first state championship since 1962 after all.
Webster was an easy choice for tournament MVP, posting a double-double with 18 pts and 10 asts in the final and totalling 44 points and 23 assists in the three games. And his impact went beyond the numbers as the 6-2 sophomore from Mission Viejo HS controlled the pace, slowing things down to his team's advantage in each game.
McManaman had 12 pts for the Gauchos, including that key final shot, and had 33 pts in the tourney. PF Nathan Gibbs had 9 pts and three players, including Ctr Robert Curtis had 8 pts each. Curtis, who had 21 pts and 13 rebs vs. Citrus in the semifinal, was named to the All-Tournament team.
For CCSF, Douglas led the way Sunday with 16 pts on 6-for-10 from the floor, including 4 threes. Parker had 13 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asts, 2 steals and a block, and White had 10 pts and 6 rebs. Williams had 9 pts and 4 rebs and was named to the All-Tournament team; PF Da'Ron Sims had just 6 pts vs. Saddleback but had 30 pts on 15-for-20 in the first two games this weekend and was also named to the All-Tournament team.
box score
Sunday, March 14, 2010 - 3:30 pm
at Cal Lutheran, Thousand Oaks
State Championship Game
Saddleback Gauchos 63:
12-Kyle Wallace, SG - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 2 ast, 0 pts
20-Perry Webster, PG - 5/9 fg, 7/11 ft, 5 reb, 10 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 18 pts
23-Nathan Gibbs, PF - 3/6 fg, 2/4 ft, 3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 9 pts
24-T.J. Lipold, SF - 0/1 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
35-Wendell Faines, C - 4/7 fg, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 8 pts
10-DeAndre Myles, G - 0/1 fg, 8/8 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2 pf, 8 pts
31-Tyler McManaman, F - 5/10 fg, 1/1 ft, 4 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 12 pts
34-Robert Curtis, C - 4/7 fg, 4 reb, 3 pf, 8 pts
32-Devonier Braswell, G - 1 pf, 0 pts
33-Sarunas Jackson, F - 1 reb, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 21/43 fg (.488), 18/24 ft (.750), 30 reb, 16 ast, 2 blk, 5 stl, 20 pf, 63 pts
3-pt fg (3): Webster, Gibbs, McManaman
Turnovers (13): Webster 7, Wallace 2, Faine, Myles, McManaman, team
San Francisco Rams 57:
5-Chirstopher White, PF - 2/4 fg, 6/6 ft, 6 reb, 4 pf, 10 pts
11-Bennie Rhodes, SG - 0/8 fg, 3 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 0 pts
20-Calvin Douglas, PG - 6/10 fg, 2 reb, 2 pf, 16 pts
21-De'end Parker, SF - 2/6 fg, 9/12 ft, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 1 pf, 13 pts
23-Jonathan Williams, C - 2/7 fg, 4/6 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
24-Tyler Brown, G - 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
34-Da'Ron Sims, F - 1/5 fg, 5/6 ft, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 7 pts
3-Daryl Cooper, G - 1/5 fg, 0/1 ft, 2 ast, 2 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 14/45 fg (.311), 24/31 ft (.774), 30 reb, 10 ast, 2 blk, 5 stl, 17 pf, 57 pts
3-pt fg (5): Douglas 4, Williams
Technical Foul: Bench (too many men on court)
Turnovers (11): Parker 5, Rhodes 2, Brown 2, White, Cooper
Halftime Score: Saddleback 27, San Francisco 24
Updated Records: Saddleback 29-5, San Francisco 28-5
All-Tournament Team: Webster (MVP) & Curtis, Saddleback; Sims & Williams, CCSF; Nate Roth SBVC; Randy Hunter, Citrus
