Two weeks ago, the Mitty Monarchs showed up stagnant to their Open Division NorCal playoff game against Newark Memorial. They trailed early and were forced to fight back the rest of the game, only taking the lead in the fourth quarter thanks to clutch shooting by star center Aaron Gordon.
But Tuesday night was different, as the Monarchs steamrolled through the first quarter of their second playoff game against the Modesto Christian Cougars and maintained a safe lead the rest of the game to win 58-54 to advance to the CIF-State Northern California Open Division finals.
Mitty, seeking a third consecutive state championship, faces Sheldon (27-5) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Sleep Train Arena, with a berth in the state title game on the line.
“I didn’t expect anything less," Gordon said. "I’ve been saying this since last year, we’ve got to get back [to NorCal]. Now we have to make two last pushes."
Gordon contributed 17 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals. Point guard Connor Peterson also impressed with 16 points, two rebounds and two steals.
“I think we learned from last game. We could’ve come out flat because they pushed it down our throats every time. If we came out flat, we could’ve lost,” said Peterson.
Mitty (28-5) got on the scoreboard early with quick roll-in layups from Gordon and power forward Bradon Farrell. Brandon Abajelo then hit a three from the left corner and followed up with a steal and dish to Peterson, who drove around and under the hoop to sink a reverse layup.
Modesto (29-4) struggled to answer as layup after layup seemed to bounce out of the hoop. Players were a bit hesitant and throw up hooks against Gordon, but shooting guard Raymond Bowles and center Anthony Townes each managed to force in close shots. At the end of the first, the Monarchs led 14-6.
Mitty held a stable 10-point lead through the second and third quarters. Townes and Bowles continued to lead for the Crusaders by making difficult layups and snatching rebounds. Shooting guard TJ Wallace also took charge, posting up and tossing up short jumpers for eight second-half points.
With three minutes left in the half, Modesto Christian pulled within seven, but a wide-open three by Mitty shooting guard Davis Messer opened up more opportunities for the Monarchs as the Crusaders began to lose momentum.
Gordon followed up with a pump fake and impressive dunk. He then had a steal, hurdling it to Peterson who followed up with an easy breakaway layup. Brandon Farrell continued the scoring trend with a floater, boosting his team to a 34-20 halftime lead. The Monarchs clung to this lead in the third but consecutive layups by Bowles and a long three by Wallace brought Modesto Christian back into it. Mitty had a 43-37 lead going into the fourth.
“Defensively, we were able to slow them down a little bit and then they got it going and got us in some foul trouble in the second half. We were turning the ball over,” said Mitty coach Tim Kennedy. “We got lazy with the ball and they were the more aggressive team. We were back on our heels, passive, just lobbing our balls while they were in full-attack mode.”
The Crusaders really scared the Monarchs as Wallace began making more layups and even had a steal, which small forward Christian Ellis turned into a basket. A reverse by Ellis eventually led to a 52-51 Monarch lead with 1:15 to go. It was the closest Modesto Christian would get to stealing away Mitty's advantage.
“We hit our free throws down the stretch and showed some poise when it got hectic and they made the run. We have composure and were able to knock it out,” said Kennedy.
After struggling with free throws earlier in the quarter, Gordon sank four consecutively. Peterson then nailed a three to the right of the perimeter off a Gordon assist. Unfortunately, Peterson was then fouled going up for a layup and slid straight into the door behind the hoop.
Said Peterson: “My shoulder blade hit the door when I got fouled. It hurt but I looked up and saw we were only up by six so I knew I had to go back in. I’ll probably ice it for a couple days but it should be all right.”
Two free throws by JP Rindfleisch gave the Monarchs a little breathing room.
Farrell had 13 points and Rindfleisch had six for Mitty. For the Crusaders, Wallace had 22, Townes had 16 and Bowles had nine.
