SANTA CLARA - Dazed and nearly knocked down just nine minutes into the game, the Mitty basketball team counter-punched heroically to earn a championship.
The Monarchs defeated Serra 68-60 at Santa Clara University for the Central Coast Section Open Division title. It is Mitty's fifth consecutive title and Serra's fifth consecutive title loss, including three straight to the Monarchs.
Mitty responded to a 10-0 Serra run that ended the first quarter and extended into the second period with a 13-0 skein of its own, wiping out much of a 16-point Padre lead. Serra went into the half only leading 35-34 after leading 29-13 lead with 6:40 left in the first half.
"We were concerned, but we've been in that position before," Mitty senior guard Matt McAndrews said. "We never lose our confidence and the coaches keep us focused. They were hitting all their shots and we weren't playing Mitty basketball."
Said Mitty coach Tim Kennedy: "It's a testament to my guys how mentally tough they are. They didn't waver at all. They knew we weren't going to get it back all in one possession."
The lightning-quick McAndrews (14 points, five assists) was a catalyst for Mitty, hitting two consecutive three-pointers mid-way through the second quarter that brought his team to within three points. He also penetrated well and was able to dish off to teammates for easy baskets, most noticeably to 6-8 sophomore center Ben Kone (26 points, 16 rebounds).
"He's a senior and he's got the ball in his hand the majority of the time," Kennedy said of McAndrews. "He's not afraid to step up and knock down big shots - he's been doing that for us all year."
Said Kone: "He's an elite passer and an elite playmaker and I don't throw that word around very much."
Kone, a transfer from Salesian, went to work to begin the second half, scoring two quick baskets in addition to a lay-up by senior forward Connor Peterson as Mitty took a 40-35 lead. But Serra hung tenaciously in the game and only trailed Mitty 58-55 when McAndrews fouled out with 3:31 left in the game.
"I told each one of them when I was walking off the court 'Finish off this game.'" McAndrews said. "I was mad at myself - I'm not going to lie. But i knew my team would come through in the clutch."
No problem. Peterson moved to the point and Mitty out-scored Serra 10-5 down the stretch for the win.
In the game's final minute, Kone waved his arms to a roaring Monarch student section, celebrating his team's victory. The way he played, one couldn't blame him.
"Ben has been amazing in his development," Kennedy said. "He was getting his shot blocked but he kept on going and kept on going, and that's something we really preach."
Mitty dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Serra 43-20. As was the case in the Monarchs' eight-point title game victory against the Padres last season, Mitty had a height advantage at just about every position.
"They were kind of getting after us and getting a lot of 50-50 balls in that first quarter and then we were able to kind of turn the tide on that and that always changes the momentum - offensive rebounds," Kennedy said.
Said Serra coach Chuck Rapp: "We had a great start. We came out and played well and had good ball-share and got them in transition and looked good, but we just weren't able to sustain it. You need to rebound to run and we were having trouble rebounding and really just got beat up on the boards and that was the big difference. They're just bigger and stronger."
Besides Kone and McAndrews, senior guard J.P. Rindfleisch had 12 points and had eight points and 12 rebounds for Mitty (26-4).
Serra (21-8) was led by senior guard Danny Mahoney with 20 points, junior center Trevor Brown with 13 points and senior guards Sean Watkins and Corey Cravalho with 10 and nine points, respectively.
The Padres cooled off after that torrid first nine-plus minutes, shooting 41 percent (22 of 54) for the game and only 20 percent from three-point range (4-of-20), including going 1-of-9 in the second half.
However, for Serra the season has been anything but a disappointment. It returned only one starter (Watkins) and was an afterthought to many heading into the season.
Said Rapp: "A lot of people had low expectations for this team and said we were going to struggle and we kind of used that as motivation. We're small and undersized, but managed to claw our way to the championship game, and that's a lot to be proud of."
Both teams now advance to the CIF-State NorCal playoffs, with seedings to be determined Sunday.
