The Mitty Monarchs claimed their third consecutive WCAL title Saturday night with a resounding win over the Serra Padres, 69-50, at Foothill College.
After colliding with Serra center Matt Dickerson under the hoop and getting into a brief scuffle that drew technical fouls on both sides, Mitty’s All-American star forward Aaron Gordon sat the rest of the half. The referees called five technical fouls during the game.
“My teammates really picked me up. They stepped up, made big shots and played good defense," Gordon said. "That’s what made the difference. I wouldn’t have been so mad if the technical didn’t count as a personal foul as well, but the personal foul contributes to all my fouls and once that happened, [I knew] I had to sit out. It was amazing [seeing my teammates do so well].”
Gordon drew three fouls in the first period and had to sit out the entire second quarter and most of the third. No longer able to rely on him, the rest of the Monarchs stepped up to the challenge and still outpaced the Padres. Guard Connor Peterson, who was sick earlier in the week, put up 13 points for the Monarchs and close to five assists. He had only one personal foul.
Mitty forward Brandon Abajelo also had a solid game, finishing with 12 points and shooting 5-for-7, though he fouled out near the end. Eight players contributed for the Monarchs, compared to only six for the Padres.
“Connor Peterson made big shot after big shot. This was a team effort tonight because everybody had to make plays. Guys that had to step it up were learning to make plays even when Aaron’s not in,” said Mitty coach Tim Kennedy. “I was so proud of the guys that would share the ball and guys that were ready to shoot. They would knock down shots, get down to the rim and finish.”
We always preach about getting three stops in a row, and we were able to do that multiple times. That was what we were proud of on the defensive end, because if we take care of the defensive end, we have guys that can knock down shots and make plays, so that made our lives easier.”
Serra heavily relied on Princeton-bound forward Henry Caruso, who had 23 points and a huge dunk off a fast-break with 4:47 left in the second, to cut the Monarchs’ lead to 16-15. Mitty responded with an immediate dunk by center Brandon Farrell, prompting Serra’s student section to chant, “Ours was better!”
Farrell had another big dunk a few minutes later. Consecutive Serra fouls and a three-pointer by Abajelo off an assist from Peterson gave Mitty a 32-19 halftime lead.
Serra battled from behind the rest of the game. After a technical by Monarch Davis Messer, free throws by Serra guard Andre Miller brought the team back into the game, 56-46. But that prompted Kennedy to send Gordon back into the game, who quickly added another five points and a block.
With three minutes to go, the Monarchs pulled away 60-47 and drove their lead up to 19 points at the end. Even with the win, they got into some tough foul trouble and gave up a lot of open shots.
Said Kennedy, “We gave up too many open shots for them, where they gave up some threes, so we need to close down a little better. Offensively, we can still get better where we turn over some loose passes and everything.”
With this, both teams go into CCS playoffs next week. Mitty now claims its second win in three games against Serra and hopes to continue their winning streak, while Serra hopes to regroup.
Gordon needs the next week for recovery. Though he still contributed 11 points and many rebounds against Serra, he suffered from a back injury.
“At the Valley Christian game I jumped up as high as I could. I got undercut and landed straight on my tailbone, so it is not feeling good right now," Gordon said. "It is not feeling good. I’m probably not going to play basketball for about two or three days and that’s saying a lot.”
Coach Kennedy looks to the week ahead and remains confident but cautious of the road ahead.
“We know we’re going to have another tough battle in CCS, whoever it is," he said. "I wouldn’t be surprised [if we face Serra again]. Who’s going to stay consistent and make plays...anything can happen in playoff basketball. “We’re going to get two days off for the first time in I don’t know how long. It’ll be good for their bodies to finally get a little bit of rest, to take a breather and then make the final push for the final run.”
Both teams begin play in the CCS Open Division playoffs this Friday, with No. 1 Mitty taking on Soquel and No. 2 Serra meeting area rival El Camino.
