BOYS BASKETBALL: Sacred Heart Prep Tops Santa Cruz in CCS Final

SHP 61, Santa Cruz 51

The Star: The Sacred Heart Prep defense. Mirroring the relentless full court pressure that Santa Cruz usually applies against its opponents, SHP made its opponent work hard for everything from end-to-end. A little hurried throughout the game, Santa Cruz rushed passes and never got into its normal offensive rhythm during the Central Coast Section Division IV Boys Basketball Championship game held Friday night at Santa Clara University.

The Turning Point: Still within striking distance deep into the fourth quarter, a corner triple from SHP 6-foot-6 big man Will McConnell put his team ahead 54-47 with 2:19 left in the contest. Then Sacred Heart Prep’s slick press break with just over a minute left put a bow on things for the No. 1 seed. Will McConnell (game-high 16 points, nine rebounds) inbounded the ball from the far baseline, the Gators whipped two passes past the swarming Santa Cruz defenders and Tomas O’Donnell dropped in a layup for a 56-49 lead with 1:04 remaining that proved too much for the Cardinals (22-7) to overcome. No. 2 seed Santa Cruz missed a 3-pointer and a jumper at the other end … and then had to resort to fouling. SHP (25-2) made 6-of-8 free throws in the closing seconds to secure the win.

The Quotes: “It came down to who was going make shots,” Santa Cruz head coach Bill Domhoff said. “We picked a bad night to have a bad game. They did a good job of pressuring us. We didn’t really settle down tonight.”

 Senior reserve guard Dominic Bonner scored 12 points in the second quarter, providing quite a lift for the Cardinals when they desperately needed a boost.

 “Dominic was our spark for sure,” Domhoff said. “He came and carried us for a bit. We really needed it.”

 Despite the loss the season isn’t over for the Cardinals. Because of the second place finish in Division IV, the Cardinals advance on to next weeks NorCal tournament.

 “During the season, we’re the ones used to pressuring the other team,” Santa Cruz senior guard Keith Williams said. “We didn’t hit our shots. Going forward, we have to be ready for anything.”

What's Next? Santa Cruz and SHP move on to next week’s NorCals. The Cardinals will play on the road on Tuesday night. The state tourney brackets will be announced on Sunday night.

Bottom Line: A tad nervous in the early going, SHP took a 13-8 lead into the second quarter. Santa Cruz, sparked by the hot shooting off Bonner, rallied going into the half. Bonner knocked down three triples in the second quarter and Clayton Conroy slipped in for a late layup to bring his team within three points at the break. Junior center Ti Demeo was in foul trouble for the duration of the CCS playoff finale. The big man, along with several of his teammates, never found his groove on this night.

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Sacred Heart Prep 61, Santa Cruz 51

SC – 8 23 10 10 -- 51

SHP – 13 20 11 17 -- 61

SC: Williams 4 1-2 10, Conroy 5 1-1 11, Maki 3 0-0 6, Demeo 1 0-0 2, Schmidt 2 0-1 4, Bonner 4 2-2 12, Hansen 2 2-2 6. Totals: 21 6-8 51.

SHP: W. McConnell 6 2-4 16, Terndrup 4 4-9 12, O’Donnell 6 2-2 14, McNamara 1 2-2 4, C. McConnell 2 4-4 10, Watterson 1 1-2 3, Baloff 0 2-2 2. Totals: 20 17-25 61.

3-point goals: SC: Bonner 2, Williams. SHP: W. McConnell 2, C. McConnell 2.

Records: Santa Cruz 22-7. Sacred Heart Prep 25-2.

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Patch Peninsula Sports Editor Scott Campbell contributed to this report.