SAN JOSE — Less than three weeks after sitting dead-last in the WCAL and sporting a 2-12 overall record, the Mitty Monarchs now own the longest winning streak in the league.
That streak is at five games, and it got to five as Mitty (7-12, 5-4 WCAL) ended the Bellarmine Bells’ incredible run at 24 games with a 67-56 home win on Tuesday night.
Throughout their streak, the Bells had been pulling out wins in dramatic fashion, and at one point against the Monarchs they went on a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter. So how did Mitty not let that run change the outcome of the game?
Simple. The Monarchs didn’t let Bellarmine get on a run until they had a 23-point lead.
Mitty led by 17 at halftime, 22 through three quarters and stretched the advantage all the way to 57-34 with 5:52 remaining before first-place Bellarmine (16-3, 8-1) finally mounted a charge. Though Kendall Stubblefield’s efforts did get the Bells within 10, it was far too late to complete the comeback.
The seventh-ranked Monarchs were simply the better team from the start. Mitty never trailed after the first three minutes, and after leading by five through one quarter, took it to the Bells in the second. Riley Grigsby answered a Kiran Kruse three with six consecutive points to put the hosts ahead 24-16 and force Bellarmine coach Patrick Schneider to call a timeout.
That timeout wasn’t enough to stop the momentum. The Monarchs were in the midst of an 18-2 run, with back-to-back threes by Charles Meng and Joseph Vaughn stretching the lead to 14, and layups by Donovan Wilson and Meng to make it 36-18. Connor Despie would convert one of two free throws to close the half, but the top-ranked Bells were on the wrong end of a 17-point deficit.
It would get no better in the third. Stubblefield opened the half with a 3-point play, but Mitty responded with a three by Devan Sapp and then closed the quarter on a 10-2 run to make it 50-28.
Despite the outcome, Schneider had his share of positives.
“The number one positive is how relentless we were,” he said. “They didn’t wait it out and say, ‘let’s just cycle through the last few minutes with the guys from the back of the bench.’”
In fact, that 15-2 run forced Mitty to seal the game at the line, and the benches were finally emptied with 40 seconds left, a far cry from the rout that fans saw over the course of the first three quarters.
As for the streak, it’s already in the rear window.
“It’ll be something for the banquet, and something to talk about down the road,” said Schneider.
While the Bells have their eyes on the standings, where their lead over St. Francis was trimmed to a single game with the loss, Mitty has a different approach.
“We’re taking it one play at a time, one game at a time,” said Grigsby, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Grigsby was one of four Monarchs in double-figures, joined by Vaughn (12 points), Sapp (11) and Meng (11). Hekili Jordan had eight points and nine rebounds off the bench.
“I play within the system, and when I find a lane, I just go through it,” said the senior reserve.
With freshman Michael Mitchell in a walking boot, coach Tim Kennedy’s main rotation has just seven men, but the group was relentless.
“A lot of it has to do with the way we’re reacting to stuff,” said Kennedy. “We have a better idea of what we’re trying to do defensively and offensively.”
Stubblefield had a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Jake Wojcik scored nine of his 11 in the fourth. Kruse, who was limited by the flu, scored just three points and played sparingly in the second half.
Bellarmine will try to get back on track with a home game against Valley Christian on Friday, while Mitty will try to keep climbing up the standings with a trip to St. Francis.
Around the WCAL
No. 10 Sacred Heart Cathedral 78, No. 4 St. Ignatius 72
The Fightin’ Irish got revenge for a Bruce-Mahoney Game loss and beat the Wildcats for the first time since 2016 by closing the game on a 9-0 run. Bryce Monroe, who scored a game-high 29 points for Sacred Heart Cathedral (12-7, 3-6), gave the Irish a 73-72 lead on a putback with 1:22 to play. He also tied the score at 62 with a floater to end the third quarter. SHC also got 18 points from E.J. Neal and 13 from Gary Hudson.
Teddy Snyder led St. Ignatius (12-7, 5-4) with 25 points, but defense was an issue for the Wildcats throughout the night.
“You can’t give up 43 points in the first half,” said head coach Rob Marcaletti.
Darrion Trammell scored 18 for SI and Wrenn Robinson added 13.
No. 8 Serra 51, No. 11 Riordan 46
After putting up 65 and 73 points in two games last week, Serra made it three straight wins with the traditional defense that Chuck Rapp’s teams have been known for. Riordan (11-8, 2-7) scored just 19 points in the first half, though the Crusaders managed to keep it tight throughout. Colin McCarthy scored 10 points for Serra (12-7, 4-5), including four free throws in the final minute. Parker McDonald led the Padres with 17 and Henry James added 11, while Watida Mukukula scored 17 for the visiting Crusaders.
No. 3 St. Francis 69, No. 12 Valley Christian 46
The Lancers took out some frustrations on the Warriors to snap a two-game losing streak. St. Francis (15-4, 7-2) jumped out to a 45-24 lead to dampen a festive atmosphere at the annual Silent Night game for Valley Christian (11-8, 2-7).
