Formidable Sheldon of Sacramento was coming off an impressive upset of state No. 1-ranked Salesian, had lost to Archbishop Mitty by only six points in a previous game when the Huskies weren't at full strength and had a large, hometown crowd behind it.
Some thought Mitty was ripe for the picking in the regional Open title game at Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena.
Instead the Monarchs breezed, 70-50, behind a regional finals record of 22 rebounds to go along with 29 points and three blocks by Aaron Gordon, the reigning state Player of the Year.
The victory vaults the Monarchs (29-4) into the state championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday at Sleep Train against Mater Dei of Santa Ana.
"We came out on fire and finished strong tonight," Gordon said. "We played probably our best game all season. Now we have just one more and hopefully we can finish it off."
Mitty is seeking its third consecutive state title, but first in the new Open Division.
Gordon, after the record-setting performance, hoisted the NorCal championship plaque in front of the large throng of Mitty students and also shared a hug with University of Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, an old family friend of the Gordons. The Monarch star has whittled his pool of potential colleges to attend and said he will make his decision public at the post-season McDonald's All-American game.
The college that gets the 6-foot-8 force of nature will be getting a gem. Gordon simply overwhelmed the Huskies (31-3) by making 14 of 24 shots from the field, including an emphatic, two-handed, second-half dunk that had Monarch fans on their feet, howling.
Mitty dominated from the start, bolting to an early 7-0 lead and going up 17-9 by the end of the first quarter.
Gordon was everywhere in the first half, making strong moves to the basket, tipping in misses, sweeping the boards clean and even bringing the ball up-court on occasion.
During a roughly eight-minute stretch of the first half he scored 12 of Mitty's 14 points as the Monarchs extended their lead to 23-12. But Sheldon found its rhythm late in the second quarter and rallied to within 29-23 by halftime.
However, Mitty came out strong in the third quarter, out-scoring the Huskies 17-8 as players like Connor Peterson (11 points) and Brandon Farrell (10) made contributions for a team that had 10 players score.
By 6:45 in the fourth quarter when Farrell dunked, Mitty was leading 49-33 and well on its way to a return trip to Sacramento.
"From the beginning I said we were going to go back to state and we're going back to state," Gordon said.
Antonio Lewis had 13 points to lead Sheldon (31-4).
Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said he wasn't sure if Saturday night was Gordon's best performance, but it was right up there.
"It's hard to pick a best because he's had so many great games over his career," Kennedy said. "I think it was one of the best given the stage and the Open Division and playing a high-level opponent. We've always said that he plays his best when the bright lights are on and he's done that year in and year out."
In the same breath Kennedy agreed Gordon had plenty of help from a team that has won 11 consecutive games and has not lost since early February.
"This is a team game and (Gordon) can't win it all by himself and our team keeps getting better and better as the year progresses," Kennedy said. "Guys are stepping up and making shots."
In Mitty's previous victory against Sheldon, one key Husky was injured and another not yet eligible, but there were no excuses this time around for Sheldon.
Now it's onto another state title game for Mitty, which meets another dangerous team in Mater Dei, big winners over Etiwanda in the SoCal Regional title game.
"You know you're going to get a battle," Kennedy said. "Whoever came out of that south section, it was going to be a battle. We need to be prepped and make sure we're ready to go."
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John Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@Prep2Prep.com.
