The price of admission for the state title game Saturday night was $12 and fans more than got their money's worth.
California basketball powers Archbishop Mitty and Mater Dei met in the first Open Division title game at Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena, and quite a struggle ensued. But when the final shot had been taken it was Mater Dei's Monarchs -- and not Mitty's -- that ruled the Golden State, with the Southern California champs taking a 50-45 victory.
Mater Dei was just a little batter in the battle royale, as its 6-foot-7 star junior forward Stanley Johnson made five 3-pointers and 26 points to outshine Mitty's McDonald's All-American Aaron Gordon, who scored 22 points and took 20 rebounds. Gordon also had an uncharacteristic nine turnovers as the Monarchs pushed the ball up court in the second half to try to trim a double-digit deficit.
Gordon was deeply disappointed with the outcome.
"I hate it," he said. "I can't stand it -- to end a career with a loss."
Asked what the difference was, Gordon said: "Stanley Johnson. I've never seen Stanley shoot like that. I guess he worked on it all week. It's a credit to him."
Mitty, seeking a third consecutive state title, started quickly, seizing a 6-0 lead. Mater Dei used three different defenders on the 6-foot-8 Gordon in the first quarter, but had little success as Gordon scored eight points in the first 8 1/2 minutes as the NorCal champs trailed by just 13-12.
But Johnson -- Gordon's AAU Oakland Soldiers teammate -- had heated up, draining two first-quarter 3s and then ending the first stanza with a slam dunk to give his team a 3-point lead. He had 17 points at halftime to 13 for Gordon as Mater Dei led 24-22 at the break.
Mitty outscored Mater Dei 7-2 to open the third quarter and led 29-27 midway through the third until Gordon picked up his second and third fouls on one Mater Dei trip down court. The SoCal champs outscored Mitty 11-2 to end the quarter in taking a 38-30 lead.
Mitty coach Tim Kennedy agreed the quick fouls on Gordon hurt.
"That changed the way we attacked," Kennedy said. "We were floating on the outside and they kind of had us on our heels from there. I thought it was the turning point in the game right there and then it turned into a 10 or 12-point game."
Added Gordon: "It kind of got in my head a little bit. I started thinking about not fouling when I was playing defense."
Mater Dei guard Elijah Brown, the son of former Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown, said being more proactive against Gordon was a key.
"We didn't really do a good job in the first half, getting a body on him," said Brown who scored 11 points. "We were boxing him out, but we didn't really go and find him. We were letting him come to us. We needed to get a body on him."
Down by eight, the fourth quarter started badly for Mitty as Mater Dei's James McGee sandwiched a pair of Gordon free throws with two big 3-pointers. Mater Dei now led 44-32 with 6:24 left and Mitty's dream of three consecutive state titles was dissolving.
But Gordon connected on a 3-pointer with 33.3 seconds left to bring his team to within 48-43 as Mitty hopes flickered.
"I believe that we will win!" Mitty's student cheering section chanted.
It was over in an instant, though, as Mater Dei's M.J. Cage got loose after a steal and dunked with 22.3 second left -- preceding the inevitable Mater Dei dog pile and hoisting of the championship plaque.
Kennedy praised Gordon, Mitty's veteran leader who on April 3 at the Chicago Center will play in the prestigious McDonald's All-American Game and will finally announce his college decision. Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, a family friend of the Gordon's and suitor of Mitty's star, was an interested observer at Saturday night's prime-time spectacle.
"It was a gutty performance," Kennedy said of Gordon. "He was finding a way to score and giving us a chance to be in the game, and he does that night in and night out for us. We just weren't able to stop (Mater Dei)."
Regarding mercurial Mater Dei, Kennedy said: "It starts with Stanley Johnson. He was able to stretch our defense when he could hit from so deep. He's such a tough cover because when he's got it going from the outside you have to try to change the way you're playing defense."
Otherwise the Mitty defense was excellent, holding Mater Dei 22.1 points below its scoring average. The NorCal champs also out-rebounded Mater Dei 47-31 and held it to 25 percent shooting (14 of 56).
But Mitty struggled from the field. Gordon went 8 of 15, but Mitty made just 17 of 48 shots overall.
Mitty (29-5) also hurt itself with 22 turnovers to nine for Mater Dei (34-2).
"The way they were packing in the paint, we needed other guys to make plays and we needed to get some defensive stops so we could get out and go a little bit," Kennedy said. "But you have to tip your hat to Mater Dei. They played a heck of a game and they're legit."
Mater Dei's title was its third consecutive at the state's highest level. It was also the 968th victory for its coach Gary McKnight and 10th state title, both state records.
Backing Gordon's big effort was Connor Peterson with eight points and Brandon Farrell with six.
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John Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@Prep2Prep.com.
