Natha’s Tey Williams its four straight down the stretch for Minutemen.
By Joe Torosian
(Azusa)- Maranatha Minutemen used a key three, and six consecutive free throws in the final minute to hold on and beat the Campbell Hall Vikings 59-53 in the CIF Boys 4A title game at the Felix Event Center on the campus of Azusa Pacific University.
After racing out of the gate in the first half the Vikings built leads of 11-2 and 21-8 on six of 13 shooting from behind the arc. In the second half they cooled to 1 for 9 and the Minutemen slowly crawled back into the game. Natha tied the contest at 26 early in the third quarter and took the lead soon after. The lead would change hands eight times before being tied 46-46 with 4:01 to play in the fourth.
Maranatha’s Trevor Stanback scored on a put back to give his team the lead 48-46. Campbell Hall’s Aaron Holiday answered with a free throw. Stanback scored again on a short bank shot, Holiday responded with another score.
With less than a minute to play the Minutemen had possession and worked the shot clock down. Their shot attempt was missed but Stanback pulled the board. The ball rotated to the top of the key and Sean Romero stroked the triple that gave his team a 53-49 advantage with 37 seconds left.
The Vikings answered again with Holiday from the foul line to make it 53-51. Then with 31 second left Natha’s Tey Williams went to the line. Nothing for five from the foul line to this point, the senior guard calmly knocked down both ends of a one and one.
Campbell Hall scored and with 14.7 seconds remaining Williams was back at the free throw line looking like he had been born there. He connected on two more to make it 57-53. After a scramble at the Vikings end Tyler Dorsey came up with the ball, was fouled, and he dropped in two more free throws to give the Minutemen the title.
Before making its final six foul shots Maranatha was 1 for 5 in the second half and just 5 of 12 for the game.
Dorsey (Oregon bound) and Holiday (UCLA bound) tied for game high honors with 25. Romero and Williams finished with 12 each for the Minutemen. Stanback added 8 points, 13 boards, 5 blocked shots, and 3 assists. The Vikings Jordan Cohen ended with 10 points but eight of those came in the first half when Campbell Hall opened with six early treys.
This CIF title is number three for Maranatha HC Tim Tucker, he also won two as a player.
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