For a league that has a history of frenetic play, this season’s Academic Athletic Association boys’ basketball championship may have even out-crazied that reputation.
In three overtimes, Mission High School simply out-hustled Lincoln to claim a 78-71 win and its second straight AAA-San Francisco Section title.
Outsized at almost every position, most notably against Lincoln’s 6-foot-7 junior Seth Snoddy, the Bears outrebounded the Mustangs 51-46 and won the final overtime period 9-2.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this and I’ve been watching basketball and coaching basketball for a long time,” said Mission coach Arnold Zelaya. “To go to three overtimes with this much on the line is just unbelievable.”
With both teams tired and sloppy, the final overtime was largely uneventful and Mission (15-14) prevailed despite missing seven free throws in the final four minutes.
The Mustangs (17-13) shot 1-of-9 from the floor in the final overtime and struggled to get the ball into the post in the most important moments of the game. Snoddy finished with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor, but didn’t take a shot in the fourth quarter and largely didn’t have an impact in the last two overtimes because the Mustangs couldn’t get him the ball.
“We weren’t making the extra pass, we were tired and we needed to protect the ball and we didn’t,” said Lincoln coach Matt Jackson. “They sped the game up on us, and the excitement and atmosphere of the game got to us a little bit.”
Lincoln still had plenty of opportunities to win, but Mission’s high-scoring duo of senior guards Kevin Murray and Antoine Porter always seemed to have an answer.
The Mustangs led 56-55 in the final minute of regulation, but Porter hit 1-of-2 free throws with 26 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Murray, who finished with a game-high 24 points, kept the Bears afloat with eight points in the fourth quarter.
In the first overtime, Lincoln led 63-60 with 1:14 remaining, but Porter nailed a 25-foot 3-pointer to tie the game. The standout senior, who scored 23 points, missed his first seven shots from 3-point range before the clutch shot from distance.
“It’s kinda the story of his career,” Zelaya said of Porter. “He does pretty amazing things when the lights are the brightest. That was just fearless.”
Lincoln scored on the next possession, on a jump shot in the lane from junior forward Da’vion Telfor, to take the lead again, but Mission forward Kerian Pope – who, at 6-foot-2 was also tasked with guarding Snoddy for much of the game – followed up a miss from Porter with 17 seconds left to send the game to a second overtime.
The second overtime was just as sloppy as the final period, and after Porter tied the game at 69-69 with 1:59 remaining, the teams went scoreless the rest of the way.
“All we needed was one possession. I mean, one possession,” Jackson said. “It’s tough. I thought we’d be ready, but their guards are tough. They drove, they distributed and hit big shots when they needed it.”
Telfor – like Snoddy, is a junior and will return next year to make the Mustangs the likely favorite in the AAA – scored 18 points and took in a game-high 22 rebounds. Senior guard Demetrius Williams was the only other Lincoln player to score in double figures with 15 points.
Lost in the muddle of the overtimes and tense moments was an exceptional rebounding effort by the Bears in the first half that gave them a 28-24 halftime lead. The Bears shot 5-of-22 from the floor in the first quarter, but took in 11 offensive rebounds in the first quarter, led by four from senior forward Anthony Bonds
The rebounding effort kept Mission close (Lincoln led 17-12 after the opening quarter) and allowed the Bears to take 16 more shots than Lincoln in the first half.
“I thought we could hit the offensive glass well because I thought our guys were quicker,” Zelaya said. “It kept us in the game. I thought once we weathered the storm in the first quarter, we were in good shape.”
Mission’s unheralded forwards, none of which are taller than 6-foot-2, not only led the rebounding effort while defending Snoddy, but were crucial in the victory. Pope (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Bonds (13 points, 13 rebounds and six steals) each had double-doubles.
“They’re not huge in height, but they’re huge in heart,” Zelaya said. “They just played unbelievable and I’m so proud of them.”
Girls’ basketball: Lowell 51, Galileo 42
It’s safe to say Lowell High School girls’ basketball coach Aki Kuwada has built a public-school dynasty.
The Cardinals (26-5) got a game-high 21 points from senior guard Katarina Lum, last season’s AAA Player of the Year, claimed their seventh league title in Kuwada’s eight seasons as coach and became the first team in San Francisco Section history to win four straight championships.
Lum was the only Lowell player to score in double figures and hit 5-of-8 shots from 3-point range.
“Our hard work has paid off,” Lum said. “It’s great to go all four years and win, and it was with solid teamwork.”
Lowell led after every quarter, but Galileo (25-6) cut the lead to 46-40 with 3:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, but junior guard Kelly Wong nailed an NBA-range 3-pointer a minute later to put the game out of reach.
The Lions were led by junior guard Kim Fung, who scored a team-high 17 points.
