Serra clips Monarchs' wings, wins title

Although both teams finished with identical 12-2 records, Serra was given the out-right league title by virtue of beating Mitty both times. The Padres will be the top seed in the WCAL tournament which starts next week.

'That was a war. That's the way it should be. You got one versus two, coming down to the last game for the championship. It was a fitting game for two good teams," Rapp said. "You got a team like Mitty, and they're 11-1 for a reason. They're going to make a run, you knew the run was coming. It was like two punchers exchanging punches. We came out early and threw some hard ones that rocked them but didn't knock them down. They came back … and they rocked us a little bit in the third quarter. And then we were able to out-last them and throw the last biggest punches."

Two of the biggest blows came in the fourth quarter. Serra trailed 44-41 with 4:09 remaining in the game when guard Chaz Thomas drained a long 3-pointer from the top of the arc to knot the score at 44. Then, with 29 seconds left and the Padres clinging to a 51-49 lead, junior forward Tom McMahon, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, grabbed a rebound off a missed Thomas free throw and converted the tip-in to give the Padres a bit of breathing room, 53-49.

"Chaz's 3, I thought that was a big shot," Rapp said. "I think it was more of a game of runs, of punches and counter-punches. I don't think there was any one knockout blow. When McMahon got the tip-in, that was the dagger. I don't know if that was the turning point but I thought that was the dagger."

Serra (12-2 WCAL, 20-3 overall) nearly let this one get away. After building a 10-point, half-time lead, 34-24, the Padres went cold from the floor. They managed only one field goal and four total points.

Mitty, on the other hand, came out firing on all cylinders. The Monarchs used a 10-0 run at the start of the second half to tie the score at 34.

"It's frustrating, you know? We were putting up good shots, it's not like we were taking bad shots," McMahon said of the Padres' third-quarter shooting woes. "Coach Rapp was telling us that we just have to keep working and it's all in the heart."

Said Rapp: "We hit a third-period lull. I always say the most important part of the game is the first three minutes of the third quarter and that probably three of our worst minutes."

The first half was similar to the second with both teams going back and forth at each other. Mitty (12-2) built an early 6-3 lead but Thomas tied it up with a long 3-pointer. That basket appeared to ignite the Padres as their next three baskets came off rebounds and putbacks. McMahon had one and Decensae White had back-to-back putbacks to give Serra a 14-11 lead heading into the second quarter.

Serra expanded its lead to 23-17 with 5:10 remaining in the half after Thomas hit a spinning jumper before the Padres shooters started warming up from the outside.

With Serra leading 25-21, point guard Kevin Ochoa hit the first of three-straight Padre 3-pointers. After a defensive stop, Ochoa drained another 3 and McMahon finished off the run with the third trey to cap an 11-0 Serra run and push the Padres' lead to 34-21 with 1:58 left.

Mitty's Paul Phangureh hit a 3-pointer to cut the Serra lead to 34-24 at halftime.

"I credit the kids. I'm really proud of their effort," Rapp said. "Those kids went out and battled for me and played for me and competed for me and I got nothing but respect for them."