Modesto Christian prepares for undefeated foe Salesian after victory over Mitty
Modesto Christian senior guard Earv Knox went up in the air and stole a pass from an Archbishop Mitty player on Wednesday.
Knox looked up and threw up a shot from near the left side of the half-court line as time expired in the first half.
The result: Off the glass and into the net as the Crusaders went on to beat Monarchs, 66-48 in the first round of the CIF State Open Division playoffs.
“I saw the steal so I went up and got it and I looked up and saw the time so I just threw it up and it was money good,” Knox said.
Attention quickly shifted after the game to the Crusaders’ next opponent, Salesian from Richmond, which is 31-0 and No. 2 in the nation by MaxPreps. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday at Albany High School.
“They play defense like maniacs,” Crusaders coach Brice Fantazia said. “They turn you over and we just have to take care of the ball and have good possessions on offense.”
Salesian, the top seed in the tournament, has rolled lately, winning its last 10 games by double-digits, including a 64-53 win over Campolindo on Feb. 23 in the CIF North Coast Section Division III Championship. It was the Pride’s third straight section title.
Despite the success in section play, the Pride, which had a first-round bye, are 0-3 in the Open Division and lost to Folsom last year.
The only team to take Salesian to overtime this year: Modesto Christian
Without senior Aaron Murphy (flu), the Crusaders fell to Salesian on Dec. 22, 61-56. Modesto Christian was outscored 20-10 in the first quarter but battled back.
“They are a great program and at this point of the year, it’s all proud programs with rich traditions that don’t want to lose,” Fantazia said. “They are going to come out ready to play and we have to come out ready to play. if we can match their intensity, I think we will be fine.”
Wednesday’s win was a great bounce back game for the Crusaders after falling to Sheldon, 64-61 in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship on Feb. 23
Fantazia said his team worked on defense during their practices on Monday and Tuesday.
The Crusaders’ (26-7) defense against Mitty (18-9) was superb, especially in the first quarter when they outscored their opponent 12-2 to begin the game.
“Mitty is a great shooting team,” Fantazia said. “They shoot the lights out and I thought we did a great job kind of locking in the game plan and playing every possession like it could be our last.”
Modesto Christian did a great job switching on defense and junior Alex Merkviladze and Murphy made it tough for Mitty to score in the paint.
Murphy had 16 points and eight rebounds while Merkviladze added nine points and 10 rebounds.
Modesto Christian led the entire game and four players had at least nine points led by Crusaders junior guard Michael Pearson, who had 20.
“I knew we were going to come out ready to play,” Fantazia said. “Losing the section championship isn’t fun but our guys know what the bigger picture is. They want an Open Division title and it’s right there in front of us.”
With the Monarchs’ double-teaming Merkviladze and Murphy on defense, MC shooters were left wide open and they converted with 10 3-pointers. Freshman guard Devin Day made four of them and had 12 points off the bench.
Monarchs junior Marcus Greene had 21 points but he was the only Mitty player with more than five points.
“Defense leads to offense and defense wins games so our main topic is really to just lock in on defense and stay focused and do the little things right,” Knox said.
Defense will be the focus against the Pride.
“We need to play good defense and do the little things right,” Knox said. “We are going to be full strength and just have to make a run.”
Cornerstone Christian 79, Turlock Christian 48: The Eagles (17-15) fell in the first round of the NorCal Div. VI playoffs.
This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 4:33 PM.
