A great start to a hopeful long run. MC rolls in state playoff opener.
Modesto Christian senior guard Earv Knox went up in the air and stole a pass from a 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. Modesto Christian will travel to face No. 1 seed Salesian at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
“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.
It was a great bounce back game for the Crusaders after falling to Sheldon in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship on Saturday.
Modesto Christian coach Brice Fantazia said his team worked on defense during their practices on Monday and Tuesday.
The Crusaders’ (26-7) defense against the Monarchs (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 lasts.”
Modesto Christian did a great job switching on defense and junior Alex Merkviladze and senior Aaron Murphy made it tough for Mitty to score in the paint.
Murphy had 14 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 that’s our main topic is really to just lock in on defense and stay focused and do the little things right,” Knox said.
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 27, 2019 at 9:40 PM.
