Modesto Christian’s comeback falls short in state final loss to Corona Centennial
A few years from now, head coach Brice Fantazia and his team might look back and appreciate what they accomplished, but immediately after Saturday night’s CIF Open Division boys basketball championship loss to Corona Centennial, they’re left thinking about what could have been.
When you play basketball for Modesto Christian, there’s no such thing as a “moral victory.”
The Crusaders’ second-half comeback fell just short against the nation’s No. 2 team. After trailing by as much as 14 points, they battled back to tie the game twice in the final quarter but ran out of time as the Huskies captured the coveted Open title, 59-50.
Modesto Christian (30-6) went into Saturday’s matchup looking to make history. Of all the success the basketball program has had, it has never won an Open Division title and, even when facing a team that has outscored its opponents by an average 30 points, the Crusaders liked their chances.
“We expected to win and we had a shot to win,” Fantazia said. “I definitely think we surprised some people, but that’s not good enough for us. That’s not good enough for these guys. No moral victories for us.”
The Crusaders started slow, making just one of their first 10 shots in the game’s first four minutes, and falling behind 11-3 with three minutes, 51 seconds left in the quarter.
The offense picked up for both teams as the two sides traded baskets for the rest of the half and the Huskies (33-1) went into halftime with a 30-22 lead.
After struggling in the first half, the Crusaders’ big men came alive in the final two quarters. Manasse Itete battled through injury, running the floor and converting layups. The 6-foot-6 sophomore scored six of his 11 points in the third quarter.
Jamari Phillips, who scored 10 first-half points, continued to attack the defense. He added six points in the quarter, including a driving layup as the third-quarter buzzer sounded to cut it to a 46-37 game.
The Crusaders went on an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter and were back in it.
“The first quarter was not our best quarter, we wish we could have that back. … Once we settled in, I think we realized we can play with these guys,” Fantazia said. “In the second half, they (Itete and Oseya) were both big time.They both stepped up and just took coaching.”
In total, Modesto Christian outscored Centennial 26-12, resulting in a 48-48 tie with 3:21 left to play.
The comeback got the crowd into the game. The majority of fans sitting in the lower bowl were cheering for Modesto Christian, but Centennial’s stars showed up when they needed to.
With the game tied at 48, New Mexico commit Donovan Dent went on a personal 4-0 run, converting two straight layups. And though Bj Davis stayed attached to Jared McCain for most of the game, the Huskies’ five-star recruit got free for a right-wing three when it counted.
Dent and McCain combined for seven points as the Huskies went on a 9-2 run that put them ahead 57-50 with under two minutes remaining.
“Bj had to do an excellent job chasing McCain off screens; they knew BJ was hobbled and they ran him off the screen and McCain hit a huge shot.”
The game marks the end of the line for a senior class that Fantazia has known since the players were young kids. He had nothing but high praise for Alex Argandar, Austin Moore and Zion Jones.
“I want to give a lot of credit to our seniors, my three seniors,” an emotional Fantazia said. “We’ve been through it all. I’ve been coaching them since fifth grade. I love them. We got a lot of young guys on this team with offers and all the accolades. It’s hard for a senior to put his ego aside, and all three of them did that this year.”
Modesto Christian fought injuries all night. Fantazia said Itete hurt his hamstring, but refused to be taken out. Davis, bloodied and bruised, picked McCain up full court for the majority of the game, holding him below his average and minimizing him to just seven shots.
“We’re not going to quit,” Fantazia said. “That’s something we pride our program on and just … not backing down, and these guys definitely didn’t (back down) tonight.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 8:56 AM.
