It's raining Thompsons

Santa Margarita swings the ball around on consecutive possessions and it results in two 3-pointers, first by Trayce Thompson, then brother Klay. Do the Thompson kids look unassuming?

Eagles guard Jason Pancoe comes up with an offensive rebound and it leds to a layup for Klay. Trayce then drives for a reverse layup (of course).

Klay cuts backdoor and finds himself wide open for a dunk. Thompson's 14, Sacramento High 3.

Sacramento's Chase Tapley maneuvers through the middle for a layup. Klay told me coming in he was the heart and soul of the team and so far Tapley looks legit.

With Klay out of the game, Tapley hits a jumper over Pancoe to make it an eight-point deficit. Klay heads to the scorer's table.

Klay and Tapley trade 3-pointers.

After a missed jumper by Santa Margarita, Sacramento's Chris Avenant turns a nice pump fake into an open 15-footer. The Eafgle sare playing a little too fast on offense.

"They got caught in (Sacramento's) pace," Fryer says. Yessir.

Trayce passes up an open jumper and flips it to his brother for another 3. Most kids would have taken that shot, but Trayce got the ball in a better shooter's hands. Klay has 15.

SM 21, SH 14

End of 1Q

The Chase is on

SM center Jaime Serna receives a great look from Klay for a layup, then tips in a missed layup by Trayce. Serna had a quiet first quarter, but he can always be counted on to contribute.

Sacramento is very active on the offensive side. You can expect a follow up attempt on nearly all its missed shots, and a lot of that starts with Tapley.

Tapley banks in a 3. He now has 21. SM still leads by six.

Klay tips in a miss and he now has 21. There is a noticeable difference in how he and Tapley have done it, tho. Klay has done a lot of his damage within SM's offense. Tapley has just been relentlessly going at the Eagles.

Klay swats a layup back into the face of a Sacramento player and it bounces right to Tapley, who makes a jumper.

Zaragoza and Jesse Hazely add free throws in the final minute to extend the Eagles lead.

SM 40, SH 29

Halftime

Welcome to the Klay and Tapley show

Klay has gone most the game without defending Tapley. I'm thinking this is because of the Demar DeRozan fiasco from a month ago. When Santa Margarita played Compton in the CIF-SS quarterfinals, Klay picked up three fouls on DeRozan before the end of the first quarter. He sat out the entire second quarter and came back to lead SM to victory in the second half. This week, Klay told me he would be guarding Tapley. He only has one foul, so you wonder if SM coach Jerry DeBusk will make a change in the second half. Tapley's effort has single-handedly kept Sacramento in this one.

Klay begins the half defending Tapley, but is looking very careful about it. Tapley drives in and draws a foul on Klay, his second.

SM takes its biggest lead of the game after a 3 by Klay, who came off a screen. If you give him time...

Tapley and Klay trade layups. Then they trade 3-pointers. Tapley has 28, Klay 29. This is awesome.

Some on press row have resorted to sighing when Klay and/or Tapley miss a shot. That's how well they are playing.

Hazely makes a layup to beat the shot clock with seven seconds left.

SM 55, SH 42

End of 3Q

Broken records

Serna picks up two fouls in the first minute and has fouled out. I'd say this could be a long seven minutes for the Eagles, but Klay is doing too much to for them to be concerned.

Tapley misses a layup. He's missed quite a few since halftime.

Santa Margarita is called for its 10th foul of the half, but it amounts to nothing as Sacramento misses its free throws. A better showing from the line today would have made a big difference for the Dragons.

Klay knocks down a 3 from NBA range, then makes a layup in transition the next trip down to give the Eagles a 17-point lead, their largest. Tapley vs. Klay was fun while it lasted.

Thompson makes another 3, his seventh, and a new state title record. he's also tied the Division III state title record with 37 points. I want to see him make one more 3.

And apparently, so does everyone else. Klay just fired from the top of the key and there was a buzz in the arena as he went up. But he missed.

Zaragoza makes a 3 and then dunks. After a timeout, Klay and the rest of the SM starters exit. Klay finishes with 37, Tapley with 35.

Two for three, Orange County. Not too bad.

SM 72, SH 55

Final

Adam Maya/the new and "untouchable" OCVarsity

amaya@ocregister.com

Klay begins the half defending Tapley, but is looking very careful about it. Tapley drives in and draws a foul on Klay, his second.

SM takes its biggest lead of the game after a 3 by Klay, who came off a screen. If you give him time...

Tapley and Klay trade layups. Then they trade 3-pointers. Tapley has 28, Klay 29. This is awesome.

Some on press row have resorted to sighing when Klay and/or Tapley miss a shot. That's how well they are playing.

Hazely makes a layup to beat the shot clock with seven seconds left.

SM 55, SH 42

End of 3Q

Sacramento is very active on the offensive side. You can expect a follow up attempt on nearly all its missed shots, and a lot of that starts with Tapley.

Tapley banks in a 3. He now has 21. SM still leads by six.

Klay tips in a miss and he now has 21. There is a noticeable difference in how he and Tapley have done it, tho. Klay has done a lot of his damage within SM's offense. Tapley has just been relentlessly going at the Eagles.

Klay swats a layup back into the face of a Sacramento player and it bounces right to Tapley, who makes a jumper.

Zaragoza and Jesse Hazely add free throws in the final minute to extend the Eagles lead.

SM 40, SH 29

Halftime

Eagles guard Jason Pancoe comes up with an offensive rebound and it leds to a layup for Klay. Trayce then drives for a reverse layup (of course).

Klay cuts backdoor and finds himself wide open for a dunk. Thompson's 14, Sacramento High 3.

Sacramento's Chase Tapley maneuvers through the middle for a layup. Klay told me coming in he was the heart and soul of the team and so far Tapley looks legit.

With Klay out of the game, Tapley hits a jumper over Pancoe to make it an eight-point deficit. Klay heads to the scorer's table.

Klay and Tapley trade 3-pointers.

After a missed jumper by Santa Margarita, Sacramento's Chris Avenant turns a nice pump fake into an open 15-footer. The Eafgle sare playing a little too fast on offense. 

"They got caught in (Sacramento's) pace," Fryer says. Yessir.

Trayce passes up an open jumper and flips it to his brother for another 3. Most kids would have taken that shot, but Trayce got the ball in a better shooter's hands. Klay has 15.

SM 21, SH 14

End of 1Q

The song the whole world sings

Magnolia cheerleader Adonia Williams delivered a blazing rendition of the National Anthem, a capaella. I don't think I'd ever heard it sung so somber.

Three minutes into the game and this still stands as the noteworthy things to say.

"Is this soccer?"Fryer asks. He doesn't mean that. Things will pick up soon, we hope.

Hey, Kamilah Jackson just makde two free throws to give Sacred Heart Cathedral a 2-0 lead. See, I knew this was basketball.

Magnolia is struggling with this defensive pressure. Everything feels rushed and the players look flustered. Brianna Colon gets up from the bench with a calm expression on her face for the Sentinels.

Colon hits a 3 and we're tied, 5-5.

Sacred Heart has been executing its offense well, it just isn't finishing. Magnolia is fortunate to be close right now.

P.J. Hanson throws up a desperation 3 at the end of the quarter and it misses.

Mag 11, SHC 11

End of 1Q

When "eating my pretzels" goes wrong

The second quarter is underway and Frank Burlison of the LBP Telegram is nowhere to be found. He's probably refilling my serving of pretzel sticks he ate. I don't like when people mess with my pretzels. I keep it real. Fryer says I should ask a Raider fan sitting nearby to help me handle the situation. I wonder what Fryer means by that.

Sacred Heart's best defender, Rosslyn Beard, has Jhakia McDonald on lockdown. McDonald is not bringing the ball upcourt and can't seem to shake her when she does have the ball past halfcourt.

Sacred Heart's Ki-shawna Moore rips off another errant pass by Magnolia and makes alayup. The Irish lead by six.

Another inbound pass equals another turnbover for the Sentinels. This is depressing. At least they're playing defense.

Every Sacred Heart defender is in the face of a Magnolia player, as Hanson fires a 3 more out of restlessness than want. That is about the only space the Sentienls can inhabit freely.

Brittany Pennell takes what might be the first open shot for the Sentinels in the second quarter and makes a 3.

Mag 18, SHC 21

Halftime

Dollars and Sents

Burlison finally returned, sans pretzels, and I don't know what to do right now. I don't like when people mess with my pretzels.

"I'll tell you something, in the course of human history, in the United States, the guy on the $10 bill will be more important than the movie 'Sideways,'" Fryer says. I'm not even going to put this statement into context. I'll just let it float and you can interpret it as you wish, like the ending of "25th Hour."

Magnolia coach wants his players to "take the charge," among other things. The Sentinels are having a rough go of it.

"It took her 16 years to learn to stand there and you're going to call a foul," a fan screams. This, I'll put into context. Magnolia listened to Coach Anderson and took the charge.

Telisha Anderson gets a nice, somewhat off-balance jumper to fall for the Sentinels to cut they're deficit to three.

Desiree Hunter exits with her fourth foul as Sacred Heart extedns its lead to seven. Magnolia then misses a layup. Its wasted too many possessions.

But Latrice Henderson has the Sentinels right back in the game! (I know, I sound like a TV announcer.) Following a Sacred Heart defensive rebound with three seconds left, Henderson somehow stole it back and made a layup.

Mag 27, SHC 31

End of 3Q

The last stand, sort of

McDonald has re-entered the game as Magnolia fights for its state title life.

It doesn't happen. Tierra Rogers continues a stellar second half with two layups. She has 12 points and Sacred Heart leads by 13 with five minutes to go.

Magnolia is (and has been) committing too many turnovers to stage a comeback.

Colon crosses from right to left for a silky layup. Yep, silky. But Magnolia still trails by 11.

Credit goes out to Anderson, who didn't stop coaching with his team down 15 and the Sentinels for continuing to try.

SHC 48, Mag 33

Final

Adam Maya/the new and "untouchable" OCVarsity

amaya@ocregister.com

"I'll tell you something, in the course of human history, in the United States, the guy on the $10 bill will be more important than the movie 'Sideways,'" Fryer says. I'm not even going to put this statement into context. I'll just let it float and you can interpret it as you wish, like the ending of "25th Hour."

Magnolia coach wants his players to "take the charge," among other things. The Sentinels are having a rough go of it.

"It took her 16 years to learn to stand there and you're going to call a foul," a fan screams. This, I'll put into context. Magnolia listened to Coach Anderson and took the charge.

Telisha Anderson gets a nice, somewhat off-balance jumper to fall for the Sentinels to cut they're deficit to three.

Desiree Hunter exits with her fourth foul as Sacred Heart extedns its lead to seven. Magnolia then misses a layup. Its wasted too many possessions.

But Latrice Henderson has the Sentinels right back in the game! (I know, I sound like a TV announcer.) Following a Sacred Heart defensive rebound with three seconds left, Henderson somehow stole it back and made a layup.

Mag 27, SHC 31

End of 3Q

Sacred Heart's best defender, Rosslyn Beard, has Jhakia McDonald on lockdown. McDonald is not bringing the ball upcourt and can't seem to shake her when she does have the ball past halfcourt.

Sacred Heart's Ki-shawna Moore rips off another errant pass by Magnolia and makes  alayup. The Irish lead by six.

Another inbound pass equals another turnbover for the Sentinels. This is depressing. At least they're playing defense.

Every Sacred Heart defender is in the face of a Magnolia player, as Hanson fires a 3 more out of restlessness than want. That is about the only space the Sentienls can inhabit freely.

Brittany Pennell takes what might be the first open shot for the Sentinels in the second quarter and makes a 3.

Mag 18, SHC 21

Halftime

Three minutes into the game and this still stands as the noteworthy things to say.

"Is this soccer?"Fryer asks. He doesn't mean that. Things will pick up soon, we hope.

Hey, Kamilah Jackson just makde two free throws to give Sacred Heart Cathedral a 2-0 lead. See, I knew this was basketball.

Magnolia is struggling with this defensive pressure. Everything feels rushed and the players look flustered. Brianna Colon gets up from the bench with a calm expression on her face for the Sentinels.

Colon hits a 3 and we're tied, 5-5.

Sacred Heart has been executing its offense well, it just isn't finishing. Magnolia is fortunate to be close right now.

P.J. Hanson throws up a desperation 3 at the end of the quarter and it misses.

Mag 11, SHC 11

End of 1Q

Are y'all ready?

Mater Dei and Archbishop Mitty (the Mitty) have just finished warmups at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. Since I'm sitting behind a row of people, I didn't get a good feel of the players' nerves. But I got something even better than that: Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight. Fryer and I are right behind the MD bench, meaning McKnight will be standing maybe 10 feet in front of me all night. So here's the deal, I'll give up the goods, but you gotta promise not to say anything. Agree?

OK then. Let's get this thing started.

MD starts fast

In less than two minutes three different players have scored already for the Monarchs. This is why they're so dangerous. Franklin and Arnet hit open jumpers, as did David Wear. All five players on the floor can shoot, but what makes so affective is they're not all looking to shoot. The Mitty will have to respect each player.

Andy Brown misses a wide-open jumper. The Mitty got away with one there.

The Mitty's Collin Chiverton drives past Arnet for his second field goal of the game. He might e their guy tonight, given Drew Gordon's injury. (Gordon did not start but has just enetered the game.)

And we got a timeout.

Inside the huddle:

• McKnight wants MD to stay in motion once they swing the ball on offense.
• Coach Jason Quinn says they need to start communicating on defense. Chiverton has broken down the defense twice, probably explaining why Jamaal Trice has just enetered for MD.

Franklin picks up his second foul and exits. The Monarchs CANNOT survive this game if someone fouls out early.

Mater Dei is having some difficulty with its entry passes. I wonder if that is because it's an area in which it wasn't challenged much while playing county teams. This was clearly a struggle for them against Dominguez two weeks ago.

If you're watching this on TV, you'll notice Arnet rubbing the top of his head sometimes when the Mitty brings the ball upcourt. All week Mater Dei worked on what plays the Mitty might run after dissecting its game film. Looks like Arnet and company have it down pretty well.

Trice and Gordon are called or a double technical after a brief confrontation. The two were jawing at each other following some contact. No biggie.

MD 16, AM 11

End of 1Q

As the whistle blows

Fryer couldn't hear what the MD coaches told the boys during the quarter break other than what offense MD was going to run, which would be inappropriate for me to reveal.

Gordon is moving fluidly, but he does not look very explosive right now.

The Mitty is overplaying Franklin to his right, but he just sped past a defender anyway and dumped it off to David Wear, who made an easy jumper.

David picks up his second foul and comes out for Connor Hughes. This is shocking. Hughes practiced all week with the scout team, which mimicked the Mitty offense/defense. There's no way he has a good feel of what his team is doing.

Sure enough, Hughes exits the game after fouling Chiverton on a layup.

Franklin reaches at halfcourt and is called for his third foul. Why???

"Throw me a bone," McKnight barks at his coaches. That bone ends up being seldom used guard Collin Krahe.

Arnet is then called for his second foul, and the team's 11th. Time has officially stopped or Mater Dei.

Some guy in the stands just screamed this at the refs: "We know you on TV but we not here to watch you." I thought that was funny.

Inside the huddle:

• Two players (I think the Wear twins) threw a couple barbs
• Quinn agains feels MD is gettign confused with their defensive assignments

Gordon is blocked by Travis Wear. Gordon did not have much lift on that attempt. Fryer thinks it's time to get David Wear back into the game.

Arnet picks up his third and Bobby Schultz enters the game for MD. I don't know that I've ever seen Bobby Schultz play. "Bobby Schultz's dad was a great player for MD in the 70s," Fryer says. Great, so I hadn't seen Bobby or his father play. Guess I'm in luck tonight.

Btw, I know it seems like all Im writing about is fouls, but that is about all that is happening. Trice hits a 3 from the corner. MD really needed that, or the MD coaches might have started foaming from the mouth. I saw early signs of this happening from my seat.

I can't believe Mater Dei just went the past two minutes with Krahe and Schultz both on the court. AND HERE COMES MIKE PIERCE AND DAVID BROWN!?! They came in for the final three seconds to ensure no one else picked up a bad foul. Smart move.

MD 34, AM 24

Halftime

Is it him?

McKnight apparently told the TV halftime interviewer the officiating has been terrible both ays. Once he returned to the bench, the first thing he did was ask a couple reporters at press row, "Is it me?"

Franklin busts an open three. You cannot leave him alone like that.

On two possesions in a row, Andy Brown was battling inside but got no love. "Run the offense!" McKnight says. He wants that ball going inside.

Brown is fouled hard on a fast break and Mitty is called for an intentional. A couple of players at the end of the MD bench got a, little too excited after that one. You would have thought their nerves would have been calmed by that burn they got in the first half.

Gordon has arrived. He leapt over a MD player and dunked in a teammate's missed shot. Before he did this I had noticed he has been posting up pretty high, hiugher than I think he'd want to. Maybe that's where he typically sets up, but if he's not 100% (and he's not), he might be better served positioning closer to the basket.

It's halfway through the third quarter and Mater Dei has survived their foul problems. But Arnet and Franklin still have 3. They cannot pick up another before the end of the quarter.

Brown is called for pushign off underneath the MD basket, his third These calls might be a little too strict, but it's been like that for three quarters now. MD has to be smarter about it. An offensive foul following a missed shot is not worth it.

Franklin is called for pushing off with his off arm while bringing the ball up the court. Again, bad judgement on both ends.

Jamaal went nearly an entire possession unguarded and then, witht eh shot clock winding down and the ball swung back into hsi hands, he is blocked. Mater Dei is looking stagnant on offense.

Hughes and Schultz come in for Franklin and Travis Wear. I've officially seen Bobby Shultz play.

Andy Brown just picked up his fourth foul with 01.8 seconds left. Fryer says: "That's the only unintelligent thing I've ever seen Andy Brown do." Me too.

MD 44, AM 34

End of 3Q

Survival of the foulest

As the quarter begins and I look up at the scoreboard I see Mater Dei has four players on the court with four players with four fouls. Can they survive?

The Mitty's Enoch Andoh makes two layups inside. MD is clearly playing off them down there. It has no choice.

Travis Wear has just fouled out, as Andoh makes another shot to cut MD's lead to four.

Make that two. Off a steal, Chiverton tries to bait Brown into a foul. Brown plays him well, but leaves a slither of space on the baseline and Chiverton goes up and under for the reverse.

After a layup by Gordon ties it, Andy Brown cunningly takes it right back at the Mitty defense and is fouled while making a layup. I bet he knew he could catch Mitty off guard since it had just tied the game for the first time in forveer. He lives for these moments.

Andy Brown cleanly blocks Chiverton on another reverse attempt. At the gym, that'd prompt a "Get it out!" from me. In Sacramento, it just makes me wonder if Brown should be all-county first team or second.

Inside the huddle:

• Quinn doesn't want Gordon spinning inside. Tough to take away when everyone on the court has four fouls.

David Wear picks up a foul on the offensive end, his third. MD lucks out as he and Trice are the only ones without four fouls.

Almost in one motion Brown receives an entry pass, turns and fires from 15 feet. On Mater Dei's next possession he has the ball swatted away from him. He then deflects a Mitty pass in its own backcourt and draws a fifth foul from Chiverton. That was huge. MD leads by three after the free throws.

"A hero ain't nothing but a sandwich." a Mitty fan yells behind me. I'm not sure why, but I feel like you needed to know this.

Arnet might have just won this game for Mater Dei. He anticipated a Mitty pass on the perimeter and was fouled on a fast break. I wonder if that was just instinct or because he had an idea what Mitty was trying to do. Now he's got to make his free throws.

He makes one of two and MD leads by five.

Mitty misses another outside shot and Brown comes up with the rebound. Why are they shooting outside???

Brown makes one of two and Mitty comes back with a layup. Guess they heard me.

Mitty tries to press MD and Brown cuts through the lane for an open layup. MD leads by six with 45 seconds left. It's over, Mater Dei

Hey, there's Tyler Saucedo and the rest of the MD bench entering the game. Holla!

MD 65, AM 53

Final

Adam Maya/the new and "untouchable" OCVarsity

amaya@ocregister.com

Franklin busts an open three. You cannot leave him alone like that.

On two possesions in a row, Andy Brown was battling inside but got no love. "Run the offense!" McKnight says. He wants that ball going inside.

Brown is fouled hard on a fast break and Mitty is called for an intentional. A couple of players at the end of the MD bench got a, little too excited after that one. You would have thought their nerves would have been calmed by that burn they got in the first half.

Gordon has arrived. He leapt over a MD player and dunked in a teammate's missed shot. Before he did this I had noticed he has been posting up pretty high, hiugher than I think he'd want to. Maybe that's where he typically sets up, but if he's not 100% (and he's not), he might be better served positioning closer to the basket.

It's halfway through the third quarter and Mater Dei has survived their foul problems. But Arnet and Franklin still have 3. They cannot pick up another before the end of the quarter.

Brown is called for pushign off underneath the MD basket, his third These calls might be a little too strict, but it's been like that for three quarters now. MD has to be smarter about it. An offensive foul following a missed shot is not worth it.

Franklin is called for pushing off with his off arm while bringing the ball up the court. Again, bad judgement on both ends.

Jamaal went nearly an entire possession unguarded and then, witht eh shot clock winding down and the ball swung back into hsi hands, he is blocked. Mater Dei is looking stagnant on offense.

Hughes and Schultz come in for Franklin and Travis Wear. I've officially seen Bobby Shultz play.

Andy Brown just picked up his fourth foul with 01.8 seconds left. Fryer says: "That's the only unintelligent thing I've ever seen Andy Brown do." Me too. 

MD 44, AM 34

End of 3Q