Speed and quickness lead Spartans to title

In a West Coast battle of two high school basketball teams for the Walter Wong Classic Saints Bracket championship, the speed and quickness of the South Torrance Spartans from Los Angeles outlasted the height and size advantage of the Monroe Bearcats from Seattle.

The Spartans led by no more than three points, but it was enough to squeak out a 55-52 victory over the much-taller Bearcats, who dominated the post for the majority of the game at McCabe Gym.

"The game was out there for the taking," Bearcats head coach Brett Willie said. "They outhustled us in the end. They just wanted it more."

With less than 5 minutes left in the game, the Bearcats' Cody Cornelius' fastbreak layup and a subsequent high-arching 3-pointer off a Spartan turnover put his team up 50-46.

The two teams traded baskets to bring the score to 52-48, before the Spartans closed out the game with a 7-0 run sparked by Saints Bracket MVP Garrett Mitsuuchi's trey. Mitsuuchi led his team with 14 points.

Willie said the difference in the game was a few key possessions late in the fourth quarter when his team could not stop the Spartans defensively and did not convert on offense.

With less than 3 minutes remaining in the game, Stephen Waltman missed two free throws that would have padded the slim one-point advantage for the Bearcats. Instead, Spartan co-captain Kyle Murata hit a tough shot in the lane to steal the lead for his team and on the subsequent possession, co-captain Rhett Muskin stole a pass going across the top of the key and laid it in to give his team a three-point advantage.

The Spartans' bench erupted in cheer and began chanting "Defense! Defense!"

"Our bench was our sixth man tonight," said the Spartans' Kevin Turner, who finished with 13 points. "The camaraderie of the team cheering us on was a big part of our victory tonight."

The Bearcats came back down, but were unable to convert, as Muskin corralled the rebound off the missed shot.

Although the Spartans committed a turnover on the subsequent possession, the Bearcats were unable to take advantage of the mental error.

The Bearcats' Jason Waltman scrambled on the ground for the rebound and was able to call a timeout to keep the critical possession with about 40 seconds left on the clock. However, Marcos Silva missed a 3-point attempt and the Bearcats were forced to foul the Spartans to stop the clock. Although Turner's 1-and-1 attempt hit the back of the rim, Muskin skied to get the rebound and forced the Bearcats to foul again. The Spartans' Kyle Murata missed the 1-and-1 attempt but Silva missed another 3-point attempt as time expired.

"A key part of tonight's win was the play of our reserve guards, who change the tempo the game with their aggressive defense," Spartans head coach Leonard Butler said.

Turner added, "They are not big in size, but they have the biggest heart out there."

All-Saints Bracket

MVP: Garrett Mitsuuchi, South Torrance (Calif.).

Nick Castello; Ryuchi Hoda, Hamamatsu Nishi (Japan); Clayton Dendy, Seaquam (Canada); James MacIntyre, Monroe (Washington); Kyle Murata, South Torrance (Calif.).

Saint Louis wins Crusader Bracket

Scott Smith's putback with 5 seconds left on the clock gave St. Louis a 72-70 lead to defeat California's 13th-ranked team, the Arlington Lions, and claim the Crusader Bracket championship at McCabe Gym.

Smith poured in 26 points and was named the bracket's MVP while teammate Cole Shidaki added 20 points and garnered All-Bracket honors.

Shidaki's free throws with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game gave the Crusaders a two-point advantage, but a steal and fast-break layup by the Lions knotted the game at 70. On the subsequent play, the Lions tied up the Crusaders to regain possession, but turned the ball over when the Crusaders poked the ball away near midcourt.

With 10.8 seconds left on the clock, the Crusaders drew up a play for Shidaki. His shot was off the mark, but Smith converted the putback and was fouled. Smith was unable to complete the three-point play, but the Lions' 3-point attempt hit the back of the rim as time expired.

"When we needed to play defense, we did, and we hit the clutch free throws in the end," Crusaders assistant coach James Aiona said.

The Lions rained eight 3-pointers in the first half to carry a 43-36 advantage into the locker room. Davey Hopkins drilled four of his five treys in the second quarter en route to scoring 18 points and Brandon Rieg hit three treys in the first quarter en route to scoring 11 points. Teammate Donnell Hamilton finished with a game-high 21 points.

All-Crusader Bracket

MVP: Scott Smith, Saint Louis.

Kirby Young, Lake Washington (Wash.); Tau Avei, North Torrance (Calif.); Luke Duperron, North Torrance (Calif.); Andrew Wingert, Kaiser; Rayce Chun Ming, Kaiser; Davey Hopkins, Arlington (Calif.); Donnell Hamilton, Arlington (Calif.); Cole Shidaki, Saint Louis.