Ctr George DeLeon had 16 points, PG Mike Marcial had 11 assists and eleven different players scored for Fresno (32-8) as the Rams outlasted Antelope Valley (31-7), 90-77, to claim their second California state championship in three seasons.
The Rams used some sharp passing and hot shooting to jump out to a 21-8 lead. And they used their pressure defense and superior depth to make that lead hold up. AVC was still within 5 points at 78-73 with just over 4 minutes left, but from there Fresno pulled away from a tired Marauder squad to post the win and capture the championship.
Early on, it was the hot shooting of the Rams, helped by Marcial's deft playmaking, that got Fresno in front. A three by PF Brian Minor got things started for Fresno. AVC basically kept pace for the first couple of minutes, but then PF Brian Johnson drained a three to push the lead to 8 at 14-6. A three by SG Phil Matcham to make it 17-6. The lead reached 15 after a steal by Ctr Brent Grice led to a basket by Marcial that made it 21-6 just 5:39 into the game.
Antelope Valley regrouped after that start, but never quite wiped out the deficit. The Marauders scored the next 8 points to cut the margin to 7 at 21-14, and crept to within 5 at 25-20 after a slam dunk by Ctr Chawn Johnson on a feed from SF Mike Creel. And a steal & short jumper by PG Jacobe Shannon cut the Fresno lead to 4 at 31-27.
But every time AVC cut into the lead, Fresno answered back with a run. This time threes by Matcham and PG Sultan Toles-Bey pushed the lead back to 10 at 39-29. And the lead reached as high as 15 points after a three by Marcial made it 46-31.
AVC scored the last 8 points of the first half to cut the margin back to 7 at the break, trailing, 46-39. But SG Marlon Burnett opened the second half with a three for Fresno to push the margin back to 10.
And that same pattern continued throughout the second half. AVC cut the lead to 6 at 54-48 after a three by Shannon, only to see Fresno score the next 5 points to push the lead back to 11. Then AVC got to within 3 points at 65-62 after Ctr Marcellus Robertson scored on a third-chance putback. But Fresno got a basket by Minor, a three by Matcham and a driving lay-up by SF Jonathon Hewitt to push the lead back to 10 points at 76-66 with 5:50 left.
AVC, which overcame a 15-point second-half deficit in the state quarterfinal against Ohlone, made one last push and cut the margin to 5 points at 78-73 on a putback basket by SG Robert (Reggie) Arnold with 4:07 left. And it seemed that AVC's string of unlikely rallies and narrow victories might continue.
But this time, Fresno just pulled away again, and AVC had no answer. A three by Toles-Bey started the Ram spurt, and a pair of free throws by DeLeon restored the double-digit lead at 83-73. After a free throw by SF Ade Dagunduro for AVC made it 83-74, Toles-Bay scored again to make it 85-74. A free throw by Marcial and two free throws by SF Cory Billingsley made it 88-74 and ended any remaining doubt about the outcome of the game.
For Fresno, it's the second state championship in three years. But it's the first for Coach Ed Madec, who joined the Rams after coaching College of the Siskiyous.
DeLeon led Fresno with 16 pts and 9 rebs. Marcial, who was named MVP of the state tournament, had 8 pts and a game-high 11 asts in a masterful performance. Toles-Bey had 14 pts on 6-of-9 shooting, and Minor chipped in with 10 pts.
For AVC, it's the Marauders' second final four appearance in four years after losing in the semifinals in 2004. Also, Coach Dieter Horton came within one game in his quest to match Jerry Tarkanian's feat of winning consecutive state championships at different schools. By any measure, Horton and his staff did an extraordinary job in getting the Marauders this far.
For AVC, Shannon led the way with 18 pts, including both AVC threes, and 5 asts. Robertson had a double-double with 15 pts and 12 rebs, and Dagunduro had a strong all-around game with 15 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts and 4 blocks though he did shoot 5-for-18. Arnold came off the bench to score 13 pts despite battling foul trouble for most of the second half.
Marcial, a freshman from nearby Clovis, was named MVP of the state tournament. Joining him on the all-tournament team were teammates Toles-Bay and Matcham, along with Dagunduro and Robertson from AVC.
box score
Sunday, March 11, 2007 - 1 pm
at Selland Arena, Fresno
2007 State Championship Game
Antelope Valley Marauders 77:
11-Ade Dagunduro, SF - 5/18 fg, 5/8 ft, 8 reb, 4 ast, 4 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 15 pts
12-Jacobe Shannon, PG - 5/10 fg, 6/7 ft, 3 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 18 pts
20-JaVaughn Espritt, PF - 2/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 5 pts
23-Marcellus Robertson, C - 5/9 fg, 5/10 ft, 12 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl, 5 pf, 15 pts
33-Brice Gallow, SG - 1/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 4 pts
32-Chawn Johnson, C - 1/2 fg, 2 pts
4-Mike Creel, F - 2/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 5 pts
21-Robert Arnold, G - 4/12 fg, 5/5 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 13 pts
22-Raphael Harris, F - 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 25/66 fg (.379), 25/36 ft (.694), 45 reb, 16 ast, 8 blk, 9 stl, 16 pf, 77 pts
3-pt fg (2): Shannon 2
Intentional Foul: Gallow
Fouled Out: Robertson 1:28 left
Turnovers (17): Shannon 4, Gallow 3, Dagunduro 2, Espritt 2, Robertson 2, Creel 2, Arnold 2
Fresno Rams 90:
10-Cory Billingsley, SF - 0/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 2 stl, 5 pf, 2 pts
14-Mike Marcial, PG - 2/5 fg, 3/4 ft, 3 reb, 11 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 8 pts
15-George DeLeon, C - 5/9 fg, 6/7 ft, 9 reb, 2 pf, 16 pts
31-Marlon Burnett, SG - 3/3 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 9 pts
32-Brian Minor, PF - 4/8 fg, 0/1 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 10 pts
3-Phil Matcham, G - 3/7 fg, 1 pf, 9 pts
33-Jonathon Hewitt, F - 2/12 fg, 2/2 fg, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 6 pts
2-Sultan Toles-Bey, G - 6/9 fg, 1 reb, 3 ast, 2 pf, 14 pts
20-Kenya Edwards, C - 4/5 fg, 5 reb, 2 ast, 4 pf, 8 pts
34-Brian Johnson, F - 2/4 fg, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
4-Brent Grice, C - 1/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 2 pts
5-Daniel Valdez, F - 0 pts
22-Daniel Mitchell, F - 0 pts
team rebounds: 9
Totals: 32/67 fg (.478), 15/18 ft (.833), 38 reb, 21 ast, 2 blk, 10 stl, 26 pf, 90 pts
3-pt fg (11): Matcham 3, Minor 2, Toles-Bey 2, Johnson 2, Marcial, Burnett
Fouled Out: Billingsley 37.9 seconds left
Turnovers (19): Marcial 5, Hewitt 3, Toles-Bey 3, Billingsley, DeLeon, Burnett, Minor, Johnson, Edwards, team 2
Halftime Score: Fresno 46, Antelope Valley 39
Updated Records: Fresno 32-8, Antelope Valley 31-7
AVC trailed by just 5 with 4:07 left but then Fresno went on a 10-1 run to pull away
This is Fresno's 2nd state championship in the last 3 years
The All-Tourney Team included Ade Dagunduro (AVC), Marcellus Robertson (AVC), Sultan Toles-Bey (Fresno), Phil Matcham (Fresno) and Mike Marcial (Fresno) (MVP)
