State D-4: Bishop Montgomery Breezes
Bishop Montgomery Buries Moreau Catholic 85-44
Division IV State Championship:
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Bishop Montgomery 85, Moreau Catholic 44By Gerry Freitas
SACRAMENTO- The Bishop Montgomery Knights overwhelmed the Moreau Catholic Mariners by a score of 85-44 on Saturday afternoon at Sleep Train Arena to win the Division IV State championship.
The margin of victory was the largest in state playoff history. Bishop Montgomery finishes the year at 28-6 and wins its third state title in four tries.
Moreau ends the year at 27-7 in losing its first state title game ever. "We were just out-matched by a better team," said Moreau coach Frank Knight. Yes coach, you were.
Bishop Montgomery jumped out to 17-9 lead after one quarter and then stretched it to 36-19 at the halftime break. From that point, the rout was on.
The Knights held the Mariners to 25% (14-56) shooting while they shot 47% themselves (on 34 of 72), forced 22 turnovers and held a 50-35 rebounding advantage.
"I was happy with the way we played," said Bishop Montgomery coach Doug Mitchell. I should hope so coach. In reality, the Knights could not have been much more dominant.
Long Beach State-bound Justin Bibbins (the lone senior on the team) said, "There's always been a chip on our shoulder" in regards to how his team plays. That was clearly evident in this one.
Junior Stephen Thompson led Bishop Montgomery with 20 points. Thompson's younger brother Ethan Thompson chipped in with 14. Bibbins added 12 points (to go along with 9 rebounds and 4 assists).
Sophomore Oscar Frayer topped Moreau with 10 points.
The Thompsons become part of a unique combination in joining their father Stephen Sr. in winning a state title. Stephen Sr won two state crowns with Crenshaw of Los Angeles in 1985 and 1986.
Scoring Totals:
Bishop Montgomery (85): Christian Oshita 9, Stephen Thompson 20, Ethan Thompson 14, Blake Miles 6, Justin Bibbins 12, Morgan Means 4, Matthew Mondesir 4, Chris Barnes 2, Jordan Schakel 7, Austin Cole 4, Anthony Langston 3.
Moreau Catholic (44): Damari Milstead 9, Armond Simmons 8, Brandon Lawrence 2, Oscar Frayer 10, Dvan Molden 2, Jullen Ison 2, Alex Johnson 1, Terrell Brown 6, Ryan Regner 4.