Boys’ basketball: Etiwanda upsets Mater Dei, 54-51

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Stanley Johnson missed a game-tying three pointer just before time expired and Etiwanda upset defending champion Mater Dei, 54-51, in the Southern Section Division 1AA final at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Elijah Brown had 21 points and Johnson added 17 for the Monarchs (30-2), who rallied from a 50-36 deficit with less than 3:30 left. Mater Dei, which was seeking its third section title in four years, never led and trailed by as many as 17 points.

Kenny Barnes had 16 points for the sixth-seeded Eagles (28-2) but he missed two free throws with 8.6 seconds left, giving Mater Dei one last chance to tie. Jordan McLaughlin added 14 points for Etiwanda, which avenged a 68-65 loss in the 2010 final at the Honda Center.

‘We were quicker than them and we knew we could beat them because they had to adjust to what we do,’ Barnes said. ‘We knew what we wanted to do and we went out and did what we expected to do.’

Etiwanda led 16-9 after one quarter but Mater Dei scored the last eight points of the second quarter to pull within 29-21 at halftime. The Eagles had a 13-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

‘It was a great game and I’m so happy for the kids and for our community,’ said David Kleckner, who also coached Etiwanda to the 1AA title in 2005. ‘We played with confidence and I think we proved some people wrong tonight.’

-- Steve Galluzzo