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SoCal High School & Prep Report

Pat McKinney: USDHS Outlasts Enterprise
To Carry Home State Title--(March 22, 1998)

Pat McKinney of the USDHS Dons Website was also in Sacramento yesterday for the Dons' title game against Enterprise, and he had this report of the game. But before we get to the article, we want to personally thank Pat for all the hard work he's done, and the contributions he's made no only to the Dons' website, but to SoCalHoops--without him, the season just wouldn't have been complete.

Dons Best in State!
USDHS Outlasts Enterprise to Carry Home State Title

By Pat McKinney
USDHS Dons Website

A special thanks to the many readers of this page who approached me this weekend. It was nice to meet you and I appreciate your support and gratitude. Spread the word!

Just when the University of San Diego High School Dons started to get comfortable, confident the state title would be theirs, reality gave them a slap in the face. After exhausting regional wins over Chaminade and Washington Union to reach the state final, Enterprise High (23-7) of Redding looked like a relatively minor hurdle. After all, their tallest player is 6'7 and it was clear they would experience match-up woes with the Dons. They have a great scorer in Sr. G Billy Speer, but not much else on paper. Unfortunately, none of that mattered when the ball went up yesterday afternoon at ARCO Arena.

First and foremost, I want to thank Coach Tomey, his staff, and the players for a great season. Starting with a victory in Sacramento's Jesuit tournament and ending with a State title in Sacramento's Arco Arena, nothing but positive things can be said about this program. The team is great to travel with, plays outstanding ball, and display great amounts of unity and respect for one another. I am truly happy for this team and know it could not have happened to a better bunch of guys.

Enterprise showed a lot of grit and employed a game plan that was extremely effective against the Dons. Every time Luke Walton touched the ball, four Enterprise players collapsed on him. Luke had a stellar game given the circumstances, but most of his teammates struggled. In most games, this type of strategy would be deadly as shooters like David Abramowitz, Chris Walton, and Kam Walton would break the collapsing defense. Instead, none of them were hitting and Enterprise was on its outside game and it was close.

Call it the Cox Arena syndrome. Just like in their Section Final with Saint Augustine, the Dons had little to offer outside of 15 feet. The foreign arena and short 15 minute shootaround was not enough for the Dons' shooters to get acclimated. To their credit, the Dons fought hard despite foul trouble and injuries and survived a dangerous game with Enterprise. This team brought home the State Championship, the first in school history and only the second for boys teams from San Diego.

Uni looked a little out of sync at the start and Enterprise took full advantage. Their passing and shooting ability demonstrate how they emerged as Northern California's top squad. Again, Luke Walton, playing on an injured ankle which he aggravated during the game, showed his iron will to win a state title as he fought desperately from start to finish.

The Dons started the following five:

Luke Walton 6'8 Sr. F
David Abramowitz, 6' Sr. G
Ron McMillan, 6'6 Sr. F
Carlos Cong, 5'5 Sr. G
Kam Walton, 6'8 So. F

Enterprise started this lineup:

Jason Collins, 5'10 Jr. G
Billy Speer, 6'4 Sr. G
Matt Blanc, 6'2 Jr. F
Jason Morgan, 6' Sr. F
Chris Ferrier, 6'7 Sr. C.

As they took the floor, Uni had a decisive height advantage, excepting Carlos. We heard a lot about Speer, who averaged more than 20 points per game during the regular season, but little about the rest of the team. Off the bench, Enterprise had So F Chris Wilmot, a JV call-up who hit some key buckets down the stretch in their Regional Final victory over Del Oro. The only other player who would see significant minutes was Jr G Hick Balider. USDHS had So Chris Walton on the bench to give them additional height, Jr Conor Hulburt, and Soph Carlos Quentin for strength inside.

Luke won the opening tap and the Dons took a 2-0 lead on a basket from Walton. The teams traded possessions before Morgan hit a three with 5:40 left to give Enterprise the lead. This would become a recurring theme as Enterprise had no conscience about bombing from deep. Cong got a bucket and Abramowitz hit two free throws before Blanc nailed a 3 to tie it at 6 halfway through the first. Speer got a bucket and Enterprise employed their plan to maul Luke inside. On the next possession, he was fouled and hit both free throws. Ferrier hit a shot and Luke was fouled again and hit one free throw. Abramowitz hit for a deep two and Carlos Cong, who was left wide open, drained a three. Morgan was fouled at the buzzer and hit both free throws to pull Enterprise within two at 14-12. Both teams were ice cold, as the Dons shot 25% in the first to 30% for Enterprise.

The defense for the Dons was pretty good, but they could not get untracked on the offensive end. Enterprise opened the second with a missed three and Speer put it back to tie the game. Blanc rained in a three followed by Morgan and it was 20-14 with 5:22 left. Morgan drilled another three and Enterprise was up nine with 4:49 to go in the half. At this point, Coach Tomey got a timeout and regrouped. I was sitting next to Steve Brand of the Union-Tribune and he even expressed his exasperation. The Dons looked a bit lackadaisacal to that point, but they got it together. Luke found McMillan inside and Ronnie made a steal and went the distance on the next possession to pull the Dons within 5 at 4:06. Collins was fouled and missed the front end of a one and one. Luke was fouled on the other end and hit both free throws. Enterprise missed another front end and Dave hit one to make it 23-22 with 2:50 left. Uni got the ball back and Abramowitz was fouled. He hit both to put the Dons ahead. Chris got another bucket to complete a 12-0 run. Speer would hit a three to tie it at the half, but the Dons proved they could come back on this team. The shooting remained cold: 27% for USDHS to 35% for Enterprise. Abramowitz led the Dons with 8 points while Luke added 7 points and 7 rebounds. Morgan led all scorers with 11 and Speer had 7 points and 9 boards.

Despite the comeback, things did not start looking up for the Dons. Carlos went inside and came up awkwardly, leaving the game with 7:33 to go in the third quarter. Chris Walton picked up three fouls in the first half and the Dons bench looked mighty thin. Luke opened the scoring with a two and a three, however, to put the Dons up five. Blanc answered with a three before Luke got another basket. On the Dons next possession, Kam got inside, put a shot up, and was fouled. As the ball sat on the rim, one of Enterprise's players touched the net before the ball bounced out. The referees counted the basket and Kam completed the three point play. Luke got two more and suddenly the Dons were up nine at 38-29.

This was one of several chances the Dons had to demoralize this Enterprise team. Uni simply did not have their outside game working and Enterprise would hang tough. USDHS missed a three and Speer got inside for a bucket. On their next possession, Morgan hit another three and the lead was back to four with 1:11 to play. The quarter would end with the Dons up 38-34. Enterprise jacked a ton of threes and were only shooting 33%. The Dons, however, could still only manage 28%. It would be another game decided in the fourth quarter.

Luke opened the fourth with two baskets to push the Dons lead back up to eight. Speer came back with two of his own and it was 42-38 with 5:16 left. Dave got a two before Morgan hit another three to make it 44-41. Speer got a basket to pull Enterprise within one with 3:58 remaining. On the next possession, Luke fouled Ferrier, giving him four. At this point, Chris, Ron, and Luke all had four fouls, and Coach Tomey stuck with them. Ferrier hit one free throw to tie it at 44. Luke got a basket and the Dons got the ball back. Chris Walton got the ball and took his man inside, pulling up from ten feet. The shot went down off glass and the Dons led 48-44 with 1:36 left. On the next possession, Uni's defense forced a shot clock violation on Enterprise and got it back. Abramowitz was fouled and missed the front end of a one and one. Enterprise would come back and tie it at 48 on a basket from Speer. Walton was fouled and hit one free throw to put Uni up one. The Dons got the ball back abd Abramowitz was fouled with 7.7 seconds left. He hit both to give Uni a three point lead. On the last possession, Speer had it and took it up top. He launched a three but Luke got there to block it cleanly and give the Dons the State title.

Luke finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Abramowitz added 12 and went 6 of 7 from the line. Speer and Morgan led Enterprise with 17 apiece and Speer added 17 boards, 6 assists, and 4 steals.

Check the stats for the State Final victory over Enterprise.

Be sure to stay tuned in the next couple of weeks as all-CIF teams are announced. There will still be a lot of information online about your Dons!

Congratulations to the Dons on an outstanding season and the drive to deliver a State title. It is a special group of Seniors for the Dons and they will be missed as they move forward. It has been a pleasure to work with such gifted and pleasant coaches, players, parents, and fans. Let's enjoy this one and work hard on next year's title defense. Go Dons!