mater dei v. Canyon

SoCal High School & Prep Report

MLK Challenge--Game 2: Mater Dei
vs. Anaheim Canyon--(January 19, 1998)

Welcome to game 2 of the 1998 4th Annual MLK Challenge between Mater Dei and Anaheim Canyon. And to avoid any uncertainty about what happened, Mater Dei won, 64-56. But it was a lot closer than that for most of the game.

Before the game, Gary McKnight came over to the table to say hello. He again reaffirmed that MD is young but willing to win. We'll see MD apparently claims to be starting 6 players according to the announcer, but it's got to be a mistake. Sure enough, Mater Dei is not as asleep as the announcer, and they wisely only start 5 players:

Mater Dei starts:

Derrick Mansell (6'-0" Jr. G)
Cedric Bozeman (6'-2" Fr. G)
Steve Scoggin (6'-1" So. G)
Mike Bayer (6'-6" Jr. C/PF)
Eric Soderberg (6'-7" Fr. C)

Canyon starts

Don Yu (5'-9" Jr. G)
Neil Hammad (6'-3" Jr. G)
Roger Hogan (5'-11" So. G)
Andy Gaulden (6'-9" Sr. C)
Scott Reed (6'-6" Sr. F)

This is going to be a much tighter game than the last one, and these teams are better matched. Both teams appear to be rather tight, and Eric Soderberg is off on his shot, Mike Bayer is getting rebounds, but with 1:30 gone in the game there is still no score. Finally Scoggin scores for MD with 6:25 remaining. Bayer misses a fast break layup, and Gaulden gets the ball in the low post but tries to pass to Ali Goodman (6'-7" Sr. F) who has come into the game and will figure very prominently later, but for now he misses. Finally Gaulden scores for Canyon and it's 2-2. Both teams are applying tremendous pressure defense, and it appears that on D, Canyon is in a 2-3 or 2-1-2 zone, which is keeping MD from penetrating. MD makes the adjustment and bring Sufi in to spark a little outside scoring. Hammad is fouled, hits both and it's 4-2. Sufi doesn't shoot from outside, but instead feeds to Soderberg, who scores an easy lay up. Gaulden then misses, and the foul is on Steve Scoggin, and very early in the game he picks up two quick fouls. But Mater Dei is hanging tough, and Bayer manages a steal, feeds to Bozeman who brings it all the way up, and turns it over. Gaulden scores and then Soderberg controls the rebound next time down for Canyon following a steal by Goodman on an errant pass from Sufi. 3:25 to play and it's still 6-4, Canyon. Gaulden picks up the first foul for Canyon, and inexplicably goes out of the game. This gives Bozeman a chance to go to work, and he immediately hits the 12' J from the left side of the court. He is then fed the ball again by Mansell who steals from Canyon, and Bozeman is fouled. Bozeman goes to the line, hits for two, to put MD ahead 8-6 with about 2:30 to play. Goodman tries to hit from the outside, but misses badly, and Sufi is now controlling (or trying to control) the offense. He feeds to Bayer, whose shot is BLOCKED by Ali Goodman, but on the ensuing play, Canyon can't hit either, and Gaulden fouls Mansell, who hits one of two free throws, and the score is now 9-6 MD.

MD tries to regain some composure, and puts Mansell at the point, replacing Sufi with McGuigan, and Mansell hits for two in the lane. But then Hammad hits for two, followed by a very sweet little j from McGuigan, and with less then a minute remaining the pace is picking up and it's 8-13 MD. Mansell gets the ball to McGuigan in the right far corner, and he hits a very long 2 pointer at the buzzer, so at the end of the first quarter, the score is 15-8 MD. When the teams go off the floor, the Cheerleaders come onto the floor, and we have to say MD has the largest cheerleading squad of any school we've seen. There must be 50 or 60 of them, and the refs have to take an extra minute to clear them from the floor to restart the game. At least they left the band at home which they brought to the Wooden Invitational. It would have taken 10 minutes with that band to restart the game and clear the floor.

In the second quarter, Brian Soloman is fouled, goes to the line and hits both, and it's a game again 10-15 MD with less than a minute gone. Sufi is back in again, and he and Scoggin are working well. Scoggin misses on a very difficult J, but Steve Henderson, who's in for Soderberg manages the put back. Next time down, Hammad is fouled shooting, and he hits the ft for the three point play and its 12-17 MD. Gaulden tries to take control himself, and bring s the ball all the way up the floor, hits a layup, and then next time does it again, feeding to Donn Yu, who makes the driving slashing layup. Suddenly, with 5:06, and MD just missing everything in sight, the game is now 17-17, and we've got a real contest brewing. Gaulden next takes a 20' j, misses badly (airball in fact) and lands on his wallet on the floor. MD calls a time-out to regroup, and turns it over. Canyon then calls time-out, and Hammad throws the ball to . . .no one. Turnover. Scoggin is now at the point, and he feeds to Mansell to Soderberg who hits the layup for two to break the tie at 4:22. But Goodman comes right back and hits the two in the lane and its 19-19 at 4:03. Mansell hits the jackknife, double pump J in the lane and then steals from Roger Hogan who's playing point and scores again. But Roger Hogan will not let this one get away, and he proved he can hit from way outside, hitting a three to bring it back to 22-23 MD. With 2:39, Ali Goodman gets an assist from Yu, and slashes into the lane from the baseline, to put Canyon back on top 24-23.

MD calls a time-out, and on the next play misses, but Gaulden misses again too, and then next time down, Gaulden picks up his third personal on Bayer, who scores and completes the three point play, and it's now 26-24 MD. Mansell then picks up his second, and manages after the call to not only steal the ball, but to finish with the layin. Mansell is just in a zone. Goodman though comes right back and shoots directly over Bayer for two. and it's back to 26-28. With 5 seconds left, McGuigan commits a foul, for the bonus, and Canyon goes to the line with a chance to tie it. Brad Evans hits them both, and it's a tied game 28-28.

So far, player of the game: Mansell-- He's just one of the smoothest, most athletic kids around, and the way we count it he must have about 12 points so far, if not more for MD. He's being helped tremendously by Scoggin, Sufi, and most of all by Mike Bayer, who's scoring big and playing great D off the bench.

For Canyon, at the half the real hero so far is Ali Goodman, who coming in off the bench must have scored about 10 himself, and is playing great defense. Hammad also is lighting it up from outside, and it looks like he could be Adir Levy's (Grant) twin brother, and apparently he likes to put it up from three range too.

In the second half, third quarter, Gaulden picks up his fourth foul very quickly and goes out again. Mater Dei has Sufi, Scoggin, Soderberg, Mansell and Bayer in, while Canyon chooses to go with Hammad, Gaulden Brad Evans and Yu, although Aaron Berco comes in occasionally for Gaulden. With 1:37 to play in the third quarter, Canyon pulls ahead by one, 40-39. This quarter has just been a complete track race and Gaulden, playing with four fouls, proves that he can step up at the right moments, hitting a big two in the lane to put Canyon on top 42-41 with only seconds to go in the quarter.

In the fourth, Steve Henderson hits a nice layup in the lane and on the next possession down, Scott Reed gets the put back, as Gaulden has to back off (what's he doing down low anyway with four fouls?). Soderberg hits down low in the lane on a nice turnaround J, proving that even this freshman can really show off his nice footwork and touch. With 5:59 to play, Mater Dei is back on top by one, 44-45. Mansell is now at the point, and he feeds to Bayer for the turn around j. Next time down, Goodman hits a layup and is fouled by Henderson, and he misses the chance to tie it with the missed free throw. Bayer comes right back though, and with 5:14 to play it's Mater Dei 49-46.

Gaulden misses at the shot clock buzzer next time down, and then Mansell scores again, to bring it to 51-46 MD. Canyon calls another time-out (a full) to regroup, and comes back with Gaulden and Goodman posting up high; the ball is fed to each of them in succession and each shoots and each misses. Finally Mansell commits a foul on Canyon's next possession, but he also redeems himself, forcing a turnover, and then Mansell, the one-man show, hits a big three pointer with 3:38 to play, to put MD up by 46-54. On Canyon's next time down, McGuigan fouls Hogan who hits both, but then Mansell comes right back with the two, and with 3:16 it's 47-56 MD. Mansell steals again, misses the shot after driving the floor, and then Canyon's Goodman is fouled by Mansell on the rebound of Mansell's own shot. Goodman hit's both free throws, and it's 56-49 MD with less than 2:35 to play. Sufi, usually calm and implacable gets called for a travel, and suddenly Canyon is still alive. Donn Yu is just everywhere, feeding to Gaulden and Goodman, but they can't convert. Mansell steals again, and MD goes into a spread offense to kill time. But eventually they have to shoot with a shot clock, and Sufi takes a long three and misses with only 2 seconds on the shot clock, but MD's Mansell recovers the ball, and feeds to Scoggin who also misses the three. MD recovers yet again, and takes a time out with 1:35 to play, and the score 49-56, by no means out of reach for Canyon. Canyon comes out of the time-out with Brian Solomon on Sufi, who fouls him. Hogan then fouls Bozeman to stop the clock and then Soloman is forced yet again to foul Sufi who is breaking to the basket on the inbounds pass. Sufi goes to the line on the bonus, and with 1:28 to play, he misses the first, and the second, but Bayer recovers the rebound, and it's now 49-58 MD. Hogan hits a long three, and makes it a six point game with 1:10 to play.

It's not over yet. No way.

Canyon calls a time-out, and they're thinking they'll get the ball to Hogan (although we doubt it since he can't even get to the inside of the huddle). The Canyon Commanches come out in a full court trapping press, but Brad Evans picks up a foul on the inbounds play, sending Mansell to the line. He hits the first, then the second, and it's now back to 8 points in favor of Mater Dei. Gaulden, with a driving jump-stop J at the top of the key, hits for two, and with 59 seconds left, it's a 6 point game again. Another Canyon time-out. Canyon comes out in a press, which Sufi easily breaks, and MD goes into a spread offense again. And again Hogan is forced to again foul Bozeman, who makes the first, misses the second, and with 44 seconds it's now 61-54. Bayer then fouls Gaulden, sending him to the line on the bonus 1-1, and Gaulden makes the first, then hits the second to make it a 5 point game. Hogan manages to grab the board, and Hogan jacks up two threes in rapid succession and then fouls Sufi, who hits the first and misses the second. With less than 14 seconds remaining, Gaulden fouls out, and Canyon also takes Goodman out, virtually conceding the game, which is now a six point contest with 14 seconds to go. Mansell hits the first shot at the line from the Gaulden foul, then hits again, and it's now 64-56-MD. MD clears the bench, puts in a bunch of role players, and Gary McKnight calls a time-out to run a play for them. But this game is over, in the "refrigerator", and it's a good thing too, because Chick Hearn, we hear, isn't coming over to do the play by play on the Dominguez game. Nope, he wouldn't miss game 3000 for anything. But we will, because we'll be here.

Final score Mater Dei 64, Canyon 56.

Mansell scores 20 and is the high scorer in the game. Bayer has 14 points, while Soderberg has 8, Bozeman 7, Scoggin 6, and McGuigan and Henderson 4 each. Sufi finishes with only a single point.

For Canyon, Gaulden finishes with 16. Goodman had 11, Hammad 9, Reed 4, Solomon 2, Evans 4, and Yu 4 points.

Great game. Next up, Artesia v. Long Beach Jordan.