Chaminade Takes Long Ride Down the Lane

ANAHEIM — On a day the Chaminade High boys’ basketball team chose to take the ball inside, nobody did it better than senior Scott Long.

Long, who made three three-point plays, scored 35 points and the Eagles cruised to an 80-66 victory over Bishop Montgomery on Saturday in the Southern Section Division III-A final at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Chaminade (27-1), Mission League champion and winner of 24 consecutive games, won its first section championship since capturing a small-school division title in 1971.

The Eagles’ game plan was simple and it worked to perfection.

“We wanted to get the ball inside to our big fellas,” Coach Jeff Young said.

Statistics bear out the strategy: 20 of Chaminade’s 22 field goals came from within five feet of the basket. Five of those baskets came from 6-foot-7 freshman center Scott Borchart, who scored 16 points.

Junior point guard Cayce Cook set the table for the inside game, penetrating often and dishing out 11 assists to go with his 14 points.

“He controlled the game,” Bishop Montgomery Coach Doug Mitchell said. “I don’t know what he did statistically but just his presence out there, he dominated the game.”

When the Eagles weren’t getting points inside, they were getting them at the free-throw line, where they were 35 of 44 (80%).

Long, who made 10 of 13 shots, was hammered often underneath and earned nearly every basket against Bishop Montgomery’s bulky front line. Long, who made 14 of 17 free throws, was sent to the line 10 times.

“It’s funny because I feel I take those shots every game,” said Long, who had 11 rebounds. “Today, they were fouling me but [the shots] were falling.”

Long, a 6-5 senior forward who has accepted an appointment from the U.S. Naval Academy, got Chaminade off to a quick start by scoring 11 points in the first quarter to fuel a 20-8 lead.

“This guy has been waiting for this ever since he stepped onto a gym floor,” Young said.

Playing all but two minutes, Long, who scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, scored in bunches. He scored 10 consecutive points midway through the first half and 15 in succession midway through the second half.

“There’s some people out there who said there are certain people [Long] can’t play against, but boy, if they would have seen him today, holy cow,” Young said. “The Navy’s got themselves a great find.”

Bishop Montgomery, which led only once, 2-1, closed to within four points twice in the second quarter, helped by four Chaminade turnovers in the first four minutes.

Chaminade slowly pulled away, taking a 35-27 lead at halftime. Seven consecutive points by Borchart to start the third quarter gave Chaminade a 15-point lead.

The Knights (21-7), runners-up in the Del Rey League, got no closer than nine points twice in the fourth quarter.

Chaminade made one basket in the final 6:30, but sank 21 of 25 free throws in the fourth quarter.