Mater Dei Tops De La Salle To Win State Championship

SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) -- Kevin Reinhardt had 17 points as Mater Dei of Santa Ana pushed past gritty De La Salle of Concord in a defensive struggle to win the boys' Division I state championship 43-36 at Power Balance Pavilion Saturday.

This was a record-tying eighth California boys' title for the Monarchs (32-3), but it didn't come easily. Mater Dei trailed throughout the second and third quarters before finally putting the Spartans away in the final minutes.

Benny Battle topped De La Salle (27-6) with 10 points, but it was the Spartans' defense and physicality that kept the game close.

"They make it real tough on you with their style of play," said Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight. "We finally met their intensity — I think our guys were shocked with how hard they play."

That showed early, as after falling behind 7-3, De La Salle erupted for a 13-0 run that gave the Spartans a nine-point lead, and allowed them to slow the game down to their preferred pace. Their defense also bothered the Monarchs, who went more than five minutes without a point.

De La Salle, though, also stopped scoring, and Mater Dei crept back in it, trailing only 18-12 at the half. But Reinhardt then scored eight points in the third quarter, bringing the Monarchs back into it, and when David Brown beat the third period buzzer with a driving layup, it was 28-27 De La Salle heading into the final period.

Mater Dei finally broke through to go ahead 29-28 and eventually pulled out to a 37-31 lead, which in the lowest total-scoring game in modern state Division I history counted as a huge lead. The Spartans got within three at 39-36 with 24.2 seconds left, but the Monarchs hit their free throws down the stretch to tie Crenshaw of Los Angeles for the most state titles by a boys' team.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report)