Mountain View High boys basketball coach Kevin Mack was not only rankled by the whistle in the final seconds, which led to the game-winning free throws for Enterprise, but also the wide disparity in foul calls throughout Thursday’s Northern California Division IV quarterfinal in Redding.
The eighth-seeded Spartans were whistled for 15 fouls and the top-seeded Hornets just four in a game the home team won 38-36.
“I’ve never wanted to be a coach who shifts the blame on the officials,” he said, “but to drive four hours and compete – and then lose like this – it really hurts.”
With the contest tied at 36, the Spartans (20-8 overall) were whistled for fouling Demarreya Lewis-Cooper as he attempted a shot from the right block with 2.6 seconds left. The senior sank both free throws to put host Enterprise (21-9) ahead for good.
“We were playing a great defensive possession,” Mack said. “Then we let their best player go right, but he had to fade away – it was the toughest shot he could have taken – and they call a foul. I saw it on the film and in photos afterward, and there was no contact on the play. Let the players decide the game.”
Yet the Spartans still had a chance to win. After passing the ball into the front court and immediately calling time out, Mountain View drew up a play Mack said it used in the 2019 NorCal quarterfinals, a game it lost in double overtime at University. This time, the Spartans threw a lob to Patrick Kane in the paint, and he kicked the ball out to Max Telkamp, whose 3-point shot was denied by Enterprise at the buzzer.
“Give the defender credit,” “Mack said. “He closed out and tipped the ball.”
On Mountain View’s previous possession, Joey Peir drained a 3 from the right side to tie the game with 43 seconds remaining.
“That was a huge one,” said Mack, whose team trailed by 10 early in the fourth.
It marked the second 3 of the quarter for Pier, who also nailed a midrange jumper during Mountain View’s 12-2 run. The shooting guard finished with a team-high 14 points.
Forward Kane contributed 10 points, the last two on a lob pass from point guard Ryan Davenport that trimmed Enterprise’s lead to 36-33 with 1:13 to go.
Joe Brown chipped in six points, highlighted by a long 3 from the top of the key that closed the gap to 29-24 at the end of the third quarter.
The Spartans led only twice, both times in the opening quarter. Back-to-back 3s by Peir tied the game at 16 late in the second quarter, but the Hornets managed to take a 19-18 lead into halftime.
Mountain View could have used a few of the points it scored in the opening round, a 91-68 blow out against No. 9 Athenian of Danville March 1. The Spartans put up 30 more points than they had in any game this season.
Host Mountain View sank 16 of its 32 shots from 3-point range, taking advantage of the shorthanded Owls (missing two starters) and their 1-3-1 zone defense.
“I was confident going in that we were going to be able to score the ball,” Mack said. “I just felt good about our guys and our matchups with them.”
The Spartans got off to a stellar start, going up 20-3 on guard Peir’s 3-pointer with 2:33 left in the first quarter. Athenian (19-5) cut its deficit to 10 by quarter’s end, only to see Mountain View pull away in the second with a 13-4 run featuring a pair of 3s from Peir.
“I think it just gave us a lot of confidence when we saw the ball go in,” said Peir, who made four 3s in the game to finish with 12 points.
Mack said he’s going to miss Peir and the 10 other seniors who helped make this year’s team a success.
“I’m so proud of them for keeping the season going,” he said. “The journey has been so much fun.”
St. Francis also eliminated
St. Francis, the seventh seed in NorCal Division II, lost 54-43 at No. 2 Branson in Thursday’s quarterfinals in Ross.
The Lancers, who beat visiting No. 10 University 82-75 in the first round, finish 16-13 overall.
