SAN JOSE — What could have been time for despair was comforted by words of wisdom.
What looked like a championship slipping away under a sea of big-time shots by Archbishop Riordan sophomore King-Njhsanni Wilhite was merely a hiccup along the path to victory.
Archbishop Mitty celebrated its second consecutive Central Coast Section Open Division boys basketball championship Friday night, withstanding a late rally to win 69-63 in overtime on its home court in San Jose.
Pepperdine-bound Michael Mitchell, in the final game of his storied high school career, led Mitty with 27 points, none bigger than a three-point play to start overtime.
Wilhite finished with 35 points for Riordan, including a 3-pointer that tied the score 56-56 with 47 seconds left in regulation, a basket that ultimately extended the game an extra four minutes.
“First quarter, I told him to shoot the ball, you have to shoot the ball for us,” Riordan coach Joe Curtin said. “Mitty is big. They were packing the paint. We had to take shots, and he was hitting them.”
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Riordan had all the momentum going into OT, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Mitty coach Tim Kennedy made sure to say the right words before his players returned to the court for more basketball.
“This is what we love,” Kennedy said he told them. “Love some adversity. Brings out the best in you. Enjoy the moment. We’re in an epic game right now, where Wilhite is knocking down shot after shot. This is on our home court. We have a great chance to do something special.”
Mitty (17-1) responded by scoring the first eight points of overtime, a cushion that the game’s hottest shorter could not answer. Wilhite tried to rally Riordan one more time, hitting the last of his eight 3-pointers to cut the margin to 64-59 with about two minutes to go.
But three free throws by Mitchell pushed the advantage back to eight, sealing Mitty’s fifth Open Division title in the nine-year history of the division and 13th section championship overall.
“We were kind of staggering there,” Kennedy said. “Then to come out with a little punch and fire right from the get-go, that just set the tone for overtime.”
In a rematch of the West Catholic Athletic League tournament final, which Mitty won on Riordan’s home court two weeks ago, the Monarchs never trailed. Mitty led 16-10 after the first quarter, 33-23 at halftime and 42-33 through three quarters.
Wilhite scored 13 points in the fourth period as Riordan (14-4) nearly made its first trip to the Open final a triumphant one.
“We fought hard the whole way,” Wilhite said. “I wouldn’t want to go to war with anybody else.”
Riordan reached the title game after surviving a wild and controversial finish in a semifinal Wednesday against St. Ignatius, winning when 7-foot-1 Mor Seck drew a foul and made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left after S.I. hit two 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds to erase a five-point deficit.
But the thrill of that outcome didn’t lead to one more victory for Riordan to finish the long-delayed and abbreviated season.
“We had to play our best game of the year and we had too many mistakes,” Curtin said.
Still, the coach spoke admirably about the effort.
“We took Mitty at their house to OT,” Curtin said. “We gave them all they could handle. Mikey made a few plays in OT and they came out on top. A few plays here, a few plays there, it’s a different ending. But I am still proud of my guys.”
In addition to his point total, Mitchell had eight rebounds and six assists. Arrish Bhandal added 12 points and Aidan Burke scored 11 points for Mitty.
Seck had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Riordan.
In normal seasons, both teams would be headed to the Northern California regionals. But this isn’t a typical season. Instead of going to the state playoffs, seniors such as Mitchell are leaving immediately for college while underclassmen will start preparation for the return to a traditional winter season.
No matter which direction they’re going, one thing is clear:
They won’t forget this spring.
“We had to take every day like it could be our last,” Burke said. “One positive test could have ended the whole season right there. We just had to be ready to go every game.”
Given the results, it’s obvious Mitty was ready.
Photos: Mitty 69, Riordan 63, OT
