Cats Incredible
March 12, 2009 by Scott Spruill
Toppenish stuns Mark Morris in first round ||
YAKMA, Wash. — These odds were not just long, they were vertically disparate in every way that mattered.
And it only got worse when Toppenish’s unranked boys, completely inexperienced on this stage, fell behind towering second-ranked Mark Morris by double digits in the second half of Wednesday’s Class 2A state tournament opener.
Toppenish celebrates their victory over Mark Morris during the 2A state tournament game on Wednesday, March 11, 2009. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)
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Monarchs that stood 6-foot-9, 6-9 and 6-7 got to the rim, scored, drew fouls and rebounded with steady if not flashy power, and the Wildcats appeared ill-equipped to scale such heights. And it didn’t help when, as Top-Hi coach JoJo Mesplie said, “we couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.”
But Mesplie’s unfazed crew had no trouble with the narrow and distant side of the barn, hitting six of their nine 3-pointers in the second half to rally for a stunning 48-44 upset over Mark Morris on opening day in the SunDome.
Five players contributed to the nine treys with three apiece coming from sophomore reserve Mario Sanchez and senior starter Ramon Ramirez, whose back-to-back 3-pointers at the 6:10 and 5:22 marks in the fourth quarter gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game.
“It did feel like it was slipping away, but we just stuck together,” Ramirez said. “When Mario started hitting everything and they were giving us those looks, I knew we had a chance.”
A shooters’ chance turned into an upset when, after a barrage of four 3-pointers to open the final period, the Wildcats’ defense also rose to the occasion by holding Mark Morris to one field goal in the final seven minutes.
“We never gave up,” Sanchez said. “We played some tough games (three loser-out contests) to get here, so we know what it’s like to come back. If we kept hustling and kept running our plays, we thought we could win.”
A team win? Try these stats: Ramirez’s twin brother Roman led the Wildcats with 10 points while Joshua Schutz, Ramirez and Sanchez had nine each. And they all joined in to force 22 turnovers, including six in the final period.
Just what a team with no starter over 6-2 had to do.
“That pressure helped put us in our frame of mind,” Mesplie said. “We caused some turnovers and had their guards pushing it a little. But I can’t lie, when you face a team that tall you wonder how your kids will respond. What confidence will they have? It didn’t look good early, but we stayed aggressive and stayed with our game.”
While Mark Morris did not, according to coach Bill Bakamus.
“We had a nice third quarter, working the high-low to our advantage,” he said. “Then all of a sudden we’re out of position and getting away from our game. We were way too busy dribbling, and that’s not what you want against a team bringing pressure. Too many turnovers.”
The Monarchs clearly took advantage of their height on the boards, nearly doubling Toppenish in rebounds 42-24. But the fouls they drew with that interior dominance didn’t pay off as Mark Morris made just 11 of 23 free throws.
“I know we didn’t shoot free throws well (5-for-15), so I was glad they had trouble, too,” Mesplie said. Five isn’t many, but junior Sergio Sanchez delivered two big ones with 1:10 left for a 44-41 lead.
The decisive sequence followed that when Joshua Schutz and Roman Ramirez scored back-to-back layups — sandwiched around a MM turnover — for a 48-42 lead with 35 seconds left.
“Coach told us there was nothing to lose, so just go out and play hard and play as a team,” said Ramon Ramirez. “We had a great crowd here, and the end was just awesome. It was like a home game.”
Sean Atkins led Mark Morris with 15 points, but the two 6-9 kids — Montana recruit Eric Hutchinson and Tyler Sokol — were limited to a combined 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
“Credit to the Toppenish kids. They were resilient,” said Bakamus, who has brought a team to state for 10 straight years. “When they started hitting those wide-open 3s, you could see the momentum swing and their confidence rise.
“Looking at the lineup, maybe we have more talent,” he added, “but today Toppenish had a little more heart.”
The Wildcats, making the program’s first state appearance in 17 years, will now face another daunting task in top-ranked Squalicum (23-1), a 55-39 winner over Pullman. The second quarterfinal of the day starts at 5:30 p.m.
“We’re playing real well right now, so we’ll just go in with that attitude,” Ramirez said. “They’re a great team and it’ll be a tough game, but it’s going to be fun.”
Long odds. Just how Toppenish likes them.
Filed under *State Championships*, All, Basketball (Boys), Featured Stories, Preps
I was at this game. I was impressed with Tops. They’re nothing to look at, small, but scrappy. If you are overmatched physically, as Tops was, then you need to overcome it with aggressive play. And they did that. They also had help with two individuals wearing striped shirts. Referees working the tournament are the best from districts around the state, selected by their peers. One was a woman working this boys game and she belonged, she did fine. But the two men were overmatched in the setting. They did not belong there, leading me to think what the talent pool is in the districts they work during the season. Scary.
If you examine the box score the calls against each team show an evenly called game, but in reality Tops could have had, should have had, and I’m not exagerating, twenty more team fouls. They got away with bloody murder and these two guys couldn’t handle the pressure. They were caught up in the moment, the emotion, and it affected their ability to call an even game.
They clearly do not belong there.
Comment deleted by moderator ** No Personal Attacks, Please **
Enough with the drama, all of you!
Toppenish played a great game AND I’M FROM WAPATO so all this nonsense should cease, NOW!