BOYS BASKETBALL: Gators Return to CCS Final

The Score: SHP 78, Carmel 39.

The Star: Mom and Dad McConnell. Sacred Heart Prep junior Cole McConnell, held scoreless in the first half, erupted for 18 points in the second half and forced several Carmel turnovers in the third quarter. McConnell's older brother, Will, also turned up the offense in the second half, scoring 14 of his 18 points. Will's twin brother, Reed, added eight points as the McConnell brothers single-handed outscored Carmel's entire team.

The Turning Point: The opening minute of the third quarter. Trailing 21-17 at halftime, No. 1 seed SHP had looked out-of-sync for the entire first half and was not the team that rolled out to start the second half. By the time the third quarter had ended, the Gators had put 35 points on the board and held a comfortable 17-point lead going into the fourth. SHP's turnaround flustered and frustrated the Padres, leading to a flagrant foul call against Carmel and a technical foul on Sacred Heart Prep for players coming off the bench in the third quarter. The officials quickly restored order, but Carmel never recovered its poise.

The Quote: “We took longer to adjust to their 1-3-1 than I liked, but once we started hitting our shots we were able to attack their defense and their offense as well." -- Sacred Heart Prep coach Tony Martinelli, on why his team only scored 17 points in the first half and then exploded for 61 points in the second half.

What’s Next? The Gators (24-2) will play No. 2 Santa Cruz -- which defeated Palma 76-52 earlier Tuesday at Menlo School -- in the CCS Division IV title game Friday at 4:45 p.m. at Santa Clara University.

The Bottom Line: Carmel really never had a chance once the Gators decided to start playing the way they are capable of. SHP's 61-18 rout of the Padres in the second half should concern Santa Cruz, and any team that will face the Gators in the Northern California playoffs. SHP, No. 3 in , can score from anywhere on the court and its defense can clamp down on any offense, which kept the team in the game even while the offense struggled against Carmel. As good as Santa Cruz looked earlier on Tuesday, the Gators of the second half are going to be hard to beat on Friday. The two teams met in the playoffs last year, a game won by SHP, 55-54.

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Sacred Heart Prep 78, Carmel 39

C – 12 9 14 4 -- 39

S -- 7 10 35 26 – 78

C: Peerless 6 3-3 16, Pearson 4 2-4 10, Woodward 3 0-0 7, Weilemann 2 1-1 6, Sundae 0 0-1 0. Totals 15 6-9 39.

S: C. McConnell 7 2-4 18, W. McConnell 8 2-2 18, C. Baloff 4 2-3 13, R> McConnell 3 0-0 8, Terndrup 2 4-4 8, P. McNamara 3 0-0 7, Watterson 1 0-0 2, O'Donnell 1 0-1 2, Moran 1 0-0 2. Totals 30 10-14 78.

3-point goals: C: Peerless, Woodward, Weilemann. S: Baloff 3, R. McConnell 2, C. McConnell 2, McNamara.

Records: Carmel 21-5. Sacred Heart Prep 24-2.