Old Rivals Could Not Stop Crespi from Tenth Title

Many members of local media felt that if Crespi defeated Notre Dame three times in the same season it was going to be a miracle. The Celts persevered and won a classic game against valley rival Notre Dame to advance into the finals against another old rival. On Friday, March 5, 2010, Coach White and his team faced an Alemany squad that also suffered two regular season losses to Crespi. In front of a sold out arena at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Crespi defeated Alemany 50-43 in the Southern Section Division 4A Boys’ Championship Game.

Crespi trailed 19-6 at the end of the first quarter. After some defensive adjustments by Coach White, the Celts forced the Warriors into an abysmal shooting performance. Alemany shot less than 30 percent from the field and lost all momentum by the end of the first half. A 10-2 run to start the 2nd quarter and two huge plays later in the quarter helped the Celts battle back to finish the first half with a one point lead. The first big play came off a steal by Blake Stanton ’10, which finished in a long pass and thunderous dunk by Bryan Bennett ’10. As time expired at the end of the half, Stanton made a clutch three point shot that silenced the Alemany crowd.

That basket was his only three point field goal of the game. Blake finished with 21 points and made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. Matt Mournier ’11 had 17 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 21 consecutive games. Kenny Stenhouse ’11 added 12 points and 11 rebounds. This is the second CIF Basketball Championship and tenth title overall for Crespi.