Basketball: Woodside loses CCS championship on technical foul in final seconds Basketball: Woodside loses CCS championship on technical foul in final seconds (March 09, 2005)

By Max Schneider

Woodside High student

Everyone in the crowd at San Jose State University knew that Woodside would not go out without a fight against Serra in the CCS Division I championship game on March 3.

After all, Woodside, which lost in the second round of the Division II playoffs last season, had won 18 straight games to get to where they were, and had shown in their previous contests that they were a team with a wealth of stamina, toughness, and determination.

The crowd got what they anticipated as Woodside pulled to a 45-45 tie with 24.5 seconds left after trailing by nine points about two minutes beforehand.

However, an errant technical foul gave Serra the win, as Chaz Thomas converted the two technical free throws and Tommy McMahon added one more after he was fouled on the ensuing possession.

Serra, the Division II champs last year, secured the Division I title while Woodside (26-8) was forced to go home empty-handed again after an incredible run through the PAL and CCS tournaments.

Tight game

The game was remarkably close through the first three quarters. Both squads displayed their trademark pressure defense, and the offense dried up for the teams at certain points in the game.

Juston Smith scored inside for Woodside to give them an early 6-3 lead, but Serra promptly went on a 9-2 run, capped by five straight points by Thomas, to take a 12-8 lead. Woodside finished the quarter strong to secure a 12-12 tie at the end of the opening period.

In the second quarter, Serra jumped to a 19-14 lead on Kent Eubanks' 3-pointer with 3:32 to go in the half. Soon afterward, the Wildcats turned up their defensive intensity and Dominic Cruz-Duncan got hot offensively, to cut the lead to 19-18 at halftime.

The game went back and forth during the third quarter, but Woodside took a 29-28 lead on Cruz-Duncan's layup and held onto it to enter the final period.

One timeout short

Serra started the fourth very well, rolling off a 12-2 run that gave them a 40-31 lead on a McMahon bucket with 2:34 left.

Woodside did not back down under pressure though, and went on a 14-5 run in the next two minutes. The streak was highlighted by a rare four-point play by Aaron Mayfield and was punctuated by Cruz-Duncan's three-point play to tie the game at 45-45 with 24.5 left.

The crowd was wild as Thomas brought up the ball for the Padres, and proceeded to miss the shot. Woodside guard Ken Walker grabbed the rebound, and called a timeout as he was falling out-of-bounds. The Wildcats had no more timeouts left though, and the referees awarded Serra with a technical foul.

Thomas made the two free throws with 3.6 seconds left and Serra got the possession again. McMahon was fouled and made 1-2 free throws, and Aaron Mayfield's half-court heave bounced off the rim to give the Padres the win and the championship.

Offense lacking

According to Woodside coach Darrell Barbour, the loss could be attributed to the team's faulty offense, which shot just 32 percent (only 26 percent in the first half).

"If someone told me we were going to give up 48 points, I think we would have won," said Barbour. "We did not play well offensively."

Only four players scored for Woodside: Cruz-Duncan led the way with 22 points (and 9 rebounds), Mayfield added 11 points, and Smith and James Sandoval each scored six.

Serra was more balanced offensively. Thomas paced the team with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals and McMahon added 9 points and 8 rebounds despite foul trouble. Decensae White and Dan Mavraides contributed 8 and 7 points, respectively.

Final game for seniors

Several Woodside seniors were playing in their final game. Starters Cruz-Duncan, Mayfield, Smith, and Eric Berman and reserves Walker and Humphrey Jackson all contributed greatly to the success of the school's season. Berman has committed to UC San Diego, while such standouts as Cruz-Duncan, Smith, and Mayfield have yet to declare their choices.

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