Story Created:
Mar 8, 2010 at 2:43 PM PST
Story Updated:
Mar 8, 2010 at 2:43 PM PST
Of the 10 Southern Section basketball titles that the Price High School boys have won, none have been as tough to attain as the latest.
The top-seeded Knights held their collective breaths as an Orange Lutheran 3-point shot was short with one second left before holding on for a 72-70 victory Friday in the Division 4AA championship game at Mater Dei.
Tyler Funk (15 points), whose 3-pointer with 91 seconds left got the Lancers (23-8) within, 72-70, missed a 3-point attempt with 24 seconds left. Allan Crabbe soared above the crowd to grab the rebound and was fouled.
But he missed a chance to extend the lead when his free throw bounced off the rim with 14 seconds remaining.
Orange Lutheran brought the ball downcourt and it was Funk who took a shot from the top of the key. A Price player got a piece of the shot that was just short as the buzzer sounded.
Although the Knights (29-3) were not tested much in advancing to the title game, a rugged regular-season scheduled prepared them for what transpired Friday.
“We’ve played Crenshaw, Washington Prep, Bishop O’Dowd, so we are battle-tested,” Price coach Michael Lynch said. “We’ve been through this before, so I knew we wouldn’t fold.”
A competitive game was exactly what he expected from Orange Lutheran, a member of the tough Trinity League.
“They play Mater Dei twice, so they’re not going to be intimidated,” he said. “I certainly didn’t expect a blowout.”
Price had to come from behind after Orange Lutheran built leads of 23-16 by the end of the first quarter and 43-40 at the half.
A 21-13 third quarter turned the momentum in Price’s favor.
Crabbe had his usual big game with 22 points and six rebounds and 6-foot-9 Richard Solomon had 19 points for the Knights.
Price also got significant contributions from 6-7 sophomore forward Skylar Spencer, who had eight points and seven rebounds, and junior guard Askia Booker, who had 15 points and seven assists.
“Those two have been invaluable for us all year,” Lynch said.
As for Crabbe, who made the big rebound down the stretch, he said, “That’s who he is. He’s not going to let us get beat.”
Sophomore guard Gabe York led Orange Lutheran with 21 points and nine rebounds. James Douglas had 17 points.
Price, which earned the top seed in the Division IV regionals, gets a first-round bye. The Knights host the winner of Kingsburg and Oaks Christian Thursday.
“We want to get to state and show everybody what Price basketball is all about,” Crabbe said.
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