Shooting by Poway’s Fletcher Is Mt. Carmel’s Lullaby

SAN DIEGO —  Bill Rarity had problems sleeping the night before his biggest game of the year. One night later it was teammate Matt Fletcher who was unconscious.

Fletcher hit from everywhere. He hit from 17 feet. He hit from 18 feet. He hit from Scripps Ranch.

He made five three-point baskets in the first half, finished with 17 points total and led Poway to a 57-39 victory over Mt. Carmel to advance to the San Diego Section Division I boys’ basketball finals Saturday at the Sports Arena.

The Titans (19-6) are vying for their fifth section championship since 1984 and their first since 1989.

The Titans won the game using the same formula that got them to this point. They took good shots and they played solid defense. So complete was the effort that Mt. Carmel (20-9) didn’t even score in the final quarter.

“Unreal,” Poway Coach Doug Wealch said.

“That’s awesome,” Fletcher said. “That just doesn’t happen against Mt. Carmel.

But it did.

The Titans blew the game open in the third quarter. They led just 32-29, but changed the entry to their offense against Mt. Carmel’s zone defense. The Sundevils were showing the Titans the zone for the first time in four games. They moved the post players up high and the shooters down low.

And then they scored 12 of the next 14 points, getting eight points from Frank Garrett in the four-minute stretch. The Poway defense also had a hand in it, forcing Mt. Carmel into four turnovers during the span.

The Titans took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, then watched as they either stepped in front of errant Sundevil passes or watched as Mt. Carmel simply threw the ball into the stands.

“We played hard defense,” said Rarity, who scored eight of his 14 points in the third quarter. “That’s our main thing. Coach really stresses it. (But) they weren’t handling the ball real well.”

Mt. Carmel committed 13 turnovers in the game and had problems mounting a rally. They only time the Sundevils really pushed Poway came in the second quarter. Trailing 29-19, Poway’s 6-foot-7 center, Kyle Milling went to dunk the ball, traveled and hung on the rim

Technical foul.

Jon Young made both free throws for the Sundevils and two more on the ensuing possession. Then Robert Treahy made a pair of free throws and the score was 29-25. Fletcher hit another three-pointer to offset the baskets made by Ryan Wootton and Young and Poway took a three-point lead into the locker room.

“I told them before the game that we wanted to make (the season series) 2-2,” Wealch said. “If you’re going to do that, it’s best to win the last round of league and the one that gets you to the arena.”

Poway entered the game as the tournament’s top seed. Wealch thinks that’s deseved the way the Titans are playing.

“The way we’ve been playing, yes,” Wealch said. “So far, they’ve done what they had to do. They had their backs to the wall. They’ve had won the games they had to win. What more could you ask?

The game started to take on the appearance of the last meeting between the two teams. Then came the technical foul. After Mt. Carmel won the first two games by a close margin, Poway won the last meeting, 91-65.

The score was tied in the first quarter but Fletcher made a three-point basket with 15 seconds to go to put the Titans up, 14-11, and they never looked back.

Now, they’re left looking forward to the Sports Arena. Other Division I:

Rancho Buena Vista 55, Fallbrook 52--Brad Grubaugh, who averages 23 points a game, scored 27 to lead the Longhorns (16-13) to their first trip to the finals. Teammate Darryl Parker added 18 points.