Mater Dei survives last-second scare to defeat De La Salle at Desert Holiday Classic

There wasn’t a better time than Thursday evening to have what was arguably the best game at the Desert Holiday Classic, the four-day high school basketball showcase in the Coachella Valley.

In the Xavier Winter Showcase championship game at Xavier Prep, De La Salle trailed national powerhouse Mater Dei for much of the game — yet somehow had a chance to win at the buzzer.

Senior guard Javon Johnson drove the lane as the final seconds ticked down, drew contact and threw up a shot that clanked off the rim at the buzzer sounded. Johnson and the De La Salle bench looked around, expecting a foul to be called, but the referees silently shuffled off the court with Mater Dei ahead, 55-54.

Was Johnson fouled before the buzzer?

“I believe I was, yeah,” said Johnson, trying to be diplomatic about it.

The showcase, which typically draws schools from all over the country, including several top-ranked teams with some high-profile college recruits and even some future NBA players, was smaller this year amid the ongoing pandemic. More than 80 teams registered in September but several withdrew as COVID-19 cases rose and some players tested positive over the last week.

The three tournaments, hosted by Xavier Prep and Indio and Rancho Mirage high schools, allowed a few dozen to play 3-4 games apiece this week.

As it worked out, the best game was saved for last. Mater Dei, from Santa Ana, and De La Salle, from the Bay Area suburb of Concord, finally met Thursday.

Mater Dei scored the first seven points, but De La Salle roared back to take a first-quarter lead. The two teams were tied entering the second quarter.

From there, Mater Dei led until De La Salle took a 48-47 lead with 4:05 remaining in the game. The Spartans held that lead for less than a minute, though, as Mater Dei senior Jack McCloskey drilled back-to-back baskets, then a pair of free throws, before teammate Kaden Minter capped an 8-0 run with a fastbreak dunk.

The game appeared to be all but sealed at that point. But De La Salle finished the game on a 6-0 run of its own, including a 3 by senior John Flannigan with 13 seconds remaining. The Spartans fouled and the Monarchs missed the front end of a one-and-one and set up a shot for Johnson in the lane.

“We really took this game to heart,” Johnson said. “We took it very, very seriously. It was just a few little things that kept us from winning it.”

Johnson finished with 10 points and three rebounds. Flannigan, a 6-foot-8 forward, had eight points and four rebounds. Point guard Jordan Webster scored six points and recorded six assists, Johnny Semany finished with 11 points and freshman Alec Blair scored 10 and grabbed nine rebounds for De La Salle.

McCloskey led Mater Dei with 17 points. Junior Zack Davidson, a 6-foot-8 forward, scored all 15 of his points in the first half and also recorded six rebounds and five assists. Minter finished with six points and four rebounds and freshman big man Tee Bartlett, who stands 6-foot-10, tallied eight points and three rebounds.

“We played a close game here, which is good for us going into our league,” McCloskey said. “It’ll help us manage similar scenarios and I think playing here in this event, in this game, will help us a lot down the road.”

Rancho Mirage 78, Sacramento Academy 50: Senior point guard Ty Christian scored 17 points and Mason Gossett and James Covington each added 10 points for the Rattlers as they concluded the Rancho Mirage Holiday Showcase. Rancho Mirage is now 11-4 and will host Shadow Hills in a big Desert Empire League matchup Tuesday.

Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun and the USA Today Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com and find him on Twitter at @Andrew_L_John.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Mater Dei survives last-second scare to defeat De La Salle, 55-54