ANAHEIM — As the championship plaque was being presented, Mission Viejo senior forward Chandler Hutchison stood next to Troy Roelen, listening as his coach thanked him for his latest, gutsy performance.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Roelen told him.
Third-seeded Mission Viejo had just fallen in the finals for the third time in four years, this time losing to top-seeded Long Beach Poly, 54-46, in the CIF-SS Division 1AA title game Saturday at Honda Center.
When the season started, few saw the Diablos advancing to Anaheim. They nearly won here, with four new starters alongside Hutchison.
“Chandler’s a special player,” Roelen said. “He competed today. That’s something he can live with for the rest of his life, without regret.”
Hutchsion scored a game-high 27 points, helping Mission Viejo rally to tie the Jackrabbits in the second half after falling into a 12-point hole in the opening quarter. The 6-foot-6 Boise State signee played all 32 minutes, his athletic dexterity on full display as he made 10 of 22 shots from the floor.
A Kaden Rasheed layup late in the third quarter tied the score at 28. Poly responded with a 14-3 run, sparked by two 3-pointers from guard Ke’jhan Feagin. The Jackrabbits (25-7) remained ahead by at least six the rest of the way to claim their second 1AA title in four years.
“They’re athletic as heck,” Hutchison said of Poly. “We just didn’t stop what they were doing. We played catch-up the whole game and never got over that hump.”
Mission Viejo committed 19 turnovers and struggled to make baskets, particularly from the perimeter, shooting 38.3 percent while making only 2 of 9 3-pointers.
Center Dallas Hartmann battled foul trouble and finished with seven points and seven rebounds. Rasheed, the team’s second leading scorer this season, had five points.
“A lot of that is a credit to their defense,” Roelen said. “Despite it not being one of our better games, we still played hard.”
Guard Kameron Murrell led Poly with 19 points, shooting 13 of 13 from the foul line, and Feagin had 14. The Jackrabbits scored just three points in the second quarter and shot 41.3 percent from the field overall.
The Diablos (24-7) will find out today if they have been selected for the state tournament, something that wasn’t on their radar in December after opening the season 2-3.
“They had a chip on their shoulder,” Roelen said of the team’s players. “Everyone said this is Mission’s down year. They took it personally.
“I’m really, really pleased. I’ll take 24 wins and a shot at the CIF title every year.”
Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com
