Panthers stopped in hoops title game

A magnificent journey for two underdog teams ended in the Northern Section's Division VI boys basketball championship Friday night, with Mercy earning the crown, defeating No. 7 seed Maxwell, 57-51, in Acker Gym of California State University, Chico.

The Panthers (12-16, 5-5 NVL), who upset No. 2 seed Big Valley and also beat Happy Camp and Dunsmuir on the road to their first-ever section championship berth, led Mercy by three points at the halftime break.

Fifth-seeded Mercy (17-12, 1-5 TCL), who toppled higher seeded Loyalton (No. 4) and Hayfork (No. 1) to reach the final, played an immaculate third quarter to surge ahead of the Panthers.

Jeremie Jones, the Warriors' 6-foot, 3-inch junior post, blocked three shots during the third quarter and started making unstoppable moves toward the basket.

Jones made one bucket, produced two assists and drew two fouls, making 4-of-4 foul shots, to lead Mercy's 24-13 third-quarter onslaught.

Maxwell went from leading by three to trailing by as many as 11, but the Panthers roared back in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 50 with two minutes remaining.

Gerardo Parra sunk a 3-pointer and Dylan deWit slashed to the hoop, for a lay-up, also being fouled four times in the period. deWit went 5-for-8 at the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Jacob Newman assisted deWit's lay-up and also hit two free throws to help fuel an 8-0 game-tying run by the Panthers.

Then Lopez fired another huge 3-pointer to regain Mercy's momentum.

Jones made two free throws, finishing 7-of-9, to push Mercy back ahead by five, at 55-50, but deWit answered with one to cut Maxwell's deficit to four with 45 seconds to go.

Cameron Vietti ended Maxwell's hopes, however, with a steal on the Panthers' next possession.

Lopez was fouled and made a free throw, returning the Warriors to yet another five-point advantage, but this one was insurmountable with only 20 seconds left.

Lopez drained a 3-pointer in every quarter to finish with a game-high 18 points for Mercy. Jones scored 13 points with nine rebounds, four blocks and four assists.

Ali Syed also provided consistent and clutch offense for the Warriors, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter and 4-of-5 foul shots in the game for 14 points total. Syed and Aaron Gash also stood their ground and took charges, which were key turnovers for Maxwell.

As a team in the third quarter, Mercy was 10-for-11 at the foul line and 6-of-10 from the field. The Warriors connected on 19-of-28 from the line in the game and nailed 50 percent (8-of-16) from 3-point range.

"This is a microcosm of what we've done all year," Shellabarger said. "We had ups and downs, but always played hard and never quit. We got on a roll, started playing pretty well and kept going until the end."

deWit paced the Panthers with 15 points, Tyler Wells scored 13 with nine rebounds and Parra finished with 14 and seven boards in an equally valiant team effort.

Mercy's last section title came in 2000, when the Warriors had a higher school enrollment and competed in Division V. Because there is no D-6 state playoffs, both schools will now gear up for baseball season.

Contact Paul Gadbois at 824-1036.

Mercy 57, Maxwell 51

Maxwell 12 12 13 14 -51

Mercy 12 9 24 12 -57

Maxwell (51): deWit, 15; Parra, 14; Wells, 13; Newman, 7; Alcaraz, 2

Mercy (57): Lopez, 18; Syed, 14; Jones, 13; Ward, 7; Vietti, 5