Boys’ Basketball: McKnight picks up win No. 1,000
The sons of two former NBA players took the court at Corona del Mar High on Friday. One of the two kids went to CdM Middle School.
Michael Cage Jr. decided to go to Mater Dei, and not CdM, for high school. Cage’s father, who played for the Clippers, knows CdM Coach Ryan Schachter well, having helped him coach the Sea Kings’ big men during practices a few seasons back.
Despite that, Michael Cage Sr.’s son went to Mater Dei to be a part of one of the most dominant boys’ basketball programs in the country. The man behind the Monarchs’ success is Coach Gary McKnight, who’s in his 33rd season.
McKnight went into Friday one win away from his 1,000th career victory. Cage made sure McKnight became the first coach in California to reach that milestone, even if it had to come against CdM.
Cage, a 6-foot-10 junior center, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the Monarchs’ 67-44 blowout of the Sea Kings in the semifinals of the CdM Beach Bash tournament.
Early on, CdM (2-1) made it close, even taking the lead three times in the first half, before Mater Dei (5-0) ran away after halftime. Cage was one of four Monarchs in double figures, joining Rex Pflueger (17), Michael Wang (15) and La’vette Parker (13).
The Monarchs earned a trip to Saturday’s final at 8:30 p.m. to face Tustin, which defeated Edison, 48-42, in the other semifinal. The Sea Kings play Edison in the third-place game at 7 p.m.
“They’re a very good high school team, which was good for us because, you know, they really battled us, and we need that type of game,” McKnight said of the Sea Kings. “You hope to come out winning, but you need that type of game.”
“[My 1,000th win] means that I’ve had a lot of good players and a lot of good assistant coaches in 33 years.”
Kevin Fults tried to spoil the evening for McKnight. A tough task, knowing McKnight has only lost 85 times.
Fults kept the Sea Kings in the game in the first half. He recorded six of 13 points in the opening quarter, including beating the buzzer with a fadeaway jumper to cut Mater Dei’s lead to 12-11.
In the second quarter, CdM took the lead twice, thanks to Bo St. Geme, who finished with 17 points. The point guard hit a floater and converted a layup. The Sea Kings pushed the lead to 21-18 on Fults’ baseline jumper midway through the second quarter.
Mater Dei erased its biggest deficit, closing out the first half on a 9-3 run. Wang knocked down his second three-pointer in the quarter, and Parker produced back-to-back baskets.
With 28 seconds to go, CdM’s Sam Kobrine hit a three, his second in the first half. But the Monarchs went into halftime with a 29-24 lead.
The end of the first half included some controversy. One official inadvertently blew his whistle, and CdM stopped playing on the last possession, while the Monarchs, who had the ball, did not. Cage’s putback at the buzzer gave Mater Dei momentum going into the second half, infuriating Schachter.
In the final two quarters, CdM had no answers for the defending CIF State Open Division champion Monarchs. Pflueger caught fire, hitting two threes, giving him 14 points in the second half, and Parker nailed two threes.
Cage threw down two dunks, the final one off an alley-oop pass with 66 seconds left to play. He exited the game, along with the rest of Mater Dei’s starters, and joined McKnight on the bench.
Schachter would have loved to have had Cage, one of the top juniors in the nation, playing for him.
“He went to middle school here, so I would hope to think that he would at least consider coming here,” Schachter said of Cage. “For what we have, [assistant coach Jason] Simco and I have built this program as good as it can get for our student population, and we’re not afraid to play anyone.”
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CdM Beach Bash
Semifinals
Mater Dei 67, Corona del Mar 44
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Mater Dei 12 – 17 – 17 – 21 — 67
CdM 11 – 13 – 6 – 14 — 44
MD – Pflueger 17, Wang 15, Parker 13, Cage 10, Weyand 5, Stout 3, Smith 2, Butler 2.
3-pt. goals – Pflueger 3, Wang 3, Parker 2, Weyand 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
CdM – St. Geme 17, Fults 13, Le 7, Kobrine 6, Stone 1.
3-pt. goals – Kobrine 2, St. Geme 1, Le 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.