Damien head coach Matt Dunn is not deceived by the resume of his opponent in Thursday’s Division 3AA final.
Dunn sees Santa Margarita for the team they are.
“I say they’re 16-4 outside of the Trinity League,” Dunn said.
His statement is correct. It’s their 0-10 record inside the Trinity League that is somewhat perplexing for a CIF finalist.
The Eagles (16-14) were dead last in Trinity League play and carried an 11-game losing streak into the Division 3AA playoffs. Still, they garnered enough respect from the committee to receive a No. 5 seed in the division.
Last Friday they defeated No. 1 seed Leuzinger to earn a berth in the Division 3AA championship game against Damien (24-6) –a game that will be streamed live here on FOXSportsWest.com on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m.
For Santa Margarita to make it to this point is no surprise to Dunn. He considered the Eagles one of the top three teams in the division and say they, arguably, could have been the No. 1 seed, despite their donut in league play.
“I thought all along that they were one of the best teams in our division and I think that they certainly proved that in the playoffs,” Dunn said.
The same can be said about Damien. The Spartans have played their best come playoff time. They defeated their first four playoff opponents by an average of 24.8 points to earn the first CIF finals appearance in school history.
They’ve been led by sophomore point guard Jeremy Hemsley, who had a game-high 25 points in the Spartans’ semifinal win over Corona del Mar.
Hemsley does it all for the Spartans, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and normally guards the other team’s best player.
“He has affected the game in every way possible for us,” Dunn said.
Santa Margarita provides a different challenge for Dunn, Hemsley, and the rest of the Spartans with their size, led by 6’8” Joe Furstinger, and talent. The team that went winless in Trinity League play has been reformed over the past two weeks.
“I think our guys know they’re really good and I think more importantly our guys are excited to play somebody who is really good,” Dunn said.
