PHOENIX – Having had a hard time stopping the semifinal hero, the Salpointe Catholic High School boys basketball team came up short in its second trip to the final in three years.
Nate Calmese had 34 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and a key shot block in the waning minutes to lift No. 6-seeded Gilbert Mesquite (27-3) over top-seeded Salpointe 64-58 on Monday night in the Class 4A state boys basketball championship at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.
“He’s a hard guy to guard,” Salpointe coach Eric Castillo said of Calmese. “Come off and help and he makes the right kick. He’s a very good player and we knew that going into the game. We threw different bodies at him, give him different looks. My hat’s off to their plan and how they handled it.”
The Lancers (26-3), as a No. 2 seed, lost in the semifinals a year ago after winning it all in 2020 over Peoria in overtime.
Calmese, the Wildcats’ hero a week ago after hitting a game-winning shot from beyond half court, came into the game averaging more than 31 points a game and didn’t disappoint.
He scores from all over and the Lancers could not stop him.
“He was amazing today, props to him,” Salpointe guard Julian Riesgo said of Calmese. “Lots of credit to him.”
Salpointe Catholic's Julian Riesgo (1) puts a shot against Mesquite's Nate Calmese on Monday night. The Lancers couldn't stop Calmese, who had 34 points.
The Lancers led early but gave up six points in the final minute of the first half and were behind 35-34 at the intermission. The Wildcats picked up where they left off, scoring four quick points and building a lead in the third. They scored five points in the first 1:15 of the fourth quarter and led 56-44.
“Once they got the lead, the adrenaline goes and they were playing more aggressive,” Castillo said. “They were trapping real well. It was just a great effort by them. But our kids didn’t stop playing. Our hearts' broken. We wanted to come up and win.”
The Lancers got back within 58-53 on a 3-pointer by Brett Rosenblatt, who led Salpointe with 13 points. Later, James Smotherman converted a 3-point play to get the Lancers within four and Riesgo’s layup with 20.7 seconds left made it 62-58. But he missed a few moments later and Cohenj Gonzales hit two free throws with 5.6 seconds left to secure the win.
“It was frustrating,” Riesgo said. “It would have been a game changer if that had gone in. But it happens.”
Mesquite has never been to the state championship game until this season, having lost in the quarterfinals the last three years.
Salpointe has been in the 4A Final Four six consecutive years.
The Wildcats earned their trip to the final after a miraculous shot by Calmese from beyond half court at the buzzer against No. 2 Phoenix St. Mary’s in the semifinals last Tuesday.
“I honestly thought we could pull it off,” Riesgo said. “It’s okay. If definitely stings a little more this year because it’s my last year.”
