Bob Lutz: South girls pull away with Mattingly watching

Can we be honest?

When South’s All-State point guard, Ericka Mattingly, fouled out with 2:59 left and the Titans clinging to a slim lead over Olathe East, am I the only one who thought the trail to South’s chase of a fourth consecutive Class 6A title had gone cold?

South coach Antwain Scales calls Mattingly the Titans’ catalyst. She’s been fueling South’s engine for four years and it’s a motor that rarely sputters.

Scales admitted that his heart sank as Mattingly came to the bench with No. 5.

“But as a coach,” he said, “you try to stay poised.”

And what happened in the final 2:59 made one of the most serious coaches I’ve ever been around smile. I swear there was a little smirk on Scales’ face after the Titans revved things up without Mattingly and beat Olathe East 43-36 to advance to Saturday’s 4 p.m. championship game against Shawnee Mission Northwest.

South (24-0) is attempting to become the sixth Kansas girls team to win four state titles in a row.

“When I fouled out, I wasn’t worried,” said the 5-foot-9 Mattingly, who is headed to Texas-Arlington in the fall on a basketball scholarship. “I know that Antwain and all of us have worked extremely hard to get ready for this moment.”

Are you buying that? Mattingly wasn’t worried.

She left the game to her senior running mate, Kendrian Elliott, who has been in high-stress situations before. And Elliott responded down the stretch.

So did a group of young South players who might someday be playing for a fifth, sixth, seventh straight state title.

Freshman guard Aerihna Afoa made two huge three-pointers back-to-back in the first half and scored nine points. Sophomore Kyla Callins, a factor since her freshman season, had 10.

Sophomores Trezure Jobe, Kirssandra Pollard, Distiny Pittman and Mauri Scales also produced as South did what South does: defend to the hilt and score enough points to advance.

Mattingly made only 2 of 8 shots, had four rebounds and three assists. She hasn’t had the best state tournament so far, which should make SM Northwest nervous about Saturday’s championship game.

Mattingly is due to bust loose.

You’ll never find a South player lamenting a performance, though. They’re taught to look ahead and put the past behind them as quickly as possible.

“It was pretty frustrating to be out of a game that my team definitely needs me in,” Mattingly said. “But they got the job done without me on the court so I praise them for that. I definitely shouldn’t have fouled out, but I did what I can for the majority of the game. I just have to pick it up next time.”

There’s not any one thing that makes Mattingly special. It’s an accumulation of her talents — first and foremost as a leader who thrives on playing with all of the intensity she can muster and defense and using a level head when leading the team offensively.

“She’ll bounce back,” Scales said. “Ericka is a warrior and she’s been that all of her career. It’s pretty slim pickins when it comes to finding a tougher player.”

South breezed through the regular season, outscoring opponents by an average of 36 points. The Titans thrive on the advanced competition the 6A tournament provides and it’d be even better if we got a chance to see how South stacks up against Bishop Miege and other outstanding teams around the state.

That’s not to diminish three state titles in a row with a chance for No. 4. Hoxie had a chance to become the first girls team in the state’s history to win five in a row but was knocked out of the Class 1A-I tournament Friday night by Centralia.

“It’s always great to play other elite teams,” Mattingly said. “That’s what we’ve been working for, to play these upper-echelon teams. And I think we’re doing a good job so far.”

South and Heights, which won eight state championships from 2002 through 2012 but never more than three in a row, have combined to win 11 of the past 14 Class 6A titles.

Scales has been able to adequately replace some key players who have departed. But none like Mattingly and Elliott, who have helped him build the Titans’ program brick by brick.

Scales likely would have had a lot on his mind as he attempted to drift off to sleep Friday night. There’s the fourth championship in a row looming. There’s wanting to see Mattingly and Elliott go out as champions.

And there’s a future, arriving shortly, that won’t include two of the best players in City League history.

“We have to keep to the task at hand,” Scales said. “And to what our goal has been, which was to make it to another state championship game.”

The Titans are there. One win away from a four-peat.

“We’re definitely excited,” Mattingly said. “And we’ll be ready to play.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: South girls pull away with Mattingly watching."