SAN JOSE — In its closest game in months, against an athletic team long enough in the post and quick enough on the perimeter to trade blows, Archbishop Mitty needed Morgan Cheli.
After missing several weeks because of a leg injury, the UConn-bound McDonald’s All-American made her much-anticipated return on Saturday night, coming off the bench to help the Monarchs build a 17-point first-half advantage in a Northern California Open Division semifinal against Folsom.
But the visitors simply would not go away.
The home team’s advantage was six in the third quarter when Cheli was needed most — and the senior delivered to help top-seeded Mitty hold on for an 82-71 victory.
With the score 56-50, Cheli sliced through the lane for a rebound and put back a teammate’s miss.
Calling for the ball on Mitty’s next possession, she got it beyond the arc and buried a deep 3.
Then she forced a travel violation and scored again to push the advantage to 13.
Folsom kept battling, but there was just too much Cheli, McKenna Woliczko, Elana Weisman and Co. to pull off the upset as Mitty improved to 29-0.
The victory moved the nation’s top-ranked team into the regional final at home on Tuesday against second-seeded Clovis West, a 69-57 winner over third-seeded St. Mary’s-Stockton on Saturday.
“It’s obviously a process,” Cheli said about returning to the court. “But it’s good to be out here with my teammates. They made it all the worthwhile. Coach was telling us we needed to take care of the ball, not foul. They were good.
“They fought the whole time. Credit to them. They tried to speed us up and just their intensity and aggressiveness. That’s what we need to get better. It was a good game.”
The 6-foot-2 Woliczko finished with 28 points — 14 in each half on 14 field goals — and nine rebounds. Cheli had 19 points, 13 in the second half, and five rebounds. Weisman scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half, sinking four 3-pointers to help Mitty surge to a big lead.
The Monarchs led 48-35 at halftime.
Folsom (26-6) opened the second half on a 15-8 run before Cheli got hot to stop the charge. The visitors made another run in the fourth quarter, cutting the margin to 72-66 with just under four minutes to play.
Cheli again put a stop to the rally, her 3-pointer stretching the lead back to nine.
“During the game, I looked at her and said, ‘We need you right now. This is your moment. We need you,’” Weisman said about Cheli. “As a senior, we kind of have that connection. We just know any game could be our last game. Coach said you have 32 minutes guaranteed and the rest, your season could be over.”
Folsom certainly tried to keep its season going. The Sac-Joaquin Section Division I runner-up showed no fear from the opening tap and might have kept the score closer before halftime had Weisman not been so hot from the perimeter.
The Bulldogs had four players score in double figures: Jada Tupou (19 points), Kamryn Mafua (15 points), Sophia Mindermann (14 points) and Ella Uriarte (11 points).
“I’m proud of my girls,” Folsom coach Lynn Wolking said. “They did a great job. Hung in there the whole game. I can’t be more proud. A couple of possessions, we’re right there. You hang around long enough, you start getting some hope. We believe. We’re right there.”
Mitty coach Sue Phillips wasn’t surprised Folsom made her team work for the victory.
“That’s kind of what we expected,” she said. “It was going to be a heavyweight bout between two really good teams. It was great for us to be tested in a way we have to fight and claw for that W on both sides of the ball.”
Mitty wanted to keep Cheli’s minutes in the low 20s. But she exceeded that number because, well, she was needed.
Phillips was asked what her star showed her return.
“Besides lights-out shooting, she brings a level of confidence to our group, some composure, the leadership,” Phillips said. “Understands our schemes, the other team, what they’re trying to take away. She’ll look to exploit that. Recognizes our team’s set of strengths and gets people the basketball where they can score and be at their best.”
In other words, she’s a player Mitty needs to win Tuesday and next Saturday in the Open Division state final.
