BHoops: Crowning achievement for Flintridge Prep.

The Rebels were not discouraged despite struggling inside. They shot 20 percent from the field in the first half, trailing 23-17, and needed more time to adjust to the speed of the game.

"It was a really fast tempo," Smith said. "I was trying to slow things down a bit. We like to play a faster game, but a faster pace at our pace, not the opponent's pace."

Flintridge Prep finally dictated its pace en route to 50 percent shooting from the field, led by Smith and Jared Norsworthy.

Smith, the 6-foot-8 forward headed to Harvard next season, missed his first six field goal attempts and finished 1 for 7 from the field in the first half.

"Coach told me to catch my breath, take it easy and focus," Smith said, "and it was a new start from that point on."

He found his footing in the second half and muscled his way to a game-high 14 points, 17 rebounds and six blocked shots.

"The thing about Kenyatta is not so much the first shot but the second, third and fourth try that impresses me the most about him," Muir coach Gamal Smalley said.

Jared Norsworthy finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, but perhaps more impressive was his ability to elude a fifth foul after picking up his fourth midway through the third quarter. Norsworthy motioned to Ohara that he wanted to stay in the game.

Ohara obliged.

"He elevated the game as a senior would," Ohara said. "I'm just happy he was able to get us some momentum on the offensive end because he's known to be a great defender, and he's usually not our primary scorer."

Muir's 10-0 run in the second quarter paved the way for its six-point halftime lead. In that stretch, Muir held Flintridge Prep scoreless for nearly six minutes. It wasn't until Smith hit a driving layup with 1:58 left in the second quarter that gave the Rebels their second field goal since an opening turnaround jumper from Norsworthy.

"Our missed shots really affected our mindset," Smith said. "We came out in the second half and put it all behind us. Coach said shots aren't going to keep falling, just get the ball inside and we were able to do that."

Sophomore Jelani Mitchell scored a team-high 15 points, hitting 9 of 11 from the free throw line to lead Muir. Knoweles finished with 10 points and sophomore Taturus Mayberry had eight. Junior point guard Dion Nelson finished with seven points.

The Mustangs' valiant fight to reach the finals started long before the playoffs themselves. Muir climbed out of a deep hole in the second half of the Pacific League season and endured departures from two of its most gifted players. That the Mustangs only graduate two seniors (Knoweles, Devon Morgan) very well could mean a return to the grandest stage.

"The team started to jell," Smalley said. "I think this score was a lot closer than people anticipated. What's exciting about this group is they're young. We only lose two seniors, so we're really optimistic for this program."

miguel.melendez@sgvn.com