TACOMA — The Class 3A state boys basketball trophy is staying on Seattle's First Hill for at least another year.

O'Dea rallied in the second half to beat Mark Morris of Longview 60-48 last night at the Tacoma Dome to win its second consecutive state championship.

Mitch Johnson, the most valuable player of the 2004 tournament, led the winners with 21 points and Conor Mullen, MVP of this year's tourney, had 14 points and nine rebounds.

A crowd estimated at 6,000 watched the game at the Tacoma Dome.

The televised game between the all-boys Catholic school from Seattle and the public school from Longview was viewed as a compelling matchup between two well-coached teams that take smart shots, defend hard and avoid turnovers. It lived up to its billing.

Leading 39-36 after three quarters, O'Dea (26-4) opened a 50-42 lead halfway through the final period with an 11-6 run capped by a layup by junior Michael Duty. Johnson had five points in the run, and Mullen had four.

The Irish never looked back.

And when the game was over, they had the green light to talk to media for the first time in a week.

Coach Phil Lumpkin, who now has won four 3A titles at the Catholic school on First Hill, said he had imposed a gag order on his players so they could focus on playing.

"I didn't want you to be a distraction to my team," he said of the media.

The Irish had plenty to say last night once they had the trophy.

"We wanted to go out with a bang in our final year and prove we were the team to beat and that we were No. 1," said Mullen, a senior post who will play at Cornell. "I knew in my heart that we were No. 1."

O'Dea trailed 24-22 at halftime and Lumpkin had plenty to say at halftime.

"We had a good talk," Lumpkin said. "We thought they (Mark Morris) was playing with just a notch more desire than we were. We just wanted to match that desire because we didn't play that well in the first half and we were only down by two. We felt that matching that desire, plus bringing our effort level up to where we're used to being, we could probably overtake them."

O'Dea took its first lead of the game, 31-30, with 3:35 left in the third quarter on a three-point shot by junior guard Peter O'Neil, who was scoreless in the first half. That started a 9-0 run in which O'Neil scored seven points. He finished with eight points

"That was huge," Johnson said. "He (O'Neil) stepped up for us the entire tournament. I think that's why we were tougher this year — because we had so many different weapons."

That run abruptly came to a halt with a pair of hustle layups by Mickey Polis, who was fouled each time and sank each free throw. Jamelle McMillan, son of Sonic coach Nate, ended the quarter with a buzzer-beating jumper for a 39-36 lead.

The Irish opened the fourth quarter with an 11-6 run that set the tone for the remainder of the game.

The Irish shot better in the second half — 62 percent vs. 35 percent in the opening half.

The stunning stat, though, was that O'Dea committed only six turnovers and finished the four-day tournament with 26.

Mark Morris ended the season at 24-4.

"Their defense was relentless," said Mark Morris coach Bill Bakamas. "They are well put together. They are a team that doesn't appear flashy, but they can put a quick six points on you."

The Monarchs were led by senior Josh Wilson, who scored 16 points.

Mark Morris, champion of the Greater St. Helens League, arrived in the championship game after upsetting Rainier Beach 56-44 Friday night.

O'Dea becomes the fifth school to repeat as champion since the 3A classification started (as AA) in 1969. The previous repeaters were East Bremerton (1973-74), Mount Vernon (1991-92), Franklin (1994-95) and Rainier Beach (2002-03).

O'Dea's journey to Tacoma and the title game this year was unusual because the Irish failed to win the Metro League championship. The Irish were defeated twice in the regular season by Metro champion Seattle Prep, which then was eliminated in the Sea-King District tournament in one of the biggest shocks in decades.

When the season ended last night and O'Dea had emerged from its locker room, Stanford-bound Johnson was holding the championship trophy and teammates were rubbing the gold basketball atop it. For the second straight year, it was a perfect ending.