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SANTA ANA — Mater Dei’s girls basketball team found multiple remedies Saturday for its close call two nights earlier.

Sage Hill gained more experience against Orange County’s juggernaut.

It didn’t work out as an even trade courtesy of the Monarchs’ sizzling perimeter shooting and depth advantage but the Monarchs and Lightning each left the Matt Denning Hoops Classic at Mater Dei with positives.

Sophomore guard Emily Shaw came off the bench to make a career-best five 3-pointers as No. 1 Mater Dei sprinted past No. 5 Sage Hill 75-40 in a clash of reigning CIF-SS champions that featured a running clock in the fourth quarter.

Coming off a 48-43 victory against Orange Lutheran on Thursday, the Monarchs (10-3) made 10 of 18 shots from beyond the arch and dominated the Lightning 33-2 in bench scoring behind a season-high 19 points by the left-handed Shaw.

“If they’re hitting shots like this with their depth, they’re tough. They’re really, really tough,” Sage Hill coach Sage Hill coach Kerwin Walters said of the Monarchs, the two-time defending Open Division champion.

“This was a deliberate thing for us. We knew the talent that we had coming back. We knew we had to play up in order to get ready for what’s about to come so we took on this game.”

Mater Dei played without four girls, including Utah signee Lani White, because of COVID-19 protocols while Sage Hill (12-7) was down six. The Lightning mostly played six players while the Monarchs leaned on 10.

Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan praised Orange Lutheran — a physical contender in CIF Division 2-AA with Sage Hill — but said the Trinity League opener was an adjustment for squad, playing for the first time since Dec. 22 because of the virus.

But his squad certainly didn’t look rusty on Saturday.

Shaw made all four of her attempts from beyond the arc in the third quarter, including a buzzer-beater from the corner.

Mater Dei point guard Caia Elisaldez helped set the tone in first period by sinking her first 3-point attempt en route to nine points in the frame. Gabby Robinson chipped in two more 3-pointers in the first to help the Monarchs take a 23-12 lead.

Shaw and Camden Joko added 3s in the second period as Mater Dei pushed its lead to 35-22.

“We shot pretty good,” said Shaw, who made her first five attempts from beyond the arc and finished 5 for 7. “We not in rhythm sometimes but today we got to the drop down, passed it out and we shot in rhythm, which really helped us.”

“For me, I just believed in myself,” she added. “Sometimes, I don’t believe in myself that much but today I believed and had a lot of confidence.”

The speedy Elisaldez finished with 13 points, five assists and four steals in a strong encore after La Jolla Country Day point guard Jada Williams led her team past Sierra Canyon 73-71.

End of 1st: ⁦@MaterDeiGBB⁩ 23 ⁦@sagehillgbb⁩ 12 ⁦@ocvarsity⁩ pic.twitter.com/iZABunHOPU

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) January 9, 2022

Sophomore center Jenessa Cotton led the Monarchs’ inside attack with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Kiernan used a smaller lineup to press Sage Hill in the third quarter, and the full-court defense appeared to wear down the Lightning. Mater Dei outscored the Sage Hill 28-5 in the period.

“It was much-needed,” Kiernan said of the victory. “We go into next week with Santa Margarita and Rosary — two teams that we could lose to — so we needed to get a win.”

Sage Hill sophomore Emily Eadie continued to impress with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, nine rebounds and a block. Kat Righeimer added 12 points, seven rebounds and a block for the reigning Division 3AA champion.

“Eadie is growing up very fast,” Walters said. “She has a very unique game where she doesn’t stop.”

“Some Division 1 school is going to have a gem on their hand,” he added.

In another girls game:

Aliso Niguel 52, No. 6 Esperanza 49: Junior Shanna Brown scored 28 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to lead the Wolverines to the upset. Kaiya Mack scored 24 for the Aztecs, who shot 27 percent from the floor.

In a boys game:

No. 1 Mater Dei 72, No. 7 San Juan Hills 59: Junior forward Zack Davidson had 25 points and eight rebounds and freshman center Tee Bartlett added 15 points to lead the host Monarchs. Jacob Simon scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and Mark Reichner added 18, including three, for the Stallions.

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