Santa Margarita was at home Wednesday, but Mater Dei’s boys basketball team made sure the Eagles did not feel comfortable there.
The Monarchs forced the game to be played at a fast pace to their liking while applying defensive pressure that prevented the Eagles from getting their offense going.
Mater Dei won the Trinity League game, 64-46, the first loss of the season for the Eagles.
Mater Dei’s Troy Jenkins (11) gets fouled going to the basket during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Mater Dei’s Tee Bartlett (33) dunks during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Santa Margarita’s Rockwell Reynolds (13) and Santa Margarita’s Jake Heberle (23) try to keep Mater Dei’s Kaden Minter (23) away from a rebound during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Mater Dei’s Zack Davidson(12) scores on Santa Margarita’s Rockwell Reynolds (13) during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Mater Dei’s Brady Karich (00) brings the ball up court while being shadowed by Santa Margarita’s Cameron Mercadel (12) during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Santa Margarita’s Rockwell Reynolds (13) battles Mater Dei’s Tee Bartlett (33) for the ball during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Mater Dei’s Kaden Minter (23) steals the ball from Santa Margarita’s Ethan Rhee (5) during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Santa Margarita’s Ethan Rhee (5) loses the ball but recovers despite the defense of Mater Dei’s Kaden Minter (23)during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Santa Margarita’s cheering section celebrates a traveling call against Mater Dei during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Mater Dei’s head coach Gary McKnight during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Mater Dei’s head coach Gary McKnight greets Mater Dei’s Zack DavidsonC (12) before a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Mater Dei’s head coach Gary McKnight talks with Mater Dei’s Gabriel Quiette (22) and Mater Dei’s Scotty Belnap (5) during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
Santa Margarita’s cheering section during a boys basketball game between Mater Dei High and Santa Margarita High in a Trinity League match up at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on Wednesday January 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Goulding)
The Monarchs, No. 1 in the Orange County top 25, improved to 16-2 overall and 2-0 in league. No. 5 Santa Margarita dropped to 12-1 and 1-1.
Zack Davidson, a 6-8 junior, led Mater Dei with 22 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Freshman Tee Bartlett (6-10, 240) and senior Jack McCloskey each scored 13 points, and Kaden Minter added 10.
McCloskey transferred to Mater Dei from Santa Margarita before this school year. Of course Santa Margarita’s “Eagles Nest” student section razzed McCloskey all game. McCloskey responded with stares at the Eagles Nest after most of his baskets including his two 3-pointers.
Santa Margarita junior Rockwell Reynolds led the Eagles with 14 points. Kyle Evans scored 11 points.
Davidson said Mater Dei’s stifling defense was a large factor in the win.
“Our game plan was to speed them up, and try to pick them up full court or at least three-quarters court,” he said, “and we got them out of their offense which contributed to the low-scoring game which made us win.”
The Monarchs also shot better than Santa Margarita on the Eagles’ home court. They made 24 of 47 shots from the field (51 percent). Many Mater Dei shots were layups off of its half-court offense that featured constant motion and backdoor cuts to the basket.
Santa Margarita made 18 of its 44 shots (41 percent).
Mater Dei prevailed in the turnovers category, too, making seven to the Eagles’ 15.
The Monarchs grabbed the lead early and took an 18-10 advantage into the second quarter.
Santa Margarita committed six turnovers in the first quarter. Mater Dei outscored the Eagles 14-7 in the second quarter in which Santa Margarita was 3 of 12 from the floor to carry a 32-17 lead into halftime.
A 15-2 Mater Dei run that started in the second quarter and continued into the third pushed the Monarchs’ lead to 36-17. Their biggest lead of the game was 23 points, 62-39, in the fourth quarter.
Mater Dei travels to Massachusetts for a game Friday against East Catholic of Connecticut in the Spaulding Hoophall Classic. The Monarchs’ next league game is at home Wednesday, Jan. 19 against JSerra.
Santa Margarita’s next game is a league home game Friday against St. John Bosco. The Eagles-Monarchs rematch is Jan. 27 at Mater Dei.
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In the Garden Grove League:
Loara 66, Rancho Alamitos 47: Elias Farfat’s 19 points led the visiting Saxons (8-12, 2-1).
In the South Coast League:
No. 14 Tesoro 52, No. 24 San Clemente 43: Carson Brown scored 21 points and Nathan Draper added 16 for the host Titans (18-3, 3-0).
