Riverside King makes Gary McKnight sweat ... again
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There’s no boys’ basketball team more enjoyable to beat than Mater Dei. If the Monarchs’ tradition of excellence isn’t enough to motivate opponents, defeating their longtime coach, Gary McKnight, usually does the trick.
Riverside King Coach Tim Sweeney knows the feeling. He guided the Wolves to one of the biggest upsets in Southern California Regional history when they topped Mater Dei, 70-65, in the 2002 final.
On Saturday night in the championship game of the Sonora tournament, King once again stood eye to eye with McKnight and his Monarchs, maintaining a second-half lead until finally blinking with 2 minutes 12 seconds remaining. That opened the door for the Monarchs to surge ahead for a 64-57 victory.
King (8-1) has been one of the biggest surprises this season, easily proving it belongs in the top 10 when we get back to doing those rankings early next year.
USA Today must agree because the publication moved Mater Dei (9-0) up three spots to No. 7 in its latest national rankings, and No. 1 in the West. I’m not sure the Monarchs are better than Taft, Fairfax, Westchester or Dominguez, though.
If you’d like to see how good the Wolves are for yourself, they host Temecula Valley (6-4) in a nonleague game tonight at 6:30.
-- Dan Arritt