Biggest upset of the girls’ basketball season? OLu over Mater Dei

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I don’t want to say that Orange Lutheran’s 40-34 Trinity League victory over No. 13 Mater Dei Tuesday night was the biggest surprise of the season in girls’ basketball because OL does a pretty good job every year. Plus, the Lancers are 13-4, so they’re not exactly average.

But I’m going to say it anyway. It was the biggest surprise of the season. Who among us saw it coming? The thing that really stands out for me is that against one of the best defenses around, Lutheran scored 20 points in the final quarter after scoring only 20 points through the first three.

After getting shut out in the first quarter.

Shut out!

That’s what makes it the biggest surprise of the season.

There’s something to learn here, too. There are a lot of good coaches out there -- OL’s Tony Matson among them -- who don’t usually get the credit they deserve. Guys like Kevin Kiernan of Mater Dei soak up the ink, and for good reason. But there are a lot of others out there who can match wits on a given night, but who don’t reach the same level of achievement because the talent pool simply isn’t the same.

This was a good result for girls’ basketball. But not so good for Mater Dei.

-- Martin Henderson