Boys’ basketball: Mater Dei running away with it
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If these truly are the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, as USA Today’s rankings purport, then you might as well go ahead and proclaim Mater Dei the runaway national champion.
The top-ranked Monarchs took a 36-23 halftime lead over No. 2 Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict’s Prep, outclassing the Gray Bees in almost every conceivable way. And this was with senior forward Andy Brown sidelined by a knee injury and junior guard Gary Franklin Jr. limited to only four first-half minutes because of foul trouble.
St. Benedict’s star forward Tristan Thompson was also hindered by foul trouble, playing only four minutes and missing his only shot.
Junior guard Tyler Lamb scored 13 points for the Monarchs, who built a double-digit lead late in the first quarter and extended it to 15 points in the second. Mater Dei shot 52.2% to St. Benedict’s 37.5%.
Sophomore guard Tavon Sledge had seven points for the Gray Bees, who appear on the brink of a second consecutive defeat after winning their first 19 games.
--Ben Bolch