Orange County Prep Basketball : Mater Dei Girls Win on Defense, 68-56

The Mater Dei High School girls’ basketball team used tough full-court pressure to force several St. Joseph turnovers and build an early lead in a 68-56 Angelus League victory Tuesday night at Mater Dei.

The Monarchs (5-0, 16-5), who led, 34-24, at halftime, blew the game open with a 15-1 run to open the third quarter. They were led by guard Geri Gainey, who scored 23 points, mostly on drives and open jump shots.

“We just got the momentum so quickly, it was tough for them to catch up,” said Carolyn Campbell, Mater Dei coach. “I think we shook them up with our pressure and took them out of their offense. They have a very structured offense. To force them to ad-lib is very tough.”

Most of the offense meant outside shots by DeDe Mosman, who kept the Knights (4-1, 15-4) in the game with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

St. Joseph was often flustered by the tough Mater Dei press and could never come closer than 10 points after the first quarter.

“It was just mental breakdowns,” said Margaret Bos, Knight coach. “We couldn’t run our offense and we didn’t get down on the break. They were mentally tougher than we were.”

Gainey was especially tough on the Knights. She penetrated the St. Joseph defense several times for easy scores and forced several turnovers on defense. “She’s almost playing out of her league,” Campbell said.

The Monarchs were also led by guard Kelly O’Brien, who scored 14 points, and Janet Rensing, who had 10. Lisa Fernandez scored 15 for the Knights.