ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASKETBALL : Roundup : Ellis Leads Mater Dei’s Easy Win

Forward LeRon Ellis scored 38 points and had 8 rebounds Wednesday night as Mater Dei High School extended its Angelus League winning streak to 49 games with an 80-59 victory at St. Paul.

Top-ranked Mater Dei (7-0, 21-1) has won 80 of its last 82 games and has not lost an Angelus League contest since 1982. That loss was at St. Paul, where the Swordsmen gained a 72-71, double-overtime victory.

Wednesday night’s game was expected to feature some of that same intensity. Mater Dei struggled last week in beating Bishop Montgomery, then went into double overtime before beating Ocean View Saturday.

St. Paul needed a victory in its effort to obtain a playoff spot. But after the first quarter, the game fell into a familiar pattern for Mater Dei.

After a 3-for-9 start, Ellis helped Mater Dei outscore St. Paul, 47-26, during an 18-minute span that began with 2:30 left in the first quarter. The Monarchs, who hit 1 of their first 8 shots, held a 53-34 lead at the end of three quarters.

St. Paul gained a 6-2 lead, but that faded as the Monarchs turned to full-court pressure. The strategy forced several turnovers. In addition, St. Paul’s 2-3 zone was no match for Ellis, 6-feet 11-inches, who often found himself guarded by one of the Swordsmen’s small guards at the top of the key. The result: He took the shot and it appeared to help him shake the cold start.

“He’s such a talented big man,” said Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight. “When other teams concentrate on him, that frees up our other guys too.

“I think we’re beginning to peak. I hope this starts the momentum going our way.”

St. Paul played without 6-5 junior forward Marty Tourville, who averages 8.3 rebounds a game. Tourville, who suffered a broken leg in practice Tuesday, is lost for the season.

That left Matt Willig, a 6-8 senior center, to try to stop the Monarchs inside. Willig received his third foul with 5:31 left in the second quarter, and fouled out late in next period with five rebounds and nine points.

“Foul trouble hurt them,” McKnight said. “It seemed to take the steam out of them.”

Senior guard John Stephens came off the bench to spark the Monarchs on their 47-point run. He finished the game with 10 points and 5 assists.

Servite 63, Bishop Montgomery 46--Guard Shawn Sullivan scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as the Friars gained their fifth league victory. Brett Caya had nine assists and centers Nick Marusich (8) and John Arabia (9) combined for 17 rebounds.

In the Collegiate League:

St. Margaret’s 84, Elliot-Pope 62--Mark Campaign scored 28 points and Chris Cooper added 25--including 12 in the third quarter--for the Tartans at Elliot-Pope. St. Margaret’s (4-0, 15-1) trailed by two at halftime, but outscored Elliot-Pope 25-10 in the third quarter. Elliot-Pope is 3-1, 7-2.

In the Empire League:

Katella 59, El Dorado 48--The Knights, ranked No. 3 in the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. poll, won behind Richard Lucas’ 19 points. El Dorado was led by Mike Brooks’ 14 points. Katella is 11-0, 20-2. El Dorado is 3-8, 7-12.

Los Alamitos 76, Esperanza 58--Mo Warner scored 19 points and Bryan Blossey added 14 to lead Los Alamitos at home.

The Griffins are 10-1 and 17-4. Rob Nay had 17 points for the Aztecs and Ross Harvey added 14. Warner also had 10 rebounds for Los Alamitos.

Pacifica 51, Loara 41--Pacifica shot only 9 for 22 at the free-throw line, but Allan Bruce scored 16 points and made 12 rebounds for the Mariners. Brian Merry added 14 for Pacifica (3-8, 9-11). Todd Eaton scored 16 points to lead Loara (1-10, 2-16) at home.

Kennedy 54, Cypress 50--Wendell Lauderdale scored 18 points as Kennedy held on despite foul trouble. The Fighting Irish led at halftime, 32-20, but Cypress came back in the second half as two Kennedy starters (Danny Davidson and Jeff Hansell) fouled out. Frantz Reyes had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Cypress.

In the Freeway League:

Buena Park 70, Sonora 53--The Coyotes got their third straight victory. Buena Park (4-5) was led by Gary Hunter (19 points), Kevin Graddy (17) and Sahne Smith (14).

Sonora (3-6) was led by Grayle Humphrey (13 points) and David Morris (12).

Fullerton 46, Sunny Hills 44--Allen Lewis scored 15 points and Greg Wilbur added 12 to lead the Indians at Sunny Hills. Robert Pearson scored 15 for Sunny Hills (4-5, 12-10). Fullerton is 8-1 in league.

In the Orange League:

Brea-Olinda 64, Savanna 58--Trailing, 24-20, at halftime, the Wildcats hit 11 of 12 shots in the third quarter, outscoring the Rebels, 23-10, at Savanna. Senior center Bob Terry scored 19 points and had 13 rebounds, senior forward Mike Thorum had 11 points and 8 rebounds and senior guard Mike Chiotti scored 17 for Brea (6-1, 15-7). Point guard Dexter Mumar had 17 assists. Savanna is 3-4, 5-14.

Valencia 63, Western 52--Chuck Powell scored 16 points and Will Jefferson had 13 rebounds and 5 assists for the Pioneers (0-7) in a losing effort at Western.

In the Pacific Coast League:

Laguna Hills 51, Trabuco Hills 49--The Mustangs led with as much as 10 in the first half, but the Hawks rallied with a full-court press for five steals in the third quarter. With three minutes remaining, the Hawks tied it, 49-49, on Mike Smeades’ free throw. Smeades, who finished with 20 points, also made the winning free throw. Rick Swanwick led Trabuco Hills (5-2, 16-4) with 16 points at home. The Hawks are 5-2 and 11-10.

Orange 69, Laguna Beach 63--Despite 26 points by Scott Herdman, all in the second half, the Artists (2-5, 6-14) lost to the Panthers (2-5) at Laguna Beach. Jeff Smith scored 16 to lead Orange.

Woodbridge 87, Costa Mesa 69--Adam Keefe scored 27 points and had 19 rebounds in three quarters to lead the Warriors (7-0, 17-5). Vince Bryan added 14 points and 9 rebounds for Woodbridge. Paul Kos led the Mustangs (0-7) with 23 points at Woodbridge.

In the South Coast League:

Dana Hills 53, Mission Viejo 52--The Dolphins scored their second straight upset and gained their third victory in the last four games as Tim McSweeney made two free throws with two seconds remaining. David Cmelak led the Dolphins (3-4) with 19 points and Jeff Herdman scored 16 points for Mission Viejo (4-3).

El Toro 87, San Clemente 61--Eric Speaker had 23 points and 14 rebounds as the Chargers (5-2, 15-8) won at San Clemente. Bret Johnson added 21 points and seven assists and Cory Wayland had 18 for El Toro, which led, 37-29 at halftime. San Clemente is 0-7 in league.

Irvine 52, Capistrano Valley 49--Despite 25 points by Scott McCullough, the Cougars (5-2, 14-8) lost at Irvine.