SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS : BOYS’ OVERVIEW : Mater Dei Should Rise to New Level in Playoffs

Before leaving to compete in the King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, Ark. in December, Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight was asked to describe the personality of his young team.

He didn’t have an answer. McKnight thought his team had yet to be tested and wanted to see how it performed in a close game.

McKnight got his chance during the tournament, as the Monarchs rallied to defeat Whitehaven High of Memphis, Tenn., and Miami Hialeah Lakes to advance to the championship game. Mater Dei lost in the final to Flint Hill Prep of Oakton, Va., ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today.

Eight weeks later, McKnight was asked the same question after Mater Dei defeated Servite for its 52nd consecutive victory in the Angelus League spanning six seasons. This time, he had an answer.

“This is a kicked-back team,” McKnight said. “We play to the level of our competition, which could cost us in the end.”

If the Monarchs (24-1) win their first two games in the Southern Section 5-A playoffs, they should reach the championship game for the fifth straight season.

Mater Dei should beat Fountain Valley Friday night at Rancho Santiago College, and then the good test from Long Beach Wilson, which was the best team in the Moore League at the end of the season.

Mater Dei opens the playoffs without guard Mike Hopkins, who injured his ankle two weeks ago and only recently received a doctor’s release to begin practicing.

“Hopkins’ injury really set us back,” McKnight said. “He’s still hobbling and won’t be available for the first playoff game.”

The Monarchs will have a week before their second-round game.

An anticipated semifinal showdown against Ocean View March 4 in the Los Angeles Sports Arena would be a rematch of a double-overtime thriller that the Monarchs won, 53-48, two weeks ago.

If Mater Dei advances to the championship game, its opponent should be No. 2-seeded Long Beach Millikan. Marina, the third-seeded team, appears vulnerable in the early rounds with center Mark Georgeson and forward Steve Guild recovering from the flu.

What will set Mater Dei apart from the 15 other teams in the division is 6-foot 11-inch center LeRon Ellis. “Whenever they need a big defensive play or a basket, LeRon always comes through,” said Dave Brown, Fountain Valley coach.

4-A Only two Orange County leagues--South Coast and Century--remain in the 4-A division after the Sea View League went to 3-A after last season. Don’t look for much success from county schools in the Southern Section’s strongest division.

Capistrano Valley, 17-8 and co-champion of the South Coast League, has advanced to the semifinals in four of the past five seasons.

“Don’t feel sorry for the South Coast League, feel sorry for the teams that are paired against us,” said Coach Mark Thornton. “Our league was tough this year.”

The Cougars were the only No. 1 team paired against a No. 2 team, and co-champion El Toro (18-8) was paired against perennial power Dominguez (21-4).

Santa Ana (20-6) is the only Century League team with a legitimate chance in the playoffs. But the Saints were placed in an extremely strong upper bracket that includes top-seeded Simi Valley and Santa Monica, Diamond Bar, Dominguez, Glendora and Glendale.

Simi Valley is a good bet to reach the championship game for the second straight season. The Pionners’ opposition for the title could be Lynwood, which has 15 straight victories and has held each of those 15 opponents to fewer than 50 points.

3-A Katella Coach Tom Danley often refers to center Richard Lucas as “the hub” and his other four starters as “the spokes” when describing his team.

Lucas, who will attend the University of Oregon next fall, never looked stronger than last week when he scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds against Los Alamitos.

Three of the spokes--guards Brett Smith, Tom Villanueva and John Sunu--provided the outside shooting to complement Lucas as the Knights finished 14-0 in the Empire League.

Danley’s teams have qualified for the playoffs 21 straight seasons, but the Knights have never won a championship. This could be the year.

“I think Katella has a good chance to go to the finals,” said Ken Bell, Buena Park coach. “It was a real feat to go through that league undefeated. When they get the outside shooting, they’re tough.

“Lucas is a great rebounder, which means a team is going to have to shoot well against them to win, because you’re only going to get one shot.”

Corona del Mar (21-6) also has a good chance to win the title. The Sea Kings start five quality athletes and play excellent defense. They own impressive victories over Marina and Woodbridge.

Corona del Mar could face top-seeded Rolling Hills (22-3) in one semifinal game with Katella (23-2) meeting Ganesha (20-4) in the other. Ganesha lost to Hacienda Heights Wilson in the title game last season.

Valencia (18-5) could be the sleeper of the division. The Tigers’ starting center, Dennis Burbank, might be the most underrated player in the county.

2-A Woodbridge (20-5) is the only strong county school in the division. Forward Vince Bryan and center Adam Keefe should dominate on this level, but the Warriors will have problems against pressing teams.

Corona del Mar exposed Woodbridge’s ballhandling weaknesses in a 70-49 victory last month. The Warriors committed 21 turnovers as guard David Townsend had problems dealing with Corona del Mar’s full-court press.

If Woodbridge hopes to have any success in the division, it will also need a little luck. The coin flips that determine playing sites after the first round will be important because some of Woodbridge’s potential opponents are as far as 200 miles from Irvine.

There’s one sure bet in the 2-A. Top-seeded Santa Clara, a parochial school in Oxnard, will advance to the championship game. Look for Walnut and Edgewood of the Valle Vista League also to fare well.

1-A Whittier Christian has won 49 of its last 51 games and is riding a 23-game winning streak. The top-seeded Heralds should meet second-seeded Crossroads in the championship game for the second straight season.