Mater Dei Starts Fast, Routs Brea

Mater Dei High School, eager to prove its worth in the north part of Orange County, wasted little time Saturday night convincing Brea-Olinda which team is No. 1 in boys’ basketball.

The Monarchs used a 19-4 run in the final 3 minutes 22 seconds of the first quarter to cruise to a 79-56 victory over the fourth-ranked Wildcats in a nonleague game at the Brea-Olinda gym.

“For many years Brea wouldn’t even think of playing Mater Dei,” Monarch Coach Gary McKnight said. “I think this game is good for both ends of the county. It brings the north and south county together.”

Brea-Olinda Coach Rick Jones might want to reconsider next season’s matchup after watching Mater Dei’s early shooting.

The Monarchs (24-1) made 11 of 14 shots in the first quarter, including four of four from three-point range. Brea-Olinda (19-5) made three of 12 shots and trailed, 28-12, at the start of the second quarter.

“I think we were awed a little bit by their shooting,” Jones said. “We didn’t do anything early. It would have been a different game if we would’ve hit anything.”

Charlie Andres had 10 of his 16 points in the first quarter and Andy Karich added two consecutive three-pointers as Mater Dei turned a 9-8 lead into a 28-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

“I can’t say enough about Karich,” McKnight said. “He’s got to be one of the top five in the county. He can shoot, play defense, everything.”

Karich, who finished with 15 points, also drew a tough defensive assignment--stopping Brea-Olinda’s Keith Walker, the county’s leading scorer.

Karich held Walker to 26 points, eight below his season average.

“I thought if we could hold Walker around 25, we would have a shot,” McKnight said. “That was a key.”

Walker said Mater Dei’s swarming man-to-man defense frustrated him.

“Karich was real strong,” Walker said. “That was the best defense I’ve seen this year.”

Walker’s 26 points gave him 805 this season, breaking Brea-Olinda’s single-season record of 791 set in 1985-86 by his brother, Kevin, now a senior at UCLA.

Rodney Stewart gave Brea-Olinda its only major scoring run, but it came too late.

After missing his first eight shots, Stewart made five of his next six, including three consecutive three-pointers, in the fourth quarter to finish with 13 points.

Mater Dei led, 39-26, at halftime and outscored Brea-Olinda, 12-1, to open the third quarter. The Monarchs led, 54-35 at the start of the fourth quarter and Brea-Olinda came no closer than 18 the rest of the way.

It was the second consecutive loss for the Wildcats, who lost in overtime to Western Friday night.

Jones said Brea would benefit from the loss to Mater Dei.

“It was a good game for us heading into the playoffs,” he said. “The only thing is I just don’t want to play them.”