DIVISIONS I-AA, I-A GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Mater Dei’s Defense Stops Dana Hills

Plagued by cold shooting, the Mater Dei girls’ basketball team capitalized on its half-court trapping press for a 46-41 overtime victory over Dana Hills in a first-round Division I-A game Saturday night at Mater Dei.

The Lady Monarchs (13-10) will meet Sunset League champion Marina on Wednesday.

Trailing, 28-18, with 5 minutes 15 seconds left in the third quarter, Mater Dei closed the gap to 30-28 on Sheila Manio’s two free throws with 22 seconds left in the quarter.

“We had a horrible shooting night (27.2%), but we played very well defensively,” Mater Dei Coach Brenda Yecke said. “Our half-court trap threw them out of their rhythm, and we had a chance to catch up.”

Dana Hills (13-11) led, 38-33, with 3:09 left in the game, but two baskets by Dawn Gawronski and another by Melissa McDonald tied the score, 39-39, at the end of regulation.

In overtime, the Lady Monarchs scored the first seven points and led, 46-39, with 38 seconds left. McDonald and Manio led Mater Dei in scoring with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Dana Hills’ Adara Newidouski had 20 points.