Mater Dei Paced by Simon’s 24 Points : Prep basketball: Sophomore guard takes control and makes the clutch shots to lead top-seeded Monarchs over Dominguez, 54-48.

Miles Simon, looking sort of stunned, was surrounded by the media and fans. His teammates were already back in the locker room, breathing a sigh of relief after a 54-48 victory over Compton Dominguez.

The only ones left were Simon and Coach Gary McKnight.

“Let him stay out here, “ McKnight hollered to a school official. “The way he played, he can talk all he wants.”

Simon, who had more shrugs than syllables, could say little. But he had done plenty.

His 24-point performance at Ocean View High School had pushed the No. 1-seeded Monarchs (29-1) into the semifinals of the Southern Section I-A playoffs, where they will play Ventura Buena.

Mater Dei will be there because of a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, who didn’t seem to understand what all the fuss was about.

“I just felt right out there tonight,” Simon said. “I’ve had games like this before.”

But none of this much importance.

Simon stepped forward and rescued the Monarchs, who had won their two previous games by more than 40 points. But Friday, they were struggling and needed someone to take charge.

This was the role normally assumed by senior guard Reggie Geary. But he was a non-factor because of foul trouble and inconsistency.

So it was left to Simon, Mater Dei’s superstar in waiting. He made nine of 16 shots, including four three-pointers. Many were of the high visibility variety.

For instance, the four consecutive buckets he made in the second quarter helped turn a 18-13 deficit into a 24-20 lead.

Or those two three-pointers just before the end of the third quarter that gave the Monarchs a 36-33 lead. On the last one, Simon pump-faked at 22 feet, then dribbled under a defender and hit a three-pointer with two seconds left.

“I’ve seen him take over games before,” McKnight said. “He did again tonight, thank God.”

The rest of the Monarchs appeared out of sync. They turned the ball over 24 times against a team that matched them quickness-to-quickness.

The Dons (19-8) had 28 turnovers, nine in the fourth quarter. But they did have plenty of chances to take control of the game.

Trailing, 28-22, early in the third quarter, Dominguez’s Jason Pickett (14 points) hit two jump shots, then scored off a steal to tie the score. The Dons then had four chances to take the lead, but missed one shot and turned the ball over three times.

The Monarchs finally took over in the fourth quarter. Simon scored six points in a 16-5 run to give them a 52-39 lead.

“I just hit the open shots,” Simon said. “That’s all.”

And that was enough.