HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: STATE REGIONAL PLAYOFFS : Mater Dei Routs Fremont at Foul Line : Prep basketball: At one point, Monarchs had taken 35 free throws to Pathfinders’ one.

If there was any doubt whether Santa Ana Mater Dei deserved to be seeded No. 1 in the State Southern Regional Division I tournament, it was erased Thursday night at the Bren Center in Irvine.

The Monarchs, the Southern Section Division I-A champions, routed City 3-A Division champion Fremont, 74-55, in a semifinal matchup before a crowd of 4,000.

The telling factor was Mater Dei’s ability to get to the foul line. The Monarchs made 43 of 57 free throws, including 20 of 25 in taking a 40-16 first-half lead. Fremont was 15 of 20.

Worse yet, the Pathfinders took only one free throw in the first half, and missed it.

“The refs took us right out of the game, just check the free-throw stats in the first half,” Fremont Coach Sam Sullivan said. “It was ridiculous because Mater Dei is too good of a ballclub for that. They didn’t need that in order to win.”

Mater Dei opened the game with standout senior Reggie Geary, who normally plays shooting guard, starting at point guard. He helped the Monarchs with 13 first-half points.

“I initiated my offense early to help us get started,” said Geary, who finished with a game-high 24 points. “We also came out playing intense defense because we knew that they liked to do that. We knew that they didn’t face too many teams that did that to them.”

Geary, who also had a team-high eight rebounds, started in place of Kamron Sufi, who along with Ray Jackson did not start because they were late for a practice.

Mater Dei’s defense was effective in getting Fremont to commit fouls on both ends of the court. At one point in the third quarter, the Monarchs had attempted 35 free throws to Fremont’s one.

Along with their points from the free-throw line, the Monarchs scored at will inside with 6-foot-5 Marmet Williams, who finished with 14 points, and outside with Geary.

Fremont had problems getting open shots throughout the game.

The one bright spot for Fremont was Eric Wattree, who came off the bench to score 18 points.

“We just came out in the first half and took control of the game,” said Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight, who led the Monarchs to the State Division title in 1990. “We really applied a lot of pressure on them and I don’t think that they were ready for that.”

Mater Dei (33-1), which has won 19 consecutive games, will play Capistrano Valley on Saturday night at the Sports Arena for the Southern Regional Division I title. Capistrano best Westchester, 57-53, Thursday night.

Fremont finished 31-2.