Mater Dei Cancels North Carolina Trip

The Mater Dei boys’ basketball team has withdrawn from the Holiday Festival Tournament in Raleigh, N.C., Coach Gary McKnight said.

McKnight said he pulled his team out of the tournament, which begins Dec. 28, because the Monarchs would have faced West Charlotte in the first round. West Charlotte, the defending State champion in North Carolina, returned four starters and McKnight was concerned that his team would be eliminated early.

Mater Dei (4-0), ranked seventh in the nation by USA Today, will instead be in the Above the Rim Tournament in San Diego, Dec. 26-31. The Monarchs finished second in that tournament last season, losing to Oak Hill Academy, Va., in the final.