TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS : Mater Dei’s Big First Half Trips Up Huntington Beach

How well Mater Dei’s top-ranked boys’ basketball team played in its 64-46 victory over second-ranked Huntington Beach in the Ocean View Tournament of Champions semifinals depended on which bench you were sitting on.

From Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight, whose team built a 17-point halftime lead but outscored Huntington Beach by only one in the second half:

“I’m frustrated with this group. I have a feeling in my stomach--and this is a big stomach to have a feeling in--that this team doesn’t have character. We have too many characters and not enough character.”

From Huntington Beach Coach Roy Miller, whose team lost to the Monarchs for the second time in two weeks:

“Mater Dei definitely stepped up their game a notch tonight.”

Despite their coach’s disappointment, the Monarchs still advanced to tonight’s championship game against Long Beach Poly, a 58-50 winner in overtime over Ocean View. Mater Dei has won the Tournament of Champions five of the last nine seasons.

Freshman guard Olujimi Mann came off the bench to score 13 points and junior guard Miles Simon added 14 as the Monarchs, ranked seventh nationally by USA Today, improved to 8-0.

Mater Dei did it by frustrating Huntington Beach in the first half with stifling man-to-man and zone full-court presses.

Mater Dei had six first-half steals off the press, and Simon scored eight consecutive points in a 1-minute, 33-second span that broke a 9-9 first-quarter tie. Huntington Beach had eight first-half turnovers and 13 for the game.

Huntington Beach cut the deficit to 48-32 at the end of the third quarter, as center Matt Ambrose, playing most of the game with three fouls, scored six of his 11 points in the quarter. He fouled out with 7:27 left in the fourth quarter.

The Oilers (5-2) trimmed it to 50-38 on a jumper by Chris Jones, but the Monarchs hit nine of 15 free-throw attempts down the stretch to seal the win.

“I thought our guys played intense and hard in the first half,” McKnight said. “But if we don’t start being more mentally tough, we could have problems.”

In the other semifinal:

Long Beach Poly 58, Ocean View 50 (OT)--Brian Bercero made four free throws in the final minute of overtime to ice the game for Long Beach Poly (5-2). Sean Goodgame scored 14 points for Ocean View (5-2).