Division I Boys’ Final : Mater Dei vs. Los Angeles Crenshaw, 8 p.m.

SITE--Los Angeles Sports Arena

RECORDS--Mater Dei (33-1), Crenshaw (26-2)

CRENSHAW--It’s a typical Crenshaw team, loaded with size, speed and depth. Forwards Tremaine Fowlkes (21.3 points, 16.8 rebounds) and Kris Johnson (21.3 points, 14.4 rebounds) are the team leaders. But there is one glaring weakness: Coach Willie West failed to get a point guard among his seven transfers. In a 66-61 loss in the semifinals, Huntington Beach exploited the Cougars’ lack of a quality ballhandler with a press in the final quarter that resulted in seven Crenshaw turnovers. “They have depth, size and the athletic ability to play with us,” said Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight. “It’s a matchup of athletes in what should be a very entertaining game. Both teams like to play an up-tempo style.”

MATER DEI--The top-seeded Monarchs have a definitive advantage in height and depth. While Crenshaw goes four deep on its bench, McKnight used 16 players in a semifinal victory over Hanford and 19 players in an opening-round victory over Poway. Junior Miles Simon is the best player in the county, but he gets plenty of help from four seniors who have either signed or committed to Division I colleges. Point guard Kamran Sufi has risen to the occasion in the playoffs by playing his best basketball of the season.

KEY TO THE GAME--McKnight puts it simply: “The team that executes best will win. There isn’t a lot of skull sessions involved when you’re playing every other day in the regionals. You basically go with what got you there.” That means Mater Dei will go with its pressure defense and strong rebounding; Crenshaw’s full-court press must be at its best.

CONSENSUS--The teams have met three times previously. Mater Dei lost to Crenshaw in the second round of the regionals in 1983 at Long Beach Arena; Mater Dei beat Crenshaw by three points in the finals of the 1984 Tournament of Champions at Cal Poly Pomona; Crenshaw beat Mater Dei in overtime in the 1986 regional final. “All three games were classics,” McKnight said. “This one shouldn’t be any different.” Look for Mater Dei to win by eight.

Starting Lineups

MATER DEI

P Name Ht. Avg. F Miles Simon 6-4 14.0 F Marmet Williams 6-6 11.0 C Terence Wilborn 6-7 11.8 G Kamran Sufi 5-10 3.7 G David Drakeford 6-1 6.1

Coach: Gary McKnight

CRENSHAW

P Name Ht. Avg. F Tremaine Fowlkes 6-6 21.3 F Kris Johnson 6-5 21.3 C Leon Watson 6-7 7.4 G Reggie McFerren 6-6 14.9 G Maurice Robinson 6-1 8.5

Coach: Willie West