GAME OF THE WEEK : Loyola Folds in 4th Quarter : Playoffs: Toby Bailey kept in check as Mater Dei uses its size advantage to beat the Cubs, 78-60, in I-A semifinals.

Mater Dei won as expected. But the Monarchs sweated a little more than most Orange County newspapers had predicted.

The Monarchs used their size advantage to beat Loyola, 78-60, Friday night in the Southern Section Division I-A semifinals before 5,500 at Pauley Pavilion. The defending champion Monarchs (30-0) advanced to Saturday’s finals at Anaheim’s Arrowhead Pond, where they will play Huntington Beach Edison.

The game was to be a preview of Toby Bailey, the Cubs’ talented forward who is headed to UCLA next fall, versus Arizona-bound Miles Simon. But the 6-foot-5 Bailey had only 16 points and 13 rebounds. He made seven of 17 from the field.

Simon, a 6-7 senior forward, scored 30 points, and 6-5 freshman forward Schea Cotton added 21. Moose Bailey, Toby’s younger brother, led the Cubs with 20.

“It was a very physical game,” Loyola Coach Bill Thomason said. “They pounded the ball inside. We didn’t have the size to compete with them.”

Give the Cubs credit. They kept the game close for three quarters, trailing 36-34 at the half and 53-46 entering the fourth quarter.

But Simon opened the final quarter with two free throws and two field goals to put the Monarchs out front, 59-46.

The Cubs began to unravel with six minutes left when Toby Bailey tried to feed the ball to Bobby Thomason, the coach’s son. Simon bumped Thomason and the ball went out of bounds. When Thomason complained, he was called for a technical foul.

The Monarchs went to the free-throw line 12 times in the fourth quarter, connecting on 13 of 20 attempts. The Cubs did not attempt a free throw in the fourth quarter.

“They are a very difficult team to play because of their press,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said. “But this is as focused I’ve seen our team play all season.”

This was not Toby Bailey’s best performance, but he had an excuse. The Monarchs not only defended him, they mugged him.

“They rotated three different guys on me,” Bailey said. “Their job was to foul me as many times as they could before they fouled out. . .It was frustrating.”

A player who once demanded to have the ball so he could score, Toby Bailey has developed into a team player. He rarely forces a shot, but scores often enough to lead the team in scoring for the fourth consecutive season. He averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists this year.

“Toby is very confident in himself and very at ease. If he doesn’t take a shot, he doesn’t gripe. He doesn’t need to score 20 points to feel he’s played a great game.”

Bailey was the first freshman to start for the Cubs, and most likely the last under Thomason.

“He started every game we played,” Thomason said. “That’s 103 games he put up with me and that’s not an easy thing to do.”