Mater Dei Chops Down No. 3 Brea Olinda, 62-36 : Girls’ basketball: Led by Peterson, top-ranked Monarchs take advantage of every opportunity in posting victory.

Mater Dei’s Melody Peterson and Allysa Murray faced each other in a wild karate stance, lead arm pointed at the other, back arm poised to strike, hands shaking as if each was delivering a curse on the other.

In fact, it was Brea Olinda that was cursed, and the Peterson-Murray postgame celebration was the result of the No. 1 team in the state beating the No. 3 team.

In front of about 2,500 at the Bren Center, Peterson and her teammates put on a show, taking advantage of almost every opportunity Brea Olinda gave them, and scoring an easy 62-36 nonleague girls’ basketball victory.

Brea Olinda (17-2)--four-time defending State champion and perennially the No. 1-ranked team in the county--has lost two games in a season for the first time since 1992-93, when it lost back-to-back games, then went on a 65-game winning streak that ended in December with a 51-33 loss to then-No. 1 Woodbridge.

Mater Dei (15-0), meanwhile, delivered a strong message with its 26-point victory, the largest Brea Olinda loss in more than five years.

“Maybe we’re deserving of some national consideration,” Monarch Coach Mary Hauser said somewhat sheepishly, “you know, maybe one of the top 50 teams nationally.”

Maybe. The 26-point margin was greater than Woodbridge’s victory over Brea Olinda, and Woodbridge was promptly ranked 15th in the nation after that victory. Woodbridge is ranked No. 2 in the state and in Orange County.

The reason Mater Dei is No. 1, and a primary reason it beat Brea Olinda, is Peterson. Even though she didn’t have a great night shooting (she made her final two baskets to finish nine for 22, 41%--she’s averaging 51%), she still scored 22 points, had eight rebounds and six steals--including three in the first quarter.

“(Peterson’s) a great player,” said Rhonda Gondringer, who also had 22 points. “She does everything. I know that if we need a bucket, she can make it. And with her, we’ll go far.”

Mater Dei took advantage of nine Brea Olinda turnovers in the first quarter, shot six for 14 and had leads of 7-0 and 15-4. By halftime, Mater Dei had a 17-point lead and Brea Olinda had scored only 18 points.

Hauser said the Monarchs wanted to put defensive pressure on Brea Olinda’s sophomores, Jennifer Saari and Marissa Bradley.

“With them being so young,” Hauser said, “I wanted them to prove to me that they could handle the pressure.”

Her conclusion?

“They had a tough time.”

Brea Olinda Coach Jeff Sink said the first quarter killed his team.

“You can’t play catch-up against Mater Dei,” he said. “We worked two weeks getting ready to break their (various presses). We couldn’t execute.

“We missed a lot of easy shots.”

Brea Olinda was outscored in every quarter and shot only 27% (15 for 56). Kiyoko Miller scored 11 before fouling out with seven minutes left. Three of the other four starters struggled: Saari (four points, two for 10 from the field), Dawn Metz (five points, two for 10) and Lee Moulin (seven points, three for 15).

Bradley, who defended Peterson well despite the final totals, had six points on a three for six shooting night.

“We were prepared for them,” said Moulin, “we just didn’t handle their pressure.”