Buena Continues Tradition of Toppling Mater Dei, 55-48 : Girls’ basketball: For fifth time in a row, Bulldogs knock off Monarchs, who are ranked No. 1 in state.

One streak ended and two others continued Saturday night.

The Buena High girls’ basketball team upset Mater Dei, the state’s top-ranked team, 55-48, before an overflow crowd at Buena in a rematch of last season’s Southern Section Division I-A championship game.

It ended the Monarchs’ 17-game winning streak, and extended the Bulldogs’ win streak to 12. Buena is ranked No. 10 in the state.

The victory also was Buena’s fifth in a row against Mater Dei (17-1), which fell, 50-41, to Buena last season for the title.

It seems that beating Mater Dei is something Buena does well. Not that Mater Dei takes the beatings all that well.

“It hurts a little,” Mater Dei Coach Mary Hauser said. “That’s natural when you lose an unbeaten season and a streak like that.”

Nicole Greathouse had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Buena (14-2), which began the season 2-2. Kori Sebek, a guard, added 12 points for the Bulldogs.

However, it was the defensive contribution of Kara Newman that made the difference.

Newman limited Monarch guard Melody Peterson to 16 points, nine below her average.

Three weeks ago, Peterson scored 31 points in a 56-52 victory over Alemany, a game in which Mater Dei trailed by as many as 19 points late in the third quarter.

At that same junction against Buena, the Monarchs trailed, 45-32, before rallying.

This time, Buena responded.

On three occasions, the difference was trimmed to seven points, but Mater Dei could get no closer.

“It seemed like every time we’d attack, they’d attack,” Hauser said.

But Buena continued to counterpunch, just as it had in last season’s divisional final. “I told the kids it wasn’t over,” Buena Coach Joe Vaughan said. “That’s a team that can get you.”