Mater Dei Breezes to Victory This Time

This time there would be no last-second shots, no late-game heroics and nothing special except some good old-fashioned defense and a blowout by halftime.

That’s the way Mater Dei wanted it before Tuesday night’s 80-52 victory over West Covina in the Southern Section Division I-A boys’ basketball semifinals. And that’s the way the Monarchs did it, advancing to their fifth consecutive Southern Section title game.

Tom Lippold made five of eight three-point shots and scored 21 points. Center Mike Vukovich scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Monarchs, who will play Glendora, a 64-56 winner over Riverside Poly, at the Pond Saturday. Mater Dei has won four consecutive section titles.

The Monarchs (31-1) were still stinging when they entered the gym at Ocean View High Tuesday night. It was the same place where they pulled out a last-second 50-48 victory over Rowland Heights Rowland Friday in the quarterfinals.

“There weren’t going to be any more wake-up calls like that,” Vukovich said.

Indeed, Mater Dei, which has won 31 in a row since an opening loss to Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, never trailed, taking the lead for good before the first quarter ended. By the end of the second quarter, it appeared as though the Monarchs knew they had this one in the bag. They outscored West Covina, 21-10, in the second quarter and took a 38-23 lead into the locker room. They extended that lead by three points after the third quarter on four three-pointers from Lippold. The Monarchs didn’t allow West Covina a fourth-quarter field goal until one minute 58 seconds remained in the game.

“This is our best defensive effort all year,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said.

The Monarchs weren’t too bad offensively, either. They closed the door on the Bulldogs in the first half, making 13 of 22 field-goal attempts and closed out the game by hitting 15 of 28. West Covina, unable to penetrate after briefly attacking the basket in the opening minutes, was two for nine from the three-point line and made only 16 of 55 field-goal attempts. Nick Bates had 19 points and seven rebounds to lead the Bulldogs.

Monarch forward Brad Williams had 10 rebounds, as Mater Dei held a 47-36 advantage on the backboards. Kevin Augustine chipped in 14 points, most late in the game, but managed nine assists and was one of the key factors that West Covina worried about going into the game.

“They have so many ways they can beat you,” said West Covina Coach Mark Hertenstein. “If you try to contain him, there’s always someone else to be aware of.”