DIVISION I-A

Defending champion: Mater Dei.

Top teams: Glendora (25-1); San Bernardino Pacific (18-8); Riverside Arlington (22-5); San Bernardino Cajon (23-3).

Dark horse: Mater Dei (18-7). The Monarchs have won six consecutive Southern Section titles and closed the regular season on a high note, sweeping the second round of South Coast League play. They’re tough on the road, too, having gone 5-0 against league opponents.

Top players: Chris Clark (Glendora), Casey Jacobsen (Glendora), Larry Johnson (University), Tim McKee (Dana Hills), Eric Palmer (University), Steve Scoggin (Mater Dei).

Notes: This division appears to be dominated by teams from the Inland Empire, but the guy with the biggest smile on his face when pairings were released Sunday was Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight. The Monarchs won their final six games and thanks to Trabuco Hills’ upset of Capistrano Valley in the final game of the season, Mater Dei finished in a first-place tie with the Cougars. “The kids grew up,” McKnight said. “I’m tired of calling them kids. They matured. I knew they would, but I wasn’t sure it would happen this year or next year.” The Monarchs were led through their league title run by Scoggin (13.9 points, 8.3 assists), Mike Bayer (12.5 points, 7.6 rebounds) and Derrick Mansell (11.1 points). Mater Dei drew La Verne Damien, which lost three of its last four games in the Baseline League. The Spartans’ tallest player is 6-7 center DeMarcus Williams, who averages 7.1 points and six rebounds. Their 6-5 forward, Bobby O’Hara, averages 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Guard Ryan Navarre leads the team in scoring (9.8 points). . . . Glendora, the top-seeded team, lost only to Etiwanda, 79-76, the third-seeded team in Division I-AA. The Tartans, winners of 15 in a row, are led by Jacobsen (30 points), a returning all-section forward, and Clark, a 6-6 forward who averages 17 points. “I think this bracket has real accountability this season,” Glendora Coach Mike LeDuc said. “It keeps the geographic balance everyone wanted, but it also supplies competitive equity.” But LeDuc admitted he doesn’t like the prospects of Mater Dei meeting San Clemente, two South Coast schools, in the second round, should both win. “I think they could have avoided that,” he said.