Next for Mater Dei: Mighty Oak Hill

They cued up the theme to “Rocky” after Mater Dei and Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy won semifinal games Wednesday night in the Millennium Cup division of the Holiday Prep Classic at Green Valley High.

And that was only appropriate, given that the Monarchs and Warriors will meet at 7 tonight in a battle of basketball heavyweights. Oak Hill is ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today, and Mater Dei third.

But the Monarchs looked like the better team Wednesday.

Mater Dei throttled Phoenix St. Mary’s, 94-73, behind guard Cedric Bozeman, who led all scorers with 27 points, and guard Ricky Porter, who added 18 points in his second consecutive strong performance. The Monarchs (9-0) shot 66.7% from the field.

Oak Hill, led by guard Billy Edelin’s 23 points, struggled to defeat Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, 70-58. The Gaels pulled within two points in the second half before Oak Hill (12-0) made its game-winning push.

Mater Dei got off to perhaps its slowest start of the season and trailed for the first time in the tournament before pulling away. St. Mary’s led by as many as four points in the early going but folded after Arizona-bound center Channing Frye picked up his third foul and was benched midway through the first half.

The Monarchs also seemed to find a new source of energy as they closed the half on a 16-3 run.

“We started off kind of sluggish,” said Mater Dei power forward Harrison Schaen, who finished with nine points.

Bozeman made 11 of 15 shots, Porter eight of 11 and Jamal Sampson six of seven.

“Mater Dei was just too strong inside,” St. Mary’s Coach David Lopez said. “They had too many easy baskets.”

Monarch Coach Gary McKnight knows his team will be in for a much stiffer test tonight.

“[Oak Hill] is a different type of team,” he said. “They’ve got five Division I players. It’s one of the few times we play where we’re the underdog.”

In the Silver Cup division:

Capistrano Valley 67, Rancho Bernardo 47--Jeff Gloger scored 18 points on nine-of-12 shooting to lead the Cougars (6-2) to the consolation victory. Matt Sweany added 12 points for Capistrano Valley.

In the Bronze Cup division:

San Clemente 67, Venice 60--Eli Owens scored 17 points and Jordan Fleener and James Hartman added 15 each as the Tritons (10-3) won the consolation game despite shooting 37.3% from the field.

Kailua (Hawaii) Kalaheo 71, Canyon 60--Derron Putnam’s game-high 23 points weren’t enough as the Comanches (4-5) lost the consolation game by shooting a frigid 28% from the field.