Weakened Monarchs Coming On Strong

No one would blame Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight if he decided to place a “situations wanted” ad.

Help! This is too easy. We need competition.

After all, the top-ranked Monarchs have turned their share of showdowns into blowouts recently against some of the best teams in Orange County.

On Wednesday it was a 40-point rout of Serra League rival Servite. Friday brought a tougher challenge in seventh-ranked Santa Margarita, but Mater Dei won by five points without three of its top players.

And Saturday, still playing without two standouts, the Monarchs turned their game up a notch with a 62-42 victory over fifth-ranked Los Alamitos in the Hoop Challenge before a largely subdued crowd at Long Beach College.

Mater Dei (20-1) will get what is expected to be a tougher test when it faces high-powered San Diego University at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Pyramid in Long Beach. But no team from Orange County has provided much of a threat so far; the Monarchs’ only loss this season was to Miami Northwest Christian last month in Florida.

“If you could have told me at the beginning of the week that we’d win three out of four games, I wouldn’t have believed you,” McKnight said. “Now I want to get greedy [and pick up the fourth win].”

Forward Harrison Schaen led the way for Mater Dei on Saturday with 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Guard Ricky Porter added 13 points and guard Cedric Bozeman had 12 points and seven rebounds as the Monarchs played their fifth consecutive game without starting center Jamal Sampson (flu) and their second straight without guard Christian McGuigan (sprained ankle).

Sampson has been feeling better recently and may suit up against University, McKnight said.

Mater Dei played with a sense of urgency from the start Saturday, rolling to a 34-20 halftime lead and blowing the game open midway through the third quarter. The Monarchs’ passes were crisp and the lineup--which included Mike Strawberry, who missed Friday’s game with a touch of the flu--meshed well.

“Since we didn’t have as many of our guys, we have to step it up ourselves and work harder,” Porter said. “Even if we see a good team coming, we know we can beat them if we put our mind to it.”

Center Jeff Grgas was the lone bright spot for Los Alamitos (15-3) with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a blocked shot. Eddie Courtemarche and Ron Prettyman each added eight points.

“I don’t think we ever got into the game,” Griffin Coach Richard Smith said. “In the third quarter we had some guys make some plays, but it was a little late in the game to figure out, ‘Hey, we can play with these guys.’ ”