Mater Dei Loses Its Options

Facing a smothering 2-3 zone defense, point guard Mike Gerrity of Santa Ana Mater Dei was left frustrated and out of options Friday night in the state Division II boys’ basketball championship game against El Dorado Hills Oak Ridge.

“Every time I went in there, I ran into a brick wall,” Gerrity said of his drives to the basket.

Mater Dei (31-4) was limited to 32% shooting and held to a season-low point total in losing, 60-44, at Arco Arena.

No one produced more problems for the Monarchs than 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior Ryan Moya of Oak Ridge (31-4).

Headed to UCLA on a football scholarship, Moya made his final basketball game a memorable one, slithering and hustling his way to a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds.

“He was their difference-maker,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said. “He plays very hard. He really set the tone.”

Moya said Oak Ridge took advantage of their opportunities

“We took it to them,” Moya said. “It’s a great feeling to go out like this. Tonight, I was opportunistic, and that’s how I got a lot of my baskets. We forced them into bad shots.”

From the outset, Mater Dei lacked any kind of inside scoring threat going against Moya and 6-9, 250-pound center Ryan Anderson.

The Monarchs scored only 17 points by halftime and found themselves behind, 42-31, after Andrew Browning of Oak Ridge made a three-point basket at the end of the third quarter.

Taylor King, who was suffering from stomach flu earlier in the week, tried to rally the Monarchs with three-point baskets. He made five of 13 from three-point range and finished with 20 points.

Mater Dei got as close as 46-41 with just over five minutes left, but Moya scored six consecutive points before fouling out with 2:49 remaining, giving the Trojans an 11-point advantage.

“Their zone caused us headaches,” said McKnight, whose team was ranked No. 2 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and had not lost to an opponent that used a zone defense this season.

Mater Dei was relegated to firing up shots from NBA three-point range instead of the high school length of 19 feet 9 inches.

“They’re a big, physical team,” McKnight said. “They looked like the football team getting off the bus.”

Moya and his powerful forearms did lots of damage Friday. Next week, he’ll be visiting UCLA to get ready to play tight end in the fall.

All the Monarchs can say is good riddance.