Mater Dei Takes Free Way in OT

Santa Ana Mater Dei didn’t wilt after blowing a six-point lead with 15 seconds remaining in regulation Wednesday night at Santa Margarita. Instead, the Monarchs righted themselves and won the game at the free-throw line in overtime.

Mater Dei, ranked No. 3 in the Southland by The Times, made nine of 10 free throws in the four-minute overtime period and No. 7 Santa Margarita missed five of six free throws, ensuring the Monarchs’ 71-65 victory in the Serra League opener.

“It all came down to free throws,” forward Taylor King said. “We came in and stole this one away.”

King finished with a team-high 26 points and 14 rebounds.

Mater Dei (17-1) appeared in good shape to win in regulation when Steve Tarin scored on a fastbreak layup with 15 seconds remaining to give the Monarchs a 60-54 lead.

But UCLA-bound forward James Keefe scored on a layup and stole the inbounds pass. He scored again with seven seconds left to make it 60-58.

Mater Dei guard Kamyron Brown, who finished with 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, missed the front end of a one-and-one situation with five seconds remaining.

The long rebound went to Santa Margarita (16-1) guard Jonathan Gunderson, who was fouled at mid-court with two seconds left. Gunderson made both free throws to send the game into overtime.

Keefe, who sat out the last two weeks because of a back injury, had a team-high 29 points and 10 rebounds.

Gunderson finished with 14 points, making four three-point baskets.

Alex Jacobson, a 7-foot junior center who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Mater Dei.

-- Dan Arritt

North Carolina-bound Alex Stepheson played like the dominating 6-foot-10 center that he is, scoring 21 points, grabbing 21 rebounds and blocking four shots as 11th-ranked North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake held off Los Angeles Loyola, 73-66, in a battle for first place in the Mission League.

“He’s a monster,” Loyola Coach Jamal Adams said of Stepheson, who made eight of 10 shots from the field.

Harvard-Westlake (14-3, 3-0) opened a 12-point lead in the first half, but Loyola (11-5, 2-1) closed to within two points at halftime.

The Wolverines opened a 14-point lead in the third quarter, but Loyola cut the deficit to 65-62 with 2:09 left behind Mark Hall, who finished with 20 points.

Then Kieran Ramsey took over in the last three minutes, when he scored nine of his 17 points.

“It was like they were playing volleyball off the backboard,” Adams said of the Wolverines, who had three players with double-figure rebounding totals.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Miscellany

The newly formed league that will begin play in the fall and include five current members of the Serra League, plus Orange Lutheran and San Juan Capistrano Serra, will be called the Trinity League.

In a split vote Wednesday by representatives of the seven schools, Trinity was chosen over Cristo Rey and Covenant.

Joining Orange Lutheran and Serra in the league will be Anaheim Servite, Fullerton Rosary, Mater Dei, Santa Margarita and Bellflower St. John Bosco.

The new Serra League will include holdovers Loyola and La Puente Bishop Amat joined by Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Encino Crespi.

-- Martin Henderson