Love leads Lake Oswego past Mater Dei, 61-52

Once the fire marshal left the building, the most persistent person Saturday night at the Nike Extravaganza was Kevin Love.

Love, a 6-foot-10 senior center who has signed with UCLA, had 36 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Lake Oswego (Ore.) to a 61-52 victory over host Santa Ana Mater Dei in the featured game of the Nike Extravaganza.

Mater Dei (23-3) entered the game ranked No. 1 in the West by USA Today, Lake Oswego was No. 9.

After fire officials delayed the start of the game about 30 minutes waiting for the aisles to be cleared and for spectators to find a seat in the new 3,200-seat arena, Love displayed the skills that have made him one of the most sought-after recruits in the country.

He scored 18 points in the first half to help the Lakers stay within a point of Mater Dei. He scored eight more in the third quarter to help Lake Oswego (17-1) outscore the Monarchs, 14-6, and take a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter. Mater Dei cut the lead to five early in the quarter, but Love scored inside to spark a 10-0 run.

Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight left the bench in the second quarter for what a Mater Dei spokesman said was a “medical situation.” He was evaluated by medical staff and returned to the bench early in the fourth quarter.

Taylor King, a Duke-bound forward who came in averaging 28.2 points for the Monarchs, was held to 12 points.

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Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, ranked No. 2 in the nation by Student Sports, defeated Fairfax, 70-54, behind the play of one of the best backcourts in the nation in an eariler game at Mater Dei.

Duke-bound Nolan Smith scored 27 points and Brandon Jennings, a junior point guard who transferred from Compton Dominguez and has committed to USC, scored 12 points and had eight assists.

The 6-foot-3 Smith electrified the standing-room-only crowd with his athleticism and acrobatic drives. He dunked over UCLA-bound Chace Stanback after blocking a Stanback dunk attempt. Another time he hung in the air while completing a lay-up after Fairfax defenders failed in their attempt to deflect his shot.

Fairfax (16-5) pulled to within 38-35 with 5:42 left in the third quarter before Oak Hill (31-1) went on a 12-2 run over the next 90 seconds and was never threatened again. Stanback finished with 24 points and teammate Chris Solomon had 13.

“It was really fun,” he said. “I got to play in front of family and friends.”

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Staff writer Eric Sondheimer contributed to this report.