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Mater Dei's Katie Lou Samuelson
Mater Dei’s Katie Lou Samuelson
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The best girls basketball player in the nation played up to that title on the biggest early-season stage Thursday.

Standout Mater Dei senior Katie Lou Samuelson tied a school record with 41 points and set a school record with 10 made 3-pointers in a 67-34 win over Skyline of Dallas, Texas, in the opening round of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz.

Mater Dei point guard Andee Velasco added 11 assists against Skyline, which came into the week as the 23rd-ranked team in Texas by Maxpreps.com.

The Monarchs (8-1) take on Fremont of Nebraska (5-0) in the second round of the tournament’s top-tier Joe Smith Division on Friday at 11:20 a.m.

Fremont defeated Northern California power Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland, 54-47, Thursday to advance to the second round.