Mater Dei’s girls basketball team won the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix for the third season in a row Monday, thrusting itself back into the “best team in the country” conversation.
Mater Dei (11-1) finished off its third straight TOC victory in the tournament’s top division with a 55-43 win over Blackman of Murfreesboro, Tenn. (10-2), which came into the tournament ranked No. 3 in the country by MaxPreps.com.
Mater Dei senior Katie Lou Samuelson averaged 33.5 points in four tournament games and was named tournament MVP. She had 36 points and 10 rebounds against Blackman.
Monarchs point guard Andee Velasco was also an all-tournament selection.
