NOT EASY: Santa Margarita's Jaime Serna, center, got a taste last week of how difficult it is to score against Jamaal Trice, left, David Wear and their Mater Dei teammates. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER |
"Courtside Chaos" ... that's a wrap
Adam Maya reports on the action, on and off the court, last week in O.C.
Taking a look at what was what last week ...
Can Mater Dei be beaten?
I think so. And I think Santa Margarita can do it.
The Eagles went shot-for-shot with the Monarchs for two quarters this past Friday night. When the game got away from them in the third quarter, they still managed to cut the Mater Dei lead to five points halfway through the fourth quarter.
Some people might even say the injury to the Eagles Zack Zaragoza changed the games complexity down the stretch. Mater Dei forward Andy Browns three late 3-pointers had a much greater impact in his teams 74-61 victory this past Friday. They are indicative of why Mater Dei is so difficult to play, much less beat.
It presents the question I hear more than any other, from coaches to fans to media, about the Monarchs: How do you defend them?
Theyre too good inside, with the Wear twins, David and Travis, and Brown. On the perimeter, Gary Franklin is a burgeoning 3-point shooter, and Blake Arnett makes teams pay when they leave him alone. Guard/forward Jamaal Trice also averages nine points a game. It seems like too much.
Last week, JSerra put up as good a fight as anyone had, trailing by single digits most of the game. The Lions held the Wear twins to 12 points each, with Travis sitting out most the second half because of a muscle tear in his leg.
So what happened? Brown scored 19 and Franklin made eight 3-pointers en route to a 30-point night, and the Monarchs won by 15.
But the Monarchs are vulnerable. They went with a five-man rotation for nearly the entire game against Santa Margarita. Dont expect that to change much in league play. Guard Mason Jones is the only Monarch reserve to play more than the final minute of games, but just barely.
David Wear looked outstanding for a half with his brother sidelined, but the Eagles made him a nonfactor in the second half. Travis Wear is expected to return in four weeks, giving the Eagles another shot, this time at home, without Travis in the lineup.
The Eagles also must be encouraged by the play of center Jaime Serna, who returned from an elbow injury two weeks ago and scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting. A better shooting night from Zaragoza or Klay Thompson they shot a combined 12 of 31 and 2 of 11 from behind the arc and this is a much different game.
On Jan. 30, I think it will be.
Last week's notable results
St. John Bosco 68, JSerra 62: The Lions, like I said before, still are figuring things out. When you consider two if its five defeats are to Mater Dei, and the other two are to El Toro by two and Compton by one, JSerra is still a very good team. St. John Bosco is a good program that cannot be overlooked just because it is not in Orange County.
Valencia 52, Pacifica 51: The Tigers take this one by a point and then lose to Loara two days later. After one week of Empire League play, only Katella is unbeaten.
La Habra 68, Troy 57: Against Sonora, the Highlanders took the first quarter (20-9) and the game. Against Troy, they took the second quarter (24-7).
Los Alamitos 71, Edison 43: What a difference Clark Evans makes. The Griffins forward returned from a football combine and his team won twice by 30 points.
Villa Park 65, Brea Olinda 56: Villa Park knocked off a hot Brea Olinda team. Dont count out the Spartans.
Ballers of the week
Gary Franklin, Mater Dei guard 51 points in two victories, including 30 points (making 8 of 10 3-pointers) against JSerra
Grant Heineken, Mission Viejo guard 41 points and seven 3-pointers in two victories
Mike Hernandez, Capistrano Valley guard 37 points and 10 assists in two victories, making 13 of 14 free throws against Tesoro
Nick Becker, Huntington Beach guard 49 points in two victories, including four threes against Trabuco Hills
Corbin Moore, Los Alamitos center 34 points in two victories, including 21 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists against Marina
Jeff Jefferson, Brethren Christian guard 29 points in three victories, including 10 points, 10 assists and the game-winning layup against St. Margarets
R.J. Farrell, Villa Park forward 37 points and 24 rebounds in two victories
Jordan Sachs, La Habra guard 55 points in two victories
Yaser Yousef, Bolsa Grande guard 43 points in two victories
Aaron Garbutt, Westminster guard 43 points, 23 rebounds and eight steals in two victories
Dalton Harbaugh, Western guard 32 points and 15 rebounds in two victories, including the winning jumper against Century
P.J. Arriola, Orangewood Academy guard 48 points, including 25 points, six assists and five steals against Southlands Christian
Tales of the top 10
How far will JSerra drop with two losses last week? Santa Margarita was the only other ranked team to lose. El Toro higher might get a few more second-place votes for that. No. 1 Mater Dei beat JSerra by 15 and Santa Margarita by 13. No. 2 Santa Margarita beat Servite by 20 and lost to Mater Dei. No. 3 El Toro beat Woodbridge by 44 and Northwod by 39. No. 4 JSerra lost to Mater Dei, and lost to St. John Bosco by six. No. 5 Mission Viejo beat Aliso Niguel by nine and San Clemente by 10. No. 6 Capistrano Valley beat Dana Hills by 19 and Tesoro by five. No. 7 Canyon beat El Dorado by 24 and Tustin by 23. No. 8 Huntington Beach beat Northwood by 32 and Trabuco Hills by 25. No. 9 Corona del Mar beat Beckman by 25, Laguna Hills, and Newport Harbor by 15. No. 10 Los Alamitos beat Marina by 34 and Edison by 28.
My top 10
1. Mater Dei
2. Santa Margarita
3. El Toro
4. Mission Viejo
5. Capistrano Valley
6. JSerra
7. Canyon
8. Huntington Beach
9. Corona del Mar
10. Los Alamitos
Perfection: Mater Deis quest to go 27-0
Current record: 18-0
Last week: def. JSerra, 85-70; def. Santa Margarita, 74-61
This week: at St. John Bosco, Wednesday; at Orange Lutheran, Friday.
Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com
