Mater Dei storms past Edison into showdown

SANTA ANA- Mater Dei used its deep roster and pressure defense to wear down Edison in the second half to pull away for a 62-46 victory in the CIF Southern California Division II Regional semifinals on Thursday night at Mater Dei High.

The victory sets up a showdown between Mater Dei and Brea Olinda, a 73-40 winner over Hanford, for county and state supremacy in the Regional finals on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion.

The Monarchs (32-0) are ranked No. 1 in the county, No. 1 in the state by CalHiSports.com and No. 4 in the nation by ESPN RISE, while the Ladycats are ranked No. 2 in the county, No. 4 in the state and No. 32 in the nation.

Edison (25-6) has gotten a good look at both teams. The Chargers lost to the Ladycats, 62-40, in the CIF-SS Division II-AA finals on Saturday.

"It's going to be a toss-up," Chargers coach Dan Wiley said. "I can't pick. I don't know? They are both very different teams. Mater Dei will pressure you all over the court constantly. It's going to be a great game."

Mater Dei's sophomore guard Kaleena Lewis was named the Gatorade California Player of the Year earlier in the day. Lewis saw limited action against Edison because she found herself in foul trouble for much of the game, but she finished with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven rebounds.

Mater Dei got off to a slow start and the Chargers took advantage by taking a 16-10 lead after one quarter. Edison sophomore Bonnie Samuelson, the team's leading scorer, made three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt in the closing seconds of the opening quarter to give Edison the six-point advantage.

The Monarchs had made up the difference and took a 36-30 lead by halftime. Edison continued to battle the Monarchs, but the constant pressure took its toll by the end of the third quarter. Mater Dei used a 16-2 run from the end of the third quarter into the fourth to take a 20-point lead and seal the victory.

Mater Dei's Alexyz Vaioletama finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, Jordan Adams had six points, six assists and five rebounds and Mya Olivier had 11 points.

Samuelson was also hampered by foul trouble and finished with 11 points before fouling out with 5:35 remaining after biting on a beautiful fake by Lewis on a drive to the basket. Edison also got 12 points from Kelly Peterson, and freshman Lauren Grego came off the bench to score 11.

Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com