SANTA ANA – Mater Dei, the No.1-ranked girls basketball team in the county, hosted No. 2 Brea Olinda on Saturday night, and for half of the game it played out like the battle many expected between the county powers.
But in the second half, Mater Dei used its major height advantage and deep bench to wear down the Ladycats.
The Monarchs held Brea Olinda to five second-half field goals and pulled away to a 71-47 victory in the nonleague contest.
-
![Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, center, puts up a shot over Brea Olinda’s Terree Johnson, left, and Sydney Skipper, right, in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, center, puts up a shot over Brea Olinda’s Terree Johnson, left, and Sydney Skipper, right, in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
-
![Brea Olinda’s Casey Fust, center, controls the rebound in front of Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, left, and Cailyn Crocker in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Brea Olinda’s Casey Fust, center, controls the rebound in front of Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, left, and Cailyn Crocker in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
-
![Mater Dei players cheer as their team scores a basket in the fourth period against Brea Olinda in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Mater Dei players cheer as their team scores a basket in the fourth period against Brea Olinda in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
-
![Mater Dei’s Cailyn Crocker reacts after scoring against Brea Olinda in the fourth period in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Mater Dei’s Cailyn Crocker reacts after scoring against Brea Olinda in the fourth period in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
-
![A rebound rolls off the everybodys fingers including Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, center, and Brea Olinda’s Rilee Price, second from right, in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
A rebound rolls off the everybodys fingers including Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, center, and Brea Olinda’s Rilee Price, second from right, in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
-
-
![Alyssa Frescas, left, of Mater Dei controls the rebound as Brea Olinda’s Casey Fust tries to shake the ball loose in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Alyssa Frescas, left, of Mater Dei controls the rebound as Brea Olinda’s Casey Fust tries to shake the ball loose in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
-
![Brea Olinda’s Sydney Skipper, center is squeezed by Mater Dei’s Emma Torbert, left, and Brooke Demetre, right, as she tries to move toward the basket in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Brea Olinda’s Sydney Skipper, center is squeezed by Mater Dei’s Emma Torbert, left, and Brooke Demetre, right, as she tries to move toward the basket in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
-
![Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, center, and Brea Olinda’s Sydney Skipper, left, and Stephanie Lee, right, reach for a rebound in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)]()
Mater Dei’s Brooke Demetre, center, and Brea Olinda’s Sydney Skipper, left, and Stephanie Lee, right, reach for a rebound in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 20, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Expand
Mater Dei (16-3) outrebounded the Ladycats (16-3), 40-19.
“I think we kind of got the kind of game we wanted in the second half,” Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan said. “We had the size advantage inside and we started to beat them up a little bit.”
Monarchs senior forward Emma Torbert scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, both game highs. She was one of three Mater Dei starters, all at least 6 feet tall, to make a significant impact on the game.
Mater Dei freshman guard Khylee Pepe, who is 6-foot, scored nine points and had 10 rebounds, and 6-foot-2 freshman guard Brooke Demetre contributed 13 points and eight rebounds.
“In the first half we really weren’t going after the offensive boards,” Torbert said. “We were just taking one shot and going back on defense. So the second half we made the adjustment and worked really hard to get more offensive rebounds and more than one shot.”
The contest was physical, especially in the paint, where the Ladycats held their own in the first half.
A basket and free throw by Sydney Skipper gave the Ladycats the lead at 24-23.
Iyree Jarrett’s basket gave Brea Olinda a 27-25 lead late in the second quarter, but the Monarchs led 31-27 at halftime.
They held the Ladycats to one basket from the field and seven points in the third quarter to extend their lead to 42-34.
The Monarchs, who are ranked No. 6 in CIF-SS Division 1, have defeated four county top-10 teams.