SANTA ANA, CA – Trinity League boys’ basketball “statement wins” don’t come any louder than they do in Mater Dei’s Meruelo Center.
And, when they’re made by someone other than the host Monarchs, they’re more like a sonic boom.
And that’s because, since the league was formed in 2006 (with JSerra and Orange Lutheran replacing Loyola and Bishop Amat), no Trinity member knocked off a Gary McKnight-coached team in the (metaphorically speaking) “House that Gary built”.
They hadn’t, that is, until Friday night, when the St. John Bosco Braves came into the building and, a couple of hours later, left with a 67-64 victory that should have major implications in the week-old Trinity race and, ultimately, the makeup and seeding in the eight-team CIF Southern Section Open Division playoff pool.
Coach Matt Dunn’s club improved to 2-0 in league (it won at Servite Wednesday night, 88-44) and 16-3 overall.
The Monarchs – who won at JSerra in their Trinity opener – dropped to 1-1 and 13-3.
They don’t have much time for dissecting their first home loss to a league opponent in almost 25 years (they were members of the Angelus League then).
They will be in USC’s Galen Center Saturday evening (4:30) to take on a quality Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary foe as part of one of those “made for Bronny James and his social media following” events that Sierra Canyon seems to be part of every week or so.
“It means we’re in first place in the Trinity League,” Dunn said afterward, when asked to express the significant of his program’s first win on Mater Dei’s homecourt.
“Every win on the road in this (Trinity) league is a great win.”
The Braves – who’ve beaten the Monarchs four times in Bellflower in Dunn’s first seven seasons as their coach – won’t return to practice until Monday.
They play their next six games at home – the last of those on Jan. 25, when the Monarchs get a return pop at the Braves.
But, enough of looking forward to the “next time” the teams play so soon after so much happened in their first meeting of the season.
Six-foot-seven sophomore forward Kade Bonam, giving the Monarchs an up-close look at his new-found effectiveness from mid- to deep-range, scoring 11 first-quarter points, nine from behind the arc.
But the hosts were having as easy a time getting layup opportunities as Bonam was at getting clean looks at jumpers, with freshman Che Brogan and senior Zack Davidson getting a couple of layups. Junior guard Brady Karich tied the score at 19 after one quarter with his 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The 6-8 Davidson continued his season-long impressive display of post moves for a couple of second quarter in-tight buckets. But it was one of the Monarchs’ Terrific Trio of freshmen, guard Luke Barnett, who propelled his team to a seven-point lead at intermission by way of three 3s, a mid-range jumper and a layup.
But then sophomore guard Elzie Harrington – who committed four of his six turnovers in the first half and was burned badly, straight up, by a Brogan drive and bucket early in the third quarter – began to show why he’s been one of the most hyped members of the Class of 2025 since he donned a SJB uniform at the Section 7 in Phoenix in June of 2021
With he and 6-4 junior Jack Turner too dynamic with the ball in their hands for the Mater Dei defenders, they combined for 13 points while Bonam and 6-9 senior Xinyl Li knocked in deep 3s after passes from Turner.
Harrington (21), Bonam (17), Turner (15) and Li (12) scored all but two of the Braves’ points.
Another Li 3, barely more than a minute into the fourth quarter, put the visitors up to stay, 54-53.
They pushed that edge to six points (61-55) by way of a Bonam cut and layup with 3:34 to go and, when Davidson responded with a bucket, the Braves were back up by a half-dozen after a Li layup with just less than three minutes remaining.
But then there was a near-collapse of just more than two minutes by the Braves, with a way-too-early-in-the-shot 3-point attempt (and miss) and, after Davidson missed a jumper, a too-quick-drive by Turner than became a turnover and then foul by one of his teammates with 1:56.
And it got worse, as SJB assistant coach Kelly Williams was hit with a technical foul and Karich and the Monarchs were heading in the direction during the deal ball.
Karich hit both free throws and then Barnett sank two more by way of the T.
And the Monarchs also were given possession of the T.
Junio Scotty Belnap missed a jumper with 1:36 to go but the Braves got the ball back when Bonam missed an attempted 3 with 1:10 remaining and Harrington fouled Davidson, after he grabbed the rebound, three seconds later.
Davidson (who finished with 16 points, five below his per-game average) tied the score with two free throws.
But Harrington responded about 20 seconds later, giving his team a two-point lead after getting isolated against Brogan along the left baseline and using equal parts strength, skill, and savvy to go around the freshman for a layup.
Brogan’s on-ball skill baited Li into a shooting foul with 25 seconds to go but he missed the first throw before cutting his team’s deficit to a point with the second.
The Monarchs needed two “quasi-intentional” fouls to get the Braves into the bonus with :15.9 seconds remaining.
Turner couldn’t be calmer – or more accurate – from the free-throw line, swishing both attempts for a three-point edge.
The Monarchs got the ball quickly to near mid-court, calling time out with :11.9 seconds to go.
After a timeout, they inbounded and Barnett – easily the best “pure” jump shooter in a Mater Dei uniform – was able to free himself, ever-so-slightly, while rubbing off a screen, to a pass and launch from the deep right wing.
The ball was off the iron and the ball was knocked out of bounds – and awarded to the Monarchs with 2.8 seconds to go.
Mater Dei called another timeout and, before the Monarchs could inbound from under the basketball, Dunn responded with his own timeout.
When play finally resumed, the Monarchs got exactly what they wanted – the ball in the hands of Barnett behind the 3-point arch for a chance to earn a four-minute overtime.
Barnett got a pass just behind the top of the key, Turner ran at him and his slight head-fake and one dribble did away with Turner’s threat as a shot blocker.
But his clean look and launch resulted in the ball just bouncing off the front of the iron as the horn sounded.
“Yeah, I thought ‘oh, no!’,” said Turner (pictured), after being sold on Barnett’s fake and having to watch – and hope – as the shot fell just short.
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