Burlison on Basketball

Frank Burlison | High School Basketball | College Basketball

Barnett’s jump shooting strikes again for Monarchs

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SANTA ANA – Luke Barnett’s jump shooting was a big reason that the Mater Dei High basketball team built an 18-point advantage over the visiting St. John Bosco Braves Tuesday night late in the second quarter of  their Trinity League showdown.

And – lo and behold – it was also the key element in closing out the Monarchs’ 72-66 victory.

The victory gave the Monarchs (25-2 overall and 8-1 in league) no worse than a share of the league title. And it becomes “outright” with a Trinity- and regular season-closing win at Santa Margarita Thursday.

The Braves (22-5 and 7-2, with both Trinity losses coming to the Monarchs) close their regular season at home Thursday night against Orange Lutheran before – like the Monarchs – awaiting to find out Sunday who they open CIF Southern Section Open playoff competition against on Feb. 9.

The 6-foot-3 Barnett (pictured), who established himself as one of Southern California’s top “pure” jump shooters last season as a freshman, drilled a 3 from the right wing with the shot clock about to expire, putting the Monarchs up, 65-60, with 1:28 to go in regulation.

Six-six junior Elzie Harrington, along with 6-5 sophomore Brandon McCoy Jr., had sparked the visitors’ rally from that 18-point deficit, at 38-20, late in the second quarter.

Harrington’s 3 capped a 9-1 run, over a bit more than two minutes, that got his team to within two points prior to Barnett’s 3 pushed the deficit back to five points.

Harrington tried to respond with a hard drive to counter Barnett’s bucket, but the ball was blocked by 6-9 junior Blake Davidson (who turned in his third consecutive strong performance).

The ball was passed to Barnett in transition and traditional thinking would have him pulling the ball back  and the Monarchs running their half-court offense to force the Braves to gamble for steals or foul to get the ball back.

But “traditional thinking” often goes out the window when a shooter the caliber of Barnett is in rhythm.

He pulled up and sank a 22-footer pushing the edge to eight points with just less than a minute to go.

After a turnover, Davidson got a layup to push the edge to 10 points, enough cushion to render moot the 3-point jumper by McCoy (a game-high 26 points), and bucket and free throw by Chris Komin in the closing seconds.

Barnett – whose final buzzer-beating 3 gave the Monarchs a 66-65 win over Los Alamitos Saturday night during the Nike Extravaganza – hit three 3s in the first half Tuesday night for a team-high 21 points, via seven of 10 from the field (including six of nine on 3s) and one of two free throws in 24 minutes off the bench.

He wasn’t the only jump shooter the Braves struggled to contain Tuesday night. The Monarchs were a combined 14 of 20 from behind the arc, with six players hitting at least one.

With Mater Dei’s best player, 6-8 sophomore Brannon Martinson, leaving the game for good with about three minutes to go in the second quarter (a right ankle injury that seems likely to keep him out of Thursday’s game), jump shooting success wasn’t the only thing needed to hold off the Braves.

Barnett was part of an extraordinary “cumulative” rebounding effort needed to offset Martinson’s absence, with six rebounds, while also showing off his vertical pop with a blocked shot in late in the first half. The Monarchs outrebounded the Braves, 27-22.

The Braves were without a key element to their success, as 6-7 Kade Bonam was unable to play for the ninth game in a row. He was the team’s top scorer and rebounder prior to suffering an injury to his right shoulder during the first game with Mater Dei (on Jan. 6 at the Crypto.com Arena).

His status for the playoffs is “to be determined”.

*In games impacting league championships and/or Open Division bids Wednesday night, the Mission League tournament semifinals feature Harvard-Westlake at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, and Crespi at Sierra Canyon. Both are set to tip off at 7 o’clock.

And, in a Gold Coast League game, Windward is at home to Campbell Hall (also scheduled for 7 o’clock).

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