SANTA ANA – On the surface, the game was a “mano y mano” showdown between two of the best Class of 2026 guards anywhere in high school hoops.
The Luke Barnett-led Mater Dei Monarchs edged Santa Margarita Wednesday night, 62-59.
And Barnett’s 30 points – 28 of those after intermission – were a reason why Mater Dei (No. 18 in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30) moved in front of No. 8 Santa Margarita and into a tie for first with St. John Bosco in the Trinity League.
But his teammates did a lot to help him get those points and to “limit” his Santa Margarita counterpart, Kaiden Bailey, to 28 points – only five of those coming in the fourth quarter.
Bailey’s 10 third-quarter points had propelled the Eagles (17-4 and 3-1) to a 46-38 advantage. But six of those points were lopped off the lead via a Barnett 3 and then three more points via the “And 1!” variety.
And Barnett’s 12-5 scoring advantage over Bailey had as much to do with Mater Dei’s defense as it did with Barnett getting himself open via the Monarchs’ screening action, or his open-court dribbling skill, and rising quickly and burying jumpers.
The Monarchs took to doubling Bailey as a change of pace but mostly it was the concerted on- and off-the ball effort of 6-foot-5 junior Malloy Smith – the only reserve to play for Gary McKnight’s team – that was the biggest reason he got only shot attempt over the final six minutes or so.
“We felt fortunate to be only behind by three points at halftime,” McKnight, alluding to the first half in which Bailey closed by hitting six shots in a row.
“What a great player (Bailey). But Malloy did a great job on him, and we were able to get Barnett going.”
Dallas Washington’s layup while being fouled and his free throw – the only one the Eagles attempted in the game in which they were called for 15 fouls to Mater Dei’s seven – put his team up for the final time, 57-55, with 3:16 to go.
But Barnett’s pull-up tied the score 10 seconds later and, after several empty possession between the teams, the Monarchs finally went ahead to stay.
Sophomore forward DeMarcus Henry pulled an offensive rebound out of traffic and darted a pass to Barnett in the deep right corner – swish, a bit more than a minute to go.
After a couple of misses, the Monarchs had the ball and, as the shot clock was about to spire, defender Brayden Kyman was called for apparently brushing Henry’s body on a baseline drive with 19.1 seconds on the game clock.
Henry hit the second of the free throws for a three-point lead and, after a turnover, Smith was fouled and sank one of his free throws for a five-point edge, leaving Drew Anderson’s layup moot just before time expired.
The 6-6 Henry – a key performer for the Why Not 15s squad that won the Nike/EYBL Peach Jam last July – continue to live up to his rep as one of the Southland’s top sophomores, scoring 11 points (10 in the first half to keep Santa Margarita’s lead from being more significant) to go with his game-high 10 rebounds.
The Monarchs (18-5 overall, with games on tap at home Friday against Servite and Saturday, in the 30th Nike Extravaganza, vs. Crean Lutheran) gained eight spots, to No. 18, in the updated CIF Southern Section Computer ratings Tuesday.
A return to the Open Division playoffs – which the Monarchs have only missed one, two years ago – may require them winning their final six games, including rematches with JSerra (at home, next Wednesday night); St. John Bosco (Feb. 1, in the Intuit Dome Arena in Inglewood) and the Eagles (Feb. 3 in Rancho Santa Margarita).
The Eagles are No. 6 in the current computer ratings, with La Mirada just in front of them and Sierra Canyon just behind.
The results of their next three games should dictate whether they’re in the Open Division with the playoff fields are announced on Feb. 8:
Friday, at home, vs. St. John Bosco (No. 3 in the BurlisonOnBasketball and commuter ratings); a quick “rematch” with the Braves in Bosco next Monday (in a game postponed from Jan. 8 because of air conditions due to the Southland fires) and a trip to JSerra (No. 9 in both ratings) two days later.
The Eagles’ four losses, FYI, are by a collective margin nine points.
*And, in a Friday night game that will help shape the look of the Mission League Tournament and the CIF SS Open Division, the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines (No. 1 in both the Top 30 and computer) are set to be in Sherman Oaks to play Notre Dame (No. 4 in the Top 30 and 7 via the computer).
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