RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Friday night’s Trinity League results set the stage for the league’s first-ever tournament, which tips Monday evening at Irvine Valley College.
Santa Margarita (102-81 over Orange Lutheran) and St. John Bosco (73-65 against Servite) secured quarterfinal byes Monday and will play in the semifinals Tuesday at Hope International University in Fullerton.
And JSerra secured the three seed as Jaden Bailes’ buzzer-beating layup gave the Lions a 67-66 decision at Mater Dei – their fifth win in a row against the Monarchs over three seasons.
Mater Dei (16-12) and Orange Lutheran (18-8) – the No.’s 4 & 5 seeds – hook up at 5:30 Monday, following by JSerra (17-11) and No. 6 seed Servite (18-10).
The tourney winner, runner-up and third-place finisher will receive the league’s three automatic bids to the sectional playoffs.
Frida night the host Santa Margarita Eagles (24-3), No. 4 in the most recent CIF Southern Section computer ratings, trailed by as many as nine points, twice, in the second quarter.
But, behind Kaiden Bailey and Drew Anderson – who finished with 31 and 30 points, respectively – Coach Justin Bell’s team scored 28 points over the final six minutes to go up at intermission, 48-41.
The advantage climbed to as many as 27 points before Bell began pulling his starters with about three minutes to go.
The Eagles continued to perform with the same offensive proficiently and efficiently that was expected from a program that returned four starters – Bailey, Anderson, Brayden Kyman and Rodney Westmoreland III – from a team that shared a Trinity title and played in the CIF SS Open Division playoffs.
And the fifth starter, senior forward Markee White (who played at Centennial in Corona as a freshman and sophomore and in Arizona a year ago), clicked on all cylinders Friday night and in Tuesday’s stunning rally and win at Mater Dei.
The 6-foot-5 White averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in those games.
And, while anchoring the team’s post offense and defense, Anderson has earned the right to be called one of the best players at his size (6-9) in the west.
Anderson (pictured) who signed with Oregon State in November, hit 22 of 31 shots from the field Tuesday and Friday, averaging 26 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
He enrolled at Santa Margarita a 6-2 freshman who played football and baseball, as well as hoops, though middle school.
But his passion for basketball grew as rapidly as he did – he was a solid 6-6 by the summer of 2023 and could reach 6-10 before too deep into his college career.
Inch for inch and pound for pound, there isn’t a better basketball “athlete” in Orange County or pretty mucgh anywhere else in the region, either.
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