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SANTA ANA – The Trinity League boys basketball championship was decided more than a month ago, when the Mater Dei High Monarchs held off St. John Bosco on their home floor, 72-66, on Jan. 30, for their second win over the Braves.

But those squads will meet for a third time Tuesday night with much more than a league banner at stake.

The Monarchs (29-5), following their 79-71, State Southern D-I regional semifinal win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame Saturday night, will visit Bellower to play on the Braves’ home court.

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Seven-foot junior Nate Garcia has proven a difficult matchup for pretty much every opponent that the Damien High basketball team has faced this season.

Thursday night was no different.

The 250-pounder missed three of his first four shots against Redondo High before finishing converting nine of his final 10, finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots in the Spartans’ 74-54 victory over the visiting Sea Hawks in the State Southern Regional D-I quarterfinal.

The victory puts Coach Mike LeDuc’s team (28-5) into a Saturday, 7 p.m.,

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NEWPORT BEACH – Mission Bay High boys’ basketball coach Marshawn Cherry and his team made the 76-mile jaunt up the 5 Freeway Tuesday afternoon for its State Southern Regional Division II game at Corona del Mar High.

And the Buccaneers played just well enough to earn a near-double-the-distance drive Thursday for their second-round game.

Senior forward Charlie Hutchison scored half of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter and the visitors overcome some final-minute chaos to prevail, 57-55.

The win means another long bus ride for Cherry and his players – 140 miles or so, via the 5 and 405, to Northridge where they will take on top seed Heritage Christian Thursday night.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – The State Regional playoffs get underway Tuesday evening, with games spread across five divisions – No.’s 1-V.

Open play tips off Wednesday night in Southern California, with quarterfinal games at CIF Southern Section Open semifinalist Sierra Canyon (vs. Central Section runner-up St. Joseph) and San Diego Open champion Carlsbad at home to CIF SS Open semifinalist St. Pius X/St. Matthias Academy.

With 39 boys’ games set for Tuesday in the Southern portion of the regionals, there are a multitude of viewing options, based upon your location and interest – “rooting” or otherwise.

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ONTARIO – Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks fell behind briefly late in the game before Mercy Miller did what he does best:

He took over the closing moments to give the Knights a 69-65 victory over Windward – and a CIF Southern Section Division 1 boys basketball championship – Saturday night at the Toyota Center.

The 6-foot-3 University of Houston-bound Miller scored 16  of his game-high 22 points in the second half via his usual terrific offensive display.

It was the third Southern Section boys’ title won by a Mission League program in 24 hours, joining Harvard-Westlake (Friday night over Roosevelt in the Open final) and Alemany (in three overtimes against Bosco Tech early Saturday in the 3A final).

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