Basketball Game Preview: Mater Dei Monarchs vs. Santa Barbara Dons

Two dominant guards in Luke Barnett and Luke Zuffelato are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mater Dei Monarchs will challenge the Santa Barbara Dons at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Mater Dei sitting on three straight wins and Santa Barbara on 12.

Mater Dei is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They secured a 71-67 W over St. Paul. Given the Monarchs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 19th, while the Swordsmen are ranked 83rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Demarcus Henry

Points

02/14/25 @ St. Paul	25
02/12/25 vs Fountain Valley	17
02/05/25 @ Orange Lutheran	25
02/03/25 @ Santa Margarita	15
02/01/25 vs St. John Bosco	23

Mater Dei relied on the efforts of Demarcus Henry, who dropped a double-double with 25 points and 11 boards, and Barnett, who posted 28 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. The game was Henry's fifth in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Davidson, who earned six points.

Meanwhile, Santa Barbara strolled past Canyon with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 84-70.

Mater Dei's record now sits at 22-8. As for Santa Barbara, their record is now 25-5.