Basketball Game Preview: Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders vs. Monterey Trail Mustangs

Two dominant forwards in Davaughn Hueitt and Devaughn Dorrough are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders will jump right back in to play the Monterey Trail Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Mater Dei Catholic saw some tournament action on Friday. They fell 67-54 to Mount Si. While losing is never fun, the Crusaders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 296th in California, while the Wildcats are ranked 36th in Washington).

Despite the loss, Mater Dei Catholic got top-tier performance from Hueitt, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 boards. Hueitt is becoming a predictor of Mater Dei Catholic's success: when he posts at least ten boards the team is undefeated (and 4-8 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Johnathan Hawthorne, who posted 13 points.

Meanwhile, Monterey Trail wrapped up 2024 with a 72-54 victory over Liberty. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Mustangs.

Mater Dei Catholic has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-8 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points per game. As for Monterey Trail, their win bumped their record up to 8-2.