After spending much of the year at No. 1, Mater Dei now sits at No. 12. But a California Open Division title could bump them up significantly.
Photo by Nicholas Koza
The argument for Duncanville as No. 1 could made for Bedford North Lawrence as well — an unbeaten record in a state known for good basketball.
12. (15) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-1For no apparent reason, Santiago of Corona was seeded higher than Mater Dei in the Southern California playoffs, but the Monarchs proved who really deserved the spot with a 78-69 win Tuesday. Next up: No. 3 Windward.
13. (19) Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) 29-2The Cavaliers lost to No. 4 St. John's in the finals of the Bishop Walsh Invitational after knocking off DMV power Our Lady of Good Counsel in the semis — a great season for a senior-dominated team.
*14. (14) Mead (Spokane, Wash.) 25-1Mead split with intra-city rival University, but otherwise had an unblemished record. Hard to say how good the Panthers really were, though, as they only ventured out of eastern Washington for the state tournament.
15. (16) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) 32-2Two hard-fought wins against solid Northern California teams earned St. Mary's the right to play No. 8 Bishop O'Dowd again — this time in the NorCal Open Division finals Saturday. The first meeting between the two was an 80-59 O'Dowd win, but this one will be on a neutral site instead of at Bishop O'Dowd.
