Nike Extravaganza: Mater Dei buries Bosco early – again

SANTA ANA, Calif. – First quarters haven't been kind to St. John Bosco (Bellflower) against Trinity League rival Mater Dei (Santa Ana) over the past week.

Mater Dei (21-2) jumped on the Braves 21-4 in the opening eight minutes Friday night at the Nike Extravaganza, getting double figures from four players in an easy 83-62 victory. The Monarchs led 32-11 after the first quarter one week ago in the first matchup between Trinity League leaders.

Senior guard Katin Reinhardt led Mater Dei with 18 points. Colorado-bound Xavier Johnson (16 points, 8 rebounds), sophomore Stanley Johnson (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Elijah Brown (10 points) also finished in double figures.

"Pretty much just come out with intensity and hard work," Xavier Johnson said of the keys to Mater Dei's first-quarter success against St. John Bosco. "We knew their plays in advance, good scouting. We were able to execute, cut it off and make them do things they aren't used to doing."

The Monarchs have won eight in a row since an early-January loss to Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.), averaging 81.7 points per game during that span.

A sequence mid-way through the second quarter typified the night for the Monarchs, ranked No. 7 in this week's Xcellent 25. Brown – a junior guard and the son of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown – inadvertently picked up his dribble 25 feet from the basket. With the passing lanes clogged and no defender in front of him, Brown hoisted up a 3-pointer that found the mark to make it 35-13 with 4:30 remaining in the half.

Reinhardt, a UNLV signee, slammed the door shut in the subsequent minutes with 10 points – including a pair of quick-trigger 3-pointers. That stretch helped Mater Dei build its largest lead at 49-15.

St. John Bosco (17-6) received a game-high 26 points from sophomore Daniel Hamilton. Brother Isaac, a junior, contributed 14 points and nine rebounds.

The Monarchs return to action on their home court Saturday at the Nike Extravaganza, taking on 6-foot-10 Arizona-bound forward Grant Jerrett and La Verne Lutheran.

Nike Extravaganza Saturday schedule
9 a.m. – Los Alamitos vs. Upland
10:20 a.m. – Colony (Ontario) vs. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano)
11:40 a.m. – Mission Viejo vs. Ocean View (Huntington Beach)
1:30 p.m. – Eisenhower (Rialto) vs. Fairfax (Los Angeles)
3 p.m. – Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo) vs. Westchester (Los Angeles)
4:30 p.m. – Loyola (Los Angeles) vs. Taft (Woodland Hills)
6 p.m. – Long Beach Poly vs. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
7:30 p.m. – La Verne Lutheran vs. Mater Dei
9 p.m. – Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) vs. Whitney Young (Chicago)