The Mater Dei Monarchs and the St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy Warriors squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but sadly the Mater Dei Monarchs had to settle for second. They were the victim of a rough 76-54 defeat at the hands of the Warriors. It was the first time this season that Mater Dei let down their fans at home.
Mater Dei's loss came despite strong showings from Brandon Benjamin and Blake Davidson. Benjamin scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and five assists, while Davidson scored ten points along with six rebounds and two blocks. Another player making a difference was Scotty Belnap, who scored nine points.
Mater Dei's defeat ended a 17-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 26-3. As for St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 23-5.
Mater Dei will be playing at home against JSerra Catholic at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Mater Dei focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 12 on Friday. As for St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy, they will head out on the road to challenge Roosevelt at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Roosevelt's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season.
