The Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders posted their closest win since December 9, 2023 on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Temecula Valley 74-71. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Mater Dei Catholic's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lincoln Grogan, who scored 19 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Josiah Jefferson, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds.
Mater Dei Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 12-10. As for Temecula Valley, they now have a losing record at 11-12.
Mater Dei Catholic will head out on the road to square off against Otay Ranch at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Otay Ranch will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps California Rankings (they are ranked 476th, while Mater Dei Catholic is ranked 198th). As for Temecula Valley, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Chaparral at 7:00 p.m. Chaparral has now lost nine straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 27.
