SANTA ANA — It is extremely rare that a win by Mater Dei’s boys basketball team is considered an upset.
That was the case Friday, when Mater Dei beat St. John Bosco 62-59 in a Trinity League game at Mater Dei High.
St. John Bosco (17-2, 1-1) entered Friday’s game ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section rankings that will determine where teams are placed in the playoffs. Mater Dei (14-4, 2-0) is No. 32 in the rankings.
The game featured seven lead changes in the fourth quarter. Mater Dei’s Luke Barnett and Demarcus Henry each made three free throws down the stretch to help hold off St. John Bosco.
After two made free throws by Barnett, St. John Bosco was able to shoot two 3-point attempts in the final eight seconds of the game but missed both.
Barnett scored 11 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter. Henry scored eight of his 13 points in the frame.
USC commit Elzie Harrington had a game-high 26 points for St. John Bosco. Dominic Perfetti was second for the Braves in scoring with nine points.
The difference in the game for Mater Dei was its ability to score off of turnovers and outscore St. John Bosco in the paint despite being outrebounded.
Mater Dei scored 15 points off of turnovers compared to just three for St. John Bosco.
The Braves had six more rebounds than Mater Dei, but Mater Dei had 28 points in the paint compared to 18 for the Braves.
The Monarchs led for much of the first half and carried a 25-22 lead into halftime.
The teams exchanged 7-point runs in the third quarter, but St. John Bosco entered the fourth quarter with a 42-41 lead due to 14 points in the third quarter by Harrington.
Barnett had a crucial steal in the fourth quarter for the Monarchs that led to a big 3-pointer from Henry with an assist from Blake Davidson.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Intuit Dome as part of the Trinity-Mission League Showcase. The event was postponed until Feb. 1 due to the fires throughout Los Angeles.
St. John Bosco was scheduled to play a Trinity League game Wednesday at home against Santa Margarita, but that game was also postponed due to the fires.
Mater Dei was the Trinity League champion last season and beat St. John Bosco twice in the regular season. St. John Bosco ended Mater Dei’s season in 2024 with an overtime win in the CIF State playoffs.
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