Perennial powerhouse Santa Ana-Mater Dei routed the Dos Pueblos boys basketball team in the Chargers’ season opener, 87-54, on Saturday at Sovine Gym.
The opener has become an annual matchup between the two teams. Mater Dei was the Southern California Division 1 champion and state runner-up last year.
Dos Pueblos head coach Joe Zamora emphasized that the game was a way to “try and get better. We wanted to work on our transition game and being able to play offensively against a team that’s long and athletic.”
The Chargers threatened early, as a Colton Huyck three-pointer helped them jump out to a 9-6 lead before the size and speed of Mater Dei ultimately took over.
Led by junior captain Spencer Freedman (a D1 recruit with offers from USC and UCSB) and junior Michael Wang, the Monarchs went on a 16-2 run that lasted most of the first quarter and made the score 22-11. Wang, a 6-foot-10 center/forward, showed his versatility while knocking down two three-pointers and being a strong presence in the key.
The Monarchs more than doubled up the Chargers in the second and third quarters, resulting in a 72-32 lead entering the fourth.
Dos Pueblos rattled off a 10-2 run in the fourth quarter behind a corner three-pointer by Max McCeney and a Marcellous Gossett three-point play, but couldn’t come close to closing the gap.
Gossett and Huyck led the Chargers with 13 points each, while Thomas Jimenez pulled down nine rebounds off the bench. Guards Diego Riker and Dylan Shugart put up eight and five points, respectively.
“Playing teams like that gets us ready for the season we’re going to have,” said Zamora. “We have a real good season that I’m looking forward to and this game was just a way to gauge where we are at.”
The Chargers were held to 33 percent shooting on the night, while the Monarchs shot 47 percent overall.
Dos Pueblos travels north this week to take on San Luis Obispo and Righetti on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.