Angelus League : Bishop Amat Ends Mater Dei Streak

Bishop Amat High School, behind the hot shooting of guard Terry Lamb, ended Mater Dei’s 55-game Angelus League winning streak with a 70-56 victory Friday night at Mater Dei.

Bishop Amat dominated play in every phase of the game and handed the Monarchs their first league loss in six years. Mater Dei’s league winning streak was the second-longest behind Santa Clara (82) in Southern Section history.

Lamb scored 25 points, including 20 in the second half, to help the Lancers (19-1, 4-0) gain sole possession of first place in the six-team league.

Mater Dei (12-5, 3-1) wasn’t much of a factor despite playing in its cozy gymnasium that seats about 700. There were nearly as many fans outside the gym who weren’t allowed inside.

Mater Dei led only once in the second half, 29-28, when Mike Hopkins scored on a drive to the basket with 5:38 remaining. For the most part, it was all Bishop Amat.

Lamb ignited the Lancers with 13 points in the third quarter, including two three-point shots. Bishop Amat outscored Mater Dei, 46-31, in the second half by making 17 of 29 shots.

“It seemed like every time we got something going, they answered, and usually with a three-point shot,” said Gary McKnight, Mater Dei coach. “They shot really well, and we didn’t.”

Mater Dei was 21 for 69 from the field and made only 1 of 7 three-point shot attempts. Yet the Monarchs trailed by only one point, 46-45, after forward Kevin Rembert made two free throws with seven minutes to play.

Bishop Amat answered with five quick points for a 51-45 lead, and then the celebration began with 1:22 remaining when Lancer center Geoff Lear scored on a dunk. Lear had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

“The last time Bishop Amat beat Mater Dei was 10 years ago when Rainer Wulf (now the Trabuco Hills coach) and I were playing on the team,” said Alex Acosta, Bishop Amat coach. “This is unbelievable.”

Acosta had predicted before the game that if his team scored in the 70s, it would win. He also said that if Mater Dei kept the game in the 50s, the Monarchs would win.

The first-half pace was on target for a 50-point ballgame. Bishop Amat held a 24-23 lead at halftime, but Lamb turned on the Lancers by making 8 of 12 shots from the field in the second half.

“Terry has had a couple of games like this before,” Acosta said. “When he gets it going, he’s unbelievable.”

McKnight downplayed the end of the streak and said he thinks his team still has a chance of winning the league title.

“There’s still a long ways to go, and nobody is going undefeated in this league,” he said.

McKnight should know. His teams had gone undefeated the past five years in the league, but the 1987-88 season has been a year of firsts for the Mater Dei.

Earlier, Mater Dei lost two consecutive games in the Beverly Hills tournament, the first time McKnight has had a team lose two straight. Two weeks ago, Mater Dei lost to Capistrano Valley, marking the first time McKnight had lost to a county school.

Servite 77, Bishop Montgomery 60--Senior guard Brian Kenny scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the first half as the Friars built a 40-25 lead. Servite point guard David Hornung directed the offense with 6 steals and 8 assists. Servite is 10-7, 1-3.