Loss Could Be Helpful to Monarchs

From Gary McKnight, Mater Dei boys’ basketball coach, reflecting on Friday’s loss to Dana Hills--the Monarchs’ first league defeat in 72 games: “If it had been a senior team that had a part in many of the wins, the loss would have been more meaningful to them. But we only have three seniors--who don’t play that much--and our other returners are a sophomore [Steve Scoggin] and a junior [Mike Bayer].

“What you have to do from losses is learn from them. We don’t want to continue in a losing spiral,� he said. “You work to get better, which is what young teams have to do. But, again, this is a young team. If you had told me in the summer that at this point in the season we would be 10-5, I would have been happy.�

Dana Hills Coach Mark Thornton said Friday’s victory, a personal milestone of sorts, may go down as one of the biggest in his school’s history.

“Obviously, when you beat Mater Dei, it’s a feather in your cap,� he said. “My kids are really proud of it. Of all the coaches in Orange County, I probably have played Gary [McKnight] more than anybody and this is the second time I have beaten him. I can count 20 or 30 times he beat me when I was at Capistrano Valley or here.�

Dana Hills fell below .500 for much of their nonleague schedule.

“We struggled because we were missing our three guards,� Thornton said. “We lost starter Johnny Shields with an injury and the other two [Kevin Gasparro and Darvell Meyers] are out for the year with knee injuries. We just didn’t have the firepower when we were losing those games. Johnny is back and he makes our team go.�