Mater Dei girls basketball team remains on the offensive, reaches West Coast Jamboree Platinum Division final against Windward

Perhaps a loss to the nation’s top-ranked girls basketball team was all the motivation Mater Dei High needed to make sure it didn’t endure another setback for the rest of the year.

After being held to a season-low 42 points Dec. 20 against Archbishop Mitty High, the Monarchs have not only regained their rhythm, but produced their most impressive three-game stretch offensively this season, with the latest showcase an 83-49 semifinal victory Saturday night against Bishop Montgomery in the Platinum Division of the West Coast Jamboree at Dublin High.

Mater Dei (14-2) advanced to the Platinum Division final for the first time since 2019 and will square off at 7:30 p.m. PST Monday against Windward (8-5), an 80-47 semifinal winner against Sacramento McClatchy.

Kaeli Wynn, a junior, led the Monarchs with 28 points, 12 rebounds and four assists and Iowa-bound senior Addie Deal contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Monarchs, who opened the tournament Friday by scoring the first 20 points of the game in a 91-25 victory against Oakland Tech.

Bishop Montgomery (10-3) faced a nine-point deficit following the first quarter Saturday, but Mater Dei elevated its performance in the second to put the game out of reach with a 29-point outburst to build a 48-20 halftime advantage.

Stella Hoss added nine points and six rebounds, with Lani Stores producing eight points and four rebounds for the Monarchs, who are seeking their third West Coast Jamboree Platinum Division crown in program history, including 2013 and 2019.

Deal had 27 points, 10 steals, eight rebounds and seven assists, with Wynn adding 23 points and four rebounds against Oakland Tech, which surrendered 30 first-quarter points to the Monarchs and trailed 53-15 at halftime.

Devyn Kiernan contributed nine points and six rebounds, with Amaya Williams scoring eight points against Oakland Tech for Mater Dei, which rebounded from the 17-point setback to Archbishop Mitty in the Vincent Cannizzaro Division semifinals at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona to capture third place Dec. 21 with a 72-57 victory against Bullis School from Maryland.

Deal and Wynn produced 53 total points against Bullis School and have responded by combining for 147 points in the past three contests for the Monarchs after being limited to 21 points as a tandem against Archbishop Mitty.

Kaeli Wynn, left, and Addie Deal of Mater Dei | Photo courtesy of Mater Dei

Bishop Montgomery opened the tournament Friday by scoring the deciding four points in the last 23 seconds to outlast Stockton St. Mary’s by a 51-47 margin, with Rice commit Jordin Blackmon contributing a game-high 20.

Windward 80, Sacramento McClatchy 47: In the first meeting for the programs since Windward prevailed in the 2017 Division 1 state final, the Wildcats built on a 10-point halftime advantage by outscoring McClatchy by a 39-16 advantage in the second half at Dublin High to produce their best offensive performance of the season.

Samari Bankhead, a Central Florida commit, along with Olivia Lagao, Charis Rainey and freshman Amel Cook are all averaging double figures for Windward through the first two tournament contests.

The Wildcats secured a 50-34 first-round victory Friday against Kamehameha Kapalama, the top-ranked team in Hawaii.

Bankhead had 15 points, Cook contributed 13 points and Rainey scored 10 points for Windward, which opened the third quarter with eight unanswered points to build on a 22-16 halftime lead against Kamehameha Kapalama.

McClatchy (8-3) opened Platinum Division competition Friday with a 73-56 triumph against Clovis.