Addie Deal gets McDonald’s All-American jersey, 2,000 career points and lifts Mater Dei to third win this season against Windward in CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls basketball playoffs

SANTA ANA – It was going to be a tough act to follow for Addie Deal following an extended pre-game ceremony Saturday night to present the McDonald’s All-American with an honorary jersey to celebrate her selection for the April 1 event at the Barclays Center in New York.

It was also expected to be a difficult task for host Mater Dei High to defeat Windward School for the third time this season, especially with the third-seeded Monarchs competing without junior standout Kaeli Wynn, sidelined for the rest of the season after dislocating her right kneecap.

But Deal and her Mater Dei teammates handled both challenges in impressive fashion, building a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter and never relinquishing control in a 62-35 victory against No. 6 Windward in the opening pool-play game of the CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls basketball playoffs.

Post-game interviews

The Monarchs (27-2) produced a 65-49 victory Dec. 30 against Windward to win the Platinum Division title at the West Coast Jamboree, followed by a 61-39 triumph Jan. 20 over the Wildcats at the Royals MLK Showcase at Rosary Academy.

Deal, an Iowa commit, had 17 of her game-high 26 points in the first half – outscoring the Wildcats by herself, as Mater Dei led by a 41-15 margin at the break – and added 12 rebounds and four assists for the Monarchs, who won their sixth straight showdown against Windward since 2020.

Deal, who surpassed the 2,000-point mark for her career Saturday, accumulated 33 points in the first two matchups with the Wildcats, as Wynn led all scorers from both lineups with a combined 38 points.

Deal is the seventh Mater Dei girls basketball player to be selected to compete in the McDonald’s All-American game, including the first since Brooke Demetre represented the Monarchs in 2021.

Addie Deal of Mater Dei girls basketball | Erik Boal photo

Despite Wynn enduring a season-ending injury, there was optimism Saturday for the 6-foot-1 forward, who was walking around the Meruelo Athletic Center without crutches or a brace on her right knee three weeks removed from being carried off the court Jan. 25 against Rancho Christian at Los Osos High.

Mater Dei also extended its winning streak to 16 in a row entering a Feb. 19 pool-play matchup against No. 7 Fairmont Prep (20-9), which suffered a 96-57 loss Saturday at second-seeded Etiwanda (23-4).

Nohe’Alani Stores, a UC Irvine-bound senior forward, added 18 points and eight rebounds Saturday for the Monarchs after contributing 13 points and four rebounds in the Jan. 20 victory.

Stella Hoss, a sophomore forward, produced six points, seven rebounds and four assists for Mater Dei, which scored the final 10 points of the opening half.

Hoss had seven points in each of the Monarchs’ first two showdowns against Windward.

Harmony Golightly, a sophomore guard, provided eight points off the bench for the Monarchs, including two of the team’s five 3-point field goals.

The Wildcats, led by 12 points from sophomore Charis Rainey, surrendered nine unanswered points during a three-minute stretch of the first quarter and never recovered, shooting 6 of 25 from the field and committed 10 turnovers in the opening half.

Samari Bankhead, a Central Florida-bound senior guard, added nine points for Windward, but no other player scored more than four points for the Wildcats, who had a 10-game winning streak snapped, a run that began following back-to-back losses against Mater Dei.

Windward squares off Feb. 19 against Etiwanda, the reigning Open Division section champion and winner of the past two Open state championships.

The Wildcats have lost three in a row against Etiwanda, with the last victory over the Eagles coming in the Southern California regional quarterfinals of the 2019 Open Division state playoffs.