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SANTA ANA — A season-long quest by Mater Dei’s girls basketball team to overcome injuries and remain the Trinity League juggernaut encountered one final challenge Monday.
Coming off a loss Saturday at Ventura, the Monarchs played host to surging JSerra without starting forward Stella Hoss.
The back spams for Hoss, Mater Dei coach Jody Wynn confirmed, joined an injury report that has included Wynn’s daughter Kaeli with a season-ending knee injury.
But like they have throughout league, the Monarchs united to stay on top.
Rachel Goran scored a career-high 14 points and tied Harmony Golightly for the team lead as host Mater Dei capped a perfect run in the Trinity League with a 60-46 victory.
Ranked No. 2 in Orange County to Sage Hill, the Monarchs improved to 23-5 overall, including 6-0 in a league that features three other teams ranked in the Top 10 in the county.
Mater Dei has won 19 consecutive league titles.
“It’s good to keep the tradition going,” Goran said. “It was just a good battle and good way to end it against our rival.”
Goran, a senior guard, delivered her best game of the season on Senior Night.
She sank three of her team-high four 3-pointers in the first half as the Monarchs went a sizzling 8 for 12 from beyond the arc (67 percent).
She also grabbed five of her six rebounds in the first half and took two charges in the third quarter.
“It was Senior Night and I’ve just had some confidence from the past couple of games,” said Goran, who went 4 for 5 from the floor. “My teammates just really helped find me the ball and give me the confidence.”
Goran hit one of her biggest shots during a 15-0 run that spanned from the middle of third quarter to the middle of the fourth.
After Golightly hustled to grab an offensive rebound after a missed Mater Dei free throw, Goran connected on a 3-pointer for a 51-35 lead.
“She’s a warrior,” coach Wynn said Goran, a first-year starter.
Mater Dei also received 11 points, including two 3-pointers, and three steals from senior guard Amiah Lewis.
Golightly had four steals, three assists and six rebounds.
The Monarchs cooled off shooting in the second but still finished 11 for 21 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Mater Dei’s 15-0 run, which opened a 55-35 lead with just less than five minutes left in the fourth, came with JSerra’s Vivian Grenald on the bench with four fouls. The junior headed to the bench with her fourth foul with 4:32 left in the third.
Grenald finished with nine points after scoring 30 points in a 58-48 loss against Mater Dei in the first round of league.
Juniors Shae Talleur and Kayla Rice each scored 14 points to pace No. 4 JSerra (19-6, 2-4), which had won two straight in league.
Talleur went 4 for 8 from beyond the arc. Rice had seven rebounds.
With JSerra’s loss and Orange Lutheran’s 48-44 win against Santa Margarita, the Lions head into a playoff for second place and the league’s remaining automatic playoff berth.
Orange Lutheran (17-8, 2-4) plays host to JSerra on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The winner plays at Santa Margarita (17-10, 2-4) on Wednesday.
Freshman Kynley Calvert scored 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and Kayla Watanabe added 14 points to pace Orange Lutheran on Monday.