Monarchs fly past Sage Hill

Lightning keep the game close, but come up short against Division II Mater Dei.NEWPORT COAST -- The Sage Hill School girls’ basketball team knew the odds were slim on beating Mater Dei. But that didn’t deter the Lightning from giving Mater Dei a few scares.

The Lightning (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season Tuesday, 37-24, to the Monarchs in a nonleague game.

The Lightning started the game with a defensive flurry. Center Haywood Wright ended Mater Dei’s opening possession by blocking Mya Olivier’s layup attempt. The Lightning forced turnovers on two of the next three Monarchs possessions.

“We had them scared at the beginning. I don’t think they realized they would be in a dogfight,” Sage Hill Coach Jim Perez said.

The Monarchs were able to shut down Wright with a collapsing zone defense.

Despite being limited to seven points, Wright was able to neutralize the Monarchs inside, rejecting nine shots.

“We scouted them, we knew what to expect. They just executed their zone,” Wright said. “It was a learning experience for the team.”

Rebecca Hembarsky helped keep the Lightning in the game. The senior scored all eight of her points in the first half.

“We knew they planned to double down on Haywood, and that would leave some people open,” Hembarsky said.

Sage Hill mounted a rally midway through the second half. Free throws by Wright and Kaitlyn Tyre made the score 27-18 at the end of the third quarter. Tyre found Katie McKeon for a fast break layup to open the fourth quarter.

Mater Dei then went on a 10-4 run. Eshell Estrella accounted for eight of the points with two assists, two free throws and a jumper.

Perez, an assistant at Mater Dei before coming to Sage Hill, praised his team’s effort against the Monarchs.

“As a coach, I am happy, I am very proud of these girls. We gave the maximum effort as a team,” Perez said. “With the athleticism and experience Mater Dei has over this team, there is no [way] we should have been in this game.”

Nonleague

Mater Dei 37, Sage Hill 24

Score by Quarters