Four Takeaways: St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei

<p>BELLFLOWER — Over the last few seasons, the road to the Trinity League championship has made its way through either St. John Bosco or Mater Dei, and this season is shaping up in similar fashion with JSerra in the running, as well.</p> <p>Friday night's Trinity League showdown between the Braves and Monarchs ended with SJB defending its home court with a 70-62 victory. The Braves were paced by a balanced scoring effort as all five scorers hit double-figures with Isaiah Holm leading the way with 14 points, Wynton Brown had 13, Josh Camper and Jeremiah Nyarko added 12 apiece, and Lamaj Lewis pitched in 11.</p> <p>Devin Askew, Mater Dei's highly-regarded point guard bound for Kentucky, finished with a game-high 29 points, including 18 in the fourth that sparked a furious Monarchs' comeback attempt. Harrison Hornery was the only other Mater Dei player to reach double figures with 12 points.</p> <p>As of Tuesday, the Braves (17-5, 3-1), Mater Dei (16-5, 3-1) and JSerra (18-3, 3-1) currently sit in a three-way tie atop the league standings with six games to go. Below are a few takeaways from what we saw on Friday night.</p> <p><strong>Is Isaiah Holm the true key to Bosco's success?</strong></p> <p>Holm has proved time and time again that he's a match-up nightmare for most opposing big men. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound senior understands his strengths and rarely strays from them during the course of a game. Holm is a knockdown face-up shooter off the catch, sets a very good ball screen when trailing the play and is decisive on his pick-and-pop shot selection. If the defense doesn't close out on him, Holm will knock down the triple, and if a defender is present, he's more than willing to get off the ball and go set another screen.</p> <p><strong>Braves' defense will determine how far they advance in the playoffs</strong></p> <p>Bosco is still teetering on that eight team CIF Southern Section Open Division field and will be competitive in either the Open or Division I fields. The Braves' roster wasn't constructed to have a ball dominant scorer, as head coach Matt Dunn has rarely had that in his time there, so stops will be the ultimate key to SJB's playoff success. The Braves showed flashes of that lockdown defensive mentality as they held the Monarchs to five third quarter points on Friday and extended its lead to 13 points at the end of three.</p> <p><strong>Mater Dei can't wait to flip the switch</strong></p> <p>The last two local games I've watched the Monarchs in, I've come away with the same thought: They go through stretches where they lack energy. Mater Dei allowed Santa Margarita to hang in the game for three quarters before picking things up in the third. Against Bosco, the Monarchs rallied in the fourth, but couldn't put the finishing touches on a potential comeback win. If Mater Dei was to start games the way it finishes them, the Trinity League conversation could be much different.</p> <p><strong>Will the Trinity League get two Open Division bids?</strong></p> <p>Right now it's looking that way, but there's still plenty of games left to flip that theory on its head. Mater Dei and St. John Bosco are trending toward that Open field, but if JSerra is able to beat Bosco for a second time, and split with Mater Dei, the Lions would make the case that they belong among those eight squads. Is there a a possibility it shakes out that three Trinity teams make the Open? Highly unlikely.</p>