Boys’ basketball: Mater Dei wins City of Palms Classic title
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Can anyone beat Mater Dei?
The undefeated Monarchs captured their second City of Palms Classic title in three years Tuesday, beating Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick, 52-45, in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Fla. North Carolina Coach Roy Williams was one of the many coaches in attendance and I’m sure he got a kick out of watching future Tar Heels David and Travis Wear put the hurt on the competition.
USC-bound guard Gary Franklin, pictured, scored a game-high 25 points and had six rebounds for the Monarchs. Travis Wear and UCLA recruit Tyler Lamb each had eight points in the victory.
Mater Dei improves to 9-0 and is one of two unbeaten teams left in The Times’ Top 25 (No. 4 Riverside King hasn’t lost, either). And based on how they performed this week, I’d be shocked if they didn’t take home the Orange Holiday Classic title Dec. 30. Heck, I’d be surprised if the Monarchs didn’t go undefeated the rest of the season.
No. 2 Westchester (14-1) finished fifth in the tourney after defeating Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln, 68-56. The Comets, who have won the tournament three times since 2000, have an all-time record of 17-1 at the event.
-- Austin Knoblauch
