TEMECULA >> Friday, Mater Dei boys basketball coach Gary McKnight said he had to put the reins on Devin Askew when his junior point guard picked up three fouls in the opening quarter.
Askew avoided foul trouble and had free rein of the court Tuesday night, pouring in a game-high 43 points with an 14-of-18 shooting line as No. 7-seeded Mater Dei held off No. 3-seeded Rancho Christian 76-71 to remain unbeaten in the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs.
Mater Dei (24-6) controls its fate and can advance to the Open Division championship game with a win at Harvard-Westlake on Friday.
Mater Dei could advance even if it loses Friday, but the Monarchs would need Rancho Christian to beat Centennial in the other pool-play game. If Harvard-Westlake and Centennial win Friday, Harvard-Westlake advances.
It didn’t take long for Askew to catch fire Tuesday night. He scored 15 points during the opening quarter, knocking down 6 of 7 shots to give the Monarchs a 26-10 advantage.
“When Devin gets in that groove, you just have to let him keep going,” McKnight said.
Rancho Christian coach Ray Barefield had four players guard Askew during the game, but only Jayce Catchings had any success slowing Askew down. And Catchings ran into foul trouble in the second half. Askew’s scoring was balanced, as he had 24 in the first half and 19 in the second half.
“It felt really good, and I just let the game come to me,” said Askew, who has committed to Kentucky. “I didn’t really worry about who was guarding me. I just played my game.”
Rancho Christian trailed by 11 points at halftime and by 10 points after the third period. The Eagles (23-6) chipped away at the deficit behind the sizzling 3-point shooting of Dominick Harris, who knocked down four triples to finish with a team-high 22 points.
The last of Harris’ four 3-pointers got Rancho Christian within 72-69 with 23 seconds remaining on the clock. Mater Dei nearly turned the ball over twice trying to get the ball up the court, but Rancho Christian ultimately had to foul Askew twice down the stretch. Askew drained all four of those shots from the stripe to seal the win for the Monarchs.
As a team, Mater Dei made 27 of 44 shots form the field. While Askew led the way, his teammates combined to make 50 percent of their shots. Forwards Nick Davidson and Wilhelm Breidenbach each scored 10 points, and Aidan Prukop finished with seven.
Evan Mobley scored 16 points for Rancho Christian, as Mater Dei’s defense did a great job forcing Mobley to look for teammates on the perimeter. Catchings scored 13 points, and Luke Turner had eight for the Eagles, whose chances for an Open Division title ended with the loss Tuesday.
