Mater Dei Returns to Top in Poll

After a two-week absence, Mater Dei High School returned to the top spot in the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. prep basketball poll.

The Monarchs (9-2) were the preseason choice as the No. 1 team but fell from No. 1 after two consecutive losses in the Beverly Hills tournament.

There have been three top-ranked teams through three weeks of the poll, and Mater Dei, Marina and Santa Ana have all fallen from the top spot during the course of the season. Santa Ana, ranked first last week, fell to fourth after two straight losses.

The writers’ poll:

Pos. School (League) Record 1. Mater Dei (Angelus) 9-2 2. Fountain Valley (Sunset) 8-0 3. Marina (Sunset) 9-2 4. Santa Ana (Century) 10-2 5. Saddleback (Sea View) 9-2 6. El Toro (South Coast) 7-2 7. Sunny Hills (Freeway) 7-1 8. Woodbridge (Pacific Coast) 6-3 9. Capistrano Valley (South Coast) 8-4 10. (tie) Buena Park (Freeway) 5-2 Savanna (Orange) 8-2

Others Receiving Votes: Westminster (3-6), Servite (8-3) and Kennedy (3-4).