Mater Dei, Servite Prove Rankings Can Be Wrong : Basketball: Scoggin, Mansell help Monarchs upset third-ranked team in country, 81-76.

IRVINE â€”  It’s hard to remember the last time Mater Dei entered a boys’ basketball game as a decided underdog as it was Saturday and came out with a victory.

But the Monarchs--who have had an up-and-down season playing a variety of sophomores and juniors--played their best game of the season and pulled off a huge upset, defeating Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick, 81-76, in the third annual Nike Extravaganza at UCI’s Bren Center.

The visiting Celtics (12-3), ranked third nationally in the USA Today poll and who feature top college forward prospect Al Harrington, must have thought they were getting a breather Saturday from a schedule that already has seen them play seven top-25 teams.

The 6-foot-8 Harrington was as good as advertised, leading both teams in points (26) and rebounds (17). But Mater Dei, despite a height disadvantage, upstaged St. Patrick. Steve Scoggin and Derrick Mansell had 22 and 20 points, respectively, for the Monarchs.

“I thought last night would have been our biggest win,� said Coach Gary McKnight, referring to Mater Dei’s 37-35 victory over South Coast League foe Dana Hills. “But after the game I could see our kids were very excited about playing St. Patrick. So I said, ‘Go out and beat the No. 3 team.’ �

To do so, Mater Dei (16-7) had to get into a good shooting rhythm from the outset, which is not always easy for players who rarely see glass backboards. But the Monarchs came out firing, and never cooled down, shooting 58% in the first half and 56% (29 of 52) for the game. Long distance wasn’t a problem either: Mater Dei was eight for 13 from three-point range.

“I can’t remember another team that has shot twos and threes that well against us in the last five years,� Celtics Coach Kevin Boyle said.

Scoggin gave Mater Dei its first lead, 13-10, with a three-pointer at the 4:09 mark of the first quarter. It was a lead the Monarchs never relinquished.

But it was a 15-6 run that put Mater Dei ahead, 35-21, midway through the second quarter that raised the possibility of the pending upset.

St. Patrick cut the lead to nine, 45-36, at the half, and kept waiting for its full-court pressure and superior size to wear down Mater Dei. But the Celtics were hampered by poor shooting from the field (30 of 80, 38%) and the free-throw line (10 of 26, 39%). And they forced only 14 turnovers, while committing 18.

“We never let them get into a flow,� said McKnight, whose team played a 2-3 zone for the game, and a box-and-one on Harrington in the second half to keep him in check.

The Celtics’ one big run--12-1--brought them within 62-61 early in the fourth quarter. But they never took the lead or shook Mater Dei’s confidence.