RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — Santa Margarita’s boys basketball team is closer to making some school history.

The Eagles beat Mater Dei 87-75 in a Trinity League game Monday at Santa Margarita High.

The win improves Santa Margarita’s league record to 7-2. They had a chance to clinch a share of their first Trinity championship with a win at Servite (0-9 in league) on Tuesday night, the final regular-season date for all Trinity League teams.

Mater Dei (5-4 in league) played its final league game Tuesday at Orange Lutheran (2-7 in league).

Santa Margarita is No. 3 in the CIF Southern Section computer rankings that were released Monday. The Eagles (21-5 overall) will be in the elite Open Division when CIF-SS playoff brackets are released Saturday at noon.

The number of teams in the Open Division has not been announced; it was an eight-team division last season.

Mater Dei is in fourth place in the six-team Trinity League. The top three teams in the Trinity League receive guaranteed playoff berths, so the Monarchs (19-8 overall), who are 12th in the CIF-SS rankings, are looking at an at-large berth as their way to get into the playoffs.

All five Santa Margarita starters in Monday’s game scored in double figures. Junior guard Kaiden Bailey and senior forward Dallas Washington scored 22 points each. Junior guard Rodney Westmoreland scored 17 points, junior guard Brayden Kyman scored 13 points and junior forward Drew Anderson scored 12 with eight rebounds.

Mater Dei junior guard Luke Barnett scored 21 points, 11 of those in the first 68 seconds flurry to start the fourth quarter. Monarchs sophomore forward Demarcus Henry scored 17 points with nine rebounds, sophomore guard Lucas Gaspar scored 15 points and senior forward Blake Davidson scored 14 with six rebounds.

Washington said the Eagles’ successful season is in large part because of how well the players work together.

“I love this squad,” said Washington, who signed with Long Beach State. “We’re a tight unit, we’re all brothers. No matter what, we stay consistent, we stay with our morals and we just play our game.”

Washington made two 3-point baskets in the first couple of minutes and Santa Margarita blazed to an 8-0 lead. The Monarchs got it together to trail by five 19-14 going into the second quarter.

The Eagles outscored the Monarchs 27-15 in the second quarter including a buzzer-beating 40-foot 3-pointer by Bailey for a 46-29 halftime lead.

Kyman opened the third quarter with a 3 for a 20-point Eagles lead.

Barnett hit a couple 3s to open the fourth quarter, was fouled on a 3-point try for three free throws that he made, and suddenly it was a five-point game 66-61. The Monarchs got as close as four points with 1:19 to go. But the Eagles again pulled away, with Westmoreland, Anderson and Bailey making free throws in the final minute to secure the Santa Margarita win.