Over Gary McKnight’s 42 seasons as Mater Dei’s boys basketball coach the team has had many improbable victories.

The Monarchs’ 62-59 victory Friday over St. John Bosco belongs on that list.

St. John Bosco was No. 4 in the national rankings and No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section rankings that had Mater Dei at No. 32

McKnight told Monarchs players they would have to turn up the intensity to compete with St. John Bosco. The Braves went into the Trinity League game with a 17-1 record while Mater Dei was 13-4.

“The kids really followed the game plan,” McKnight said. “They played hard-nosed and tough. You have to do that with Bosco’s talent.”

Mater Dei junior guard Luke Barnett scored 23 points. Sophomore forward Demarcus Henry scored 13 points with six rebounds and freshman Evan Willis scored 11 points for the Monarchs.

Three players who were starters as non-seniors last season are not playing for Mater Dei this season.

Injuries have kept senior guard Owen Verna on the bench all season. Junior forward Brannon Martinsen, All-Orange County first team last year, transferred to JSerra. Senior forward Brandon Benjamin, after spending last season at Mater Dei, returned to Canyon where he was the county player of the year as a sophomore.

St. John Bosco was without All-CIF junior guard Brandon McCoy and had not practiced for a few days because of fire-related air quality issues that also forced the Braves home game last Wednesday against Santa Margarita to be postponed until Jan. 27.

“Right from the get-go our guys were getting after it,” McKnight said. “They played really unselfishly and moved the ball around very well.”

NOTES

Seven of the 10 starters in Friday’s JSerra-Santa Margarita game are transfers. Santa Margarita won 70-49. …

Benjamin has scored 30 or more points in 12 of his 20 games this season. …

Capistrano Valley Christian coach Jon Bahnsen got his 400th career win Saturday when the Eagles beat Avalon. He previously coached Liberty Christian and Brethren Christian. …

Top games this week include: Tuesday, Cypress at Crean Lutheran, La Habra at Foothill and El Dorado vs. Villa Park at Santiago Canyon College; Wednesday, Tustin at Fullerton, Mater Dei at JSerra and Aliso Niguel at Beckman; Friday, Foothill at Cypress, Canyon at Crean Lutheran and Tesoro at San Juan Hills; and Saturday, Fairmont Prep at Pacifica Christian. …

The Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei is Jan. 24 and 25. Among the nine boys basketball games there Jan. 25 is Damien vs. San Clemente, Los Alamitos vs. Foothill, Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas vs. CIF-SS No. 1-ranked Roosevelt of Eastvale, and Mater Dei vs. Crean Lutheran.