BELLFLOWER — There’s an adage that it is extremely hard to beat a good team three times in one season.
However, that simply does not apply when Christian Collins imposes his will with energy, effort and execution.
Collins scored nine of his game-high 32 points in overtime to lead the St. John Bosco basketball team to a 75-71 come-from-behind home victory against rival Mater Dei in the regional semifinals of CIF State Division I playoffs Saturday.
The unsigned McDonald’s All-American selection also grabbed 17 rebounds and sealed victory by making 1 of 2 free throws with 6.8 seconds left in the extra period.
Bosco defeated Mater Dei for the third time this season, once in January, February, and now in March.
“It took everything,” Collins said. “We didn’t want this to be our last game.”
Collins scored the first seven points of overtime to go up 72-65.
Mater Dei senior guard Malloy Smith’s layup cut it to 72-67 with 1:55 remaining. Monarchs junior guard Richie Ramirez made 1 of 2 free throws to cut it to 72-68. Ramirez fouled out with 1:12 to go. Collins went 1 for 2 from the free throw line to go up 73-68.
Mater Dei senior guard Luke Barnett, who signed with Kansas, was fouled beyond the arc and made all three free throws to cut it to 73-71. However, Barnett, who scored a team-high 24 points, fouled out with 59 seconds left.
Bosco senior guard Tariq Iscandari was fouled with 26.5 seconds left. He went 1 for 2 from the free throw line for a 74-71.
Collins’ 32nd point of the game from the charity stripe secured the 75-71 victory.
Nearing the end of regulation, Collins’ cutting layup tied the game at 65 with less than 20 seconds left, sending the contest to overtime.
“We have heart,” Collins explained. “We didn’t want to lose at home in front of this big crowd. We had too much to lose. I’m grateful to be on this team.”
Bosco senior forward Max Ellis, who finished with 15 points, banked in a 3-pointer and cut Mater Dei’s lead to 65-63 with 43.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“I knew we needed a shot to jump-start our comeback,” Ellis said.
The Braves improved to 24-9 overall. They will host Damien (30-7) in the SoCal regional final on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“Down the stretch it looked kind of bleak and our guys kept believing and hanging in there,” St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn said. “I was really proud of them.”
Mater Dei (22-16) primarily relied on the team’s starting five against Bosco early, only playing one reserve for a few minutes in the first half.
Monarchs junior forward Zain Majeed scored 21 points. Smith scored 10 points.
Ellis’ corner 3-pointer cut Mater Dei’s lead 19-16 at the end of the first.
Bosco outscored Mater Dei by a 20-11 margin in the second quarter. Senior guard Leon Shingo’s 3-pointer beat the buzzer and put the Braves up 36-30 at halftime.
Mater Dei outscored Bosco by a 29-20 margin in the third quarter and led 59-56 going into the fourth.
“It’s always going to be a great game between us,” Ellis continued. “And to beat them three times in a season is a testament to our hard work and focus.”
St. John Bosco senior Christian Collins on scoring a game-high 32 points in a 75-71 win against rival Mater Dei in the CIF state playoffs.
Collins scored 9 of Bosco’s 10 points in overtime and send the game to overtime with a clutch basket late in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/anoMsEEQXy
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026
St. John Bosco senior forward Max Ellis on his late 3-pointer that helped the Braves pull off a comeback 75-71 win against Mater Dei in the regional semifinals of the state playoffs. pic.twitter.com/eEJM0GfBhy
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026
St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn on beating Mater Dei three times in one season. pic.twitter.com/pO9BGZrmau
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026
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