The CIF State basketball championships are Friday and Saturday at Cal's Haas Pavilion.
In girls' action Southern California traditionally gets the majority of the victories. This year three of the NorCal representatives are from the Sac-Joaquin Section, and one each comes from the North Coast Section and Central Coast Section. Of course, the most highly anticipated clash is the Open Division, where two of the top five teams in the state face off. Below is a look at each game, with the path to the final, common opponents, MaxPreps state ranking, key players, and section playoffs result.
OPEN DIVISION – Saturday at 6 p.m.
St. Mary’s-Stockton (33-1) vs. Mater Dei (31-2)
Previous: St. Mary’s defeated Modesto Christian 90-65, Sacred Heart Cathedral 70-65, and Miramonte 67-52; Mater Dei defeated Palisades 99-73, Long Beach Poly 60-44, and Chaminade 48-44.
Common Opponents:St. Mary’s 4-1, Mater Dei 5-0. St. Mary’s fared better against Parkview (+20 vs. +7), La Jolla Country Day (+33 vs. +22), and Long Beach Poly (+16 vs. +11). Mater Dei fared better against Blackman (+9 vs. -11) and Miramonte (+22 vs. +15).
MaxPreps State Ranking: St. Mary’s No. 3, Mater Dei No. 1
St. Mary’s: Kat Tudor 13.8 ppg, 3.0 three-pointers per game; Aquira Decosta 12.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg; Mi’Cole Cayton 11.8 ppg; Naje Murray 9.2 ppg; Carlissa Shipp 8.3 ppg.
Mater Dei: Katie Lou Samuelson, G/F; Andee Velasco, G; Bianca Velasco, G.
Sectionals: St. Mary’s won Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship over McClatchy; Mater Dei lost Southern Section Open Division championship to Chaminade.
DIVISION I – Friday at 6 p.m.
McClatchy (26-7) vs. Serra (23-10)
Previous: McClatchy defeated Davis 77-54, Pittsburg 54-25, and Oak Ridge 58-49; Serra defeated Westchester 76-43, Canyon Springs 60-50, Vista Murrieta 71-56, and Ventura 61-45.
MaxPreps State Ranking: McClatchy No. 45, Serra No. 22
McClatchy: Gigi Garcia, fc; Jordan Cruz, g; Lauren Nubla, pg; Kristi Wong, g.
Serra: Briana Johnson 13.7 ppg; Nautica Morrow 12.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.8 spg; Camille Hailey 8.8 ppg; Brijaye Brackett 8.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg.
Sectionals: McClatchy lost Sac-Joaquin Division I championship to St. Mary’s; Serra lost Southern Section Open Division Consolation championship to Oaks Christian.
DIVISION II – Saturday at 2 p.m.
Archbishop Mitty (24-6) vs. Mark Keppel (26-7)
Previous: Mitty defeated Antelope 70-34, Presentation 86-24, and Dublin 63-49; Mark Keppel defeated Hart 62-39, Independence 50-39, Mt. Carmel 50-39, and Redondo Union 48-44.
MaxPreps State Ranking: Archbishop Mitty No. 8, Mark Keppel No. 30
Archbishop Mitty: Heleyna Hill 12.8 ppg; Madeline Holland 11.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.0 apg; Jahnay Anderson 9.3 ppg
Mark Keppel: Leading scorers in SoCal final were Sophia Song, Lauren Saiki, and Kylie Fujioka
Sectionals: Archbishop Mitty won Central Coast Section Open Division Consolation championship over Scotts Valley; Mark Keppel lost in Southern Section Open Division Consolation quarterfinal to Cajon.
DIVISION III – Friday at 2 p.m.
Bishop O’Dowd (24-9) vs. Brea Olinda (26-4)
Previous: Bishop O’Dowd defeated Patterson 77-36, Valley Christian 60-56, and Vanden 72-55; Brea Olinda defeated South Hills 66-49, Orange Lutheran 52-44, and El Dorado 50-46.
Common Opponents: Bishop O’Dowd 2-0, Brea Olinda 0-2. Bishop O’Dowd fared better against Bishop Manogue (+32, -2) and Vanden (+17, -12).
MaxPreps State Ranking: Bishop O’Dowd No. 28, Brea Olinda No. 11
Bishop O’Dowd: Aisia Robertson, g; Myah Pace, g; Aerial Chavarin, g; Salihah Bey, g; Asha Thomas, g.
Brea Olinda: Leading scorers in SoCal final were Tylona Watkins, with 22; and Reili Richardson, with 14.
Sectionals: Bishop O’Dowd lost North Coast Section Division III championship to Miramonte; Brea Olinda lost Southern Section Open Division quarterfinal to Mater Dei.
DIIVISION IV – Saturday at 10 a.m.
Brookside Christian (27-3) vs. Sierra Canyon (24-5)
Previous: Brookside Christian defeated Justin-Siena 76-40, Dixon 52-33, Cardinal Newman 54-50, and Piedmont 53-45; Sierra Canyon defeated JSerra Catholic 54-43, Faimont Prep 70-50, and Oaks Christian 49-37.
MaxPreps State Ranking: Brookside Christian No. 17; Sierra Canyon No. 10
Brookside Christian: Aarion McDonald 26.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 5.8 apg, 6.4 spg; Ariana Vaughn 13.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg; Ry’Kyra Gabriel 11.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.4 bpg.
Sierra Canyon: Leading scorers in SoCal final were Gabi Nevill and Cheyanne Wallace with 14 points each, and Kennedy Burke with 10; Burke also had 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Sectionals: Brookside Christian lost Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship to Bradshaw Christian; Sierra Canyon lost Southern Section Open Division quarterfinal to Alemany.
DIVISION V – Friday at 10 a.m.
Eastside College Prep (25-5) vs. La Jolla Country Day (17-11)
Previous: Eastside College Prep defeated San Domenico 38-13, University 49-38, and Valley Christian 38-26; La Jolla Country Day defeated Caruthers 60-20, Ribet Academy 64-36, and Bishop’s 75-56.
Common Opponents: Eastside College Prep 1-0, La Jolla Country Day 0-1. Eastside College Prep fared better against Bishop O’Dowd (+1 vs. -17).
MaxPreps State Ranking: Eastside College Prep No. 26; La Jolla Country Day No. 51
Eastside College Prep: Destiny Graham 16.2 ppg; Brije Byers 14.4 ppg; Kayla Tahaafe 10.7 ppg; Chacitty Cunningham 9.3 ppg.
La Jolla Country Day: Mai-loni Henson 17.0 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 5.0 apg; Alaysia Styles 9.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.5 bpg; Mariana Ecija 9.3 ppg.
Sectionals: Eastside College Prep won Central Coast Section Open Division third place game over St. Ignatius; La Jolla Country Day lost San Diego Section Open Division quarterfinal to Torrey Pines.
