CIF-SS Open Division girls basketball: Etiwanda routs Sierra Canyon in championship game

5-star forwards Grace Knox and Kennedy Smith led a balanced effort for the victorious Eagles

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - When Etiwanda and Sierra Canyon met in the Southern Section Open Division girls basketball finals on Friday, it was their third section title game and fifth championship meeting (including regionals) in three seasons.

And while the teams split the previous meetings evenly, Friday was the first time in that stretch that one team simply outclassed the other.

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Etiwanda owned the second half and beat Sierra Canyon in nearly every phase of the game to notch its second Open Division title, winning 65-44 at Cal Baptist University.

Etiwanda's Kennedy Smith (11) and Mykelle Richards (22) / Photo by Andy Holzman

Grace Knox led a balanced effort with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals for the Eagles.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Etiwanda's defense shines

In recent years, Etiwanda has become a national contender with superstar talent. 

Before that, it was a perennial underdog in the Southern Section Open Division that always found a way to contend against star-laded rosters by hanging its hat on defense physicality.

That's why being a bruising juggernaut on both sides of the ball is Etiwanda's M.O.

The Eagles didn't play elite offensively in the first half on Friday, but they played elite defense for the entire game. So when their offense woke up early in the second half after taking a 20-15 lead into halftime, there was little Sierra Canyon could do.

Etiwanda forced 19 turnovers against a team loaded with ball-handling and quickness, and held Sierra Canyon to 15-60 from the field – including 0-14 from downtown. It instituted its physical brand of defense and made numerous plays on the ball, but never got into much foul trouble, which was an issue in its two losses to the Trailblazers. 

And with Etiwanda's defensive switch-ability and swarming help schemes, it suppressed an extremely high-powered offense without using any gimmicks or extreme schemes that could be easily planned against in a potential rematch. Despite having to deal with McDonald's All-American Mackenly Randolph, another nationally-ranked senior in Izela Arenas, and the nation's top-ranked sophomore in Jerzy Robinson, the Eagles stayed in man-to-man almost exclusively, and defended every individual matchup straight-up – a bit differently than when Juju Watkins was a Trailblazer. It was a signature defensive performance by one of the nation's perennial defensive powers.

"Etiwanda is always more physical than us," Sierra Canyon head coach Alicia Komaki said after the game. "They're a physical program, that's what they do." 

"We were ready for the physicality... We were ready for the press. But we had to actually go through it first before figuring it out."

"We'll review these things and see if there's anything really drastic we can do to manufacture more points on offense," said Komaki. "But I don't know if there is."

Etiwanda led 11-4 after one quarter, 20-15 at halftime, and 40-25 after three quarters en-route to holding Sierra Canyon to a season-low 44 points. That was despite allowing 25 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points, which means the Eagles could've been even more dominant defensively with a great showing on the defensive glass.

"In my eight years at Etiwanda, I've never seen a team so locked in," Etiwanda head coach Stan Delus said.

"In my 24 years of coaching, I don't know if I've been so proud of a group. They took the adversity of the season and applied it... from the start of playoffs."

"People say, 'why are you so defensive-minded?' What I do is make sure we understand... is that you can always keep yourself in a game through defense. We love what we do offensively, but we know that we can always compete because of what we do defensively."

Randolph finished with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Robinson did a lot of her damage when it was too late but still registered a team-high 17 points to go with 15 rebounds. Izela Arenas added 11 points for the Trailblazers, who didn't have one other scorer until reserve guard Christy Reynoso made a layup right before the final buzzer.

Richards' first-quarter threes lift Etiwanda

There was no offensive rhythm in the first half for either team, and the score was 2-2 nearly halfway through. So when Mykelle Richards hit a pair of threes for Etiwanda, it went a long way. Especially coming from an interior-oriented power forward who spends a lot of time finishing plays in the "dunker spot". 

Her six points went a long way at a point when both offenses were in the middle of a half-long struggle and momentum was up for grabs. Plus, the Long Beach State commit was then able to space the floor whenever she wasn't near the basket for the rest of the night.

After leading 11-4 after a quarter, Etiwanda reached a 19-9 advantage in the second quarter before Sierra Canyon finished the half on an 11-6 run to trail 20-15.

Knox, Eagles get going offensively in second half

Etiwanda made a concerted effort early on to involve Knox, who was playing in her first championship game. The 5-star Centennial (NV) transfer took some good looks from the mid/high post, but struggled to convert out of the gate. However, the Eagles kept giving her chances to get going, and that she did, doing most of her work in the third quarter for a game-high 19 points and team-high 12 boards. She also led the game with three assists.

"After the first half, I was a little off, and I just needed a reset," Knox said.

And it wasn't just Knox but the whole team that found its footing on offense shortly after halftime. 5-star USC commit Kennedy Smith had a slow scoring night, particularly in the first half, but did most of her work in the second half for 13 points and 11 rebounds. In particular, she made herself valuable as a passer far more than her game-high three assists would indicate, setting up a slew of baskets with passes that led to assists for others.

Aliyahna "Puff" Morris also finished with 13 points and three assists as well, Richards totaled 13 points, and Arynn Finley added seven points.

Etiwanda's ball movement impressed down the stretch, and the team finished with nine assists on the game to Sierra Canyon's one.

Eagles have great chance at uncommon feat

It's no secret that these teams will probably meet in the CIF Southern Region Open Division finals. They did so the last two years, and both of them cruised once again to a 3-0 finish in Southern Section pool play.

Although the last two section title games also were decided by double digits, there was a clear path to competing for the loser both times. When Etiwanda won 69-57 two years ago, it was evident to all that less foul trouble and better transition defense would give Sierra Canyon a chance in the rematch. A year ago, many wrote off Etiwanda after a 70-57 loss, but the Eagles were much better the second time around in the departments of defensive rebounding and not sending their foe to the free-throw line, and won the rematch despite having another so-so offensive night.

This time, even though Sierra Canyon can and probably will play much better offensively in the rematch, it's hard to point to exactly where it can make its mark. Better shooting and fewer avoidable turnovers would make a big difference. But from the outside looking in, Sierra Canyon has less schematic opportunity for change than the loser of the last two section finals. Despite a good defensive performance, the Trailblazers would've needed to be much better down the stretch just to make it close – and that's with Etiwanda not having a great offensive night itself. For all of Komaki's stated concerns about Etiwanda's defense and physicality, she pointed out that the potential rematch would have to start with her players simply being a better version of themselves on offense – which they usually are, opponent aside.

Either way, Etiwanda is now the heavy favorite to become the first team since Windward in 2018 to win both the Southern Section Open Division and regional Open Division. That would set up a clash with the top-ranked team in the country, Archbishop Mitty, which Etiwanda defeated last year at the buzzer for a state title.