Etiwanda rolls Archbishop Mitty to repeat as California girls basketball state champion: 5 takeaways

The Eagles left no doubt in a 60-48 Open Division CIF State title victory

SACRAMENTO - When Etiwanda won its first ever CIF State Open Division girls basketball title a year ago against Archbishop Mitty, it couldn't have been much more dramatic, with the Eagles prevailing 69-67 in an instant classic on a buzzer beater. 

Etiwanda made history on Saturday in its state finals rematch with Mitty at Golden 1 Center by going back-to-back in the Open Division for the first time ever – although in less dramatic fashion.

Four-star junior Aliyahna "Puff" Morris and USC-bound senior Kennedy Smith combined for 35 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals and four blocks as the Eagles scorched their way to a 60-48 victory over Archbishop Mitty.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

Etiwanda came to play

Photo by Dennis Lee

Rarely does a game of such significance produce an omen early on.

But when Morris sank a three in the opening minutes that was intended to be a lob pass, it felt like it might be Etiwanda's night.

The first half was one continuous 32-16 run for Etiwanda.

The Eagles were already running off with the game before opening up a double-digit lead. When Long Beach State commit Mykelle Richards made a layup off of a turnover to put them up 14-6 with 1:58 left in the first quarter, Archbishop Mitty called a timeout and needed a quick turnaround.

Mitty stopped the bleeding for a bit, and found itself down just 18-12 a minute into the second quarter. That three-minute stretch was the only one of the first half that wasn't dominated by Etiwanda.

But then Etiwanda turned the jets back on. It went up 20-12 off another Richards layup generated by a turnover. The score was 22-12 a possession later when Morris got loose for open layup in the half-court right after. 24-12 one minute and six seconds later when Smith went coast-to-coast for a layup. And 27-12 before the halfway point of the quarter on a three-pointer from Shaena Brew.

As lopsided as Etiwanda's 32-16 advantage seemed on paper, the game felt even more out of hand for Mitty than 16 points would indicate.

And so the Eagles stayed hot at coming out of halftime, despite Mitty moving to a press. They opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run, punctuated by Richards draining her second three-pointer of the stretch and running back on defense as soon as she released the ball. That gave Etiwanda its biggest lead of the game at 42-18 with 5:31 left in the half.

The Monarchs finally stopped the bleeding after that when Lehigh-bound Belle Bramer hit back-to-back two-point field goals. Their continued full-court press dampened Etiwanda's offensive momentum for the first time all game. But they still trailed 50-29 after three quarters.

Etiwanda unveils zone just for Mitty

The fourth quarter built on Mitty's marginal success late in the previous quarter, and was total a reversal of the first two-and-a-half quarters of action.

Archbishop Mitty came out with a new press geared more towards doubling the ball than playing the passing lanes, and found more success. The Monarchs further slowed Etiwanda's offense, and perhaps more importantly, created more good looks offensively than they'd gotten all game via live-ball turnovers in transition.

That's how Mitty struck with a 10-0 run to open the quarter, and cut the deficit to 50-39 on a short jumper from UConn commit Morgan Cheli with 5:18 left in the game. 

But that was as close as it got. Etiwanda never got fazed, and once it got a grip of the new press, the final minutes of the game had no drama.

Smith broke the scoreless streak on a drive with 4:36 left, putting her team up 52-39. Grace Knox put back her own layup on Etiwanda's next possession to give them a 15-point lead with just over four minutes left, and the Monarchs' comeback efforts – while very impressive – weren't nearly enough to fix the borderline-insurmountable deficit they tried to come back from.

Simply put, Etiwanda's defense – primarily an unconventional 3-2 matchup zone with different frills than other similar schemes it has employed – was phenomenal, and specifically tailored to beat the Monarchs.

"My assistant Maria Mesa, she put in this defense a couple of weeks ago," head coach Stan Delus said.

"We were actually going to use it in a couple other championship games, but she said, 'Nope, we're going to save it for [Mitty].' And I said, 'Okay.' We were fortunate to get through those games without having to use it."

"It was a defense that they hadn't seen before or in a while. It's not used too often. We wanted to save it because... we thought that with our length and our ability to fly around the floor, that it would be tough [for them] to make adjustments in one day."

Morris recorded a game-high 20 points, a team-high five assists, and two steals. Smith finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four blocks, two assists, and two steals. Richards had 11 points, five rebounds, and a game-high four steals on 4-4 shooting. Knox totaled eight points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and three steals.

Mitty falls short of state and national titles

While the loss is crushing for Archbishop Mitty, the fact is that the program just completed one of the most dominant seasons in Northern California history and won its third consecutive Northern Region Open Division title.

"We are not into moral victories," said Mitty head coach Sue Phillips.

"So nobody is up here happy to be sitting here happy with a runner-up trophy. I'm not going to pretend that we were happy with the way we played in the first half. It's incredibly disappointing for all of us. We're all responsible for that. We showed glimpses of the team that we could be in the third and fourth quarters. We started to make a run, and then we had six turnovers in the next eight possessions. With 19 turnovers, you can't beat a team like Etiwanda."

"For whatever reason our mindset wasn't where it needed to be, and I don't think it was for a lack of effort or preparation," she continued. "We got knocked on our heels, and we didn't respond in the way that we had expected."

"To be 30-1 with some incredible victories and play the way we did today is incredibly disappointing," Phillips said. "But I'm super proud of this group. I love these girls dearly."

"At the end of the day, we've got 16 NorCal titles. The question you should be asking is, 'What are you guys doing to keep getting here?'"

5-star sophomore forward McKenna Wolizcko led the Monarchs with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals, and had a game-high six assists as well. Bramer had 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals. UConn commit Morgan Cheli, who played at well under 100-percent health-wise due to a prior lower body injury, added four points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Etiwanda states case for national No. 1

When Etiwanda beat Sierra Canyon last game for a regional title, it became the first Southern Section Open Division champion since Windward six years prior to follow up its section title with a regional title.

And with Saturday's win, it became the first team in the Open Division era (2013-present) to win back-to-back Open Division State titles.

By defeating the top-ranked team in the country, Etiwanda, which is already ranked No. 3 nationally, moves upwards in the national championship discussion. Its only loss at full strength came 82-62 on Jan. 15 to second-ranked Long Island Lutheran, which has only lost to Archbishop Mitty.

"It's a fun group," Delus said.

"They don't let things get too much more them, or [succumb to] too much pressure. And I guess that's what makes them such a good team. Because they allow themselves to still have fun, and still play at an elite level. And I have to commend that. Because we've played a really tough schedule all year, and they've fought through it."

Eagles aren't going anywhere

If you think Etiwanda's dominance is over with Smith and Richards graduating, think again.

Despite losing one the nation's premier forward pairings and two of its top bench players in Ryann Riddle and Sania Jenkins, Etiwanda is poised to open next season as one of the top teams in the state and country once again. 

It's set to return three starters in Morris, Knox, and Finley, a host of experienced reserves ready for more playing time – such as Shaena Brew – and is expected to take in one of California's top freshman classes. And a head coach who's gone from one of the state's most underrated to one of its most accomplished in the span of a few borderline-dynastic years.

So, Smith's historic four-year run might be just the beginning of Etiwanda's prolonged dominance as a national powerhouse.

PHOTOS BY DENNIS LEE

Photo by Dennis Lee