Ontario Christian girls basketball completes rise to national relevance with unlikely formula

With the nation's top-rated 2027 player in Kaleena Smith and a slew of talent on the horizon, watch for the rise of the Knights to continue

Ontario Christian's Kaleena Smith posted one of the best freshman seasons in recent memory last winter. / By Nicole Mullen/The Arizona Republic

A new team from California entered the strata of nationally-prominent high school girls basketball programs in 2023-24. 

And by most indications that program is here to stay.

Ontario Christian's success exceeded all expectations — except perhaps its own — en-route to its strongest season and first national ranking.

Led by the top-rated freshman in the country, Kaleena Smith, the Knights (28-5) earned the No. 3 seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs, a final No. 4 ranking in the state and a top-20 ranking in the country.

The 2023-24 season was the strongest in program history for the fifth season in a row. In the four years leading up to this season, Ontario Christian went 144-22, including a 16-6 playoff record and three consecutive CIF-SS finals appearances before making the Open Division for the first time in 2022-23. 

So, why was the Knights' rise this past season such a surprise?

Largely because they'd just graduated the all-time leading scorer in Southern Section history, Chloe Briggs, a 4-star recruit now at Washington who averaged 28.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 3.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game during her high school career. And because they'd graduated two more 6-foot impact players as well, including current NCAA Division II forward Julia Lavigne (Seattle Pacific).

Heading into this season, Ontario Christian returned just one key starter, all-area guard and 3-pointer extraordinaire Dejah Saldivar, and one key reserve, guard/forward Kailee Briggs. 

The other four starters comprised of a 5-6 freshman point guard, a 6-0 freshman post, and two senior transfers who didn't arrive as big names despite solid junior seasons at their previous schools. 

It was a younger, less experienced, and physically smaller group than Ontario Christian's prior two iterations. Even though that Smith was already considered one of the best players in her class, this group did not begin the season as Ontario Christian's most highly-touted.

Yet it would quickly prove to be the best in school history and establish Ontario Christian as a new national power.

Hot from the start 

The 2023-24 Ontario Christian girls basketball team finished 28-5 and ranked No. 4 in California. / Photo by Lance Smith

After an impressive 7-1 start, the Knights turned heads by playing in the highest division at the Nike Tournament of Champions and going 2-2. In the final game, they notched a program-defining 60-58 win against Mater Dei.

That victory was good enough to send them into Christmas Break ranked "on the bubble" just outside the top 25 in SBLive's national rankings. And Ontario Christian didn't even have one of its best players — senior transfer Amanda Ajobiewe (J.W. North).

Ajobiewe, a 5-10 guard, helped Ontario Christian go unbeaten the rest of the regular season and first two games of CIF-SS Pool Play. 

The Knights' 20-game winning streak got snapped against eventual champion Etiwanda, but they bounced back by getting over the hump against their nationally-ranked playoff rival Sage Hill. And they nearly shocked Sierra Canyon in the regional semifinals before falling 76-69. 

That means the Knights' only two losses at full strength came competitively against top-10 teams in the nation – which was a significant consideration in their No. 19 national ranking.

Coming in, Smith was already considered the top point guard prospect in her class, and was expected to be one of California's best freshmen from day 1.

But there's not much precedent for what she did as a freshman against many of the best teams in California and beyond – particularly for a 5-6 point guard.

Smith posted remarkable 34.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.2 steals lines per game, while hitting a Southern Section-record 179 3-pointers at a 41-percent clip. All while shooting 50-percent from the field overall.

The numbers led to countless postseason accolades, including SBLive's Southern Section Offensive Player of the Year, Cal-Hi Sports' statewide player of the year for the freshman class. ESPN HoopGurlz released its first official ranking for the Class of 2027 on Apr. 10, and Smith was No. 1. 

"She's been on a big stage, not the high school state but the national stage, since she was 12," said head coach Matt Tumambing, who took over in 2019-20. "Twelve years old playing EYBL and leading a 16-and-under teams in scoring. She walked into the high school level hyper-focused, knowing what it takes to be great. Her preparation is insane, and her parents do a great job of helping her stay laser-focused."

She's not only zeroed in on scoring buckets, Tumambing said. 

"Kaleena is extremely humble, and will do what it takes to win," he said. "If it's 15 assists, she'll do that. She had to [score 34.9 PPG] this year, but next year she might not have to. She gets mad at teammates for not shooting more, and would get on them if they were really open. She could be more vocal because she naturally leads by example, but she really was our leader too. It's crazy pressure to put on a freshman but Kaleena was [up for it]."

More breakouts

Smith wasn't the only new Knight who exceeded expectations.

Ajobiewe and Karsen Marshall (Corona Centennial) emerged as legitimate standouts themselves in their lone year at Ontario Christian.

Marshall was eligible from the start and averaged 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 2.4 assists per game playing all 33 games, and Ajobiewe averaged 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.3 steals in 21 games. Both emerged as Division I prospects at Ontario Christian. 

Marshall averaged 9.6 points per game at Centennial last season. 

"She was utilized at the 5-spot (due to Centennial's lack of size] and we wanted to transition her into a guard," Ajobiewe said. "She's extremely physical, has great size, and can score the ball at will."

Ajobiewe's vast work ethic was obvious from the get go, Tumambing said, leading to to a commitment to Georgetown. She was the team's top defender, and took pressure off Smith, running the point. 

"She's so underrated," Tumambing said. 

Georgetown recognized Ajobiewe's skills immediately. Shortly after the season, she and Tumambing took a red-eye flight to Washington D.C.  where she quickly dazzled and earned a scholarship. 

"They offered her on the spot and she accepted on the spot," Tumambing said. "Everyone was amazed with how she was able to turn it on (despite) the lack of sleep."

Starting post Legacy Benjamin turned in a strong freshman campaign despite having to routinely guard bigger centers and forwards. 

Standing just under 6-feet, she helped anchor the paint and excelled in a rim-runner role while averaging 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and a team-high 1.4 blocks per game. She also shot 62 percent from the field. Tumambing said her speed at the five spot was pivotal in unleashing offense.

The grind 

During Tumambing's tenure at Ontario Christian, the Knights have had some tremendous homegrown talent – namely Briggs and Saldivar – and also benefitted from transfers. No matter how good they were at the start, all have showed rapid development in their tenures as Knights.

After a tireless summer of 2023, Ontario Christian played about 20 fall league games against prominent programs, and only lost one game, which came early on against Mater Dei. That's when Tumambing was pretty sure – and not afraid to tell people – that he had his best team yet.

"I really take pride in our program because every single coach really dedicates their time to development," Tumambing said.

"A lot of elite programs aren't developing talent anymore. They're acquiring elite talent that's already been developed. I'm lucky to have staff that's so focused on being in gym and turning weaknesses into strengths."

With Smith, Benjamin, and other young Knights just getting started, and more new big names about to join the fold –  including elite 2028 prospect Tatianna Griffin – Tumambing is confident that Ontario Christian will only keep moving up. 

Pending another tireless summer and fall, that is. 

This time, the rest of the Southern California high school girls basketball world will be on notice.