High School

Sabrina Ionescu Showcase Day 1: Ontario Christian ready for rematch with Mitty; Puff Morris explodes for 36

Knights, Monarchs brace for the second of what could be national trilogy after impressive Day 1 wins; Etiwanda's Aliyahna "Puff" Morris explodes for 36 points in win over host team; Teammate Grace Knox hurt

Mitch Stephens

Kaleena Smith, the nation's top-ranked 2027 girls basketball player, scored 24 points and had seven assists, leading national No. 3 Ontario Christian to a 93-45 win over Millennium in the first day of the of the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase at Carondelet High School. Mitty will play in the second national showdown with Ontario Christian Saturday two weeks after the the Monarchs thumped the Knights 59-34. Ontario Christian is hoping for a major turnaround.
Kaleena Smith, the nation's top-ranked 2027 girls basketball player, scored 24 points and had seven assists, leading national No. 3 Ontario Christian to a 93-45 win over Millennium in the first day of the of the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase at Carondelet High School. Mitty will play in the second national showdown with Ontario Christian Saturday two weeks after the the Monarchs thumped the Knights 59-34. Ontario Christian is hoping for a major turnaround. / Photo: Dennis Lee

CONCORD, Calif. — First year Ontario Christian girls basketball Aundre Cummings brought his girls out to watch — and absorb — national No. 1 Archbishop Mitty Friday at the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase.  

Perhaps the Knights should have skipped it. 

Mitty, as it has all season, looked pretty unbeatable in a 79-54 shellacking of Central Section juggernaut St. Joseph (Santa Maria) as preseason All-American McKenna Woliczko scored 21 points in less than three quarters of play and the Monarchs (9-0) raced to leads of 44-18 at halftime and 70-30 through three. St. Joseph, which got a combined 23 points from Ashlyn Waldram and Jazelle Oropeza, dropped to 9-5.

The fourth quarter was played under a running clock. Maliya Hunter scored 12 points and Niyati Bangalore and Ze’Ni Patterson combined for 17 as the Monarchs looked razor sharp in preparation for a second go-around with national No. 3 Ontario Christian in Day 2 of the Showcase. 

Tipoff Saturday at Carondelet is set for 3:30 p.m. (PDT). 

The first time the California powers met, it was no contest as then eighth-ranked Mitty carved up the top-ranked Knights, especially on the defensive end, in a 59-34 victory in the finals of the Nike Tournament of Champions on Dec. 21. 

High school girls basketball: Archbishop Mitty High school
Mitty 5-star junior All-American McKenna Woliczko scored 21 points Friday after earning MVP honors at the Nike TOC two weeks ago when the Monarchs defeated Ontario Christian in the finals. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Cummings doubled down on his decision to watch the Monarchs Friday look about as invincible as they were two weeks ago. MaxPreps has Mitty currently ranked No. 1 nationally and Ontario Christian No. 2. 

“We were able to see them this time and not sit in the stands and talk to each other like last time, but actually sit in the stands and focus on well, a legendary coach (Sue Phillips) and a legendary team and program,” Cummings said. “They owe them that much respect.

“So hopefully it translates to a better game and outcome.” 

It certainly translated well later Friday night when the Knights, utilizing a near-perfect 30-point third quarter rolled Arizona power Millennium 93-42 behind 24 points apiece from Kaleena Smith and Tati Griffin, 15 from 6-foot-7 freshman Sydney Douglas, 12 by Alanna Neale and 10 from Dani Robinson. 

Smith added seven assists, Douglas had 12 rebounds and four blocks and Griffin added 10 rebounds, three steals and four assists. 

High school girls basketball; Sabrina Ionescu Showcast; Concord California
The freshmen sensations, Tati Griffin (left) and Sydney Douglas with tough interior defense Friday versus Millennium. / Photo: Dennis Lee

It was the fifth straight win for Ontario Christian (19-1) since the loss to Mitty, all by startling lopsided scores — 99-39 (twice), 101-20 and 72-29. 

Needless to say, the loss seemed to have lit a fire under the Knights. 

Hit in the mouth

“We definitely went into the game estimating them, especially because we beat them in the summer,” Smith said. “I feel like they just hit us in the mouth first and it was a strong punch, and we never fought back.

High school girls basketball; Kaleena Smith
Kaleena Smith opens up about the disheartening 25-point loss to Mitty two weeks ago and how the Knights have bounced back. / Photo: Mitch Stephens

“I feel like we didn’t play our game at all and played even scared. To be honest, nothing went right. We couldn’t run our plays. We couldn’t defend. We couldn’t make a shot. So it was really going back to the drawing board and figuring everything out. I feel like we’ve had great practices since then that have really prepared us.” 

high school girls basketball; Sabrina Ionescu Showcase
Ontario Christian sophomore Kaleena Smith about to set sail on a free throw in Friday's 93-45 win over Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) at the 2025 Sabrina Ionescu Showcase in Concord, Calif. Smith had 24 points and seven assists. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Cummmings thinks the lopsided loser has a psychological edge over the winner in all cases. 

“That’s a slice of humble pie that if you didn’t take a loss and go back home and say — ‘How do we get better?’ — then you shouldn’t be doing what you’re doing. 

“We’ve taken that loss and have really got after it. We fixed the mistakes. I think we needed some more togetherness and I think we’ve seen that, including tonight.” 

It wasn’t perfect. 

Yes, the Knights are supremely talented with Smith, the top-rated sophomore in the country, flanked with two of the best freshmen, along with very skilled and gifted Neale, a 5-10 senior, and Robinson, a 5-10 sophomore. 

Fun, games, climb to top

That’s a total of five years of varsity experience heading into 2024-25. 

Cummings, an assistant last season, obviously loaded up with games from the get go. In Game 3, when they took care of two-time defending Open Champion and preseason No. 1 Etiwanda 74-66, the Knights vaulted right to the top of the national rankings, which has proven both to be a blessing and curse, Smith said.

High school girls basketball; Sabrina Ionescu Showcase
Ontario Christian 6-foot-7 freshman Sydney Douglas' mom Maylana (previously Martin) played basketball at UCLA and WNBA and her father Rome Douglas played in the NFL. She had 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks on Friday. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Asked if she’s having fun with all the success so fast, or has it proved to be a burden and added pressure, Smith said: “It’s definitely a fun process just playing with my sisters for sure and having my dad as a coach and a great coaching staff and great parents around us, I feel like it’s very great. It’s very fun. 

“And bonding with them, especially when we travel for a national schedule, I feel like that’s one of the reasons why we’re so close. 

“I feel like we could get closer, especially on the court, but for sure, it created stronger bonds. And climbing to the top so early is an advantage but also a disadvantage because you get everyone’s best game. 

High school girls basketball; Sabrina Ionescu Showcase
Ontario Christian freshman Tati Griffin scored 24 points in Friday's 93-45 win over Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) in the first day of the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase. Griffin came into the tournament averaging 17.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game to go along with 4.4 assists. / Photo: Dennis Lee

“But it is an advantage to show people like ‘we like that (team).’ This is the first year that Ontario Christian has been put on the map like this. We’re doing it for the school and the community of Ontario, and proving to everyone that this small private school can do really big things.” 

Etiwanda 79, Carondelet 56

high school girls basketball
Allyahna "Puff" Morris broke loose for 36 points in Friday's 79-56 victory over Carondelet in Day 1 of the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase in Concord, Calif. Morris is a Cal signee, giving local fans a preview of her skill set, shot-making and heart. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Aliyahna Morris, aka “Puff,” showed local fans what to expect in the future as the Cal-signee scored 36 points leading to a 48-point second half against the proud, young and stingy home team that got 13 points from Layla Dixon and cut the lead to single digits late in the third when 5-star Etiwanda 6-3 post Grace Knox sprained her ankle. 

But that’s when Morris and just eligible transfer Chasity Rice really kicked it into gear with constant pressure, transition and gobs of fastbreak points. The dynamic 5-5 duo keyed a 27-point fourth-quarter onslaught, which didn’t surprise coach Stan Delus one bit. 

“We’re very confident in our smaller lineup,” he said. “They don’t back down from anyone.” 

But missing Knox, no doubt, will hurt. The Eagles (9-4) traveled back to Southern California after Friday’s game to play in the Kevin Kiernan Classic at Mater Dei. Knox walked gingerly on her ankle after the game but it doesn’t appear she’ll be out for a long spell. 

high school girls basketball; California high school girls basketball
Eitwanda's 5-star post Grace Knox, an LSU signee, goes up for two of her eight points in 2.5 quarters before she went down with an ankle injury. She added six rebounds and three steals. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Delus said Morris will carry whatever load she needs to to help the two-time defending state champions get to their destination. 

Clearly, this team is still finding themselves and are still adjusting to life without McDonald’s All-American Kennedy Smith, now at USC. 

`She could have had 50'

“We have two state championships, two regional and section titles and play a national schedule because that little girl takes everything on her shoulders,” Delus said of Morris. “She always shows her heart like she did tonight to have 36 points in this hostile environment and it didn’t faze her one bit. She could have had 50.” 

High school girls basketball
Aliyahna "Puff" Morris goes up for 3 of her 36 points in Friday's 79-56 win over Carondelet in Day 1 of the 4th Sabrina Ionescu Showcase in Concord, Calif. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Morris, who added six assists and eight rebounds, isn’t so ferocious off the court. Soft spoken, easy to smile, she said the 36 were off her career high of 38. She said the win and playing well was No. 1 priority, but she did want to make an impression on what will be her home fans starting next season. 

“I’ve seen a lot of people in Cal gear walking around here,” she said. “I’m really excited to get to work with coach (Charmin Smith). It feels like a great community to be a part of. I’d love to be a part of something as great as that.” 

Delus said he’s already getting emotional thinking about life without Morris. But he’s got at least a couple of months yet. 

“I’m gonna tell her thank you maybe a thousand times because she continues to add to the legacy of this program,” he said. “She’s always good at taking things to another level and I’m sure she’ll do the same at Cal as well.” 

High school girls basketball
Before going out with injury, Etiwanda 5-star post Grace Knox was defended well for 2.5 quarters by Carondelet in the Eagles 79-56 win in the first day of the 2025 Sabrina Ionescu Showcase in Concord, Calif. Knox injured her ankle in the middle of the third quarter and did not return to action. / Photo: Dennis Lee

OTHER SCORES

At Carondelet

Miramonte 35, Washington-Fremont 33
Redwood-Larkspur 81, McNair 37
Piedmont 61, Clayton Valley 52

At De La Salle

Branson 50, Dougherty Valley 23
Liberty-Brentwood 57, Campolindo 47
Marin Catholic 47, Pinole Valley 29
St. Mary's-Stockton 55, Los Gatos 41
Jefferson (Ore.) 51, Rancho Buena Vista 43
Foothill-Palo Cedro 55, St. Patrick-St. Vincent 44
South Medford (Ore) 68, Acalanes 63

Published |Modified
Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.

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