CIF California girls basketball semifinal roundup, preview to regional finals (3-5-2024)
From buzzer beaters to blowouts to nail-biters to massive upsets, the road to the CIF California Regional girls basketball finals have been wide and varied. Almost as long and diverse as the Golden State itself.
Below is a roundup of the semifinal games leading into Tuesday's 12 championship games. The winners advance to the State Championships Friday and Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, home of the NBA Kings.
All Tuesday games tip off at 7 p.m., unless noted below.
Open Division
NORTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 1 Mitty 82, No. 5 Folsom 71
Sophomore McKenna Woliczko had 28 points and nine rebounds, and McDonald’s All-American Morgan Cheli, returning from a leg injury that sidelined her eight games, added 19 points leading the nation’s top-ranked team to a tough victory over a game Folsom squad (26-6) that got 19 points from Jada Tupou and 15 from Cal-bound post Kamryn Mafua. Elana Weisman added 16 points for the Monarchs, who will host Clovis West (31-2), a 69-57 winner over St. Mary’s-Stockton. Since a 73-72 win over previous national No. 1 Long Island Lutheran on Dec. 21, the smallest margin of victory for the Monarchs before Saturday was by 20 points. The smallest against a team from California was 28. The Monarchs had eight days between games heading into Saturday’s game. They also welcomed back starter and Lehigh-signee Belle Bramer (five points), also out with an injury. “We definitely had some uncharacteristic mishaps,” Mitty coach Sue Phillips said via text. “It’s unclear if it was a function of the quality of Folsom or rust — maybe a combination of the two. Either way it was great to have both Morgan and Belle back on the court.”
It's difficult guarding 6-foot-2 leaper McKenna Woliczko (20)
Photo: Greg Jungferman
No. 2 Clovis West 69, No. 3 St. Mary’s-Stockton 57
Senior point guard Athena Tomlinson had 30 points for Clovis West, holding off the Rams and McDonald’s All-American Jordan Lee who had 29 points. “They key to beating a great team is believing you can win, coming out hard, hitting ‘em in the mouth,” Boston College bound Tomlinson told yourcentralvalley.com. “That’s how you beat great teams and I believe Clovis West, this team can do it.”
Athena Tomlinson (0), Clovis West
File photo: Leon Neuschwander
Tuesday’s championship
No. 2 Clovis West (31-2) at No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (29-0), 6 p.m.
History: Mitty has won three of four since 2016, but the one defeat was a stinger as Clovis West won the CIF State Open championship, 44-40. The Monarchs have ended Clovis West's season the last two seasons by scores of 53-45 and 63-43. The only other meeting between the team's was a regular-season doozy, with Mitty winning 76-75 on Dec. 10, 2016.
SOUTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 1 Etiwanda 76, No. 4 Mater Dei 58
The nation's No. 3 team not only advanced to the finals, but it ended the state's winningest coach Kevin Kiernan on a losing note. It was no big surprise. The Eagles got 17 points from McDonald's All-American Kennedy Smith, Grace Knock added 16 points and 13 rebounds and Arynn Finley and Aliyahna "Puff" Morris contributed 12 apiece. Jenessa Cotton led all scorers for Mater Dei with 25 points, but were without top sophomore recruit Kaeli Wynn, who had 29 points in a regional opener but injured her ankle Thursday at practice. It's Etiwanda's fourth consecutive regional final. Kiernan finished his career with 900 wins. "I am humbled," Etiwanda coach Stan Delus told the Orange Country Register reporter Pete Marshall: I am humbled. "We lost to Lynnwood and every since then we've been pushing an amazing run of basketball with different teams. ... (Kiernan) is pretty special to me. He took care of one of my (trainee) kids 13 years ago. I brought her to him. He took care of her. ... I told him 'Thank you for what you've done for the girls game.' " Kiernan told Marshall: "I have no regrets (retiring). I feel good about my decision. I love these guys, they're great kids. I want to have a little different vantage point (he has two daughters on the team). Instead of yelling at them, I'll be yelling for them."
Etiwanda's Kennedy Smith (11) and Mykelle Richards (22) celebrate their win over Sierra Canyon in the CIF Southern Section Open Division girls basketball final at Cal Baptist University on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.
Andy Holzman
No. 2 Sierra Canyon 76, No. 3 Ontario Christian 69
Super sophomore Jerzy Robinson had 29 points and McDonald's All-American Mackenly Randloph added 19 points and Izela Arenas contributed 17 for the Trailblazers, who qualified for their seventh regional title game in 12 years. Sierra Canyon held off one of the nation's top scorers and top freshmen Kaleena Smith, who made eight 3-pointers and had 35 points. Amanda Ajobiewe added 14 points.
Sierra Canyon's Mackenly Randolph (4) is ready for some redemption. Not looking particularly pleased vs. Sierra Canyon in the CIF Southern Section Open Division girls basketball final at Cal Baptist University on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.
Andy Holzman
Tuesday’s championship
No. 2 Sierra Canyon (31-2) at No. 1 Etiwanda (30-3)
History: The SoCal super powers have played nine times since 2012, with Etiwanda winning six times, including the last two — taking last year's regional title 55-54 en route to the state Open championship — and two weeks ago for the Southern Section title, 65-44. Asked about getting a little payback, Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki told the Daily News: "We just want to win. We don't just expect to get there, we want to win it."
Division 1
NORTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 4 Carondelet 62, No. 16 McClatchy 54 (OT)
Layla Dixon had 19 points and Keshia Vitalicio added 18, including eight consecutive free throw makes in overtime, as the fourth-seeded Cougars (29-6) survived another huge upset by 16th-seeded McClatchy, which got 18 points from Norret Lewis and 17 by Nina Cain.
No. 2 Bishop O’Dowd 58, No. 3 Oak Ridge 50
Savannah Jones had 19 points, Devin Cosgriff 13 and Nyah Greenwood and Jayla Stokes combined for 17 to lead the host and second-seeded Dragons (23-6) past the third-seeded Trojans (26-8). O'Dowd, winners of 13 of 14, has been dominating at regionals defeating St. Francis (76-27) and CCS Open finalist St. Ignatius (56-27).
Tuesday’s championship
No. 4 Carondelet (29-6) at No. 3 Bishop O’Dowd (23-6)
History: The perennial Bay Area powers have faced off five times since 2009, with Carondelet holding a 3-2 edge, including a 57-47 win last season in the 2022 North Coast Section Open Division semifinals. O'Dowd got a small measure of payback defeating Carondelet 51-37 in the third-place game of the Open Division just two weeks ago.
Carondelet 5-11 sophomore Layla Dixon (10).
File photo: Sam Stringer
South
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 1 Bishop Montgomery 74, No. 4 La Jolla Country Day 60
Jordin Blackmon had 22 points and Cal State Domminguez Hills-bound Tiara Jones added 15 leading Bishop Montgomery to victory and its 10th regional final but first since 2010. According to the Torrance Daily Breeze, three other Knights finished in double figures — Armanyie Reed with 13 points (nine rebounds), Atiya Watson (12 points) and Cyriah Coleman (11). Naomi Panganiban had 26 points and Mahlia Washington added 18 for La Jolla Country Day (26-8).
No. 7 Brentwood School 69, No. 11 Moreno Valley 66
Jocelyn Pascual and Lev Feiman scored 24 points each as Brentwood won its eighth straight game and 13th out of 14 against a equally hot Moreno Valley team, that went on a 25-10 run to take a 54-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But the Eagles outscored the Vikings 28-12 in the fourth to advance. Moreno Valley had also won 13 of 14 coming in.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 7 Brentwood School (27-8) at No. 1 Bishop Montgomery (21-5)
History: The teams have met seven times since 2005, but had a 13-year lull before Bishop Montgomery beat the Eagles the last two season in early-season action, 62-51 in 2022 and 70-55 last Nov. 29. Overall Bishop Montgomery holds a 5-2 edge.
Division 2
NORTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 4 Colfax 51, No. 9 Maria Carrillo 40
Overcoming a slow start — scoring just four points in the first five minutes — the Falcons caught fire behind sophomore Madalyn Sigrist, who scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the first half. Juliette James added 10 points. Colfax is the defending Northern California Division 3 champion.
No. 3 Pleasant Valley 64, No. 10 Oakland Tech 62
In the shot heard-round the state, AJ Gambol hit an improbable 18-footer from the corner at the buzzer after a perfect feed from Ava Dunn as the Vikings fought back from an 8-point deficit in the final two minutes to beat the three time defending state champs. Gambol, a junior guard and program's all-time leading scorer, willed the team's win with 28 points.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 4 Colfax (33-2) at No. 3 Pleasant Valley (26-7)
History: There's been nine meetings since 2008 with Pleasant Valley winning five, including a 58-48 decision on Dec. 3. Colfax defeated the Vikings twice in 2020, including a 47-44 win in the NorCal D4 semifinals. "People laugh at us as the small school and think we’re not very good," Colfax coach Rexanne Simpton told Gold Country Media. "These girls just battle and they play for each other. They play for the school and for each other. If we leave it all on the floor and do the things that we're supposed to do, good things happen.” Said Pleasant Valley coach Bob Paddock: "Colfax is very fundamentally sound and disciplined and they play tough man-to-man defense, They play very, very hard."
SOUTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 4 Harvard-Westlake 54, No. 1 Oak Park 45
Deana Thompson had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Angelina Habis added 13 points leading the visiting Wolverines to the upset over Oak Park, which had won 21 straight after starting the year 1-7. The one win in the early going was 64-62 over Harvard-Westlake, which offered a little payback along with the NorCal semifinal win. The Wolverines jumped on the Eagles this time with a 16-7 lead after one quarter. The rest of the game was even.
No. 10 Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks 59, No. 11 Santa Margarita 55
Natalie Villamor had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Peyton Chalmers added 12 leading the Knights to victory in a battle of high seeds. Notre Dame led 16-9 after one quarters and 26-18 after two before Santa Margarita made a run.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 10 Notre Dame (22-13) at No. 4 Harvard-Westlake (17-18), 5 p.m.
History: There's a lot of history before these league rivals with Harvard-Westlake holding a 20-9 edge since 2005, including a six-game win streak. Two of those wins were this season, 75-71 at Notre Dame on Jan. 9 when Thompson went for 22 points, V Guerrero 16, Habis 15 and Holleen Vann for 14. Habis and Vann are freshmen. Villamor had 20 in defeat in that one. The Wolverines also won 55-35 at home on Jan. 25, giving up just 16 points in the second half. Thompson had 19 points and nine rebounds in that one.
Division 3
NORTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 1 University 50, No. 13 Cornerstone Christian 45
Under former USF women's coach and Hall of Famer Mary Hile-Nepfel, the Red Devils won for the 11th time in 13 meetings with a tough win over the Cougars (27-8).
No. 14 Caruthers 36, No. 2 Central-Fresno 34
The Blue Raiders locked down on defense, giving up just three points in the fourth quarter and got a big offensive game from Anna Almeida to keep their fairytale season alive. Caruthers fought back from a double-digit deficit most of the way.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 14 Caruthers (23-8) at No. 1 University (27-7)
History: University definitely has a score to settle after last season as the top seed in D3, the Red Devils were hammered at home by Caruthers, then the ninth seed, 95-62 when then senior Morgan Trigueiro erupted for 35 points. Caruthers' top three scorers that night all graduated, but Almeida, then a freshman and now a 5-8 sophomore, have more to prove as the 14th seed. University, led by seniors Gabriellla Kelley and Isabella Perez, along with junior Kate Kennedy and sophomore Olivia Soenens, certainly remember Caruthers ending their season in 2023.
SOUTH
Saturday’s semifinalsSara Shein had 23 points and Alexis Bila 20
No. 5 Granada Hills 54, No. 16 Cathedral Catholic 51
Brigita Bulotaite had 20 points and Karma Paez 11 as the Highlanders outscored the Dons 26-17 in the second half to pull out the victory.
No. 2 Bakersfield Christian 73, No. 6 Rancho Bernardo 52
Sara Shein had 23 points, Alexis Bila 20 and Riley Anwyl 13 as Bakersfield Christian on its ninth straight game. It offsent a combined 32 points from Resse Tokushige, Lindsay Biddle and Amaya Lane for Rancho Bernardo.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 5 Granada Hills Charter (20-11) at No. 2 Bakersfield Christian (28-7)
History: The programs have never met and neither have won a regional championship.
Division 4
NORTH
Saturday’s semifinal
No. 2 Arcata 47, No. 14 Notre Dame-San Jose 24
Senior Nora Talty and sophomores Mae and Tae Wolford, led the way for the Tigers, who gave up just 12 points in each have to the normally-high scoring squad from San Jose.
Monday’s semifinal
St. Bernard's 49, Foothill-Palo Cedro 42
In a game delayed two days due to bad weather, Laila Florvilus improved on a her 22.3 scoring average to lift the Crusaders, who also got strong play from sisters Jocelyn and Samantha Sundberg.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 2 Arcata (22-8) at No. 1 St. Bernard's (28-5)
History: Arcata has owned the series between Humboldt County rivals, winning 22 of 28 meetings over the last 20 years. But St. Bernard's has won the last two, both this season, 49-41 on Jan. 23 and 52-49 just two weeks later. Florvilus had 25 in the first victory, while she and Madelyn Shanahan combined for 33 points the second time around.
SOUTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 4 Grossmont 57, No. 1 Newbury Park 39
The visiting Foothillers went on a 23-9 run in the second quarter and gave up just 13 points in the middle two quarters to win going away. Kimiko Carmer had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Newbury Park (27-8).
No. 7 Fallbrook 42, No. 11 Oceanside 35
Grace Nordeen, a freshman, had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Janice Garcia contributed 11 points as the host Warriors gave up just 24 points over the last three quarters to win going away. Claire Nordeen added 15 rebounds for the winners. Aubrey Madden and Kaitlyn Kaye combined for 22 points and six 3-pointers for Oceanside (21-10).
Tuesday’s championship
No. 7 Fallbrook (26-8) at No. 4 Grossmont (26-8):
History: The teams have met just once, a 68-32 Fallbrook win in the first round of the San Diego Section Division 1 playoffs last season. Claire Nordeen had 29 points and 20 rebounds in that one.
Division 5
NORTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 13 Oakland 57, No. 9 Woodland Christian 40
Daijha Teague scored 16 points and Tyliana Velasquez and Ojiugo Egeonu combined for 19 as the Wildcats rolled despite 13 from Woodland Christian's Siena Sorbello.
No. 7 Crystal Springs Uplands 53, No. 6 Trinity-Weaverville 45
Maile Bateman had 22 points and Jemma Lacap 14 for Crystals Springs which led start-to-finish.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 13 Oakland (21-10) at No. 7 Crystal Springs Uplands (14-12)
History: These teams have never met and Crystal Springs has never made it to a NorCal regional, while the Wildcats won region and state D3 titles in 2019.
SOUTH
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 1 Montgomery 41, No. 4 Immanuel 39
Paul a Zumstein had 18 points, eight rebounds and six blocks leading the Aztecs to their 13th straight win.
No. 6 Escondido Charter 44, No. 2 Savanna 37
Escondido Charter forced 11 turnovers in the third quarter alone and Noelle Champagne scored 10 of her game-high 14 points in the first half as the White Tigers rolled to their first regional title after winning their first section title. They've won 17 straight games.
Tuesday’s championship
No. 6 Escondido Charter (24-11) at No. 1 Montgomery-San Diego (24-11)
History: The programs played just once and it wasn't pretty. Montgomery prevailed 78-19 in a nonleague game as Zumstein, then a freshman, had 13 points.
