PLEASANT HILL, CA – If the first day of the Platinum Division of the 20th Anniversary West Coast Jamboree played at College Park proved anything, it was that the top five teams in the current state rankings are more than just a notch above some of the teams in the rankings second tier.
Cal-Hi Sports No. 1 Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth got it done, and Nos. 4 and 5 Mater Dei-Santa Ana and Archbishop Mitty-San Jose each rolled to blowout wins, while No. 7 St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda also found a way to win.
In the nightcap Sierra Canyon couldn’t shake a game Cal-Hi Sports No. 14 ranked Cardinal Newman until the second half when the defending CIF Open Division champions pulled away in the third quarter to post a 56-38 victory after only leading 25-23 at halftime.
Duke-bound senior Vanessa De Jesus led Sierra Canyon with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals, and she was a steadying hand in a first half where she had 14 points against a scrappy group of Newman girls.
Senior Vanessa Smart added 12 points on four three-pointers with three treys coming after halftime. Boise State-committed Alexis Mark had 10 points, six rebounds and three steals, and Texas-bound senior Ashley Chevalier went down writhing with pain midway through the first quarter but she returned in the second quarter and had eight points that all came in the second half. Senior Rosemary Odebunmi also had eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
UC Santa Barbara-bound Anya Choice led Cardinal Newman (10-1) with a game-high 26 points and proved she could produce against a nationally-ranked opponent like Sierra Canyon.
Chevalier opened the second half with a three pointer then added another long shot from beyond the arc to open a 33-26 lead that ballooned to 42-27 at the end of the third as the San Fernando Valley girls at the point sealed the deal.
Archbishop Mitty blasts Clovis North
The first two Platinum Division games were blowouts.
In the first game legendary Archbishop Mitty Coach Sue Phillips got career coaching win No. 699 after her Monarchs posted a running clock 73-28 victory over a very solid No. 22 ranked Clovis North-Fresno.
Even with junior star Hunter Hernandez out with a knee injury until at least the next several weeks, and fellow junior Marley Langi nursing an Achilles heel strain, Mitty looked impressive.
The Monarchs only led 13-12 in the early second quarter but Phillips girls became vise-like on defense and it resulted in a 38-2 run that more than took the starch out of a Clovis North team fresh off a third-place finish at the second toughest division at the Nike TOC.
“It’s pretty amazing what these kids are doing without two of our three top players and almost 40 points a game sitting on the bench,” Phillips remarked. “”To hold a quality team like Clovis North to 28 points is some pretty darn good defense.”
Mitty junior star Olivia Williams was red hot from the outside and finished with 22 points with six three-pointers. Fellow junior Sydney Bourland was like a driving machine as she continually blew past defenders to finish with 10 points. Junior Katie Springs came off the bench for 10 points and another junior, Amelia Scharpf, had a game high 11 rebounds,
Senior Rowan Hein led Clovis North 11-3 with 13 hard earned points. Fellow senior and leading scorer Savannah Tucker, who had 115 points in the four-game TOC, was completely taken out of the game by the Mitty defense and only managed one basket and four free-throws for six points.
Mater Dei throttles Bishop O’Dowd
Stanford-committed junior sensation Brooke Demetre nailed her first three-pointer to give Mater Dei (11-1) a 5-0 lead and the Monarchs never looked back in 69-30 victory over Cal-Hi Sports No. 11 Bishop O’Dowd.
Demetre, a 6-3 wing that can go inside or out finished with a game high 23 points on three three-pointers, with eight rebounds, two assists and two block in less than three quarters of play.
Junior guard Alyssa Frescas put on a show and continues to see her stock rise with college coaches. Early on she hit two NBA range three-pointers and nailed two more to finish with 17 points. Another junior, power forward Meaali’i Amosa, controlled the inside and finished with 11 rebounds to go with seven points.
“Those two three pointers by Alyssa were well beyond the NBA line. I think next year we’re lobbying for four-pointers mused Mater Dei Coach Kevin Kiernan, the state’s all time winningest coach who notched career win No. 786.
Bishop O’Dowd (5-2) was coming off a 43-40 win over No. 10 ranked Rosary Academy-Fullerton in the fifth place game of the Anderson Division at the TOC. The Dragons got a team high 12 points from sophomore standout Amaya Bonner.
St. Joseph Notre Dame needs overtime to beat Spanish Springs
The closest of the four quarterfinal Platinum Division games was St. Joseph Notre Dame and Northern Nevada’s top team Spanish Springs-Sparks in a 60-54 overtime victory by the Pilots over the girls from the Reno suburbs.
St. Joseph Notre Dame (6-0) took a 43-41 lead into the fourth quarter but went ice cold and with 2:41 left they trailed 53-45 and it looked like they were done, but then the Pilots defense clamped down and Cougars went freezing cold with only a single free-throw in the final 6:29 of the game.
Junior Makena Mastora led a balanced Pilots attack with 15 points, including five of the team’s seven points in the extra period. Her older sister, senior Malia Mastora, added 11 points and eight rebounds, and sophomore standout Talana Lepolo chipped in with eight points and four assists.
Spanish Springs (9-1) got an outstanding game from Kara Clayton, The senior center had a game high double-double 17 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Mariah Barraza added 13 points.
The semifinals are now set with Archbishop Mitty and Mater Dei squaring off at 6:30 at College Park and Sierra Canyon and Cardinal Newman following at 8:00 in the nightcap.
