DUBLIN, Calif. – As the No. 9 ranked team in the latest Maxpreps national rankings and No. 5 in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings released two weeks ago, the Mater Dei-Santa Ana girls were stamped as heavy favorites to capture the Platinum Division of the 24th annual West Coast Jamboree. After the Monarchs performance on Friday night at Dublin High they played the role to near perfection after an opening rebound 91-25 victory over Oakland Tech.
Iowa-bound senior Addie Deal led Mater Dei with a double-double 27 points (two three-pointers) and 10 steals plus eight rebounds and seven assists, all in three quarters of a game that went to a running clock in the fourth quarter. Junior Kaeli Wynn, the daughter of Monarchs head coach Jody Wynn, scored the game’s first eight points and finished with 23 points (four three-pointers), six rebounds and three steals, also in three quarters of work.
The senior duo of Devyn Kiernan and Grand Canyon-committed Amaya Willims added 9 points, six rebounds and three assists and eight points and three assists, respectively.
After Wynn scored the first eight points of the game the onslaught didn’t stop there as Mater Dei (13-2) stretched the opening run lead to 20-0 and led 30-7 after one quarter, 53-15 at the half and 82-20 after three quarters.
Oakland Tech (6-3) got 16 points and eight rebounds from junior Terri’A Russell but only three other girls scored the remaining nine points for the Cal-Hi Sports No. 25 ranked Bulldogs.
Windward rolls past Kamehameha
Windward-Los Angeles, a Cal-Hi Sports top 30 ranked team, punched its ticket to the Platinum Division semifinals with a 50-34 victory over Hawaain No. 1 ranked Kamehameha Kapalama of Honolulu.
The top ranked team from the Island State stayed with a Windward and only trailed 22-16 at the half, but an 8-0 run to start the second half gave the Southern California girls a cushion they rode all the way to the final buzzer.
University of Central Florida-committed senior Samari Bankhead led Windward (7-5) with a solid 15 point effort against a Kamehameha team that has come to the Jamboree over the last several years and always challenges the top teams.
Freshman sensation Amel Cook, one of only three California players from the class of 2028 to make ESPNW Top 25 Watch List, added 13 points (one three-pointer) and budding sophomore star Charis Rainey chipped in with 10 points.
Kamehameha (12-3) got 10 points from both senior Makenzie Alapai and junior Rylee Paranada.
Bishop Montgomery outlasts St. Mary’s
The closest of the four quarterfinal Platinum Division matchups saw Cal-Hi Sports No. 8 Bishop Montgomery-Torrance hang on for a 51-47 victory against a shorthanded St. Mary’s-Stockton in what winning head coach Rheina Ale called an “ugly” contest.
In a back-and-fourth quarter after the teams were tied 38-38 at the end of the third, St. Mary’s took its final lead at 45-44 on a basket by sophomore Ava Perez, but Rice-bound Bishop Montgomery senior star Jordin Blackmon powered her way to the basket to score and was fouled. She converted the free-throw and the Knights had a 47-45 lead. Budding freshman Amani Rafiq scored to tie things at 47-47.
St. Mary’s had an opportunity to take the lead after Bishop Montgomery missed two free-throws on the next sequence, but they could not convert, and once again Blackmon drove the lane and scored with 23.4 seconds left to make it 49-47. St. Mary’s had another opportunity but they could not put the ball in the basket. At that point they had to foul and sophomore Kali Pascual converted two free-throws for the game’s final points.
Blackmon led Bishop Montgomery (10-2) with 20 points, including 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Armanyie Reed, who his a near NBA-range three-pointer at the first half that gave Bishop Montgomery a 29-26 lead, added 11 points.
Cal-Hi Sports No. 15 St. Mary’s (6-6) has already been playing without injured sophomore Kori Rogers, but on Friday junior power forward Evelini Smith missed the game due to a family commitment.
St. Mary’s had two players in double-figure scoring with Perez and Rafiq getting 16 and 13 points, respectively.
McClatchy 73, Clovis 56
After only leading by four in the early second half Cal-Hi Sports No. 16 McClatchy-Sacramento pulled away from No. 19 Clovis to win decisively.
The semifinals are now set for Saturday. McClatchy will face Windward at 5pm and Mater take takes on Bishop Montgomery at 6:30pm.
On the consolation side Clovis and Kamehameha meet at 2pm and St. Mary’s faces Oakland Tech at 3:3Opm.
All games are at Dublin High.
