SACRAMENTO - The 2024 state CIF Open Division championship rematch between Archbishop Mitty and Etiwanda was expected be another close affair like the 2023 game when Etiwanda won on a put-back with seconds remaining. However it was anything but that as the Eagles totally outplayed the Monarchs en route to a 60-48 victory.
Etiwanda (32-3) led by as many as 24 points on two occasions in the third quarter before Mitty put together its only run of the game when the Monarchs were able to cut it to 50-39 with around six minutes left, but the Eagles held them off and closed things out.
Etiwanda junior Aliyahna “Puff” Morris showed just why she may be the best true all-around point guard in the state. She took charge right from the beginning and finished with a game-high 20 points (2 three-pointers) with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Southern California-bound senior Kennedy Smith, who most analysts regard as the state’s top player, showed why against Mitty. When the 6-1 Smith decided to go to the basket she was unstoppable and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Mykelle Richards, a 6-2 senior forward, finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals. She made both of her three-point attempts in the third quarter. Grace Knox, a 6-foot-3 junior transfer from Nevada, didn’t quite get her usual double-double, but she did have 11 rebounds to go with eight points.
Mitty (30-1) trailed 16-10 after one quarter, 32-16 at the half and 50-29 heading to the final period.
“We got knocked on our heels and didn’t respond,” said Mitty head coach Sue Phillips. “I’m incredibly disappointed in the way we played in the first half. The bottom line is we fell short.”
Mitty got a solid game from 2023 junior sensation McKenna Woliczko. She finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds with six assists and three steals.
Sophomore Abigail James had 12 points off the bench, Lehigh-bound Belle Bramer added 10 points, but Connecticut-bound senior Morgan Cheli, who has been nursing a hamstring for over a month and missed the better part of nine games, clearly was not at full strength. She did have nine rebounds and five assists, but was held scoreless in the first half and finished with only four points.
“Our goal from the beginning of the year was to win it all,” Smith said.
This game was a tale of two teams with opposite streaks.
Mitty is now the first team to lose three straight Open Division title games and is now 0-4 in Open finals and 6-9 overall in state championships.
Etiwanda is now 2-0 in Open Division championships and that ties it with Sierra Canyon for the most Open titles and ties Delus with Sierra Canyon head coach Alicia Komaki as the only coaches to win two Open titles since 2013 when the CIF went to an Open Division.
