Aliyahna “Puff” Morris propels Etiwanda girls basketball team into WNBA Premier Gold Division final at So Cal Holiday Prep Classic

SAN DIEGO – Aliyahna “Puff” Morris has not only been one of the most reliable point guards in the country throughout her exceptional prep career competing for two-time California Open Division state champion Etiwanda High, but she has also developed into an efficient 3-point shooter for the Eagles, and that perimeter prowess was on display Saturday night against Beckman in the semifinals of the WNBA Premier Gold Division at the So Cal Holiday Prep Classic.

Morris was matching, if not outscoring, the entire Beckman lineup well into the third quarter, finishing with a game-high 29 points – including five 3-pointers – to go along with six rebounds, four assists and four steals, lifting the Eagles to an 83-41 victory at Canyon Hills High.

Post-game interviews

Etiwanda (7-4) advanced to the WNBA Premier Gold Division final at 4:30 p.m. PST Monday against Sidwell Friends of Washington D.C. (10-0) – a 60-48 semifinal winner against Mission Hills High (6-4) – in a showdown of elite national programs at Canyon Hills.

The Eagles secured a 71-56 victory last season against Sidwell Friends in the first meeting of the schools at the Army National Guard Hoophall Classic presented by Spalding in Springfield, Mass.

Morris helped Etiwanda win its third in a row in San Diego following an 88-79 loss Dec. 14 to Long Island Lutheran from New York in the championship game of the 40th Iolani Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the Cal signee scoring a career-high 38 points – highlighted by six 3-pointers – in the setback.

Morris opened the So Cal Holiday Prep Classic with 14 points in a 78-22 victory Thursday against Cerritos, followed by a 20-point effort Friday in a 64-38 quarterfinal triumph against San Diego Lincoln.

Morris scored 13 first-quarter points Saturday and had 23 points in the opening half to help Etiwanda build a 45-21 advantage at the break against Beckman.

Morris connected on a pair of 3-point field goals in the third quarter, before resting the majority of the fourth.

Grace Knox, an LSU commit, contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, with Chasity Rice adding 11 points and four steals for the Eagles, who forced 25 turnovers.

Arynn Finley had nine points and Shaena Brew produced eight points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals for Etiwanda, which also received six points from Andrea Alamo.

Knox scored 10 points, with Aliyah Phillips and Rice both adding eight points and Alamo contributing seven points Friday against San Diego Lincoln.

Alamo had 11 points, with Lisa Stewart, Knox and Phillips each scoring 10 points for the Eagles against Cerritos.

Beckman (10-5), which knocked off La Jolla Country Day by a 60-52 margin in Thursday’s opener before outlasting Oak Ridge 47-46 in overtime in Friday’s quarterfinals, received 13 points Saturday from Taylor Tam.

Natasha Jafari added eight points and five rebounds, with freshman Zeina Mitkhal scoring six second-half points for the Patriots, who will face Mission Hills at 3 p.m. PST Monday in the WNBA Premier Gold Division third-place game.

Jafari had 15 points and Alexia Gallegos contributed 14 points for Beckman against Oak Ridge, with freshman Aksharaa Prakashchander scoring nine points in the thrilling victory.

Gallegos led the Patriots with 15 points against La Jolla Country Day, with Beckman receiving 10 points from Taylor Tam, as well as nine points apiece from Jafari and sophomore Jeanette Fabella, in addition to eight points each from Mitkhal and Prakashchander.

Sidwell Friends (D.C.) 60, Mission Hills 48: Following a 68-55 quarterfinal victory Friday against previously undefeated Piedmont High, the Grizzlies were looking to knock off another unbeaten program in the WNBA Premier Gold Division semifinals, scoring the first nine points of the second quarter to grab a one-point lead with five minutes left in the first half.

Mission Hills girls basketball | Photo courtesy of Mission Hills

Unfortunately for Mission Hills, its youth and inexperience against an elite lineup the caliber of Sidwell Friends resulted in the Quakers scoring 21 unanswered points – including the final 14 of the half – during an eight-minute span that extended into the third quarter, as the Grizzlies missed 12 consecutive shots and were also hurt by committing four turnovers during the disappointing stretch.

Bay Cordova, a sophomore guard, followed her 24-point performance against Piedmont by scoring a game-high 23 points for Mission Hills, including 13 in the second half.

Cordova helped the Grizzlies – the 2021 WNBA Premier Gold Division champion – cut into a 23-point second-half deficit, pulling Mission Hills as close as 57-46 with 2:30 remaining.

Following a 15-point performance against Piedmont, Izzy Medina scored nine second-half points against Sidwell Friends for the Grizzlies, who made five 3-pointers during their late run after knocking down only two 3-point field goals in the opening half.

Sidwell Friends hit eight 3-pointers, including five in the first half to build a 31-18 advantage.

Jayla Jackson, a junior for Sidwell Friends, followed a 29-point effort Friday in a 51-39 victory against California High from Whittier by scoring a team-high 22 points – 14 in the opening half – against Mission Hills.

Autumn Fleary contributed 11 points and Genesis Schneeberg added nine points and eight rebounds for Sidwell Friends, which is attempting to become the first program from outside California to win the WNBA Premier Gold Division in tournament history.

HC Harding had 12 points in the victory against Piedmont for Mission Hills, which will face Beckman for the first time since 2010 in the WNBA Premier Gold Division third-place showdown.