MESA, Ariz. – Archbishop Mitty delivered one of the most thrilling victories in the history of the Nike Tournament of Champions last season to outlast Long Island Lutheran High of New York by one point in the Vincent Cannizzaro Division final.
Although Thursday’s matchup against Clackamas High from Oregon was only a quarterfinal showdown for the Monarchs, it resembled last year’s championship performance in terms of clutch plays, last-second heroics and the exceptional efforts of McKenna Woliczko.
After Clackamas senior Jazzy Davidson, a USC commit, made a pair of free throws late in regulation to force overtime, Woliczko took over in the extra period, scoring seven of the Monarchs’ nine points to finish with a career-high 38 to go along with 17 rebounds in an 83-77 victory at Skyline High.
Archbishop Mitty (6-0) won its eighth consecutive tournament game during the past three seasons, advancing to face Mater Dei (11-1) – a 53-49 quarterfinal winner against Bishop McNamara from Maryland – in Friday’s semifinals.
It will mark the first matchup among the California powers since the 2019 West Coast Jamboree, with Mater Dei securing a 47-41 victory against Archbishop Mitty.
Mater Dei was also the last program to capture consecutive titles in the top division at Nike Tournament of Champions, winning three in a row from 2012-14.
Woliczko made sure Archbishop Mitty remained in contention for a potential repeat, scoring 23 of her points in the second half and overtime.
Davidson finished with 35 points, including 25 in the second half and overtime for Clackamas (2-1), which opened its season Dec. 10 with a 66-65 overtime victory against Willamette.
Davidson scored 29 points, including the final seven of the contest to help the Cavaliers edge Willamette.
But Davidson was only able to contribute two points during the four-minute extra period Thursday, as Clackamas managed only three points in overtime overall.
Ze’Ni Patterson added 15 points and Tiera McCarthy produced 10 points for Archbishop Mitty, which led 34-33 at halftime and held a 56-53 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Allie Roden and Sara Barhoum both contributed 12 points apiece for Clackamas, which faces Bishop McNamara (5-1) in Friday’s fifth-place semifinals.
In other Vincent Cannizzaro Division games:
Mater Dei 53, Bishop McNamara (Maryland) 49: The Monarchs (11-1) limited Bishop McNamara to one fourth-quarter field goal, rallying for a quarterfinal victory at Skyline High.
Addie Deal had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists, with Kaeli Wynn adding 20 points, six rebounds and five assists for Mater Dei, which outscored the Mustangs by a 14-5 margin in the final quarter.
Mater Dei earned a semifinal matchup Friday with reigning tournament champion Archbishop Mitty (6-0).
Amaya Williams contributed eight points and four rebounds for Mater Dei, which trailed by a 33-25 margin at halftime.
Qandace Samuels led Bishop McNamara with 12 points and Zhen Craft added 11, including all five fourth-quarter points for the Mustangs, who led 44-39 following the third.
Ontario Christian 88, Grandview (Colorado) 70: For the second straight tournament contest, the top-ranked Knights (13-0) had five scorers in double figures, led by sophomore Kaleena Smith producing 26 points at Skyline High.
Freshman Tatianna Griffin added 20 points for Ontario Christian, which opened the event Wednesday with an 86-18 victory against Brookswood Secondary from British Columbia, Canada.
Tatiana Griffin of Ontario Christian | Jerome Reed photo
Alanna Neale scored 18 points, with Dani Robinson and freshman Sydney Douglas both contributing 12 points for the Knights, who held a 58-50 advantage entering the fourth quarter, before pulling away with a late surge to advance to Friday’s semifinals against Bullis School from Maryland (4-2), a 59-48 winner against Purcell Marian of Ohio.
Ontario Christian made 14 3-pointers Thursday, including six for Smith.
Sienna Betts, a UCLA commit, led Grandview with 28 points and Ava Chang scored 23 points – including five 3-pointers – for the Wolves, who are scheduled to compete Friday against Purcell Marian of Ohio in a fifth-place semifinal matchup.
Christ the King (New York) 65, Sage Hill 53: The Lightning (7-5) trailed 35-24 at halftime and were unable to mount a comeback in their consolation quarterfinal contest at Skyline High.
Eve Fowler had 14 points for Sage Hill, with Leah O’toner and Amalia Holguin both scoring 10 points apiece for Sage Hill, which closed the deficit to four points midway though the fourth quarter before Christ the King (4-2) received timely contributions down the stretch.
Josephine Pinnock led the Royals by scoring 23 points, with Arielle Lopez contributing 17 points and Olivia Vukosa adding 16 points, as Christ the King rebounded from a 59-49 setback Wednesday against Mater Dei.
Kamdyn Klamberg had eight points for Sage Hill, which squares off Friday against Princeton High from Ohio in a 13th-place semifinal contest.