Ontario Christian, Archbishop Mitty lead 28 California girls basketball teams at Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona

The top two girls basketball teams in California lead a group of 28 entries representing the state across seven divisions scheduled to compete Dec. 18-21 in the 27th Nike Tournament of Champions in Mesa, Ariz.

Ontario Christian (10-0), led by sophomore Kaleena Smith, received the top seed in the Vincent Cannizzaro Division and No. 2 Archbishop Mitty (4-0) – the reigning tournament champion led by junior McKenna Woliczko – returns in pursuit of becoming the first program to repeat in the top bracket since Mater Dei won three consecutive titles from 2012-14.

Mater Dei (8-1) and Sage Hill (7-2), which meet in a nonleague matchup Saturday, are also among the 16 teams entered in the Vincent Cannizzaro Division, with games taking place during the four-day event at Skyline High and Dobson High.

The Vincent Cannizzaro Division final Dec. 21 is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST at Skyline High.

Archbishop Mitty earned a 73-72 victory last year against Long Island Lutheran of New York in the Vincent Cannizzaro Division final, the first championship in the top bracket for the Monarchs since 2017.

Archbishop Mitty has already prevailed in the Sweet Sixteen Invitational, defeating host La Jolla Country Day by a 65-40 margin in the Dec. 7 final.

Archbishop Mitty girls basketball | Photo courtesy of Archbishop Mitty

Ontario Christian placed 13th in last year’s Vincent Cannizzaro Division, defeating Mater Dei on the final day of competition.

The Knights have already won tournament titles this season in events at Harvard-Westlake and Troy.

Sage Hill is returning to compete in the Vincent Cannizzaro Division after not attending the annual event in Arizona last season.

A trio of California entries are in the Joe Smith Division, including La Jolla Country Day (5-2), led by the winningest coach in San Diego Section history in Terri Bamford.

Villa Park (9-0) and Moreno Valley (7-4) are also among the 16 teams scheduled to compete in the Joe Smith Division.

Five programs from the state are part of the bracket in the John Anderson Division.

Carondelet (5-1), Stockton St. Mary’s (4-2), San Diego Lincoln (4-3), JSerra (6-3) and Lynwood (1-6) are among the 16-team field in the division.

The deepest group from California is in the Mike Desper Division, with seven teams making up nearly half the bracket, as Caruthers (4-0), Rialto (8-1), Mater Dei Catholic (4-1), Bishop O’Dowd (2-1), Orange Lutheran (7-2), Christian Brothers (2-2) and St. Anthony (6-4) are all scheduled to participate.

The Dan Wiley Division features four teams from the state, with Clayton Valley Charter (2-0), Inderkum (5-1), Canyon Country Canyon (4-3) and Chula Vista Victory Christian Academy (1-3) expected to compete.

Lakewood St. Joseph (6-0), Huntington Beach (4-1) and Valley View (4-2) are part of the 16-team field in the Derril Kipp Division.

Bear River (4-2) and Santa Fe Christian (2-3) are scheduled to compete in the Marcia Pinder Division.