Ontario Christian girls basketball team prevails against Sierra Canyon to advance to first CIF-Southern Section Open Division final

ONTARIO – There have been high expectations placed throughout the season on the young Ontario Christian girls basketball team.

So far, Ontario Christian been meeting those expectations.

Saturday, the top-seeded and No. 1-nationally ranked Knights downed fourth-seeded Sierra Canyon 62-52 in the final round of CIF Southern Section Open Division pool play at Ontario Christian.

Post-game interviews

The victory sends the Knights (28-1) to the Open Division championship game against No. 2 Etiwanda on March 1 at 8:30 p.m. at the Toyota Arena in Ontario.

Sierra Canyon and Etiwanda had faced one another each of the past three years in the championship game. This year, Sierra Canyon won’t play again until the CIF State playoffs begin March 5.

Saturday’s game was the first between the programs since Sierra Canyon eliminated Ontario Christian in the state playoffs last year by a 76-69 margin.

“Obviously, I’m proud of the girls,” Ontario Christian first-year head coach Aundre Cummings said. “This time last year, we got put out (of the playoffs); we were crying in the locker room. We can rejoice in this, but then we have to get back to work on Monday.”

Etiwanda and Ontario Christian will be facing each other for the second time this season. Ontario Christian won the first matchup Nov. 23 with a 74-66 victory in the final of the Harvard-Westlake tournament.

Saturday, the Knights never trailed, but it took a while to put Sierra Canyon away. 

The largest first-half lead was 31-18, but the Trailblazers closed to within four points early in the third quarter. The lead never got larger than 13 points in the second half, but the Trailblazers (27-2) also never got closer than nine points in the final four minutes.

Sierra Canyon girls basketball team | Photo courtesy of Sierra Canyon

“The zone (defense) gave us problems. The changing of the defenses gave us problems,” Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki said. “I think we played really bad. My team knows that. We just got lit up for 30 minutes after the game about how bad we played. Credit to them, you have to come into these games and just win and they won.”

It was a tough night for star Sierra Canyon junior guard Jerzy Robinson. While Robinson had a game-high 24 points and 15 rebounds, her scoring was reliant on success at the free-throw line, where she went 15-of-16. She made just four of 23 field goal attempts.

“They’re definitely physical,” Robinson said. “They’re the No. 1 seed so they came out ready to play. We have to match that the next time we see them.”

The teams could face each other again in the Southern California Open Division regional in the state playoffs.

“Once they punch you in the mouth, you have to punch back,” Knights freshman forward Tatianna Griffin said. “I thought we did pretty good (against Robinson). We got a couple of bad calls down the stretch, and I got four fouls. I have to do better. I have to clean that up. Our thing was to keep her off the glass. People don’t see her as a good rebounder, but I feel she’s one of the best rebounders in the country.”

Ontario Christian’s starting five consists of two freshmen, two sophomores and one senior

Sophomore guard Kaleena Smith led the Knights with 21 points and 10 assists, and Griffin, who had 19 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Sydney Douglas scored six points but grabbed 13 rebounds, and senior Alanna Neale scored all 12 of her points in the second half.

Leia Edwards had 12 points for Sierra Canyon, with Emilia Krstevski and Payton Montgomery both contributing six points apiece for the Trailblazers.