ONTARIO – It was a scenario Kaleena Smith had visualized numerous times during her career, even as recently as the night before the CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls basketball final.
The point guard had the opportunity to win the first Open Division title in program history by making clutch free throws down the stretch Saturday night against No. 2 Etiwanda, but the moment wouldn’t have been made possible for Smith or the top-seeded Knights, had it not been for the remarkable performances of freshman teammates Tatianna Griffin and Sydney Douglas.
Smith put Ontario Christian ahead with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining, then following a missed shot by Etiwanda senior Aliyahna “Puff” Morris with eight seconds left, the sophomore standout connected on one more opportunity at the line to provide the final margin in a 65-63 victory at Toyota Arena.
Ontario Christian (29-1), the top-ranked team in the country, made 17 of its first 18 free-throw attempts before Smith – who had 13 points and eight assists – missed her final opportunity with less than a second remaining, helping the Knights win their 15th in a row and capture their first section championship since securing the Division 1-A crown in 1980.
Ontario Christian girls basketball team | Erik Boal photo
Etiwanda (25-5) had a 21-game winning streak snapped, as the Eagles were attempting to become the first back-to-back Open Division champions since Mater Dei in 2020-21.
Both teams are expected to be the top two seeds again in the Southern California Regional when the Open Division state playoffs are released Sunday, with the Eagles pursuing a third consecutive championship.
Etiwanda overcame an 11-point deficit with 6:30 remaining, benefiting from a half-court trapping defense that forced multiple Ontario Christian turnovers and held the Knights scoreless for more than two minutes.
Grace Knox, an LSU signee and McDonald’s All-American, gave the Eagles their first lead since the opening possession of the third quarter when she knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing with 2:35 remaining for a 60-59 advantage.
Chasity Rice added another 3-point field goal – the 10th of the game for Etiwanda – to extend the lead to 63-59 with 1:50 left, before Griffin responded with her fourth 3-pointer for Ontario Christian.
It was the most significant shot among many timely baskets Saturday for Griffin, who produced one of the most impressive efforts in Open Division championship history by accumulating a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds.
Douglas had 10 of her 14 points in the second half and added nine rebounds for Ontario Christian, with Nebraska-bound senior Alanna Neale contributing seven points and 11 rebounds for the Knights.
Rice barely missed another 3-pointer for Etiwanda with 25 seconds left, allowing Smith to drive to the basket at the opposite end and earn a foul that provided her the opportunity to produce the deciding free throws, as Ontario Christian prevailed against the Eagles for the second time this season, along with a 74-66 victory Nov. 23 in the final of the Harvard-Westlake tournament.
Morris, a Cal commit and McDonald’s All-American, drove in the middle of the lane for the potential go-ahead basket, but the 10-foot shot attempt fell just short of the rim and eventually landed out of bounds, awarding possession to Ontario Christian.
Morris finished with a team-high 20 points, along with four rebounds and three steals, with junior Arynn Finley contributing 14 points and five rebounds, as well as Knox adding nine points and seven rebounds for the Eagles, who faced a 53-40 deficit late in the third quarter.
Rice scored eight points, Aliyah Phillips had seven points and Shaena Brew produced five points, four steals and a game-high 10 assists for Etiwanda, which opened the game on a 13-4 run, before the Knights cut the deficit to six at the end of the first quarter.