Kaeli Wynn helps Mater Dei girls basketball team reign supreme against Christ the King at Nike Tournament of Champions

MESA, Ariz. – Two of the most decorated girls basketball programs in Nike Tournament of Champions history, Mater Dei and Christ the King from New York, met for the first time in more than five years Wednesday in the opening round of the Vincent Cannizzaro Division.

Kaeli Wynn had 16 of her-game high 24 points in the opening half to lead the Monarchs to a 59-49 victory at Skyline High. Wynn also contributed eight rebounds and four steals.

Mater Dei (10-1) outscored Christ the King (3-2) by a 20-4 margin in the second quarter and never relinquished control, advancing to Thursday’s quarterfinals against Bishop McNamara of Maryland (5-0), which produced a 70-44 victory in its opener against Sage Hill (7-4).

Mater Dei girls basketball | Jerome Reed photo

The Monarchs suffered a 69-66 loss to Christ the King in 2019 in the last matchup involving schools that have combined to win nine championships in the top division in Nike Tournament of Champions history.

Christ the King captured four titles in six finals appearances from 1997-2005, with Mater Dei going unbeaten in five championship games from 2008-14.

Neither program has secured a Nike Tournament of Champions crown in the top division in the past decade, but Mater Dei will continue its pursuit Thursday after receiving 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals from Amaya Williams and Addie Deal adding 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists against Christ the King.

Arielle Lopez had 16 points and Olivia Vukosa contributed 12 points for Christ the King, which was limited to one field goal in the second quarter.

In other Vincent Cannizzaro Division games:

Ontario Christian 86, Brookswood Secondary (Canada) 18: The Knights (12-0), the top-ranked team in the country, had five athletes score in double figures in a lopsided opening-round victory against the Bobcats (9-2), representing Langley in British Columbia at Skyline High.

Freshman Tatianna Griffin scored 23 points and sophomore Kaleena Smith added 21 points for Ontario Christian, which built a 30-6 advantage after the first quarter.

Dani Robinson contributed 18 points for the Knights, who are scheduled to play in Thursday’s quarterfinals against Grandview of Colorado (5-0), a 59-32 winner against Mt. Zion of Maryland.

Alanna Neale scored 13 points and freshman Sydney Douglas produced 11 points for the Knights, who stretched their lead to 52-11 at halftime.

Archbishop Mitty 68, George Rogers Clark 50: The Monarchs (5-0) began their bid for back-to-back tournament titles by relying on 19 points from junior McKenna Woliczko to prevail against George Rogers Clark of Kentucky (1-2) in their opener at Skyline High.

Archbishop Mitty, which secured the Vincent Cannizzaro Division crown last season, had Tiera McCarthy add 12 points and Ze’Ni Richardson contribute 11 points to produce its seventh consecutive tournament victory.

Ze’Ni Richardson of Archbishop Mitty | Jerome Reed photo

The Monarchs held a 33-23 halftime advantage, before scoring the first 14 points of the third quarter to pull away from George Rogers Clark.

Devin Cosgriff had eight points, with Emma Cook scoring seven points for Archbishop Mitty, which advanced to square off Thursday in the quarterfinals against Clackamas High of Oregon (2-0), a 66-41 winner against Princeton from Ohio.

Bishop McNamara 70, Sage Hill 44: The Lightning (7-4) remained within striking distance in the first half, before Bishop McNamara of Maryland (5-0) pulled away in the final 16 minutes of the first-round contest at Skyline High.

Zhen Craft scored 15 points to lead Bishop McNamara, which outscored Sage Hill by a 36-19 margin in the second half.

Amaya Holguin had 14 points and Addison Uphoff added 11 points for Sage Hill, which only trailed 17-14 following the first quarter.

Kamdyn Klamberg contributed nine points for the Lightning, who are scheduled to play Thursday in the consolation quarterfinals against Christ the King of New York (3-2).