Last stand for Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis

Kaleena Mosqueda-lewis is the consensus national girls basketball Player of the Year and she plays on the nation's consensus No. 1 team.

She's won a staggering 122 games since she entered Mater Dei (Santa Ana) four years ago and lost just seven times.

The University of Connecticut-signee has led the Monarchs to three Southern Section titles, two Southern California Regional championships and a mythical national crown.

She averages 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.6 assists per game after averaging 27.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a junior.

So, for her last stand in her high school career, the mature and personal 6-foot forward has one simple request.

She just wants to stand. Without pain or a wobble.

Mosqueda-Lewis injured her left quadriceps last week the day before the regional finals and after hobbling around most of the game, she gutted out 13 fourth-quarter points to help Mater Dei defeat a very good Canyon Springs squad 59-44.

But up until Thursday - just two days before the Monarchs (33-1) take on the nation's fifth-ranked team Berkeley  (31-1) at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento for the CIF State Championship - Mosqueda-Lewis hasn't practiced. Game time is 6 p.m. Saturday.

"My timing isn't real good," she said by phone on Wednesday. "I definitely don't want to end my high school career watching on the bench or losing. We have a chance to win back-to-back state and national championships and I'm going to do whatever I can to help us do that."

EVERY STEP
Mater Dei coach Steve Kiernan, who led Troy to four straight state title-game appearances and three victories starting in 2003, joined the Monarchs staff the same year Mosqueda-Lewis enrolled to the Santa Ana campus.

He's been there every powerful step Mosqueda-Lewis has taken, seen every picture-perfect long-range jumper she's ever launched and been a major part of her rapid rise to the top of the girls basketball game.

In the last three weeks, she's won the Naismith, Gatorade and Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Player of the Year awards. She was a first-team MaxPreps All-American as a junior.

"It's incredible what she's done in four years here," Kiernan said. "She's meant so much not only to our program and helped push us from a good California program to the national scene, but she's meant so much to our school."

When asked to reflect on her recent awards, the normally polished and articulate senior with a 3.5 grade point average seemed somewhat overwhelmed.

She joins the company of Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Tina Charles, Maya Moore and most recently Skylar Diggins and the Ogwumike sisters, Nneka and Chiney.

"It's just been such an honor," she said. "To think that I'm the best in the nation with just all the great players in California alone, let alone the nation. ... And then thinking of all the great recipients that have won these awards in the past. ... I really don't have words for it."

Kiernan does and he had a keen sense he had something special the first moment Mosqueda-Lewis walked into the Mater Dei gym.

"It was a summer shoot-around and I see this 6-foot girl come in looking well beyond her years," Kiernan said. "You see mature kids all the time but once I saw her shoot. ... I've never seen anyone shoot like that before. I thought to myself, 'this is a good way to start my Mater Dei career.' "

Mosqueda-Lewis attended Mater Dei because her mother Sundy Ali attended the private school and was something of a softball pitching phenom.

That wasn't just coming from mom, Mosqueda-Lewis said. "There's a Spanish teacher on campus who told me, a math teacher, a counselor and several others who were here when she was here. They all tell me the same thing."

Beyond her mother's genes, her stepfather Khairi Ali, a former high-level soccer player, helped push and train Mosqueda-Lewis in all sports. She played soccer, softball, volleyball and tennis growing up, but once she hit high school, basketball became her one trick pony.

"I considered playing softball like my mom, but basketball is pretty much a year-round game," she said. "I didn't want to risk falling behind."

Instead, it was full speed ahead.

TOUGHEST PART OF YOU
With excellent size and strength, natural ability and the picture-perfect outside shot, Mosqueda-Lewis worked on all the other facets. Throw in natural confidence and a competitive fire and it all adds up to the top of the girls hoop food chain.

"She's got beautiful shooting form and footwork," Kiernan said. "She's got a fantastic mid-range game and if you take away those things, she can post up because she's bigger than most guards. She can just beat you in so many ways."

With all her success, Kiernan said, there is absolutely no baggage or residue of her being the star player. Quite the opposite.

"She works her tail off every practice," he said. "There's no maintenance at all.

"The thing about Kaleena is her maturity is so striking. For being so young, she's always seemed so grown up. I think she's always been around older people and she gets along well with adults. There's a calmness about her. She's very grounded and all of that plays out well in big situations."

Like Saturday, when the Monarchs led by just two heading into the fourth quarter. With Mosqueda-Lewis dragging her left leg around, it didn't look good.

"Coach told us heading into the fourth quarter that somebody needed to pull through," she said. "Usually that's supposed to be my job. I just decided I needed to give a little more juice. We got a couple steals a couple baskets and we won going away."

Mosqueda-Lewis said she was able to dig deep because that is the most important quality Kiernan instilled in her, she said. She's taken it off the court as well.

"He said there are times in life and the basketball court that things aren't going to go your way," she said. "Those are the times you push harder, find the toughest part of you. Get through it and get on top and never give in."

That said, pencil Mosqueda-Lewis in the starting lineup come Saturday.

GAME NOTES: Berekely coach Cheryl Draper has seen Mosqueda-Lewis only on tape and was impressed with all facets. But she couldn't stop talking about her shooting. "I've never seen anyone shoot that well," she said. "I mean she really has beautiful form. We'll definitely have to get up on her." ... Kiernan said one big area of concern is rebounding. Though the Monarchs with Lewis, USC-bound Alexyz Vaioletama (6-1) and Northridge-bound Jessica Duarte (6-0) have good size, Berkeley's bookend 6-1 San Diego State-bound tandem of Chairese Culberson and Khristina Hunter are extremely tough. Culberson goes by the nickname of "The Best" and "The Piranha" and has averaged more than 17 points and 17 rebounds per game during the post season. "They are killing people on the boards," Kiernan said. "It's going to be a true test for us." ... Slowing down Berkeley's leading scorer Brittany Boyd is another key. "She's got a lot of personality and a lot of game to back it up," Kiernan said. "We have good quickness. But they're quick, quick." ... Besides Mosqueda-Lewis' health, Monarchs 6-1 point guard Jordan Adams, one of the nation's top juniors, has a dislocated shoulder and is playing at about 70 percent. ... Another starter Alexas Williamson has been out with an appendectomy and is questionable. Even if she does play, she won't start, Kiernan said. ... The one area Mater Dei has an edge is a tougher schedule. Then again, it's beat on the Monarchs pretty hard, so perhaps the fresher Yellowjackets are in better shape. "We're going in believing we're playing the best team we've played all season," Kiernan said.