File photo by Louis Lopez
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Mater Dei
SAN DIEGO – Ranking teams based on summer league tournaments is hardly an exact science.
Key players are routinely missing from these events for one reason or another. It’s sort of a case of so many tournaments so little time. The 23rd annual San Diego Classic – the largest high school girls basketball tournament in the nation – was no exception.
“That’s why some of the favored teams got beat,” said tournament director Wade Vickery, who compiled a section record 610-119 in 26 seasons at Santee Santana, making him the winningest girls basketball coach in San Diego CIF history.
Not that this event was lacking in its share of high school standouts of today and dozens of college stars of tomorrow.
“The competition is top drawer. Some of the best players in country have participated in our tournament,” Vickery said.
It was no surprise that Santa Ana Mater Dei, winner of nine state titles, locked up with Brea Olinda for the 3A Division championship in Sunday’s (July 19) elite finale at the University of California-San Diego.
The Monarchs, who finished 32-4 a year ago, including a 44-38 loss to Brea Olinda in the Southern California finals – appear armed to make another run for the state Division II title. They are geared to erase that loss from their memory, considering the bulk of the team returns, led by MaxPreps Player of the Year, junior guard Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis.
Defending state champion Brea Olinda has its own ideas. The Wildcats made that clear to Mater Dei in the San Diego Classic finale, taking an 18-11 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. After that, though, the Monarchs intensified their defensive squeeze, limiting the Wildcats to nine points over the final 25 minutes.
“Our goal in this tournament was to play better team defense,” Mater Dei assistant coach Pete Bonny said. “I think we did.”
Same was true in a semifinal 46-16 romp over Fullerton Troy. The Monarchs held the Warriors to a single point over a 17:45 stretch, turning the contest into a blowout.
“Any time you can take (Alex) Sanchez out of the game – which is not easy to do – you have a good shot to win,” Bonny said.
Junior Alexyz Vaioletama, who along with Lewis, is a member of the USA Under-16 national team, tallied 13 points, notched six steals and logged five rebounds, was selected the MVP of the 3A Division.
“She has been playing with shinsplints lately, but still played tough defense,” Bonny said. “We’re going to shut her down for a while now.”
Compiling a list of top teams in the summer includes a hunch or two. But it’s obvious that Mater Dei and Brea Olinda rank a bag of buckets above the rest.
“Right now it’s a crapshoot after those two,” one coach said when panned for his thoughts.
Here is an unofficial peek at some of rest of the state’s best:
3. St. Mary’s (Stockton)
4. Santiago Corona
5. Hanford
6. Villa Park
7. St. Joseph (Santa Maria)
8. Bellarmine-Jefferson (Burbank)
9. Long Beach Poly
10. La Jolla Country Day
11. Fullerton Troy
12. Carondelet (Concord)
13. Mount Miguel (Spring Valley)
14. Pinewood (Los Altos)
15. Laguna Beach
16. Clovis West
17. Oaks Christian
18. Cajon (San Bernardino)
19. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills)
20. Santa Margarita
21. Bishop’s (San Diego)
22. Ayala (Chino Hills)
23. San Clemente
24. Poway
25. Orange Lutheran
More Tournament Highlights
Narrow escapes from some of the elite teams just to win their pools and reach the 3A quarterfinals hints that maybe there will be a bit more parity in the state this winter. Don’t bet on it, though.
Key players absent from the Brea Olinda lineup were 6-3 junior post Justine Hartman and junior point guard Lexi Perry for the majority of the action in the four-day, 312-team tournament. Hartman did return, however, for the 3A Division championship game on Sunday night against Mater Dei and clearly clogged the middle.
Brea Olinda 38, Oakridge (El Dorado Hills) 37 . . . Kelsey Harris sank three free throws with no time on the clock remaining to allow Brea Olinda avoid the upset.
Brea Olinda 33, Corona Santiago 31 (2 OT) . . . Harris came up big again in the semifinals as her 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the game into overtime.
Brenna Buczek dropped in a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left in the second two-minute OT to quality the Wildcats for the 3A finals.
Santa Ana Mater Dei 31, Concord Carondelet 29 . . . Mosqueda-Lewis rallied the top-seeded Monarchs from a 10-point deficit, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and a layup during a 90-second stretch to keep Mater Dei in the running for the 3A crown.
Laguna Hills 42, Pinewood (Los Altos) 38 (OT) . . . UConn bound Lauren Engeln overcame early foul trouble to lead the Ladyhawks past a smaller but quicker Los Altos Pinewood outfit in a Division 3A contest. Englen finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Jenny Michelman gave the Ladyhawks the lead with a putback and Ashley Engeln sealed the victory by canning a pair of free throws in the extra session.
Other scores of note:
2A Division championship:
Oaks Christian 39, Cajon 37 (OT)
Open Division championship:
Green Valley (Nev.) 39, Valley Christian 27
California Girls Basketball Players to Watch 2009-10
G-Jordan Adams, Mater Dei (Santa Ana): 6-0, So. – Excellent floor leader.
PG-Nicole Ballestero, Villa Park: 5-8, Sr.
F-Aly Beebe, St. Joseph’s (Santa Maria) – 6-4, So. – Can dunk with ease.
F-Katie Brooks, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village): 5-10, Jr. - Team cornerstone.
PG-Alissa Campanero, Bishop’s: 5-2, Jr.
P-Janae Coffee, Clovis West: 6-3, Sr.
G-Tia Dixon, San Diego: 5-6, So.
F-Hailie Eackles, Pinewood (Los Altos): 5-8, Jr. – Steady perimeter shooter.
G-Ariana Elgado, La Jolla Country Day: 5-6, Sr.
G-F-Lauren Engeln, Laguna Hills: 5-11, Sr. – Committed to UConn.
G-F-Morgan Fitterer, Carondelet (Concord): Sr.
F-Annissa Garcia, St. Mary’s (Stockton): 5-10, Sr.
P-Chelsea Gray, St. Mary’s (Stockton): 5-11, Jr.
P-Cassie Harberts, San Clemente: 6-2, Sr.
P-Justine Hartman, Brea Olinda: 6-2, Jr., Defensive stalwart in the paint.
P-Gillian Howard, La Jolla Country Day: 6-4, Jr.
W-Sara James, Oak Ridge: 5-10, Jr. - Stanford bound.
P-Afure Jemerigbe, St. Mary’s (Stockton): 6-0, Jr.
G-Katie Kuklok, Poway: 5-10, Jr. – Deadly 3-point shooter.
G-F-Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Mater Dei (Santa Ana): 6-0, Jr. – USA 16-U Team.
PG-Jasmine Lister, Santiago (Corona): 5-5, Sr. - Superb ball-handler with 94 treys and a 21.9 ppg. Stanford giving her a serious look.
G-Cinnamon Lister, Santiago (Corona): 5-5, Sr. – Twin clone.
W-Danielle Miller, Mount Miguel (Spring Valley): 5-7, Jr. – Most improved player in Grossmont South.
G-Alle Moreno, St. Mary’s (Stockton): 5-4, Sr.
G-Yyonte Neal, Mount Miguel (Spring Valley): 5-8, Sr. - Division I recruit.
F-Jeanier Olukemi, 6-0, So. – Hard-nosed on both ends of court.
G-Brianna Orlich, Clovis West: 5-9, Jr.
G-Madison Parrish, Hanford: 5-2, So. – Size does matter as she’s posted quality numbers.
P-Erica Payne, Carondelet (Concord): 6-2, Jr.
G-Kelsey Plum, La Jolla Country Day: 5-6, Fr. – Daughter of former Helix Parade All-American Jim Plum.
PG-Lauren Polansky, Branson (Ross): 5-9, Sr.
G- Alex Sanchez, Troy (Fullerton): 5-10, Sr.
G-F-Brianna Salvatore, Villa Park: 5-11, Sr.
G-Brittany Shine, Sacramento: 5-10, Sr.
F-Bryn Stark, Bishop’s: 6-1, So.
F-Alexyz Vaioletama, Mater Dei (Santa Ana): 6-1, Jr. – USA 16-U Team.
G-Ashley Ward, Irvine Woodbridge: 5-10, Sr. – Co-Southern Section DIII-AA Player of Year.
G-Ashley Wilson, Poly (Long Beach): 5-7, Sr. – Steady backcourt player.
G-Brittany Wilson, Poly (Long Beach): 5-7. Sr. – Blue chip point guard.
G-Melissa Zornig, Santa Margarita: 5-9, Sr. - Co-Southern Section DIII-AA Player of Year with a 23.6 ppg