By Bill Dickens
MaxPreps.com
Two of the CIF-San Diego Section’s top girls basketball teams challenged MaxPreps No. 1-ranked Santa Ana Mater Dei during the sixth annual Southern California Holiday Prep Classic (Dec. 26-30) at Lakeside’s El Capitan High School.
Neither Bishop’s (12-1) nor Spring Valley Mount Miguel (11-2) were any match for the Monarchs, who registered blowout victories en route to capturing the 52-team tournament’s WNBA Division championship with a four-game sweep.
Coach Kevin Kiernan’s Monarchs (13-0) trailed briefly, 21-19, in the second quarter against Mount Miguel but swiftly turned the game into a rout with scoring binges of 14-2 and 16-4 that led to a 71-47 outcome.
A night later, Mater Dei bowled over Bishop’s – the top-rated team in San Diego – 73-48. This game was never close after the opening period when the Monarchs led only 20-17. Once again, Mater Dei used a series of scoring streaks to clobber the No. 25-ranked and previously unbeaten Bishop’s.
“I think they are worthy of a No. 1 ranking,” said Bishop’s coach Marlon Wells, whose team posted better than a 30-point average margin of victory. “I wouldn't be surprised if they were No. 1 in the country by the end of the season.”
MaxPreps has Mater Dei rated as the nation’s best girls basketball team right now. Given the depth, speed, and size these Monarchs possess, they don’t figure to stumble on their way to the CIF-SDS Division II state championship.
Even more dynasty-like is this Mater Dei unit has 12 players who are underclassmen. Best of the lot is 6-foot sophomore guard Kaleena Lewis, who earlier this season scored a Mater Dei record 40 points in an 82-57 romp over Phoenix St. Mary’s during the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona.
Lewis, selected the division MVP, is the ace of this talent-laden bunch, averaging 22.5 points and seven rebounds per game. Her totals would surely be higher if Mater Dei did not blow out any team it faces. Twice against Bishop’s, the Monarchs held a 39-point lead in the final quarter – one point shy of starting a running clock.
“It’s going to take an awfully good team to beat them,” Wells said. “I don’t know if there is a team out there that can do it.”
Other SoCal Holiday Prep Classic division finals
Here is a glance at the other four division finals in this rapidly growing girls basketball tournament that included teams from as far away as Hampton, Ga., El Paso, Texas and Edmonton, Canada.
NCAA Division I: Poway (12-2) edged San Diego 56-53 in double overtime in a physical battle of CIFSDS Division I teams. Callie Rhoads scored the only Poway baskets in the second extra session and that proved to be the difference. Poway’s Katie Kuklok was MVP.
NCAA Division II: El Capitan senior guard Ashley Duffy, the division’s MVP, scored 16 of her game high 20 points in the second half as the Vaqueros (13-1) held off Grossmont Conference rival Granite Hills, 55-50.
NCAA Division III: Marie Catherine McKroskey’s three-pointer broke a 34-34 deadlock and lifted Our Lady of Peace to a 37-34 win over Red Mountain (Ariz.) 37-34 for the NCAA Division III championship. OLP’s Ashlee Guay earned the MVP honors.
NAIA Division: Steele Canyon’s Christina Williams, the division MVP, scored four points in the final 10 seconds to hand the Cougars a 54-50 title knockout of Grossmont. The Cougars are 9-0.
Prep Division: El Cajon Valley (9-4) edged Sherman Oaks Buckley 41-33 as the Braves’ Hazel Doe was selected MVP.
Other Top Performances
— Santee’s West Hills won the Sapphire Division of the 144-team West Coast Jamboree girls basketball tournament with a 4-0 sweep that included a championship game victory over Bear River of Grass Valley 44-40. The Wolf Pack’s Mariah Bennett was the MVP.
— San Diego Southwest Parade magazine soccer All-American Jose Altamirano scored twice in the San Diego Holiday Tournament final, leading the Raiders to a 3-2 win over Cathedral Catholic. The victory avenged last year's loss to the Dons in the Division III title game.
— Two free throws by Mariah Gallivan in overtime gave Scripps Ranch a 42-41 championship nod over University City in the Baron Optimist Tournament in Chula Vista.
— Although her team could not keep pace with Santa Ana Mater Dei, Mount Miguel senior Danesia Williamson was on top of her game with 26 points. The University of San Diego-bound point guard included 12-of-16 free throws in her totals.
— San Diego Mater Dei edged Fairfield Vanden 51-49 to capture the Diamond Division crown of the West Coast Jamboree girls tournament.
Coming Attractions
One of the top games on the horizon matches West Hills (13-2) and Mount Miguel (11-2) in a Grossmont Conference battle of girls basketball giants, slated for Wednesday (Jan. 7) at 6 p.m. at Mount Miguel in Spring Valley.
Dickens Dealings
It seems contradictive how basketball coaches repeatedly complain about how little practice time they have with their teams between preseason tournament games. Yet, these same coaches fill their schedule with dozens of so-called “warm up” games leaving no more than a fistful of practice days prior to the start of their league encounters.
And then, of course, there are the built-in excuses basketball coaches use for limping out to a slow start because so many of their key athletes are still involved in the football playoffs.
So what to do?
Playing in fewer tournaments seems to be out of the question since so many teams make their budgets balance by hosting such events. It’s also a chance to face competition not readily on their schedule. On the same vein, nobody is forcing basketball coaches to jump into the early tourneys when they know their football teams annually advance deep into the playoffs.
Some coaches have figured it out, and thus do not participate in the late November and early December tournaments to allow their multi-sport athletes a chance to find their basketball legs following the end of football.
Granted, now that football includes an expanded playoff format, some basketball coaches may have to wait until mid-December before they can expect any kind of help from those coming off the gridiron.
Naturally, basketball (as well as wrestling and soccer) coaches want their seasons to start on time. By the same token, these coaches do not want to look like spoil sports by secretly pulling for the football team to take an early exit from the playoffs to free their athletes.
Some coaches believe each season should have a tighter border. They, however, are in the minority since that could ultimately impact their season.
It’s a Catch-22 to be sure.