It was the second straight California title for the Trailblazers, the No. 3 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings, and fifth in 10 years for coach Alicia Komaki.
"We knew our destiny," said Komaki who is 5-0 in state title contests. "We knew we were going to be on the road, face a tough San Diego team to start, go to La Jolla, (then) we’re going to Etiwanda again (in the Southern Regionals) and then hopefully travel up to Sacramento."
And when the Trailblazers got to the capital city, they wasted little time establishing their dominance.
"Well, being a math teacher I started doing the math pretty quickly," Mitty coach Sue Phillips said when asked about when she realized it might be a long night.
Of course, all eyes were on Watkins, the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2023, who didn't disappoint.
Sierra Canyon players celebrate their 85-61 win over Archbishop Mitty on Saturday in the CIF Open Division championship at Golden 1 Center.
Photo by David Steutel
She scored her first bucket after taking a defensive rebound, one of 19 total on the night, weaving through the No. 24 Archbishop Mitty defense before stopping and popping at the free throw line.
Sierra Canyon had a 21-14 lead after one quarter and Watkins opened the second with an NBA-range 3-pointer. And when she wasn't breaking ankles with her moves, she was doing the dirty work on the defensive glass or finding an open teammate as the Monarchs sent waves of defenders at her.
"I think we’re all very well aware of how talented Juju is, but we’re a really talented team," Komaki said of the Windward transfer. "And before she jumped in here and joined us, we were young and hungry and ready to get to this level. She accelerated it, 1,000 percent."
Phillips concurred, "She can score at all three levels. She’s so incredibly skilled coupled with athleticism and I think one of the best things she does is rebound and she didn’t really hit the offensive glass."
Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins scored a game-high 23 in the Trailblazers' 85-61 win over Mitty.
Photo by David Steutel
But the Trailblazers aren't a one-trick pony as two players –
Izela Arenas and
MacKenly Randolph – have NBA pedigree with fathers Gilbert Arenas and Zac Randolph. Additionally, Chinese-born
Crystal Wang provides a low-post presence and sharp-shooting
Christy Reynoso hit four huge 3-pointers with Watkins on the bench.
"Christy does what she does all the time," Komaki said. "We can all hoop a little bit."
All five Sierra Canyon starters finished in double figures while Reynoso added 14 off the bench.
Sierra Canyon (30-2) built a 41-27 halftime lead and held a lead that hovered near 20 points most of the fourth quarter. All against a Mitty team that came in 30-1, but ran into a buzzsaw.
"We weren’t quite up to the challenge tonight and Sierra Canyon was fantastic," Phillips said. "And while we may not have showed the full body of work, these young ladies own four wins over teams that won state championships this weekend."
Makayla Moore led the Monarchs with 14 points off the bench and
Morgan Cheli added 11 and
Siena Guttadauro chipped in 10.
Morgan Cheli, Archbishop Mitty
Photo by David Steutel
14, 13, 18, 16 – 61
Sierra Canyon – 21, 20, 21, 23 – 85
Monarchs – Cherry 2, Hanson 2, Woods 2, Anderson 2, Bariteau 9, Guttadauro 10, Cheli 11, Moore 14
Trailblazers – Bay 2, Malek 4, Wang 5, Edwards 12, Arenas 12, Randolph 13, Reynoso 14, Watkins 23
3-pointers – AM: 6 (Bariteau, Cheli, Moore 2, Guttadauro; SC: 10 (Arenas 2, Watkins 2, Edwards 2, Reynoso
