PHOENIX, Ariz. - It looks like California's year.
All four teams in the elite Joe Smith Division of the Nike TOC in Phoenix are from California, and all four are in the top eight of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 – including No. 1 Mater Dei of Santa Ana and No. 2 St. Mary's of Stockton.
Those two might collide in Tuesday night's 6:30 p.m. finals at Hamilton High School, but first Mater Dei will have to get past traditional power Long Beach Poly, and St. Mary's must handle Brea-Olinda, which has more California state basketball championships than any other school.
Poly guard Ariya Crook-Williams during win over No. 3 Bolingbrook.
Photo by Mitchell Reibel
In the Mike Desper Division, which also has some of the top teams in the country, Sacramento has rolled to two straight wins, and looks like the team to beat. Still, the Dragons must get by defending Oregon state champ Oregon City in Monday's semis, and then will face the winner of Bishop Gorman of Nevada and Highlands Ranch (another defending state champion) of Colorado.
But the 88-team Nike TOC also draws top regional teams into each of its brackets, and despite the presence of schools from Arizona, Colorado, Utah and other states around the country, California schools have taken charge.
In the James Anderson Division, all four semifinalists are from Southern California, and in the Black Division, three semifinalists are from SoCal and the fourth is from Northern California.
Desert Vista of Arizona managed to reach the semifinals of the Blue Division, but if you add it all up, California schools have claimed 20 of the 24 semifinal slots – though it hasn't been that easy.
Second-ranked St. Mary's of Stockton had to come from seven points down late in the fourth quarter to get past Tennessee's Memphis Central, and No. 8 Long Beach Poly was extended to the final seconds by Christ the King of New York.
Had either lost, it would have counted as a major upset, but St. Mary's got 20 points each from Afure Jemerigbe and Chelsea Gray, and Poly used its depth to finally wear down Bria Smith of Christ the King, to keep the better seeded teams alive.
No. 22 Sacramento overcame its biggest obstacle earlier in the year when Arizona-bound Erica Barnes decided to transfer just before the season began. The Dragons, though, still have Brittany Shine (committed to Florida) and Kyra Dunn (Pittsburgh), and have handled every challenge so far.
One reason just might be the presence of former Olympian and WNBA All-Star Ruthie Bolton on the bench as an assistant coach.
Brea Olinda captain Alexis Perry goes hard at St. Mary's-Phoenix.
Photo by Mitchell Reibel
Other notable athletes involved in the tournament include three with Norcross High School out of Georgia. Diamond DeShields, who put on a show in the Blue Devils' opening round loss to St. Mary's, is the daughter of former major leaguer DeLino DeShields,
Kaela Davis is the daughter of former NBA player Antonio Davis, and Briana Jordan is the daughter of former NFL and MLB player Brian Jordan.
But the real focus is what happens on the court, so far the news has been pretty positive for California – which has a very good chance of sweeping all six titles at the Nike TOC, which is generally considered the toughest girls' basketball tournament in the country.
Smith Division
Friday
Long Beach Poly 57, Bollingbrook (Ill.) 35
Christ the King (N.Y.) 53, Dillard (Fla.) 38
Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) 57, ThunderRidge (Colo.) 37
Mater Dei (Calif.) 78, Hillsboro (Tenn.) 30
Brea Olinda (Calif.) 53, St. Mary's (Ariz.) 32
Memphis Central (Tenn.) 69, H.D. Woodson (D.C.) 40
St. Mary's (Calif.) 79, Norcross (Ga.) 55
Riverdale Baptist (Md.) 55, South Eugen (Ore.) 45
Saturday
Brea Olinda 58, Mt. Lebanon 47
St. Mary's (Calif.) 76, Memphis Central 73
Bolingbrook 61, Dillard 44
Mater Dei 66, Riverdale Baptist 56
South Eugene 50, Hillsboro 36
ThunderRidge 57, St. Mary's (Ariz.) 53
Norcross 62, H.D. Woodson 51
Long Beach Poly 58, Christ the King 54
Monday schedule
Memphis Central vs. Mt. Lebanon
Christ the King vs. Riverdale Baptist
Norcross vs. ThunderRidge
Poly vs. Mater Dei
Bolingbrook vs. South Eugene
Dillard vs. Hillsboro
St. Mary's (Calif.) vs. Brea Olinda
H.D. Woodson vs. St. Mary's (Ariz.)
Mike Desper Division
Friday
Sacramento 54, Tolleson Union (Ariz.) 38
Oregon City 64, Bishop Gorman (Nev.) 61
Highlands Ranch (Colo.) 51, Buena (Calif.) 37
Westbury Christian (Texas) 46, Punahou (Hawaii) 36
Saturday
Sacramento 58, Buena 42
Oregon City 68, Punahou 46
Highlands Ranch 67, Tolleson Union 55
Bishop Gorman 76, Westbury Christian 59
Monday schedule
Buena vs. Punahou
Westbury Christian vs. Tolleson Union
Bishop Gorman vs. Highlands Ranch
Sacramento vs. Oregon City
Look for updates throughout the week, including video packages from MaxPreps Video Producer Justin Groom.
