Sage Hill Girls Shine Against Sierra Canyon, Preparing for Matchup with Ontario Christian
CIF Southern California Regional Open Division Semifinal: Sage Hill Upsets Sierra Canyon
As Etiwanda and Ontario Christian prepared to clash in the CIF Southern California Regional Open Division semifinal on Saturday night, news filtered through the gym of a stunning upset in the other semifinal. Sage Hill defeated Sierra Canyon 57-54 in Chatsworth, marking one of the most shocking turnarounds in state basketball history.
Amalia Holguin led Sage Hill with 26 points, including crucial free throws that established a three-point lead in the final seconds. Sierra Canyon’s Delaney White had an opportunity to tie the game but saw her three-point attempt bounce off the rim, securing the victory for Sage Hill.
In the wake of this upset, South Carolina commit Jerzy Robinson, who scored 32 points in Sierra Canyon’s previous win over Ontario Christian for the Southern Section final, managed to contribute 26 points in the semifinal but saw his team’s 22-game winning streak come to an end.
Sage Hill (28-5) will now face second-seeded Ontario Christian (32-2) on Tuesday, with a trip to the regional finals in Sacramento at stake. Ontario Christian, buoyed by a balanced offensive attack and nine three-pointers, overwhelmed defending state champion Etiwanda with an 80-66 victory.
Kaleena Smith, after a slow start, finished with 23 points for Ontario Christian. The game drew attention from USC women’s coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who observed the performance of sophomore Tatianna Griffin, who scored 18 points, while freshman standout Chloe Jenkins added 16 and Dani Robinson chipped in with 13.
“Our mindset all week in practice has been win or go home,” Smith stated. “We don’t have a second chance now. If we lose, we’re out.” Griffin echoed her teammate’s determination, saying, “Losing in the [Southern Section] finals lit a huge fire under us. It was a good lesson for us and translated into our effort as a group.”
Etiwanda’s Arynn Finley led her team with 30 points, complemented by Chasity Rice’s 15, but the Eagles could not overcome a 34-26 halftime deficit.
Despite their previous triumph against Sage Hill by 32 points in the Southern Section semifinals, Ontario Christian coach Aundre Cummings emphasized the need for respect in competitive matchups. “We got to this point last year and that was it,” he remarked. “We’ll get their best game, but our girls will be ready.”
In another notable upset, No. 5 Corona Centennial triumphed over top-ranked Mater Dei, 60-48, setting up a matchup against No. 2 Rancho Christian, who edged past San Diego Francis Parker 85-79 in their regional final.
The Division II finals will feature No. 2 Santa Maria St. Joseph hosting No. 4 Saugus, while Division III pairs Leuzinger against King/Drew and Placentia El Dorado against Anaheim Canyon. Additionally, fifth-seeded Palisades and No. 2 Godinez Fundamental will battle it out in Division IV, and the Division V regional final will pit sixth-seeded Schurr against fourth-seeded Laguna Hills, which recently surprised top-seeded Rosamond.
