Alexis Mark of state No. 1 Sierra Canyon drives toward the basket with defender Klara Astrom of No. 5 Pinewood trying to slow her down during CIF Open Division state final. Photo: Willie Eashman.
There were no real huge surprises in the final rankings, and a lot of that has to do with our nearly 40 years of rankings always using our form of competitive equity, only over the years we’ve referred to it as “a body of work.” So coming into the final rankings, the top teams were pretty much determined by which ones made the Open Division. There was some movement, however, with Rosary of Fullerton getting some credit for winning the CIF D1 title. As is always the case, we make every effort to make these final rankings as insightful and worthwhile as possible.
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CAL-HI SPORTS FINAL TOP 40
GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE RANKINGS
(Previous ranking in parentheses; through games of Saturday, March 9)
1. (1) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 33-1
After winning the rubber match with Gold Coast League arch-rival Windward in the Southern Regional Open Division semifinals to reclaim the top spot in the pecking order, the Trailblazers left no doubt as to which was the top team in the state this season. After the Windward win on the road over the hill on the I-405 freeway, they hit the road again only this time it was to Fresno where despite the game being played at Buchanan they still faced a loud and raucous Clovis West crowd but prevailed 74-70 to claim the SoCal Open crown. Juniors Alexis Mark and Ashley Chevalier led the way with Mark going for 19 points and six rebounds and Chevalier finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Immediately after the game, they went home to the San Fernando Valley and two days later they were on the road to Sacramento and after dismantling Pinewood 69-51 at the Golden 1 Center they completed a triumphant 750-mile round trip with a first CIF Open Division state championship and fourth state title overall. Chevalier had her second consecutive solid outing and finished with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Junior Vanessa De Jesus added 17 points, five rebounds and three assists, and University of San Diego-bound Amanda Olinger had 15 points and eight rebounds. Olinger graduates as does Angela Bacoulis (three three-pointers versus Pinewood) but CIF Southern Section Co-Player of the Year and Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year finalist De Jesus (15.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.8 apg), whose numbers would be higher if not for getting pulled early in several Gold Coast blowouts, Chevalier (13.4 ppg, 5.6rpg, 5.3 apg) and Mark (12.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg) are back on what will likely be the top team in the state in the 2019-20 preseason rankings.
