The Canyon of Anaheim girls celebrate after they won CIF Southern Section D4AA title on Saturday. Their top two scorers are twins. Photo: Mark Bausman / For OC Sports Zone.
There were a lot more girls teams that earned CIF section championships over the weekend besides state No. 3 Etiwanda and the ones we covered on Wednesday in Sacramento. Here’s a roundup of all of the other section champions from around California. Each team deserves to get a mention with all of the others that we’ve been mentioning all season in our State TOP 35 rankings package.
NOTE: This post was updated with information and comments about some of the CIF regional pairings that were announced on Sunday, Feb. 25.
TO SEE OUR SIMILAR HONOR ROLL BREAKDOWN OF EVERY CIF BOYS HOOPS CHAMPION IN THE STATE, CLICK HERE.
FOR OUR BREAKDOWN OF THE CIF SOUTHERN SECTION OPEN DIVISION FINAL ON FRIDAY, CLICK HERE.
FOR OUR RECAPS OF THE GIRLS BB CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES PLAYED ON WEDNESDAY IN SACRAMENTO, CLICK HERE.
Note: We hope you enjoy this free post on CalHiSports.com. All regular season weekly and final state rankings are available only to our Gold Club members as well as our state stat star of the week honor rolls. Some of our upcoming all-state teams also will be for Gold Club members only. To check out getting a Gold Club membership to see all of these features plus all of our updated state record lists, and more, CLICK HERE.
(Harold Abend contributed info from the CIF Southern Section)
(All teams listed with win-loss record)
CENTRAL SECTION
Division 1: Clovis West (Fresno) 30-2
It was a tough, grind-it-out contest for the Golden Eagles in their section final on Saturday against St. Joseph of Santa Maria, but they made enough plays for a 45-41 win. The state’s No. 9 team also won its 12th straight section title to break a tie for third on the all-time state list it had with Brea Olinda. Clovis West would move into a tie for second with St. Mary’s of Stockton at 13 in a row next season. Riley Walls had 13 points and six steals to gain player of the game honors. UCLA-bound Avary Cain of St. Joseph fouled out with 6:09 left in a game that was only a 30-28 lead for the Golden Eagles at the end of three quarters. The Golden Eagles were later seeded second for the CIF NorCal Open Division. St. Joseph received a second seed for the CIF SoCal D1 playoffs.
D2: Monache (Porterville) 31-2
With the score at 38-37 in favor of the Marauders over Tehachapi in the closing seconds, Alisha Verdejo canned a three-pointer to secure the 41-37 win. The Warriors themselves entered the game with just two losses (fell to 25-3) and several of the followers we know on Twitter all mentioned how great of a game it was.
It would make sense that that Rosamond High Roadrunners would know the road to Selland Arena in Fresno. Photo: @CifCentral / Twitter.com.
D3: Bakersfield Christian 25-7
Sarah Shein came up gigantic for the Eagles in their 70-38 victory against Morro Bay in the final. She finished with 30 points and six steals. The team learned on Sunday it was the No. 2 seed for the SoCal D3 playoffs.
D4: Immanuel (Reedley) 24-9
The No. 2 seed Raiders used the hot shooting of Jenna Goertzen (six 3-pointers) to top Mendota, 41-29, to win their title.
D5: Rosamond 24-7
It was a case of the No. 2 seed Roadrunners taking a win against No. 1 seed Hanford West. They ended up with a 60-45 triumph.
D6: Foothill (Bakersfield) 15-15
The Trojans earned their crown with a 39-27 victory against Bishop Union.
CENTRAL COAST SECTION
Open: Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 27-0
The state and nation’s No. 1 team rolled past St. Ignatius of San Francisco, 84-44, in winning its 32nd section title and eighth in the last 10 years. Mitty’s 32 section titles is the state record it has had for many years. We’ll have more details in the next State TOP 35 rankings package.
D1: Branham (San Jose) 22-3
UC Merced-bound Quinn Godfrey dominated the action for the Bruins, but they still needed Evergreen Valley of San Jose’s Ryka Aprameyan to miss a three-pointer at the end that would have tied the score in a 54-51 win. Godfrey ended with 32 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks. Branham was in the CCS Open Division last year. Evergreen Valley was the defending D1 champion. The Bruins were later seeded No. 1 for the CIF NorCal D2 playoffs.
D2: Monta Vista (Cupertino) 22-5
A 19-9 second quarter helped the Matadors take control and they also made their free throws down the stretch to post a 53-47 win in the section final against Christopher of Gilroy. They were the top seed.
D3: Notre Dame (San Jose) 14-12
Coming from the same league as Pinewood, Priory and Menlo School obviously helped the Regents win this section title. They needed overtime to get a 52-47 victory against Mills of Millbrae. Radhika Garapaty put on a show for Notre Dame and ended with a game-high 22 points.
A new coach didn’t keep Menlo School from winning another CCS title. Photo: @cifccs / Twitter.com.
D4: Menlo School (Atherton) 18-9
First year head coach Ryan Cooper got the Knights back into the CCS finals and it was just as if previous head coach John Paye (more than 400 career wins) was still around. They won their third straight section title with a 49-33 victory vs Half Moon Bay.
D5: Crystal Springs Uplands (Hillsborough) 11-12
The Gryphons were the top seed and completed their run to the section title with a 45-37 win over Summit Shasta of Daly City.
L.A. CITY SECTION
Open: Birmingham (Lake Balboa) 24-6
The key for the Patriots in getting back the L.A. City Open Division title they won in 2022 was holding Westchester of L.A. standout Mariah Blake to just nine points. That defense helped create a 55-50 victory. Natalie Lopez led Birmingham with 13 points and seven assists.
D1: Poly (Sun Valley) 18-7
The Parrots captured their second straight D1 section title on Friday night with a 57-47 triumph over Arleta. Senior Hannah Lising has been averaging nearly 18 ppg.
D2: Kennedy (Granada Hills) 26-4
Juniors Gabriella Valles (14 points) and Kathryn Franco (12 points) led the Golden Cougars to a 53-43 victory in the title game against Van Nuys.
D3: Banning (Wilmington) 16-10
It was only a one-point win for the Pilots against Bernstein of Hollywood from earlier this year, but on Saturday they won in the section final, 53-24. The Banning girls also earned their first section title since 1994.
D4: Gardena 16-9
The Panthers rolled over Fremont of L.A., 54-12, and earned their first section crown since 2018. Lauren Tobin-Williams notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also snagged four steals.
D5: Foshay (Los Angeles) 16-4
Junior standout Kelis Jones had a huge outing with 24 of her team’s 42 points to lead the Wolverines past University Pathways, 42-36, in the title game.
NORTH COAST SECTION
Open Division: Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 28-2
State No. 11 San Ramon Valley of Danville couldn’t hold on to a 50-46 lead in the final minutes and lost to the Cardinals (No. 6 in the state), 61-55, in a game played Saturday at Dublin High. Janelle Ortega knocked down clutch shots to break a tie, but Brazilian standout Taissa Queiroz also did what she does with rebounds, free throws, and converting tough shots in the paint. She scored 13 points. Sofia Bowes led the Wolves with 16 points. SRV’s state ranking despite the loss could still put it in the NorCal Open Division.
D1: Salesian (Richmond) 21-10
It’s been a rebuilding year for the Pride, who are used to being in the NCS Open Division, but they will be glad to take home the NCS D1 title after a 56-48 win on Saturday against California of San Ramon. Junior Jamia Sawyer led head coach Stephen Pezzola’s squad with 15 points.
Marin Catholic’s girls hold NCS banner and NCS plaque after their triumph over Maria Carrillo. Photo: @marincatholic / Twitter.com.
D2: Redwood (Larkspur) 24-8
The Giants celebrated at Dominican College on Friday night by winning their first-ever section title with a 50-41 triumph against Northgate of Walnut Creek. Kitty White played like a mad dog for Redwood with 23 points and seven rebounds.
D3: Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 21-10
Head coach Ashley Saia’s program gained its third straight NCS title by downing Maria Carrillo of Santa Rosa in the championship game, 56-41. Leading scorers were junior guard Izzy McFadden and senior guard Cecily Hadd with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
D4: St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 23-8
Marissa Elizalde was the Vallejo Times-Herald Player of the Year last season and had another stellar game with 26 points to lead the Bruins past University of San Francisco, 60-40, on Saturday. Head coach Nadine Walker is in her last season and will go out with at least a section title. She also earned one for St. Pat back in 2019.
D5: San Domenico (San Anselmo) 23-9
The Panthers won the CIF D5 state title in 2022, but had not won an NCS title until this weekend. They got it done as a No. 2 seed beating No. 4 Cornerstone Christian of Antioch, 62-39. Carly Amborn had a 36-point outing in the quarterfinals.
NORTHERN SECTION
D3: Pleasant Valley (Chico) 23-7
The Vikings won their fourth straight Northern Section top division title with a 77-50 blowout of their arch-rivals from Chico High.
D4: University Prep (Redding) 26-5
This is the team with dominating junior JoAnna Warren (27 ppg, 15.5 rebs). Her totals from Saturday weren’t known prior to this post. Her team won its section crown with a 51-47 victory vs West Valley of Cottonwood.
D5: Trinity (Weaverville) 19-11
In a matchup of No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the section finals on Saturday, the No. 3 seed beat the No. 4, which was Modoc of Alturas, 35-33.
D6: Weed 26-5
The Cougars’ girls also won a section title to go with the boys (who won theirs in D5). In the championship contest, Weed topped Redding Christian, 60-45, which also was the No. 1 seed.
D7: Chester 12-8
Volcanoes topped Loyalton 39-32 to win their section title.
OAKLAND-SAN FRANCISCO SECTIONS
Oak: Oakland Tech 10-16
It’s been a rough year for the Bulldogs with the highly competitive schedule they play, but in the Oakland Athletic League it’s still been business as usual. They won in Saturday’s section final in a 84-53 rout against Oakland High. Tech will enter the NorCal regional playoffs with three straight CIF state titles going back to 2019 with no CIF state finals in 2020 or 2021 (COVID). The Bulldogs were seeded No. 10 in the NorCal D2 bracket on Sunday. To keep their streak of state title going, they probably needed to have been in D3.
SF: Lincoln 25-2*
An overtime loss to Lick-Wilmerding and a four-point loss to Branson of Ross early in the season is all that prevents the Mustangs from being unbeaten on the court heading into the NorCal regionals. They also have two forfeit losses for a 23-4 official record. Kellis Powell connected for 18 points in a 73-67 win over Lowell of San Francisco in the city final on Friday night. In the first round of the CIF NorCal D4 playoffs, the Lincoln Mustangs were set up to face the Lincoln Zebras of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.
Sac-Joaquin Section Girls
D1: St. Mary’s (Stockton) 25-5
See separate writeup from Wednesday’s final.
Tylie Kitchen from Whitney of Rocklin had a strong all-around game in the SJS D2 final. Photo: Mark Tennis.
D2: Whitney (Rocklin) 22-9
See separate writeup from Wednesday’s final. On Sunday, the Wildcats were put up into the NorCal D1 playoffs, which seemed to be anticipated by the head coach after the section final.
D3: Vista del Lago (Folsom) 23-8
See separate writeup from Wednesday’s final.
D4: Colfax 29-2
Juliette James had 18 points and Kaia Diederichs had 17 as the Falcons won their third section title in four years and 13th overall with a 64-48 win over Escalon (28-3). James also celebrated the 1,000th point scored of her career. This is the team that was runner-up in the CIF D3 state playoffs last season, but it proved to be hard for it to stay in D3. One of Colfax’s wins was against D3 section champ Vista del Lago. On Sunday, the Falcons were placed as the No. 4 seed in the NorCal D2 playoffs.
D5: Bear River (Lake of the Pines) 23-7
A big fourth quarter comeback helped the Bruins edge Valley Christian of Roseville, 61-59, in the final. Taryn Cheek led all scorers with 24 points.
D6: Sacramento Adventist (Carmichael) 25-6
This team gained its first ever section title by turning back Faith Christian of Yuba City, 54-49, which is the team that has sophomore Lauren Harris (30.8 ppg).
SAN DIEGO SECTION
Open Division: Mission Hills (San Marcos) 23-8
Lindsey Jones knocked down threes and just about everything else she put up for 14 points in the third quarter as the Grizzlies (No. 14 in the state) dethroned La Jolla Country Day with a 63-56 win on Saturday night at LionTree Arena. They needed everyone to play well, too, as San Diego State-bound Naomi Panganiban had a strong outing for the Torreys and scored 34 points. Kyara Walter, a senior, also had 15 points for Mission Hills, which had lost three straight Open Division finals. It was the fourth overall Open Division title for the program. On Sunday, Mission Hills was put into the SoCal Open Division (with Etiwanda and Sierra Canyon) while La Jolla Country Day was seeded No. 4 in D1. Guess which one has the better chance to add a CIF state title?
D1: Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 21-11
We saw the Dons for a few minutes up in Stockton at the St. Mary’s MLK Classic in January and now they have captured a section title. In a 51-45 win against Grossmont of El Cajon in the final, Maddie Moeller and Alana Brackett both scored 18 points.
D2: Parker (San Diego) 20-9
Five freshmen and four sophomores on the roster didn’t stop the Lancers from winning their first section championship. They downed Victory Christian Academy of Chula Vista in the final, 47-35. The team had big losses during the season vs Etiwanda and Mission Hills, which can get a young team ready in a hurry and can make it tough to beat later on in a lower playoff division.
D3: Montgomery (San Diego) 21-11
This team won its second straight D3 section title by downing Sage Creek of Carlsbad, 59-46. Sophomore forward Paula Zumstein was stellar with a game-high 24 points.
D4: Escondido Charter 21-11
Kami Gillis led the winners with 19 points and 13 rebounds in 54-44 win in title game vs Santa Fe Christian. It was the White Lions’ third win over SFC this season.
D5: Escondido 19-12
With Escondido Charter winning in D4, Escondido High also got it done in a section title game on Friday with a 74-53 win over Kearny of San Diego in D5. The Cougars, who won their first-ever section crown, were led by Jasmine Reyes with 19 points.
D5AA: Rock Academy (San Diego) 13-12
The winner of this division does not advance to the SoCal regionals. Rose Riley had 13 points in team’s 38-30 win in the section final vs Escondido Adventist Academy.
MORE SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS
D1: Brentwood (Los Angeles) 24-8
The Eagles won the CIFSS Division 4A championship in 2014, the 4AA title in 2018, the 2A title last season and completed winning four titles in 10 seasons with a Division 1 championship this season. The 70-53 win on Saturday at the Toyota Center also was the first back-to-back CIFSS title ever for Brentwood. Head coach Charles Solomon’s squad did it by avenging a 71-48 defeat it suffered last season to Santiago in the second round of the CIF Southern Regional Division I playoffs. Junior floor general Lev Feiman led Brentwood with 21 points and eight rebounds with five assists and four steals. Despite fighting foul trouble and only playing just under 14 minutes, senior Jocelyn Pascual finished with 15 points. Santiago (21-12) was led by senioe Zawadi Ogot with a gme-high 22 points and nine rebounds.
Miye Kodama from Louisville of Woodland Hills holds the two plaques that she was part of in basketball and soccer that were won on Friday and Saturday. Photo: @LvHSRoyals / Twitter.com.
D2AA: St. Anthony (Long Beach) 24-7
Moreno Valley came into the title game at No. 14 in the state, but couldn’t stop the Saints at key moments down the stretch. Kadence Lloyd led the way for the winners with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
D2A: Louisville (Woodland Hills) 28-3
Taylor Westbrook topped the Royals with 18 points in their 64-45 triumph over Lakewood. The story that got the most media attention, however, was about teammate Miye Kodama. She started in the CIFSS title game win on Saturday morning after she starred in a CIFSS title winning soccer game the night before. Kodama is more known for soccer and is in fact one of the top girls soccer players in the state.
D3AA: Oak Park 20-7
The Eagles won the D5A title last season and came back this year to win it in D3AA with an easy 71-41 victory over Cerritos. Senior guard Delaney White (who had that memorable game in the CIFSS finals two years ago for Viewpoint of Calabasas against Camarillo and star guard Gabriela Jaquez) had another big night in a CIFSS final. She finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. On Sunday, Oak Park was handed out the No. 1 seed for the CIF SoCal D2 playoffs.
D3A: JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 23-9
Last season, JSerra was 0-14 but head coach Chyanne Butler now has some great young players to work with around a couple of key returnees. Freshman Rosie Santos is the main one. She had 30 points in an earlier playoff game and in the 43-30 win on Saturday over St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano she had 15 points. It also marked the first girls hoops section title in JSerra history. Instead of going into D3 for the CIF regional playoffs, however, JSerra was seeded No. 12 on Sunday in the SoCal D2 bracket.
D4AA: Canyon (Anaheim) 22-11
A 19-8 fourth quarter lifted the Comanches past Rancho Cucamonga, 52-43, on Saturday morning at Toyota Arena. They won their second title (the first in 2011). Twin sisters Jasmine Prajitano (20 points) and Justine Prajitano (16 points) both had outstanding outings.
D4A: Palos Verdes (PV Estates) 24-7
This is a team that was 3-20 last year and won a CIFSS title on Saturday with a 57-46 win against Eastside of Lancaster. Maddie Farnsworth led the Sea Kings with 35 points.
D5AA: Adelanto 20-9
The Saints won the first CIFSS title in any sport for their school with their 64-35 romp past Colton. It also was the first section title for a High Desert school since 2007. Senior center Nina Lacy had a monster double-double with 25 points and 23 rebounds to lead Adelanto.
D5A: Antelope Valley (Lancaster) 16-6
It’s now a 1-2 punch for the Antelopes with Ariana Soil and Niya Price. Earlier in the season, it was Price averaging nearly 30 ppg. Now that Price has a tender knee, Soil has come up big. In the team’s 71-44 rout of St. Pius X-St. Matthias of Downey in the section final, Soil had 26 points and seven assists. Price had 25 points. On Sunday, the Antelopes caught a break of the CIF as they were seeded third in the SoCal D5 playoffs. D4 might not be as good for them.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle.
