McKenna Woliczko (left) was MVP of the annual La Jolla Country Day Sweet Sixteen tourney. At right, Country Day head coach Terri Bamford had to be photographed after becoming winningest head coach in CIF San Diego Section history. Photos: Harold Abend.
State preseason No. 2 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) headed down to San Diego for the annual La Jolla Country Day Sweet 16 tourney and came back with an impressive title. The big story of the event on Friday night was the host school’s head coach becoming the winningest head coach in CIF San Diego Section history.
We hope you enjoy this free post on Cal-Hi Sports.com. Most future game stories or reports from showcase events from lead girls hoops analyst Harold Abend will be for Gold Club members of our site only. All upcoming state rankings packages plus State Stat Stars of the Week, state record updates and special features also will be for Gold Club members only. If you’re not a member, CLICK HERE.
CHECK OUT CALGAMESWANTED.COM
Created for Coaches by Coaches for California Varsity High School Head Coaches and Athletic Directors, Start building your schedule with CalGamesWanted.com.
User friendly to take the stress out of scheduling.
Despite a solid lineup including seven teams ranked in the Cal-Hi Sports preseason TOP 40 rankings, preseason No. 2 Archbishop Mitty was obviously a heavy favorite to win the La Jolla Country Day Sweet 16 Invitational title, and the Monarchs did just that with four convincing wins, including a 65-40 victory over host La Jolla Country Day in the title-game matchup on Saturday evening.
Last season’s Cal-Hi Sports State Sophomore of the Year McKenna Woliczko was named tournament MVP and showed why she’s not only a top candidate for State Junior of the Year, but after her four performances at the Sweet 16 Invitational she’s showing she wants to be in the running once again for Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year.
In the championship victory over La Jolla Country Day, the 6-foot-2 Woliczko had a solid double-double 28 points and 12 rebounds with four assists and a steal. Woliczko was 12-for-19 overall from the field, and she showed some long range shooting by going 2-for-3 on three pointers.
“I’ve been practicing the three-pointer,” said Woliczko with a big grin when we talked to her on Friday about looking to add some long ranging shooting to her already formidable arsenal.
Junior guard Emma Cook added 11 points with one three-pointer, sophomore point guard Tiera McCarthy, who was named All Tournament, had 10 points.
Mitty (4-0) took charge right from the opening tip-off and led 16-9 after one quarter and 34-18 at the half. The lead was 50-32 after three quarters, and with Woliczko playing into the fourth quarter after having her minutes limited in the first three games, the Monarchs outscored the Torreys 15-8 in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin of victory.
La Jolla Country Day (4-2) got 12 points from junior guard Safiyah Sugapong and 11 points (one three-pointer) from junior wing Mahlia Washington. The Torreys played without junior star and leading scorer Mei-Ling Perry, who hurt her shoulder in the fourth quarter of the Torreys’ semifinal win on Friday over St. Mary’s of Stockton.
Mitty earned its spot in the title game with a 70-51 semifinal victory over preseason No. 11 McClatchy of Sacramento on Friday night.
Championship team photo of San Jose Archbishop Mitty after it won La Jolla Country Day Sweet Sixteen tourney. Photo: Courtesy school.
In that game, Woliczko led Mitty with a double-double 23 points and 11 rebounds with two assists, all in three quarters of work. Just like in the championship, she even drained two three pointers, both during the opening 10-0 run. Junior Devin Cosgriff added 11 points. Sophomore Ze’Ni Patterson (nine points, two three-pointers, four rebounds), freshman Maliya Hunter (eight points, five rebounds, two steals) and McCarthy (five points, six assists, four rebounds, three steals) all made solid contributions.
Mitty bolted out to a 10-0 lead and that pretty much set the tone for the game. McClatchy played the Monarchs tough for the first half after the opening Mitty run, and after cutting the lead to 30-24 on a basket and one by Washington-committed 6-foot-2 senior Nina Cain, it was at that point Mitty took control and scored 29 points in the third quarter, and that was three points more than it scored in the first half. Going into the final period, it was 56-31 Mitty, and when it got to 61-31 Monarchs’ head coach Sue Phillips pretty much emptied the bench where Woliczko already sat.
Cain led McClatchy with 16 points and six rebounds. Senior Norret Lewis had 10 points. Sophomore Savy Hill added 10 points, but eight came in the fourth quarter against the subs.
History Made In Close Game
The other semifinal on Friday pitted St. Mary’s of Stockton against La Jolla Country Day. In a hard fought defensive affair, and despite playing most of the fourth quarter without Perry, it was Country Day pulling it out in the fourth quarter for a 43-39 victory after the teams were tied 33-33 after the third.
The victory earned Cal-Hi Sports preseason No. 19 Country Day head coach Terri Bamford career win No. 726. That not only moves her up to No. 8 all time in California girls basketball coaching history, according to the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, it moved her past Jay Trousdale, who had 725 career wins at Poway. Who knows how many wins Bamford might have had she not taken an eight-year hiatus to coach in college.
“It really is truly about the journey of the kids and the relationships I’ve built,” Bamford remarked. “Each year I’ve got my team.
“In life people try to figure out their calling and what they do, and coaching is my calling,” Bamford continued. “In the end, it’s about the kids because I never made a basket.”
Sugapong led Country Day with 13 points, including three three-pointers. Junior guard Atlanta Bass-Sulpizio added nine points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Perry had eight points, eight rebounds and two assists. Freshman 6-fot-2 power forward Kennedy Walton, one of two nieces of the late great Bill Walton playing for Country Day, along with her sister 6-foot-1 junior Jet Walton, only had four points, but both came at critical stages late in the game, and she bothered St. Mary’s with seven blocked shots, plus seven rebounds.
Cal-Hi Sports preseason No. 25 St. Mary’s (3-2) got a double-double 13 points and 10 rebounds from 6-foot-4 junior forward Evelini Smith, and senior forward Kylie Limbrick added 12 points, but the rest of the Rams team only scored 14 points, and nine of those came on three three-pointers by junior guard Mia Jamias.
Bass-Sulpizio scored the first basket of the fourth quarter followed by a bucket by Sugapong. Smith made a free-throw but two consecutive baskets by Walton sandwiched around two free-throws by Smith gave the host Torreys a 41-36 lead and St. Mary’s could not recover.
Mitty earned its semifinal spot with a dominating 77-40 victory over an up-and coming preseason No. 26 Francis Parker that had a 46-41 win at the Harvard-Westlake Invitational in late November over preseason state No. 7 Sage Hill of Newport Beach.
Against Francis Parker, it was Woliczko leading the way with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Freshman phenom Hunter, in only her second game and coming off the bench, finished with 17 points, including 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, plus seven rebounds. McCarthy added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Hunter, whose father is Stanford first-year assistant Wayne Hunter, was very impressive and most of the college coaches we spoke to feel she can be the next Mitty star and a solid true post that Phillips hasn’t had in her arsenal for a few years. She already got her first accolades when she was named all-tournament.
Mitty bolted out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back in a game that nearly went to a running clock even though with the score 63-26 at the end of the third quarter, Phillips played mostly subs that maintained the lead to the end.
The only double-digit scorer for Francis Parker (3-2) was freshman Brianna Mendez with 12 points, but all those came in the second half after Mitty had a 47-20 lead at halftime.
Country Day punched its ticket to the semifinals with an 81-36 rout of Los Angeles Marlborough in a game that went to a running clock.
Perry torched the nets for nine three-pointers and finished with 35 points and four assists. Perry’s little sister, freshman Aoki Perry, had 11 points, and Bass-Sulpizio added 10 points.
Marlborough was led by 6-foot junior forward Leila Boykin with 16 points (one three-pointer) and seven rebounds.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
