Sierra Canyon wins 2026 Open Division girls

Not too many “experts” believed Sierra Canyon may win Saturday night time’s Southern Section Open Division girls’ basketball last against defending champion and top-seeded Ontario Christian.

However, Jerzy Robinson and her teammates sure did. Led by their South Carolina-bound senior, the Trailblazers gained the higher division title for the second time in 4 seasons with a gritty 69-62 victory at Toyota Arena in Ontario.

Robinson epitomized Sierra Canyon’s “refuse to lose” mindset. She performed all 32 minutes, ending with a game-high 32 factors and 12 rebounds. Afterward, she stood on the staff bench, waved her arms and shouted to the Trailblazer trustworthy they have been “No. 1.”

And they’re — for now. The groups may wind up dealing with each other again in the regional playoffs, but this night time was Robinson’s to savor.

“This is for the championship and we wanted it more tonight,” said Robinson, who sealed the win on a layup off an inbounds play with less than 20 seconds left. “This is what we work so hard every day for.”

On the same court and precisely one yr after claiming its first Southern Section Open Division crown, Ontario Christian discovered just how exhausting it’s to repeat. The Knights have been outscored 18-6 in the fourth quarter.

Kaleena Smith, touted as one of the best juniors in the nation, got here into the competition averaging 32.5 factors per recreation. She scored 30 in her head-to-head matchup with Robinson. Each had 17 factors in the first half, Robinson banking in a three-pointer from half court at the buzzer to pull the Trailblazers to within six.

Ontario Christian star Kaleena Smith floats down the lane as she makes an attempt a layup against Sierra Canyon on Saturday night time.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

UC Irvine commit Delaney White, a senior switch from Oak Park, and senior heart Emilia Krstevski each added 10 factors for third-seeded Sierra Canyon (30-2), which last gained the Open title in 2022-23 behind Gatorade National Player of the Year Juju Watkins, now at USC.

It was the second straight upset for the Trailblazers, who had shocked No. 2 Etiwanda on its home court 4 days earlier.

“When we were behind it just made us play harder.” added Robinson, who is the consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class. “We were telling each other, ‘go out there and get it!’ We’ve been working on our ball screen defense all year and we relied on it tonight.”

Sierra Canyon’s Emilia Krstevski drives for a layup against Ontario Christian in the Open Division last.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Dani Robinson scored 16 factors for the Knights (32-2), who have been the No. 1-ranked staff in California and No. 2 nationally, having misplaced only once by two factors to Bishop McNamara of Forestville, Md.

Since Smith arrived on campus in 2023, Ontario Christian has gained 89 of 98 video games. Sierra Canyon, which was undefeated in Mission League play, has gained 12 in a row since a 70-60 loss to Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran.

“My composure comes from my teammates,” Robinson said. “I have so much faith in them.”

The win got here two hours after the boys’ staff beat Harvard-Westlake, giving the Chatsworth college a sweep of the Open Division titles. Many of the boys stayed to watch the girls’ triumph.