Ontario Christian ladies basketball team is | College News
Taking the 60 freeway from Los Angeles to Ontario, exit at Mountain Avenue and don’t fear about discovering someplace to eat earlier than attending an Ontario Christian ladies’ basketball recreation. There’s a Sizzler, an In-N-Out and an Italian restaurant, Cannataro’s, that was so crowded final weekend that you possibly can have spent half an hour ready whereas eating their scrumptious garlic bread.
Once you arrive at Ontario Christian’s multimillion-dollar 1,500-seat gymnasium that opened in 2021, the enjoyable begins. They take their ladies’ basketball critically during the Southern Section Open Division playoffs, offering a free roster for each groups, a media information and participant introductions that begin with a music video on the massive video screen.
Respect has been earned and appreciated at Ontario Christian (26-1), ranked No. 1 in California and on a path towards turning into the Inland Empire’s ladies’ model of the Chino Hills groups from the Ball brothers’ days almost 10 years in the past.
You can see the start of sports activities fandom. It facilities round sophomore guard Kaleena Smith, who has an Adidas title, image and license deal and welcomes followers to take photographs after video games. She’s a diminutive expertise on a first-name foundation with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. She shoots threes, drives and excites. After averaging 34.9 factors as a freshman, she’s averaging 23.9 this season and displaying she will run a team whereas surrounded by elite teammates.
Add 6-foot-7 freshman Sydney Douglas, the daughter of a father who performed soccer at USC and a mom who performed basketball at UCLA, and also you get a trace of the approaching bullet prepare. There’s one other freshman phenom in Tai Griffin.
During an early check in November, Ontario Christian handed two-time defending state champion Etiwanda a 68-35 defeat, letting everybody know there was a altering of the guard. But it’s not official till Ontario Christian proves itself when each groups are at full power competing for a championship in March. That date and that rematch is looming if everybody follows by means of. First, Ontario Christian has to get previous Sierra Canyon on Saturday at home to win its pool within the Open Division playoffs, and Etiwanda should defeat Mater Dei in its pool.
Then the primary of two seemingly postseason video games in opposition to Etiwanda would happen March 1 at Toyota Arena in Ontario.
The Ontario Christian gymnasium must be rocking with photographers and videographers Saturday night time. Sierra Canyon has one of the highest juniors within the nation in Jerzy Robinson and is a thriller team, as a result of it’s 26-1 and has not confronted any of the highest groups in Southern California.
Sophomore Kaleena Smith takes baseline shot in opposition to Etiwanda.
(Craig Weston)
“I know Jerzy,” Smith stated. “I feel it’s going to be a great game.”
In the previous, Sierra Canyon and Etiwanda battled it out for part and regional championships, with JuJu Watkins going through off in opposition to Kennedy Smith earlier than they turned USC teammates. It may occur again relying on Ontario Christian’s response.
Ontario Christian first-year coach Aundre Cummings has been preaching to his team about taking it “one game at a time” despite the fact that he and his gamers know Etiwanda (23-4) is the large roadblock to a championship.
“The California Open Division is the toughest division to play in across the country,” Cummings stated. “We have to take to take it one game at a time because at any moment, something can happen. At practice, we’re reminding them that every game matters now. You lose one and it can jeopardize winning the championship.”
Make no mistake about it, everybody is aware of for Ontario Christian to change into the new powerhouse in Southern California, Etiwanda have to be toppled.
“Until you stop them, you haven’t stopped anyone,” Cummings stated.
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