The picture above from staff photographer Gabe Acosta, that includes Rialto’s Birttany Neely (right) and Moreno Valley Rancho Verde’s Tierra Fuqua shows a bit of the physical nature of Friday’s Best of the Best All-Star Girls Basketball Game on Friday at Rialto High, a game won by the North, 71-59.
As it turned out, the Etiwanda and Santa Ana Mater Dei boys basketball teams each ended the season with a championship. Perhaps it’s only fitting that the teams’ star players share Southern California’s top individual award.
After leading the team to the school’s first CIF title in eight years, Etiwanda’s Jordan McLaughlin (right) was named the CIF-SS Division 1AA co-Player of the Year along with Mater Dei’s Stanley Johnson on Monday.
Etiwanda defeated Mater Dei in the CIF-SS championship game only to lose two weeks later in the CIF State tournament semifinals to a Mater Dei team on the way to its third straight state title. Etiwanda’s Dave Kleckner was granted sole possession of the CIF-SS Coach of the Year award after leading the No. 6 seed to the first championship since current NBA players Darren Collison and Jeff Pendergraph helped the Eagles to the 2005 CIF title.
Etiwanda boys wasn’t the only county program with top honors in its division, Division 5A girls champion Mesa Grande Academy got Coach of the year and co-Players of the Year in its division.
ALL-CIF BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS
DIVISION 1AA
Co-Players of the Year – Jordan McLaughlin, Etiwanda (11); Stanley Johnson, Mater Dei (11)
Coach of the Year – Dave Kleckner, Etiwanda
First Team
Roschon Prince, 12, Long Beach Poly
Brandon Randolph, 12, Inglewood
Evan Zellar, 12, Mission Viejo
Jordan Bell, 12, Long Beach Poly
Sheldon Blackwell, 12, Etiwanda
Jordan Strawberry, 12, Mater Dei
Peyton Banks, 12, Orange Lutheran
Sedrick Barefield, 10, Corona Centennial
I knew Mesa Grande Academy’s marquee athletic team for some time has been their girls basketball team. But unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to cover the Cardinals. In fact, I had covered a Mesa Grande softball game and written a Mesa Grande cross country feature before my first Mesa Grande girls basketball team.
I came away from my first Mesa Grande girls basketball game, Wednesday’s 45-24 win over San Diego Ocean View Christian in the State Division V first round, as very impressed.
Mesa Grande has an extremely talented ball handler in Michaela Garcia. They don’t have a ton of size. But they do have other players who are pretty decent at handling the ball, and most importantly, they have players who play great team defense and rebound. On offense, they tend to be very patient but have players who can finish around the basket.
I have no idea if 5th-seeded Mesa Grande (28-3, winners of 21 straight) can beat its next opponent, No. 4 Sun Valley Village Christian, a road game on Saturday night. Just from talking to coach Bob Walker in recent years, I had respect for how he runs his program, but after watching the Cardinals on Wednesday, I have respect for how they play the game.
Thursday’s San Bernardino County scores
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Quarterfinals
DIVISION 1AA
Santa Ana Mater Dei 78, Silverado 26
DIVISION 2A
Moreno Valley Valley View 75, Oak Hills 60
GIRLS SOCCER
Quarterfinals
DIVISION 1
West Hills Chaminade 2, Rancho Cucamonga 0
DIVISION 2
Temecula Great Oak 3, Chino Hills 2
DIVISION 3
Yorba Linda 3, Granite Hills 0
DIVISION 4
Quartz Hill 0, Serrano 0 (Quartz Hill wins on PKs, 6-5)
DIVISION 6
Citrus Valley 1, Oxnard Pacifica 0
BOYS SOCCER
Second Round
DIVISION 5
Granite Hills 2, Hacienda Heights Los Altos 2 (Granite Hills wins on PKs, 5-4)
On the surface, there might be little to enjoy about Cajon’s girls basketball 55-53 Citrus Belt League victory over Miller on Thursday.
But despite all that, it was an incredible game. It was probably one of the best league girls basketball games I’ve seen in a long time. It had a great pace to it. Both teams are fast, move the ball and play tough defense, and neither team led by more than seven points at any point in the game. Every shot and pass was contested. Neither team goes deep into their benches for a game like this, and both teams were in foul trouble but that made the game interesting.
Miller definitely has more size and experience. Miller has 6-foot-3 senior LaCrisha Mackall and starts two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. Cajon has no player taller than 6-feet, and starts three freshmen, a junior and a senior. The contrast in styles was interesting.
I am already looking forward to the rematch, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. at Miller. But both teams need to be careful as there is plenty of talent in the league. On an off-night, Miller or Cajon could lose to someone else in the league.
