Etiwanda outduels Mater Dei to return to Southern Section Open Division championship: 5 takeaways

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – Deja vu?

Etiwanda certainly hopes so.

For the second straight season, the Eagles took down Mater Dei at home to close out pool play and win the de facto CIFSS Open Division semifinals.

Much like in last year's meeting, Mater Dei brought a tremendous effort but still fell by double-digits to the Inland Empire buzzsaw as Etiwanda won 71-58. Kennedy Smith led the Eagles with 26 points, and Aliyahna "Puff" Morris scored 20.

Like last year, Etiwanda remains unbeaten against Southern Section competition heading into the title game and will take on Sierra Canyon in what's set to be a fireworks-packed finals.

And if history repeats itself next week and the championship plays out like it did last year, Etiwanda will be the back-to-back Southern Section Open Division champion.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

1. THIS IS WHAT CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL LOOKS LIKE

When Mater Dei and Etiwanda met in the final game of pool play last season, the Monarchs played one of their stronger games of the season and looked the part of one of the best teams in the Southern Section. And that was only enough to keep within 20 points of the juggernaut Eagles, as Etiwanda won that meeting 64-53 in a game where the outcome was never in doubt. 

And although there were some differences, this year's rematch was eerily similar.

Like last time around, Etiwanda came out hot and led from the start. The Eagles led 17-12 after one quarter and 30-22 at halftime, with nine points as their biggest first half lead. Led by Addie Deal, the Monarchs hit a slew of tough shots in the first half to keep in striking distance.

The only major difference between the 2021-22 semifinal and this one was that Mater Dei made a serious push before the game was already out of hand. MD came out as the aggressor after halftime and continued hitting shots to tie the game at 36 with 4:34 left in the quarter.

But after that, it was mostly all Etiwanda. The Eagles responded immediately with an 11-1 run to take their first 10-point lead of the game, led 49-41 after three, and at one point pushed their lead up to 15 points more than halfway through the fourth quarter. There was no specific dagger moment, nor did Mater Dei wave the white flag, but by the waning minutes of the game, Mater Dei was well out of time.

Although the game didn't come down to the final minutes, it had all the excitement one would hope for in a star-studded playoff battle. If the Eagles didn't come ready to play, they could've lost in a shocker because MD looked like a championship-caliber team in its own right. But instead, it was yet another outstanding victory – among the most impressive of the season of the season in fact – for an Etiwanda team that looked the part of one of the nation's best.

2. SMITH'S CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT ON DISPLAY

Kennedy Smith has taken the proverbial next step as a junior. It's not easy to do for a player who entered high school already uncommonly complete and then improved significantly as a sophomore. But thanks to her continued development as a superstar, she delivered one of her signature performances as an Eagle so far when it was needed. 

Perhaps the biggest improvement for Smith this year has been her jump from a very good shooter to a great one. Her three-pointer has gotten more consistent, and she's polishing her mid-range pull-up game off a big hop step as a go-to move that is nearly impossible to contest when she's attacking a closeout. In addition to scoring some buckets from about 16 feet, Smith got some good looks in the paint against defenders who were playing her to shoot the pull-up jumper. 

Additionally, while Smith technically plays some center for the Eagles, head coach Stan Delus has assigned her more and more on defense to their opponents' top lead guards in the last two seasons. And she's proven to be a true stopper at one through five. On Saturday, she held Addie Deal, the seventh-ranked player in the Class of 2025, to 16 points on a night when Deal hit contested jumpers from the get-go and could've scored 30 or more in a heartbeat.

3. EAGLES KEEP COTTON UNDER WRAPS

Nobody has had much of an answer for 6-3 Mater Dei center Jenessa Cotton this season. Despite dealing with an injury for much of the season, she's taken a big step as a junior into one of the most consistent inside forces in the state.

However, not only were the Eagles able to keep her from dominating, but they did it without having to compromise the rest of their game plan. 6-1 forwards Sa'lah Hemingway and Mykelle Richards effectively battled her in single coverage all night, and Cotton was held to one field goal and few offensive boards. It was a reminder that for all of Etiwanda's length and athleticism, the team's toughness is as vital as anything to its continual defensive success.

Hemingway and Richards added 9 points and 8 points, respectively.

4. MATER DEI'S STOCK RISES DESPITE THE LOSS

After beating Windward, annihilating Santiago, and coming back to tie Etiwanda in the third quarter, the second half proved to be quite anticlimactic for the Monarchs. But it doesn't change that the fact that last week improved their stock exponentially – enough to debut in our national Power 25. 

For Mater Dei to prove that it could give Etiwanda a run for its money without even firing on each and every cylinder is no joke. Especially when nearly its whole team will be back in 2023-24.

As far as individual standouts go, Deal led MD with 16 points despite nearly every one of her buckets coming with a high degree of difficulty.

Shaena Brew, a sophomore combo guard who often stands out most for her defense, also stepped up offensively. She scored 14 points on a variety of tough finishes inside in some key junctures of the game.

5. YES, ETIWANDA CAN BEAT SIERRA CANYON

After getting revenge against Etiwanda in the regional finals and winning a state title, Sierra Canyon went on a national tour de force this regular season and came out unbeaten. SC is on another level from last season. It's the 29-0 consensus No. 1 team in the country.

But the fact that some are making the upcoming championship out to be a David vs. Goliath dynamic and questioning if Etiwanda has more than just a puncher's chance... it's just silly. 

Undoubtedly, after losing narrowly to La Jolla Country Day and New Jersey powerhouse Morris Catholic, Etiwanda – which was undefeated heading into last year's title game – is the clear underdog. Every team in the country is a clear underdog against Sierra Canyon until proven otherwise.

But the upcoming championship is a battle between two Goliaths. Even while committing some uncharacteristic turnovers, it was very clear on Saturday that this Etiwanda team – which is not too different from the one that split two title games with SC a year ago – has what it takes to go all the way.

And it really shouldn't need to be said.

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(Photo gallery by Nick Koza)