Ontario Christian girls basketball team avenges previous loss to Archbishop Mitty – Press Enterprise

CONCORD — When the Ontario Christian girls basketball team lost to Archbishop Mitty on Dec. 21, the No. 2 nationally-ranked Knights were looking forward to another shot at No. 1 Mitty that was already on their schedule.

But they didn’t want the Monarchs like this.

After Mitty lost their best player, 6-foot-2 junior forward McKenna Woliczko, to a second-quarter injury, Ontario Christian pulled away in the fourth quarter and recorded a 61-44 victory Saturday afternoon in a game that was part of the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase at Carondelet High School.

“I have to admit, when it (Woliczcko’s injury) happened, I didn’t feel the same as coach,” Ontario Christian coach Aundre Cummings said. “I found myself shrinking. My team, they wanted her to play. As it progressed they showed us they were still good. I’ll take the win, but I pray we see them in state. I hope we can get there and see them, full strength.”

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Mitty (9-1) had just taken its first lead of the game, capping an 8-0 run to take a 19-17 lead on a three-point play by Ze’Ni Patterson.

Moments later, Woliczko, who scored four points to that point, was getting back on defense when her right leg crumpled and she hit the floor. She was in obvious pain and needed help getting off the floor in front of a silent, standing-room-only crowd. She left the game and left the gym.

It did take a while for the Knights to shake the Monarchs. Ontario Christian took a 10-point lead (38-28) lead early in the third quarter only to see Mitty respond with a 12-0 run to take its final lead, 40-38, with 1:32 left in that period.

Ontario Christian’s defense seemed to grind down the Woliczko-less Monarchs down the stretch. Mitty not only scored just four points in the final 9 ½ minutes but also made only 1 of 7 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore guard Kaleena Smith, who was the Knights’ game MVP, scored 16 of her 23 points in the first half, a big improvement on the 11 points on 2-of-11 shooting she was held to in Mitty’s 59-34 win over Ontario Christian last month.

Sophomore Dani Robinson (eight points, six rebounds, three steals, two blocks) had a huge part in that, assuming some of the ballhandling duties to take some of the pressure off of Smith.

“I told Dani, to me, she was our player of the game,” Cummings said. “She did all the little things to contribute to winning.”

“Kaleena was getting pressured a lot with the double,” Robinson said. “(I was) just releasing it off of her so she could be able to score aggressively.”

Ontario Christian used a 2-3 zone for much of the game. Robinson said they started practicing that defense after the first matchup against Mitty and Saturday was the first time the Knights used it.

Tatianna Griffin had 14 points and five rebounds for the Knights, but she missed significant time in the game when she picked up her third foul early in the second quarter and her fourth foul with 5:59 to play in the third quarter. She scored nine of her points in the second half and didn’t foul out.

“I feel like I wasn’t grabbing rebounds. I feel like I wasn’t playing my best,” Griffin said. “But I came through in the end.”