Ontario Chrsitian girls basketball team knocks off Etiwanda to win Harvard-Westlake Invitational – Press Enterprise

STUDIO CITY — Girls basketball fans didn’t have to wait long for the first elite matchup of the season.

And Ontario Christian proved it should be considered as a serious contender for this year’s CIF State Open Division title.

The Knights jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter, never trailed en route to a 74-66 victory over Etiwanda in the championship game of the Harvard-Westlake Invitational Saturday evening.

Etiwanda (2-1) is the two-time defending Open Division state champion, defending mythical national champion and also the preseason ranked No. 1 in the country.

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“I think it’s the start of a rivalry,” Ontario Christian first-year head coach Aundre Cummings said. “It’s like a North Carolina-Duke kind of vibe, because they’re five miles from each other. We’re excited about these kids. It’s all about them and their growth, to beat a school like Etiwanda, the school has never done something like that before.”

The teams played last year in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, with Etiwanda winning 75-56. But that gap between the teams was clearly narrowed significantly even before Saturday. Among the changes were Etiwanda graduating three-time IE Varsity Player of the Year Kennedy Smith (now at USC). Ontario Christian meanwhile got standout freshmen Tatianna Griffin and Sydney Douglas (the latter of whom spent most of the summer playing for Etiwanda), as well as Dani Robinson, a transfer from Etiwanda.

Barring a change in either team’s schedule, this will be the only time the teams play during the regular season.

Despite the fact that Etiwanda was ranked No. 1 nationally by Maxpreps.com and Ontario Christian was No. 10 in the nation entering the week, Cummings said he felt pressure to win.

“I had to win. This is my first year here,” Cummings said. “There are a lot of expectations for me. I had a lot of people vouch for me to get this job, I had an obligation to them.”

Ontario Christian’s frenetic pace got the Knights (3-0) out to a quick start, taking an 11-2 lead just 3:33 into the game. The lead continued to grow, extending to 23-12 later in the first quarter and 42-26 at halftime.

Knights star sophomore Kaleena Smith led all scorers with 18 points in the first half, but she had a lot of help, with Griffin adding 10 points and Douglas adding nine.

Grace Knox was the only Etiwanda player with more than six points in the first half, when she scored 17 of her game-high 30 points.

“I didn’t like our energy coming out in the first quarter and it reared its ugly head,” Etiwanda coach Stan Delus said. “Their first-quarter momentum dictated the game. They’re a very hungry team, trying to build something. They just came out swinging and we didn’t adjust until later.”

The Eagles’ defense improved in the second half, but they could get no closer than nine points in the fourth quarter and eight in the fourth.

“I am encouraged that my team didn’t quit,” Delus said. “We gained some momentum in the third and fourth quarters. We still need to correct some mistakes. We had self-inflicted wounds. We need to do a better job in the rebounding war.”