RIVERSIDE — Both the Etiwanda and Sierra Canyon girls basketball teams experienced early jitters playing in front of a large crowd at Cal Baptist University with the CIF Southern Section Open Division title on the line.
But even amidst the early nerves, when shots weren’t falling, Etiwanda stayed true to its identity of being a physical team that hustles on both sides of the court.
The 50-50 balls went Etiwanda’s way. The calls in the paint tilted in the Eagles’ favor. The hard-nosed defense led to a flurry of Sierra Canyon turnovers.
The overall physicality was the main factor in Etiwanda’s 65-44 victory of the Trailblazers Friday, leading to the program’s second CIF-SS championship in three seasons.
Sierra Canyon head coach Alicia Komaki said the game was the “worst basketball game” in her Sierra Canyon career.
“Etiwanda is always more physical than us,” she added, “they’re a physical program. That’s a staple of their program.”
After the initial few minutes passed, the Eagles started to find their rhythm on 3-pointers. Mykelle Richards hit two 3-pointers and Aliyahna Morris made one to give Etiwanda an early cushion.
The Trailblazers fought their way back in the second quarter with Mackenly Randolph and Jerzy Robinson leading the way.
The duo was able to score in the paint and even got their hands on some second-chance opportunities. Randolph had nine offensive rebounds and Robinsons had seven. But their shots were seemingly always contested.
Etiwanda’s Grace Knox and Kennedy Smith stood tall in the paint, making things difficult for Sierra Canyon all night.
Both players even took a shot to the face during the action, but they weren’t phased, as they got back up and stayed in the game.
“Me and Kennedy have good body types that we know how to use. Just be strong with our bodies,” Knox said. “And I think just being able to read what they were going to do, learning their habits and how to defend them.”
“Our goal…
Read the full article here
