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CHATSWORTH — Sierra Canyon’s Juju Watkins is undoubtedly the best high school girls basketball player in the country. It’s why she is the No. 1-rated prospect on every recruiting website. It’s why she’s garnered offers from college basketball’s best programs. It’s why she’s already signed name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with Nike, which has featured her in commercials with LeBron James.
It’s why she’s a McDonald’s All-American, headed to USC, has the Trailblazers at 29-0 and the No. 1 team in the country heading into the CIF Southern Section Open Division title game for the second straight season.
Sierra Canyon, the defending CIF State Open Division champion, will face Etiwanda in a rematch of last year’s title game at the Honda Center Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Eagles are the last team to beat Sierra Canyon, surprising the Trailblazers in last year’s final, 69-57, on Feb. 26.
To take Watkins’ greatness and dominance a step further, it’s worth looking at her box scores from the 24 games she’s played in this season. She is averaging 28 points, 14 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game. She’s shooting 49.9% from the field, 37.1% from the 3-point line and 84.3 from the free throw line.
She scored a career-high 60 points Jan. 31 against Notre Dame on the school’s Senior Night.
Swanson: Sierra Canyon’s Juju Watkins is a sensation for all the right reasons
Harvard-Westlake girls basketball coach Melissa Hearlihy has been coaching in Southern California since 1985, starting at Alemany High. The legendary coach, who has accumulated more than 800 career wins, knows a thing or two about great players.
Juju Watkins is at the top of Hearlihy’s list.
“It’s hard to think of anyone that’s as dominant as she is,” Hearlihy said. “She’s a 6-foot guard. Twenty years ago, a girl that size was playing with their back to the…
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