CHATSWORTH — Sierra Canyon girls basketball remains consistent and is heading to its third CIF Southern Section Open Division championship game in as many years.
The Trailblazers beat Mater Dei 81-61 on Saturday night in a matchup that pitted the Mission League champion and the Trinity League champion against each other.
“It’s great just playing with this team,” Trailblazers senior and McDonald’s All-American Mackenly Randolph said. “This is our last year, so we’re trying to go all the way.”
Sierra Canyon is seeking back-to-back Open Division titles and will play Etiwanda in the championship game on Friday, Feb. 23, at Cal Baptist University. Etiwanda beat the Trailblazers in the finals in 2022.
“In years past, I would say it doesn’t matter (who we play),” Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki said. “But we’ve clearly built ourselves into a rivalry.”
Randolph scored a game-high 28 points for Sierra Canyon and Jerzy Robinson wasn’t far behind with 21 points. Izela Arenas went on to score 14 points after not getting a single basket in the first quarter.
Mater Dei’s Chasity Rice had 16 points, Janessa Cotton had 14 points and Amaya Williams chipped in 13 points.
Sierra Canyon saw its early lead slip away midway through the first quarter when Williams made a mid-range jumper and followed up with a 3-pointer to give Mater Dei a 10-8 lead.
The Trailblazers were able to tie the game twice more in the final three minutes of the period, but Mater Dei went on a five-point scoring run for a 17-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Arenas hit a corner 3-pointer within the first two minutes of the second frame and followed up with another 3 and a layup near the six-minute mark to tie the game at 21-all.
A midrange jumper from Robinson put the Trailblazers back in the lead.
“She’s one of the best scorers in the country,” Komaki said of Arenas. “There’s never a conversation with our kids like, ‘OK you’ve gotta do…
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