To be the best you have to beat the best, and Ontario Christian girls basketball did — barely.
In a game that more than lived up to the hype, the Knights held off a furious Etiwanda comeback to capture the Southern Section Open Division championship, 65-63, Saturday night at Toyota Arena thanks to three clutch free throws in the waning seconds by sophomore sensation Kaleena Smith.
The teams could meet again in the SoCal Regional finals, but that was the furthest thing from the mind of Ontario Christian coach Aundre Cummings, who just wanted to savor the program’s first-ever title in the Southern Section’s highest division.
Etiwanda controlled the tip and immediately scored on a layup on its way to a 13-4 lead over the first four minutes. Ontario Christian clawed back, went ahead for the first time, 27-26, with 2:31 left in the second quarter and held a 29-27 lead at halftime.
Smith finished with only 13 points, well below her season average of 23, but she had eight assists and scored crucial points at the end for the top-seeded Knights (31-1), who led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter but learned a valuable lesson: never underestimate a championship-caliber opponent.
The second-seeded Eagles (29-5) were making their fourth consecutive finals appearance and their grit and experience fueled a valiant charge in the final six minutes. Grace Knox hit a three-pointer to beat the shot clock and give defending champion Eitwanda a 60-59 advantage with 2:30 left.
Tati Griffin’s three-pointer with 1:27 left pulled Ontario Christian to within a point. The Knights had possession with 1:02 left and tried to work the ball into the post, but Aliyahna Morris stole it, dribbled to the frontcourt and called a timeout with 41 seconds left. Etiwanda’s Chasity Rice then launched a fadeway three-pointer from the corner that went three quarters of the way down but popped out.
Ontario Christian got the ball back and Smith drove to the basket and drew a foul. She made both shots, putting Ontario Christian up 64-63 with 17 seconds left. Etiwanda called its last timeout to draw up a play but Morris’ floater in the lane failed to draw iron with 2.3 seconds left. Smith was fouled twice (the second time in the bonus) and made the first foul shot with 0.2 seconds left. She missed the second, but victory was secured.
