GIRLS OPEN DIVISION: ARCHBISHOP MITTY VS. ETIWANDA
Records: Mitty 27-3, Etiwanda 27-5
Tipoff: Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, 6 p.m.
Storylines: Is this the year Archbishop Mitty breaks through and wins a state Open crown?
If the Monarchs do it, they’ll make history against a familiar rival from Rancho Cucamonga. Mitty has met Etiwanda in the Open Division state championship game three years in a row.
In 2023, the Monarchs lost 69-67 on a buzzer-beating putback by the Eagles’ Jada Sanders. In 2024, Mitty lost 60-48 in a game that was not close.
What will the 2025 edition have in store? This time, the Monarchs will battle the Eagles without All-American forward McKenna Woliczko, who sustained a torn ACL and damaged lateral meniscus in early January.
Woliczko has supported her teammates from the bench, and Mitty coach Sue Phillips has lauded her continued engagement. But she won’t be out on the floor, so the Monarchs will have to do it by committee.
Replacing Woliczko’s 25 points and 15 rebounds per game will be the task of Tiera McCarthy, Devin Cosgriff, Maliya Hunter, Emma Cook, Abigail James and Ze’Ni Patterson, among others.
Mitty has rallied late in the season. The Monarchs have not lost a game since Jan. 18 and went undefeated in the West Catholic Athletic League for the ninth consecutive year.
Their closest calls, of which there have been few, were a 59-51 win over Pinewood in the CCS Open championship and a 64-60 win over Clovis West in the NorCal Open title game.
But Etiwanda presents a stiffer test. The Eagles are the No. 6 team in the nation, a juggernaut led by the senior one-two punch of point guard Aliyahna “Puff” Morris and forward Grace Knox. Both are top-25 national recruits and have signed with Division I colleges.
– Christian Babcock
