California’s top high school girls basketball championship couldn’t have been any closer.
Etiwanda star Kennedy Smith had 30 points and 13 rebounds, but it was backup guard Jada Sanders who rebounded Smith’s miss and scored just before time expired to give the Rancho Cucamonga school a 69-67 victory over the Mitty Monarchs in the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division Championship Game.
Final: Etiwanda 69, Mitty 67@EHSAthletics wins the @CIFState Open Division Girls Basketball Championship on Jada Sanders’ last-second putback.
— The San Francisco Standard Sports (@SportsInSF) March 12, 2023
She had just four points. The putback was her only rebound. She couldn’t have delivered a bigger one. pic.twitter.com/aaAoKQ4JCq
Sanders, who was only in the game because teammates Sa’lah Hemingway and Mykel Richards had fouled out, became the hero after Smith’s jumper swirled around the rim twice and fell out.
Etiwanda wins 69-67 over Mitty on buzzer beater by Jada Sanders. Open Division girls champions. pic.twitter.com/HLLzfKi6Rx
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 12, 2023
Mitty (28-3) never had possession after Morgan Cheli’s pair of free throws with 58.5 seconds left. Eagles point guard Aliyahna Morris drew Maya Hernandez’s fifth foul with 41.8 left and made both free throws to tie the game at 67, and the Monarchs threw away the subsequent inbound pass. Etiwanda (32-3) forced a jump ball with 19.1 to go, called timeout and set up the shot that head coach Stan Delus wanted Smith to take. She missed, but Sanders was in position to be the hero.
Cheli led the Monarchs with 24 points, while freshman McKenna Woliczko, a San Bruno native, had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Morris scored 14 for the Eagles, while Arynn Finley added eight off the bench.