WOODLAND HILLS — The El Camino Real girls basketball team saw its lengthy playoff run come to an end Tuesday with a tough loss in the CIF Southern California Regional Division III final.
The Royals lost 51-38 to Chula Vista’s Mater Dei Catholic, which advances to the state championship game.
El Camino Real’s first-year head coach, Mia Moore, said she was proud of how much her team accomplished this season.
“We started off 1-7, and then we ended the year at 6-2 (in the playoffs),” Moore said. “That’s what matters, that long playoff run. That’s what we strive for. Those tough losses in the beginning are exactly what prepared us for these moments.
Moore noted that the Royals, who finished with a 16-15 overall record, never had more than eight players on their roster, and had only six players available for Tuesday’s game.
“We don’t have a lot of depth this year,” Moore said, “but we have the culture and we have the kids that want to play for us, and that’s exactly how we got here in the first place. So I’m more than proud of this team, and it’s only year one. I know that we’ll be back soon.”
The Crusaders (21-13) capitalized on some offensive struggles by the Royals and took control of the game early with a daunting 20-0 run.
El Camino Real dominated the turnover battle with some solid, clean defense that saw Mater Dei Catholic’s points per quarter dip each period. However, the Royals struggled throughout the game to score points.
El Camino had a handful of misses in the paint on top of numerous missed free throws and zero makes from beyond the 3-point line.
“It’s only up from here,” Moore said. “Defense is our identity, and that’s what we did. They gave us opportunities. They turned the ball over but with our limited numbers, it was kind of hard for us to put the ball in the bucket, being so tired, but we got here, and that’s what I’m the most proud about.”
Mater Dei Catholic pressed and had constant high double teams that didn’t force a ton of turnovers but led to contested or ill-advised shots.
Whenever the Royals managed to break into the paint, Crusaders forward Jordyn Worley was ready to make a play. Worley got into some foul trouble late but still gave the Crusaders 12 rebounds and a trio of blocks.
On offense, Mater Dei Catholic junior Promise Martin was all over the court with 19 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.
El Camino Real slowly chipped away, highlighted by a strong fourth quarter where it held Mater Dei Catholic to six points, but it wasn’t enough to get back into striking distance.
El Camino Real was led by senior Laila Bowens, who scored 19 points to go with eight steals.
The Royals were without forward Amirah Smith, who injured her knee in Saturday’s regional semifinals win over Garfield. Smith is a big piece of the team’s offense. Smith and forward Taryn Watrin usually give defenses fits with their size advantage.
Watrin finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
El Camino cut the lead to 12 points deep in the fourth quarter after a handful of defensive plays led to an 8-0 run.
The scoring streak nearly continued when Royals forward Kayleigh Ewell tipped a Crusader pass. The ball looked like it was bouncing toward another turnover before being scooped up by Martin, who scored at the cup.
Mater Dei Catholic will play Marin Catholic, the Northern California Regional champ, for the Division III state title on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Royals will graduate four seniors from this year’s team.
“I wish I had one more year with them,” Moore said of the seniors. “That’s how pleasant they were. They’ve had a rough four years here with four coaches in four years. I came in here, they were a little reluctant, rightfully so. Then they bought in and they trusted me and I would run through a brick wall for them.
“I wish they were coming back, but we wish them luck in their next endeavors, and they were forever being my first team and they have my heart for that.”
As for the future of the program, Moore is ready to end the coaching carousel and reestablish El Camino Real girls basketball as one the premier programs in the LA City Section.
“I’m all about development,” she said. “When I got here, I knew I was going to have to develop, build some culture and break some bad habits. The journey is the dream. I’m looking forward to continuing to develop, and in the next five years, you’ll be hearing El Camino’s name a lot. I’m here to stay and I’m here to build. That’s what the future is going to look like.”