Etiwanda girls basketball tops Archbishop Mitty again for record third straight CIF state Open title

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Head coach Stan Delus of Etiwanda Eagles celebrates after defeating the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs 75-59 to win a girls CIF State Open Division championship basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

SACRAMENTO — Etiwanda’s increasingly regular appearance in the CIF State Open Division girls basketball championship game Saturday seemed stacked with reasons why the Eagles could be overconfident.

Not only did Etiwanda face an Archbishop Mitty program that it beat in the finals the past two seasons, the Eagles encountered a Monarchs squad without star McKenna Woliczko, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in early January.

If that wasn’t enough of an enticement to be overly brash, Etiwanda advanced to the marquee girls game at Golden 1 Center by defeating Ontario Christian, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, in the Southern California regional final.

The Eagles shoved aside all the psychological barriers to chase down history.

Junior Arynn Finley scored a game-high 21 points and Etiwanda made a stunning 11 of 15 field goals in the third period to defeat Archbishop Mitty 75-59 for a record third consecutive Open Division title.

Etiwanda Eagles celebrates after defeating the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs 75-59 to win a girls CIF State Open Division championship basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

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The Eagles became the first program — boys or girls — to three-peat in the Open Division, which debuted in 2013.

” A special group,” said Etiwanda coach Stan Delus, whose players held up three fingers in their celebration. “They’re not (overconfident). They all know that every game has its own different challenges. We went into the mindset, with the staff, that we just need to be disciplined and execute and play our game.”

“(In SoCal), you have to go through at least four of the top national teams to get here,” the coach added. “That’s what makes it so much more special.”

Etiwanda (28-5) again showcased its depth. The Eagles rolled past the Monarchs (27-4) with McDonald’s All-American guard Aliyahna “Puff” Morris as their fourth-leading scorer with 12 points.

Point guard Shaena Brew and reserve guard Chasity Rice each had 13 points. Grace Knox, who also was named a McDonald’s All-American, added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Finley delivered one of the biggest shots with a 3-pointer with 32 second left in first half to answer Archbishop Mitty trimming its deficit to one point. Finley made 4 of 5 shots from beyond the arc and added two blocks.

“They’re not a two-tricky pony,” Archbishop Mitty coach Sue Phillips said of Etiwanda. “They are a team.”

The Eagles showed their hunger in the third period. After leading 37-31 at halftime, they outscored Archbishop Mitty 24-13 in the quarter to open a 61-44 lead.

Etiwanda made its move by attacking the rim. After making 4 of 11 3-pointers in the first half, the Eagles took only one shot from the arc in the third.

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“This team isn’t riding off the last two state championships we’ve won because not everyone on this team has won those state champions,” said Morris, who had seven assists. “I’m very proud of this team.”

Shaena Brew #5 of Etiwanda Eagles celebrates after defeating the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs 75-59 to win a girls CIF State Open Division championship basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Etiwanda finished the game 31 for 52 from the floor (60 percent).

“They got to the rim at will,” Phillips said of the Eagles. “They’re physical and they were getting down hill on us.”

“And they can score at all three levels at all five positions, and they don’t make too many mistakes at the defensive end,” the veteran coach added. “They’re well-schooled. They’re skilled. They’re competitive.”

Last season, Etiwanda used a new-look zone defense to defeat Archbishop Mitty 60-48 in the Open Division final. In 2023, the Eagles edged the Monarchs 69-67 on a last-second putback by Jada Sanders.

On Saturday, Etiwanda capped a season that featured the summer departure of star freshman center Sydney Douglas to Ontario Christian and a 4-4 start against top competition. One of the key adjustments was moving Brew, a senior, to point guard.

“I am excited just to know they finished something strong when it didn’t look good early,” Delus said, “and they all did that together.”

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