SAN JOSE — Regional championship games at the highest level aren’t supposed to be like this, not this lopsided, not this dominant. But then again, there aren’t many teams like Archbishop Mitty.
The Monarchs are tall. They’re athletic. They’re skilled. They’re relentless.
And they’re going to the CIF Open Division state girls basketball final for the third consecutive season after capturing a fourth Northern California Open Division crown in a row.
Mitty needed less than three minutes Tuesday night to score 14 unanswered points, withstood a mini rally at the end of the opening quarter and then put away second-seeded Clovis West by halftime on its way to a 71-34 triumph.
The game ended with a running clock — and a flagrant Clovis West foul on a Mitty breakaway — as the Monarchs showed why they are undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country.
When it was over, Mitty’s star players, Morgan Cheli and McKenna Woliczko, and coach Sue Phillips said they enjoyed getting the W above all else.
“It’s a four-peat for us,” Phillips said. “To be able to win one, let alone to repeat knowing a target’s on your back, is pretty fantastic. I thought our kids started with such precision and intensity. We owned the glass, which I think they’re really good at rebounding. I thought we did a fantastic job on the boards.”
Archbishop Mitty’s McKenna Woliczko (20) takes a shot against Clovis West in the CIF NorCal Open Division championship at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Mitty (30-0) will play Etiwanda for the state championship on Saturday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, a rematch of last season’s final won by the Southern California school at the buzzer.
Etiwanda edged Sierra Canyon 54-51 for the SoCal title on Tuesday.
The Monarchs made sure there would be no nail biting in their regional final. They scored six quick points on baskets by Cheli, Woliczko and Tee McCarthy.
Clovis West coach Craig Campbell called time to try to settle his team.
It didn’t work.
Cheli scored on an and-1 three-point play to make it 9-0. Woliczko did the same to extend the margin to 12-0 and scored in transition for a 14-0 lead.
Campbell called timeout again, with still 5:09 left in the first quarter.
“We hoped that wouldn’t happen, but we knew it could,” Campbell said about the Mitty ambush. “They’re so, so talented, so well coached, so big and athletic. They’re not just tall. They run like gazelles. On top of that, they shot the ball well. We played tight and tentative. It was really hard. We had a one-day turnaround to get ready for the No. 1 team in the country.
“Two or three days might not have made a difference. But there were things we were trying to do that we were out of sync on. Our kids heads were spinning. Then the bottom fell out.”
Clovis West finished 31-3.
Archbishop Mitty’s Morgan Cheli (33) takes a shot against Clovis West during the first half in the CIF NorCal Open Division championship at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Woliczko, a 6-foot-2 sophomore sensation, had 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots. Elana Weisman finished with 12 points and Belle Bramer added 10 points.
Nine Mitty players scored.
“Clovis West is a great team and to be able to stand out and do what we do best — play defense and offense — I am so proud of our girls,” Woliczko said. “We started really fast. We went on a something-to-0 run on Clovis West. They’re the No. 2 team in NorCal. It was really cool to see that.”
Cheli, in her second game back and first start since suffering a leg injury more than a month ago, finished with seven points but also had numerous assists against relentless full- and half-court pressure.
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Her ability to fight through contact led to numerous points for her teammates and put a cherry on top in her final home game wearing a Mitty uniform.
“We came out ready to go from the get-go,” said Cheli, a UConn-bound McDonald’s All-American. “I think we just played off each other really well. Everyone was hyped for one another. That’s really special to have.”
Now comes the final hurdle, the one that Mitty has yet to clear.
The Monarchs are a 16-time regional champion after the victory Tuesday and have won six state titles. They went undefeated in 1999 when they captured the Division I crown.
But since the CIF added an Open Division for the best-of-the-best in 2013, Mitty is 0-3 in Open state finals.
If the Monarchs get over the hump Saturday — and it won’t be easy — they’ll make state history,
They’d be the first girls team to win the Open with an undefeated record.
Archbishop Mitty’s Morgan Cheli (33) and Archbishop Mitty’s Belle Bramer (23) hold up a plaque after winning against Clovis West in the CIF NorCal Open Division championship at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Morgan Cheli (33) celebrates with Archbishop Mitty’s McKenna Woliczko (20) against Clovis West in the CIF NorCal Open Division championship at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Elana Weisman (11) Clovis West’s Ariyah Smith (2) during the first half of the CIF NorCal Open Division championship at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)