The future of South Orange County girls basketball was on full display in the CIF-SS Division 3A semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 17, at JSerra Catholic, and with a bit more scoring balance, it was the host Lions who sent Dana Hills and its explosive freshman star packing.
JSerra had three freshmen score in double figures, including leading scorer Rosie Santos, to best Dana Hills and its freshman leading scorer, Kayla Rice, 65-55, and advance to the Lions’ third CIF-SS championship game.
Santos contributed in all areas of the game with 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, despite the Dolphins throwing every defensive combination they could at her. Rice was a force early on with 20 points in the first half to finish with 33 points on the night and eight rebounds.
JSerra Girls Basketball Defeats Dana Hills in Semifinals
“It was impressive, right?” Dana Hills coach Shevy Akason said. “I mean, what can you say? Those two girls, both of them can hoop.”
“It’s just great for women’s basketball in general,” JSerra coach Chyanne Butler said. “To see people going hard, going at it, playing hard, playing in front of a crowd. It’s so exciting”
No. 1 seed JSerra (22-9) will take on No. 2 seed St. Margaret’s (26-6) in an all-San Juan Capistrano CIF-SS title game on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Edison High School in Huntington Beach.
“(It’s been) phenomenal,” Butler said. “They’re great listeners. They work hard, and they’re willing to win. They want to win, and they’re hungry. For them coming in and getting this experience a lot of freshmen don’t get, I think they realize that and realize how special the opportunity is.”
By advancing to its first CIF-SS semifinals, Dana Hills (27-5) will get an opportunity to further its program-record win total in the CIF State playoffs, which begin next week following the release of the state brackets on Sunday, Feb. 25.
“They made some buckets, and we missed some buckets,” Akason said. “That’s what those games come down to. They had a few, a double-clutch jumper. They had some shots that on film don’t normally go in. Again, they’re great shooters and a great team, but they were really on tonight.”
JSerra managed to stay a shade ahead of Dana Hills all game long, as the lead changed hands only twice in the game with four tie scores. Each time the Lions needed a basket, it was Santos creating, or JSerra knocking down one of its 10 3-pointers in the game.
Along with Santos’ 30 points and four 3-pointers, freshman Addie Nolan scored 13 points with three 3-pointers, and freshman Shae Talleur netted 11 points with three 3-pointers.
“(Santos), hands down, is one of the best point guards in California,” Butler said. “Freshman, and it’s hard to stop her. Not just a great point guard, but a great teammate. She’s a great person. She can get everybody the ball. She can score at will. She’s a great defender. You don’t see that full package all the time.”
Showcasing the full package on the other side of the ball for Dana Hills was Rice, who forcibly dragged the Dolphins back within striking distance numerous times in the first half. In addition to her 20 first-half points, Rice collected a few steals and assists, including a nifty sequence following a Santos 3-pointer to cut a five-point lead back to one point in the first quarter.
Rice scored on one end, stole the ball from Santos on the other end, and finished the play with a behind-the-back pass in transition to Madison Dellner for the layup.
At the end of the first half, Dana Hills finally grabbed the lead on a Rice bucket, but JSerra shot back ahead on a Talleur 3-pointer. Determined not to let the Dolphins slink away, Rice then answered with a buzzer-beating drive to the basket to give Dana Hills the halftime lead, 36-35.
“Kayla’s an amazing kid,” Akason said. “For her to step up in this environment is incredible. She just has such a nose for the ball. Normally, she just has such a good knack for the ball, she gets rebounds, put-backs, and before you know it, she has 20 or 25 points. And it’s usually a quiet 25. Tonight, she tried to do everything she could to will us to victory, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t quite get there.”
JSerra went in front once more to open the third quarter with a pair of Nolan 3-pointers, one to go ahead and another to break a tie, and the Lions never looked back. JSerra’s defensive physicality seemed to wear down Dana Hills, and the Dolphins’ other scorers couldn’t find openings.
Nevertheless, Rice kept churning by scoring the Dolphins’ final 13 points, including all nine fourth-quarter points. However, it wasn’t enough on her own to get Dana Hills over the top.
JSerra, St. Margaret’s Meet for Girls Basketball Championship Saturday
For most of the season, JSerra and St. Margaret’s have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the CIF-SS Division 3A polls, and it’s only fitting that the Lions and Tartans will meet for the CIF-SS championship on Saturday, Feb. 24, at noon at Edison High School.
JSerra maintained that No. 1 spot despite dropping all eight of its games in Trinity League play. The Lions then backed up the ranking by opening the playoffs with two road wins by 30-plus points and a fourth-quarter comeback in the quarterfinals before defeating Dana Hills.
St. Margaret’s is the reigning CIF-SS Division 5A champion and finished second in the Orange Coast League. The Tartans alternated nearly identical pairs of wins in the playoffs. St. Margaret’s won at home, 50-33, then on the road, 46-41, and followed that with a 53-32 home win and a 49-41 road win in the semifinals.
JSerra has not won a CIF-SS championship in two Finals appearances. Last season’s title win was St. Margaret’s first Finals appearance. The Lions and Tartans have never played each other.