California girls basketball championship preview

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - One girls team will defend a title and two others hope to finish off what it didn't last season year in the 2012 CIF State Basketball Championships at Power Balance Pavilion.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana), led by a pair of McDonald's All-Americans, attempts to win its third straight title and second consecutive at the Division I level.

Berkeley (Berkeley), making a record 11th appearance, hopes to turn around last year's result against Mater Dei, a 59-47 defeat. Likewise Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) returns to the Division III title game but is hoping this time to leave the arena a victor.

Mater Dei is No. 6 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings presented by the Army National Guard. La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla), after its third state title in the Division IV game, is ranked No. 9.

With three wins last season, Southern California closed the gap and trails Northern California 71-66 in state-final victories since 1981. Northern California has dominated Division V with a 19-5 advantage and Southern California is a big leader in Division I (21-9).

The other three divisions are tight, with Division II tied (15-15). SoCal holds a 15-14 edge in Division III and NorCal leads 14-10 in Division IV.

DIVISION I, Saturday 6 p.m.

Mater Dei-Santa Ana (33-3) vs. Berkeley (29-2)

WIN STREAKS: Mater Dei 12, Berkeley 12.

STATE RECORD: Mater Dei 3-1, Berkeley 2-8.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: Mater Dei - G Jordan Adams, G Nirra Fields, G Alexas Williamson. Berkeley – G Elisha Davis, F Rachel Howard, F Desire Finnie.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Mater Dei 69.7 (40.7). Berkeley 57.8 (36.0).

GAME ON: Gone are last year's consensus National Player of the Year Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Mater Dei) and Berkeley's Brittany Boyd, who each graduated.

But this game still carries a lot of pop and prestige with big-name players.

Both Mosqueda-Lewis (Connecticut) and Boyd (Cal) haven't missed a beat in college, but either have the underclassmen on last year's teams.

Mater Dei not only has one but two McDonald's All-Americans in fourth-year starting point guard Adams, a 6-foot-1 mainstay, and 5-9 Fields, a transfer from Canada, who was is the Gatorade State Player of the Year. She had 20 points in Mater Dei's regional title win over Long Beach Poly and has signed to UCLA. Adams, a USC-signee, had five points, seven rebounds and three assists.

As usual, Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan has a stable of shooters and that's what keyed the team's win over Poly as three consecutive 3-pointers – two by Williams – keyed a 9-0 third-quarter run and gave the Monarchs a 36-20 lead.

Since a 65-62 loss to Windward, then ranked second nationally, on Feb. 3, no one has come within single digits of the Monarchs.

Like Mater Dei, it took a late-season loss to wake up Berkeley, which is small, quick and defensive-minded. The Yellowjackets are led by Arizona State-signee Elisha Davis.

Davis drilled four very deep 3-pointers in the team's regional final victory, 55-38, over Kennedy-Sacramento. She had a team-high 17 points and interior players Desire Finnie and Rachel Howard tallied 13 apiece.

Unlike last season when the Yellowjackets had two strong post players who each received Division I college scholarships, this season they don't have a 6-footer on the roster.

It hasn't hurt them since a 54-49 loss to St. Mary's-Berkeley on Jan. 21. Since then, the Yellowjackets have won 12 straight by an average margin of 34.

Predicted winner: Berkeley simply doesn't have enough size or depth, but don't be surprised if its defense keeps it close. MATER DEI.

DIVISION II, Friday 6 p.m.

JW North (Riverside) (31-5) vs. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (27-5)

WIN STREAKS: J.W. North 3, Mitty 12

STATE RECORD: J.W. North 0-0, Mitty 4-4.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: North - F Brittany Crain, C Pricilla Brooks, G Simone De Coud. Mitty – F Kelli Hayes, F Amanda Lovely, F Emily Dinger.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): North 66.0 (46.1), Mitty 56.5 (41.2).

GAME ON: Two resilient teams peaking just at the right time will play for the coveted crown.

North earned its first regional crown despite a pair of disheartening losses to rival Santiago during the regular season and then a bitter defeat to Lynwood in the Southern Section finals.

But behind the all-around play of 5-9 Crain (16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds per game), 5-10 Brooks (15.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg), 5-5 De Coud (12.1 ppg, 3.0 steals per game) and 5-6 guard Akilah Martin (8.9 ppg), the Huskies never lost their focus.

Brooks, in fact, had fouled out midway through the fourth quarter in its regional championship win over Foothill-Tustin on Saturday.

But in a microcosm of its season, the Huskies stayed strong and prevailed. Brooks still led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Crain added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Considering the Huskies with 4-21 a season ago, North's rise to the state title game might be the steepest in history.

Mitty had its own uphill climb.

Battling through one of the state's toughest league – the West Catholic Athletic League – it lost a tough game to state-ranked St. Ignatius 55-49 on Jan. 27.

The Monarchs, led by one of the nation's top juniors Hayes, a 6-foot swing player, never faltered after that and even beat St. Ignatius two more times along the way.

Following another tough win over another state-ranked team Carondelet-Concord in the regional semifinal, it met up with seven-time state champion St. Mary's-Stockton, which hadn't lost a playoff game in 30 tries.

But even without starting point guard Vanessa Garner (knee injury), the Monarchs dethroned the three-time defending state champion with a 53-51 stunner.

Hayes led all players with 23 points including the game-winner with 25.9 seconds left. Lovely, a 6-2 forward headed to Pepperdine, added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

It was one of the best wins in the storied history of Sue Phillips.

"Great win, great win," Phillips said. "We'll enjoy it tonight but we have one more week to complete the goal."

Predicted winner: Mitty must avoid the letdown after emotional win over St. Mary's, but its interior defense will be the difference. MITTY.

DIVISION III, 1 p.m. Saturday

Laguna Hills (Laguna Hills) (26-8) vs. Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland (29-3)

WIN STREAKS: Laguna Hills 11, Bishop O'Dowd 8.

STATE RECORD: Laguna Hills 1-0, Bishop O'Dowd 0-1.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: Laguna Hills - C Anna Mumm, F Celia Marfone, G Maddy Ziering-Smith. Bishop O'Dowd – F Kendall Waters, C Oderah Chidom, G Ariell Bostick.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Laguna Hills 55.6 (44.6), Bishop O'Dowd 69.0 (33.8).

GAME ON: It's been 15 years since Laguna Hills played in a state title game. The Hawks won the 1997 Division II contest behind Tayyiba Haneef-Park, then the Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Year and now star on the USA National volleyball team.

That was Laguna Hills' only state title game appearance until now. O'Dowd's only appearance was last season, a 53-42 loss to St. Joseph-Santa Maria.

That gives the Dragons perhaps an advantage because almost their entire team returns, include a massive front line that includes the 6-4 Chidom, 6-2 Waters, and 6-4 Breanna Brown, who combined for 42 points and 33 rebounds in a 70-51 regional final win over Miramonte-Orinda.

Miramonte was a stellar team that finished 32-2. Its only other defeat was to O'Dowd in the North Coast Section finals. Simply, the Dragons are just overpowering. They are the top-ranked team in the San Francisco Bay Area and they aren't just big.

O'Dowd's guards are tremendously fast and flashy, including the 5-5 Bostick, along with freshmen Aisha Thomas and Aisia Robertson, both 5-6. They've all improved steadily since the start of the season.

Speaking of improvement, Laguna Hills has looked like a different team since its last loss, 37-36 to El Toro (Lake Forest) on Jan. 30. They've won 11 straight since, topped off with a 75-69 regional final win over favored Mission Bay.

The Hawks upped their season scoring average by 20 in that game, getting 28 points and 14 rebounds from Marfone, and 20 points by Mumm, who added eight rebounds.

Point guard Ziering-Smith not only had 13 points, but she contributed a game-high 11 assists. Laguna Hills made seven 3-pointers, including four from Marfone, a UC Davis commit who averages a team-best 17.9 points per game. Ziering-Smith, a junior, averages 16.4. No one else averages more than 6.6. 

Predicted winner: Though the size of O'Dowd can never be overlooked, its guard play is rapidly improving and the reason we think right now it is worthy of Top 25 consideration. BISHOP O'DOWD.

DIVISION IV, 3:30 p.m. Friday

La Jolla Country Day (31-1) vs. Salesian (Richmond) (31-4)

WIN STREAKS: La Jolla Country Day 20, Salesian 7.

STATE RECORD: La Jolla Country Day 2-3, Salesian 0-0.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: La Jolla Country Day – G Kelsey Plum, F Maya Hood, F Malina Hood. Salesian – G Mariya Moore, F MaAne' Mosley, C Alana Horton.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): LJCD 68.4 (38.9), Salesian 57.3 (38.7).

GAME ON: This should be an absolute treat. And the game won't be bad either.

The treat is two of the nation's top stars going head-to-head. It's unlikely they will guard each other, but La Jolla Country Day point guards Kelsey Plum is one of the top juniors in the country.

She's 5-9, averages 22.2 points, 4.6 assists, 3.7 steals and 4.2 rebounds per game. She can do almost anything with the basketball in her hand, including shooting 3-pointers. She's made 68 of them.

Plum had 23 points, six rebounds and three steal in a very tough 46-36 win over Serra-Gardena for the regional championship.

"Kelsey did exactly what she's been doing for us all season," LJCD coach Terri Bamford told reporters afterward. "She wants the ball in crunch time and she can produce."

She is countered by Salesian's 5-11 Moore, considered one of the top sophomores in the country. She can play any position on the court for the Pride and often does.

Moore averages 16.0 points. 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game. She had 13 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in a very tough 47-44 win over defending region champion St. Mary's-Berkeley. She also made a key steal in the final 10 seconds to secure the win.

"It's nice to have a player with the ability to take over a game when needed," Salesian coach Stephen Pezzola said. "But she's also able to make all of the players around her better, too."

Both teams have superb surrounding players, especially LJCD, which is among the Top 20 teams nationally in every ranking service. The Hood sisters are extremely athletic. Maya Hood, a 5-10 senior, averages 17.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per, while Malinda Hood, a 5-10 senior, averages 13.1 and 6.7 per game.

For Salesian, Mosley, a 5-10 freshman, averages 12.1 point per game.

Predicted winner: Even though Salesian has shut down school for a day with both boys and girls playing, La Jolla Country Day is too darned battle-tested. LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY.

DIVISION I, 9:30 a.m. Saturday

Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) (32-1) vs. Brookside Christian (Stockton) (29-4)

WIN STREAKS: Mission Prep 29, Brookside Christian 8.

STATE RECORD: Mission Prep 0-6, Brookside Christian 0-0.

TERRIFIC TRIOS: Mission Prep – G Jenna Dunbar, F Kaylee Williams, F Bri Harvey. Brookside Christian – G Tiara Tucker, F Ra'kyra Gabriel, F Ariana Vaughn.

POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Mission Prep 58.6 (37.2), Brookside Christian 68.4 (35.3).

GAME ON: Neither of these programs has won a state title. But both enter with a completely different mindsets.

Mission Prep would like nothing more than to get the proverbial monkey of its back. A consistent Division V juggernaut every season, the Royals have lost six straight title-game appearances.

This season they are blessed with a versatile and cohesive bunch, led by the senior trio of 5-8 Dunbar (14.6 ppg), 5-10 Harvey (14.1) and 5-7 Williams (11.7).

The Royals haven't lost since a 40-29 defeat to Independence-Bakersfield on Dec. 3. Since then they've won 29 straight including a decisive 62-41 win over Rolling Hills-San Pedro behind 21 points and seven assists from Dunbar and 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists from Williams.

Brookside Christian has never been to a state-title game, but with two sophomores and a freshman as their top three scorers, this might become a good habit.

This year's squad is led by one of the state's most prolific scorers in 5-6 sophomore Tucker, who averages 26.3 points per game. She's had games of 44, 41, 42 and 37. She shoots 53 percent from the field and has contributed 153 steals and 100 assists.

Add in 6-1 freshman Gabriel (11.4 ppg) and 5-10 freshman Vaughn (10.6) and the Knights appear to be a force that will be heard from for at least two more seasons.

Predicted winner: This is a toss-up but because Brookside Christian played here three weeks ago, its faster start will ignite a victory. BROOKSIDE CHRISTIAN.