Sage Hill girls’ basketball stunned by Mater Dei in CIF Open Division playoffs
SANTA ANA — In Hollywood, the sequel rarely lives up to the standard set by the original in a series, but the rematch between the Mater Dei and Sage Hill girls’ basketball teams more than lived up to the billing.
Kaeli Wynn’s three-pointer from the left corner with 33 seconds left held up as the game-winner, as visiting Sage Hill fell to Mater Dei 56-55 in a classic between Orange County’s top two programs to begin the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs Saturday at Mater Dei.
“We feel great,” Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan said. “We know how good they are and how badly they want to beat us. We respect the hell out of them. They’re great players, great kids. [Sage Hill coach] Kerwin [Walters] is a great coach. That’s a great high school basketball game, and we’re glad we won.”
The pendulum of momentum favored Sage Hill (24-3), the Pacific Coast League champion, in the third quarter. The Lightning dug in defensively, allowing just two points over the final five minutes of the period.
The Sage Hill girls’ basketball team returns to the Open Division in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, riding a 14-game winning streak heading into the postseason.
It led to a pair of transition layups by Amalia Holguin — off steals by Emily Eadie (17 points) and Kat Righeimer (eight rebounds and three blocked shots) — that had Sage Hill up 42-40 entering the final frame.
Neither team could gain separation in the fourth quarter, the score remaining within one possession for the last seven minutes of game play. It featured seven lead changes, including four in the final 67 seconds.
Eadie started that stretch, getting to the basket for a layup but missing the free throw for a 52-51 lead. Mater Dei (23-6) went to its most reliable option in Duke-bound center Jenessa Cotton for the answer, moving in front 53-52.
“When Jenessa’s healthy, in Orange County, she’s a unicorn,” Kiernan said of Cotton, who had a game-high 23 points. “There’s really not another player like her in the county. … I don’t know of another deep-post threat like her in the county.”
Eight seconds later, the Lightning pushed the ball up the court, Zoie Lamkin finding a cutting Eadie for another finish through contact. This time, Eadie hit the free throw for a 55-53 advantage with 45 seconds remaining.
On the next possession, Emily Shaw took a dribble handoff from Chasity Rice, drove inside and then kicked to the left corner for Wynn, who sank her third three of the contest.
“Kaeli hit a real timely shot at the end, to take that three-pointer to take that lead,” Walters said. “I didn’t think that was the end of it. … We just couldn’t close this game out. … They played a hell of game. Our girls competed and played a hell of game. Just disappointed in the outcome, but someone has to lose.”
The Lightning had multiple looks down the stretch. Annabelle Spotts (14 points) put up a shot, and the ball stayed with Sage Hill after players hit the floor for a loose ball. A high-to-low pass play from Eadie to Spotts was deflected out of bounds and stayed with the Lightning. Then with six seconds left, Spotts inbounded to Eadie in the right corner. Guarded by Cotton, Eadie was ruled out of bounds on the play.
With just a few seconds remaining, Spotts was able to steal an inbounds pass away from the basket, sending a pass up to Holguin, who was unable to get a shot off before the clock expired.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s going to me,’” Wynn said. “I tried to get it, and I was like, ‘Don’t foul.’ So I tried not to foul, and then [Spotts] passed it, and I looked up at the clock, and I said, ‘[Holguin] won’t get it off in time,’ and she almost made it. Thank God she didn’t, but she didn’t get it off in time. I was so relieved that there was only four seconds left on the clock, not five.”
Mater Dei, which previously beat Sage Hill 74-64 in the Troy Classic, plays host to Orangewood Academy (21-7) on Wednesday, before matching up against top-seeded Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (28-1) on Saturday.
The one-point loss to open pool play keeps the Lightning in contention, although it would require winning out in the group, including an upset of Sierra Canyon on the road on Wednesday.
“This one loss does not define us,” said Walters, whose team had a 14-game winning streak snapped. “It is unfortunate that it happened, but we have to go play a very, very excellent Sierra [Canyon] team, but we have the tools to compete with a Sierra.
“We will learn from what we did last time when we played them, make the right adjustments, and be the team that we’re supposed to be.”
CIF Southern Section Open Division
Pool Play
Mater Dei 56, Sage Hill 55
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Sage Hill 16 - 9 - 17 - 13 — 55
Mater Dei 14 - 20 - 6 - 16 — 56
SH — Eadie 17, Spotts 14, Holguin 13, Righeimer 5, Lamkin 5, Cuff 1.
3-pt. goals — Eadie 1, Holguin 1, Righeimer 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
MD — Cotton 23, Wynn 16, Rice 9, Williams 2, D. Kiernan 2, Shaw 2, Golightly 2
3-pt. goals — Wynn 3, Rice 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
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