TRIPLE CROWN

Etiwanda adds CIF State Open Division ring to Southern Section, regional titles

Archbishop Mitty of San Jose came for revenge and a perfect record. Etiwanda came for the final jewel of a triple crown and a special sendoff for a programchanging player.

Something had to give in the CIF State Open Division girls basketball championship Saturday night, and the Eagles seized their prizes.

Etiwanda introduced a zone defense to fluster the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and played hard on both ends of the court for senior Kennedy Smith to collect an impressive 60-48 victory at Golden 1 Center.

The Eagles (32-3), ranked third in the nation by Maxpreps, aligned their second consecutive Open Division state title with their CIF-SS Open Division and Socal regional championships. That's a triple crown that the team didn't secure last season.

“Our goal, from the beginning of the year, was to win it all — all three championships,” said Smith, who tallied 15 points, five rebounds, four blocks and two steals. “This team had a lot of grit and grind with freshmen coming in, transfers coming in.”

“With our national schedule, it definitely prepared us for the moment and I'm really proud of this team and how we executed,” the Usc-bound Smith added.

Etiwanda came prepared with a new 3-2 zone defense. Coach Stan Delus credited assistant Maria Mesa for installing the defense, which forced 19 turnovers that led to 26 points. Archbishop Mitty (30-1) shot 32% from the field and scored only 16 points in the first half while falling behind early.

“(Mesa) put it together a couple weeks ago,

PHOTOS BY KEITH BIRMINGHAM — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Aliyahna Morris of Etiwanda and her Eagles teammates are all smiles as they cherish the CIF State Open Division championship trophy they earned by defeating Archbishop Mitty 60-48on Saturday at Golden 1Center in Sacramento to complete the trifecta of high school basketball titles.

Kennedy Smith of Etiwanda, right, had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks in Saturday’s victory over Archbishop Mitty.