Mitty stands tallest against nation’s elite in Phoenix
There’s no high school girls basketball tournament to determine a national champion.
But Mitty captured the closest thing to it Friday, winning the title in the top division of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix.
The Monarchs, ranked fourth nationally by MaxPreps.com, defeated top-ranked Riverdale-Murfreesboro, Tenn., 64-50 in the semifinals Thursday, before knocking off No. 2 St. Mary’s-Stockton 57-50 in Friday’s final.
Against Riverdale, Mitty (9-0) jumped out to an 11-2 lead after the first quarter and never trailed. Penn State signee Karisma Ortiz led four Mitty players in double figures with 18 points and 14 rebounds. The Monarchs made 17 of 18 free throws and outrebounded Riverdale 41-23.
Ania McNicholas added 15 points, Haley Jones 12 and Krissy Miyahara 10. Nicole Blakes, a 6-foot-2 post, added 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
In the title win, Mitty outscored St. Mary’s 20-13 in the fourth quarter with Jones scoring 12 of her team’s final 14 points. Ranked the No. 5 junior in the nation by ESPN, the 6-1 Jones finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the title game and was named the tournament MVP.
It was a great matchup between the uncommitted Jones and St. Mary’s senior Aquira DeCosta. The Baylor signee scored 24 points and was an all-tourney selection along with Blakes.
“Haley played nearly all positions on the floor today,” Mitty coach Sue Phillips told ESPNW. “She really took over.”
Mitty opens West Coast Jamboree Platinum Division play Thursday against Chaminade-West Hills at Clayton Valley-Concord.
More TOC results: Sacred Heart Cathedral, ranked 13th by The Chronicle, had a good showing in the Mike Desper Division, taking third.
The Irish (4-4) won three of four tournament games, beating Perry-Gilbert, Ariz. (70-50), Sacramento (66-65) and Lake Highland Prep-Orlando (6664). The team’s loss was 56-55 to eventual division champion Gilbert, Ariz.
Hunt-Memorial results: Jay-Allen Tovar, a 6-9 post, had 20 points to lead 18thranked Valley Christian boys (8-0) to a 62-46 win over visiting Palma-Salinas in the oneday Hunt-Memorial Classic on Saturday. Justin Kidd had 14 points and six assists for the winners.
Without leading scorer Cameron Ba (concussion), St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda got 22 points from Adam Campos to pull out a 63-58 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral, which was led by Gary Hudson’s 26 points and 18 from Bryce Monroe.
Hartwig resigns: One of the truly classy football coaches around, Freedom-Orinda’s Kevin Hartwig, resigned last week after 16 seasons.
The 47-year-old was the longest-tenured coach in the Bay Valley Athletic League along with Pittsburg’s Vic Galli.
He said he wants to spend time with his family, which includes two children at Heritage-Brentwood and a fifthgrader.
Hartwig built the Falcons, 20-5 over the past two seasons, into a perennial Metro Top 25 team.
“For me personally, the timing was just right, plus the program is still very healthy,” he said. “By no means is the cupboard left bare.”
Among the more prominent athletes he coached was Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon, Indianapolis Colts tight end Darrell Daniels and Fresno State tailback Ronnie Rivers.
“The thing I’ll remember most about this run was the quality of kid who played here,” Hartwig said. “From top to bottom, from scholarship player to reserve, kids stuck together, played hard and were very respectful.”
Though the right decision, it was still “bittersweet,” Hartwig said. “It’s not as hard now because it’s on the heels of a long season. But once next season starts rolling around, we’ll see how I feel. … I don’t think I’m done coaching. The focus right now is in other areas of life. I’m looking forward to it.”
Football coaches: Please send All-Metro nominations to mstephens@maxpreps.com.
“Haley (Jones) played nearly all positions on the floor today. She really took over.” Sue Phillips, Mitty girls basketball coach