Archbishop Mitty puts it on Pinewood to win another CCS Open title
Midway through the fourth quarter of Archbishop Mitty's 74-51 victory over Pinewood in the Central Coast Section Open Division final, Mitty's 6-foot-1 senior post Maya Hernandez missed a point-blank layup. The 6-foot-2 freshman McKenna Woliczko jumped over Pinewood's front line and tried to tip it in.
When the freshman phenom couldn't score, the 6-2 junior Morgan Cheli was right there to pull down the offensive board and score. The point guard, who missed the majority of the regular season with a foot sprain, was everywhere on Friday night.
“Being back with my team was always the motivation for me,” Cheli said after she hoisted the trophy. “I'm super happy I was able to make it back for this and contribute to the win.”
Pinewood's seven-player roster played with grit and passion, but no amount of determination could overcome Mitty's overwhelming size advantage at Santa Clara University — Pinewood's tallest player was 5-11.
Mitty (26-2), which had won its three pool-play games by an average of 58 points, outrebounded Pinewood 34-12. For the seventh time in eight seasons, the Monarchs beat the Los Altos Hills school for the CCS Open Division title.
Wolickzo scored 22 points, Cheli had 18 points, Hernandez scored 12 and reserve big Layla Woods had four offensive rebounds. Pinewood's Alex Facelo scored 23 points and made five three-pointers, and Jolyn Ding scored 13.
“I know that I can just throw the ball up and someone will get it,” Woliczko said.
Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler led a team that had six of its best players stuck on the bench. Three seniors lost their season to ACL injuries, and three other players were ruled ineligible to play after transferring in.
“I'm so proud of our team,” Scheppler said. “They played their hearts out, and there's only so much you can do against their length.”
“I saw Doc and told him I felt terrible for the kids who tore their ACL,” said Mitty coach Sue Phillips, ”And I wanted to congratulate him on the terrific coaching season.”
For the first three minutes, a Pinewood upset over heavily favored Archbishop Mitty seemed possible. A Facelo three-pointer pulled Pinewood (16-11) even with Mitty at 8-8, and the Panthers' deadeye shooter had produced two three-pointers in the last minute.
It wouldn't be the first time a sharpshooting Pinewood upset Mitty in a championship game. In the 2018 NorCal final, a Hannah Jump-led team shocked a Mitty squad headlined by Haley Jones in triple-overtime.
But then the reality of Archbishop Mitty's size advantage set in, with the Monarchs' length and athleticism fueling a 13-0 run over the next five minutes. Its famed pressing defense also forced several turnovers, which led to even more easy layups for the Monarchs, who have now won 19 straight games.