Rancho Christian races past Chino for title

ONTARIO >> Rancho Christian’s players didn’t get their hands on the championship plaque until the final horn sounded. But the Eagles laid claim to it in the minutes after the opening tip.

Using its hyper-pressure defense, Rancho Christian opened Saturday’s Division 3A title game with a 20-0 run on the way to a record-smashing 91-29 victory over Chino at Colony High. The topseeded Eagles (25-6) became the first team to reach 90 points in a girls’ title game and shattered the mark for highest winning margin in a final.

It was a far cry from a season ago when the Eagles were an undermanned .500 team that finished multiple games with four players on the floor.

“It’s great,” Coach Marlon Wells said. “We’re a small school that a lot of people don’t know much about except that the Mobley brothers went here. This can put us on the map and maybe have some kids come and at least check us out.”

Whatever drama might have been in store for the final was effectively erased during the week, when Chino’s top scorer and playmaker Lyndsey Valverde injured her knee in practice. She watched, in uniform, from the bench.

“Everything goes through Lyndsey,” Chino coach Sandra Van Embricqs said. “It changes the entire dynamic of our team.

But that doesn’t take anything away from that team (Rancho Christian). They’re definitely the toughest team we’ve faced.”

It didn’t take long for that to be apparent, as Rancho Christian’s pressure defense forced eight turnovers before Chino (24-6) could muster a shot attempt. By halftime, the lead was 58-16.

Aaliyah Stanton, who entered the game as the No. 5 scorer in the state, finished with 30 points, just missing her season average largely because both sides emptied the bench in the fourth quarter. Jada Tiggett, playing just her 11th game with the Eagles after transferring from Paloma Valley, had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The addition of Tiggett has propelled an already potent team to

TERRY PIERSON – STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER