CIF state basketball championships

GIRLS OPEN DIVISION

ARCHBISHOP MITTY VS. ETIWANDA

Records: Mitty 27-3, Etiwanda 27-5

Tipoff: Today at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, 6 p.m.

Storylines: Is this the year Archbishop Mitty breaks through and wins a state Open crown? If the Monarchs do it, they’ll make history against a familiar rival from Rancho Cucamonga. Mitty has met Etiwanda in the Open Division state championship game three years in a row. In 2023, the Monarchs lost 69-67 on a buzzer-beating putback by the Eagles’ Jada Sanders. In 2024, Mitty lost 60-48 in a game that was not close. What will the 2025 edition have in store? This time, the Monarchs will battle the Eagles without All-American forward McKenna Woliczko, who sustained a torn ACL and damaged lateral meniscus in early January. Woliczko has supported her teammates from the bench, and Mitty coach Sue Phillips has lauded her continued engagement. But she won’t be out on the floor, so the Monarchs will have to do it by committee. Replacing Woliczko’s 25 points and 15 rebounds per game will be the task of Tiera McCarthy, Devin Cosgriff, Maliya Hunter, Emma Cook, Abigail James and Ze’Ni Patterson, among others. Mitty has rallied late in the season. The Monarchs have not lost a game since Jan. 18 and went undefeated in the West Catholic Athletic League for the ninth consecutive year. Their closest calls, of which there have been few, were a 59-51 win over Pinewood in the CCS Open championship and a 64-60 win over Clovis West in the NorCal Open title game. But Etiwanda presents a stiffer test. The Eagles are the No. 6 team in the nation, a juggernaut led by the senior one-two punch of point guard Aliyahna “Puff” Morris and forward Grace Knox. Both are top-25 national recruits and have signed with Division I colleges.

– Christian Babcock

BOYS OPEN DIVISION

ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN VS. ROOSEVELT-EASTVALE

Records: Riordan 29-1, Roosevelt 34-2

Tipoff: Today at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, 8 p.m.

Storylines: Riordan will need to defeat arguably the best team in the country to make its first appearance in an Open Division state final a triumphant one. … Only one NorCal team has won the Open Division since the classification was added in 2013, Bishop O’Dowd in 2015. … Roosevelt is ranked No. 2 in the country by MaxPreps. … The Crusaders are appearing in their fourth state final, having captured the D-II crown in 2002. Roosevelt beat James Logan 54-45 in the 2017 D-I final in its only other appearance. … Riordan went 14-0 in the West Catholic Athletic league, winning by an average of 38 points per game. The Crusaders then won the Central Coast Section Open Division title in similarly dominant fashion. … Led by coach Joey Curtin, Riordan defeated defending NorCal Open champ Salesian in the semifinals last weekend and De La Salle in the championship round on Tuesday to exorcise the program’s NorCal demons. … The San Francisco school has the talent to upset the favored Mustangs. Forward Jasir Rencher, a four-star forward who is committed to Texas A&M, has elite athleticism to pair with a dogged defensive mindset and solid shooting mechanics. … Junior guard Andrew Hilman might be the team’s most potent scorer, and Ryder Bush is a willing shooter. John Tofi and Kirby Seals are 6-foot-6 wings who can defend any position. … Speaking of defense, JP Pihtovs and Nes Emeneke are both 6-foot-9 shot-blockers who anchor a defense that has not given up over 60 points in any game this season. … That defense will be tested by Roosevelt. The Mustangs have scored over 100 points in three games this season and have been held under 60 just four times. … The Inland Empire program has five-star guard Brayden Burries leading the attack. Point guard Issac Williamson is committed to New Mexico State and backcourt mate Myles Walker is expected to play college ball. … Roosevelt talented Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks 79-76 in the SoCal final to advance to Sacramento. … The boys Open final will be the last high school basketball game of the season in California.

– Joseph Dycus