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Dan Albano reacts to the second week of the girls basketball playoffs and looks toward this week’s finals:
1. With six O.C. teams in the finals, and Sage Hill in the Open Division semifinals Tuesday, what does that say about the state of Orange County girls basketball? The large number of finalists is a credit not only to the quality depth in Orange County but to the high level of coaching.
Among the finalists of St. Margaret’s (Division 3), El Dorado (Division 4), Savanna (Division 6), Kennedy (Division 7), Laguna Hills (Division 7) and Orange (Division 8), St. Margaret’s is the only team that made the last O.C. Top 25 rankings.
El Dorado was ranked earlier in the season but the county’s depth is visible.
Sage Hill paced four O.C. teams in the Open and is nationally ranked at No. 17 MaxPreps.
Several of the coaches amongst the finalists are candidates for O.C. coach of the year.
Savanna coach Ramez Michail and Josh Markum of St. Margaret’s have been rising in recent seasons.
Markum guided the Tartans to a Division 5AA title in 2023 while Michail took the Rebels to a SoCal regional semifinal in ’24.
Laguna Hills coach Jim Martin is a veteran making yet another run. And coach Matt Raya’s return to El Dorado has been successful.
2. What O.C. team in the finals is the biggest surprise? Orange in Division 8. Panthers coach Sara Esparza, who has done an outstanding job in her fourth year, isn’t surprised by her team’s postseason run but it has opened eyes.
Orange (15-11) has reached its first final and plays Schurr on Friday at Toyota Arena in Ontario at 2 p.m.
After losing in the first round of the Division 4A playoffs last season, the Panthers have stormed into the championship game by beating four playoff foes by an average of 15.3 points.
In the semifinals, the Panthers defeated University Prep of Victorville — a semifinalist in Division 4A last season — by 13 points.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Esparza said before the semifinals. “We have a strong core group of seniors who have been together since freshman year and our chemistry right now is a testament of their commitment and leadership.”
In the Grove League, Orange finished second to Bolsa Grande, a Division 4 qualifier.
3. What players should O.C. fans be especially excited to watch this week? Orange County has several strong freshmen and two of the best are in the finals: Jayden Witten of St. Margaret’s and Ta’Niya Paul of Kennedy. Both have posted huge numbers.
And on Tuesday, it will be must-see action when Texas signee Amalia Holguin of Sage Hill faces Kaleena Smith of Ontario Christian, the No. 1 recruit in the nation for the Class of 2027.
Both players are point guards. Holguin scored 64 points on Senior Night against Laguna Beach earlier this season. Smith scored 50 points in a national showdown against Archbishop Mitty.
4. What are Sage Hill’s chances against Ontario Christian? The Lightning, ranked No. 1 in Orange County, ride a 22-game winning streak into the Open Division semifinal at top-seeded Ontario Christian on Tuesday.
The Knights are the defending Open champion and ranked No. 2 in the nation MaxPreps.
The biggest challenge for Sage Hill (27-4) appears to be on defense. Ontario Christian (30-1) averages 92.5 points.
The Lightning have been working hard on defense and feature a top shot blocked in 6-foot-4 center Eve Fowler.
“With no disrespect to the Lightning,” Cal-Hi Sports’ Harold Abend said, “they’ll need to play their best game to have any kind of a shot at winning.”
5. What are the ramifications of Mater Dei coach Jody Wynn’s reported ejection? Wynn reportedly was ejected from the Monarchs’ 79-38 loss at Sierra Canyon in the Open Division quarterfinals Saturday.
Mater Dei received technical fouls with 7:21 and 4:15 left in the fourth quarter. The latter came after a Monarchs’ player went down hard while guarding the post. Wynn didn’t finishing coaching the game after the play.
Wynn and Mater Dei didn’t immediately respond to messages Monday but the standard penalty for receiving two technical fouls in a game would be a one-game suspension. Wynn could miss the Monarchs’ first game in the CIF Southern California Regional.
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