Historic seasons lift Eagles through the playoffs
TEMECULA – Rancho Christian’s gymnasium was almost standing room only Friday, Feb. 17, thanks to an overwhelming showing from AGBU fans that made the drive out from Canoga Park. For almost the first two quarters of play in the CIF Southern Section Division 2A boys’ basketball semifinals, it almost seemed like the drive home was going to be a happy one for the AGBU fans. While the Eagles jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead, the unimaginable happened. AGBU went on a 17-4 run, taking some of the wind out of the Eagles’ sails.
That’s when Rancho Christian head coach Ray Barefield changed things up. The Eagles restored order after changing to a full court press midway through the second quarter, and never looked back. Kevin Patton Jr. dropped 27 points on AGBU, with Rodney Brows Jr. adding 18 pts for the Eagles, helping their squad advance to the Division 2A finals against La Mirada with a 69-50 victory over AGBU.
The La Mirada Matadores boys’ varsity basketball team is 25-8 overall and defeated Orange County’s Pacifica Christian 55-37 to advance to finals from their side of the bracket. In this next matchup, Rancho Christian, the No. 1 team from the Ivy League, will face the No. 1 team from the Gateway League. The Matadores top scorer is Julien Gomez who averages 26 points per game and five rebounds.
As for the Rancho Christian girls’ basketball team, they have not lost a game at home this season and with the way things are panning out, it doesn’t look like they will. The Eagles (24-6) won their Wednesday, Feb. 15, home playoff game against Torrance’s South High School (18-13) by a score of 78-44. The victory marked their 13th straight win on their home court for the newcomers to the Ivy League this season, who also took home the first-place title with their 7-1 record.
South High School was the third-place team from the Pioneer League and were clearly no match for the likes of Aaliyah Stanton, Jada Tiggett and Shaylynn De Yager. The three seniors combined for 67 of the 78 Eagles points on the night. Maddie Tang (10 points) and Maddie Chung (11 points) fought to keep South in the game, but a 17-point second quarter outing from Stanton would make a huge difference. Stanton was sent to the foul line four times that quarter, netting 7 of her 8 free throws. She would finish the game with 39 points and 5 steals while Tiggett and De Yager both ended the night with 14 points apiece. Tiggett also brought down 16 rebounds.
The win helped Rancho Christian move to the CIF Southern Section Division 3A semifinal round this past weekend where they met up with the Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary Cardinals (Montebello).
The Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary girls’ varsity basketball team was 18-8 overall and defeated Calvary Chapel 48-44 to advance to their side of the bracket. The Cardinals welcomed Rancho Christian to their home court Saturday, Feb. 18, in a matchup between the team leaders Aaliyah Stanton and Laila Salazar (averaging 11.1 points per game).
Stanton was the clear standout in a 39-point performance where she outscored the entire Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary team in the Eagles 79-34 win. Stanton is averaging 30.7 points per game, with four steals this season, and will now look to help the Rancho Christian girls’ team win their first-ever CIF Southern Section title when they take on Chino in the finals.
Chino (24-5), the No. 1 team from the Mt. Baldy League, was victorious over La Quinta in first round action 54-33, then took down Great Oak in the second round 48-31, beat Anaheim in the quarterfinals 62-49, and this past weekend defeated Campbell Hall in the semifinals, 55-53. On paper, Rancho Christian has the advantage. The Eagles average 79.3 points per game to Chino’s 49.3. The top performer from Chino is Lyndsey Valverde with her 14.7 points per game, as well as her three assists and 2.7 steals per game. Malani Johnson (averaging 8.8 rebounds per game) will have to fight off Eagles rebound leader, Jada Tiggett, to be the dominant girl in the middle.
Both teams will play at Colony High School, Saturday, Feb. 25. The Lady Eagles will play at 2 p.m. and the boys’ team will play immediately after at 4 p.m. For more information on remaining games, or to view past results, visit www.cifss.org.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
