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The first clash between California girls basketball powerhouses Mater Dei and Archbishop Mitty of San Jose since 2019 went to the Northern California school on Friday.
Archbishop Mitty scored the first seven points and opened a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter en route to a 59-42 victory in the semifinals of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz.
Grand Canyon-bound guard Amaya Williams of Mater Dei tied with McKenna Woliczko of Archbishop Mitty for the game-high in points with 18. Kaeli Wynn added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Mater Dei (11-2), ranked No. 1 in Orange County and No. 11 in the nation, defeated Archbishop Mitty 47-41 in the schools’ last meeting at the West Coast Jamboree in 2019.
Mater Dei will face Bullis of Maryland in the third-place game Saturday night in the Vincent Cannizzaro Division.
Mater Dei reached the semifinals of the tournament’s top division for the first time since 2014.
In the championship game, Archbishop Mitty (7-0), ranked No. 2 in the nation, will play No. 1 Ontario Christian (13-0). The Knights beat Bullis 73-65 in the other semifinal.
In the Joe Smith Division:
Villa Park 46, Pinnacle of Arizona 35: Freshman Lauren Wolfe scored 23 points as the Spartans (10-2) won their first game at the tournament. They play Cherry Creek of Colorado on Saturday night for 13th place.
In nonleague:
San Juan Hills 63, Portola 48: Anna Shreeve scored 29 points and added 11 rebounds to lead the Stallions (7-6).
In the La Salle Showcase:
Rosary 55, Rolling Hills Prep 45: Junior Kate Duarte scored 20 points and sophomore Maddie White recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Royals (10-2). Rosary plays West of Utah in the showcase on Saturday.
