SAN JOSE, Calif. — In a matchup that felt more like a heavyweight title fight than a mid-season tournament game, the Ontario Christian Knights stunned the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs 96-87 on Saturday afternoon.
The headline act was sophomore sensation Kaleena Smith, who torched the Monarchs’ defense for a staggering 50 points. Smith, widely regarded as the top recruit in the class of 2027, was virtually unguardable, scoring from beyond the arc and slashing to the rim with surgical precision.
“We knew coming into Mitty’s house that we had to be aggressive,” Smith said after the game. “They are a legendary program, but we wanted to push the pace and make them uncomfortable.”
Despite the loss, Archbishop Mitty (11-2) didn’t go down quietly. Senior forward and Iowa commit McKenna Woliczko put up a valiant double-double, dominating the paint with 28 points and 14 rebounds. The Monarchs managed to cut the deficit to four points with under two minutes remaining, but back-to-back transition buckets from Smith sealed the victory for the Knights.
The 96 points allowed were the most by a Sue Phillips-coached Mitty team in recent memory, signaling a potential shift in the California state power rankings.