Everywhere and anywhere, Bre’yanna Sanders seemed to be there.
The 6-foot senior scored 23 points as Clovis West (Calif.) rallied in overtime to edge Long Beach Poly (Calif.) 70-67 in the semifinals of the ‘Iolani Prep Classic on Friday night.
Sanders, a commit to Arizona State, had plenty of help. Sarah Bates (UC Santa Barbara) added 17 points, including 10-for-12 at the foul line, and Tess Amundsen (Boise State) chipped in 15.
Jasmine Jones scored 17 points and center Ayanna Clark had 16 for Long Beach Poly. Guard Kyra Brady added 11.
Clovis West (8-0) is ranked No. 9 nationally by USA Today. They lost to Poly (1-1), ranked No. 14, in the CIF playoffs last season. Before that, they last played Poly in 2010, losing in the state semifinals.
“Any time you have a chance to play a team like Poly, it’s an honor,” Clovis West coach Craig Campbell said. “We needed to play at 110 percent so we could know what to do in March.”
It was Poly that rallied from a 13-point deficit to take the lead during the fourth quarter. The Jackrabbits trailed by 3 in the final seconds of regulation when coach Carl Buggs opted not to use a timeout. That allowed point guard Deja Williams to launch a 25-foot trey off the dribble from the top that hit all net at the buzzer.
That tied the game at 62, and in overtime, Poly took a 66-63 lead after Jasmine Jones scored off a steal. They got a stop, had possession and uncoiled a wild cross-court pass that wound up out of bounds.
From there, Sanders gave her team a 67-66 lead on a pick-and-roll drive for a tough layup.
The Golden Eagles pushed the lead to 69-67 with free throws. Poly had the ball for a potential tying or go-ahead shot, but a 3-point try from the left wing by Danae Miller, who had hit a key 3 earlier, was wide left. Amundsen’s free throw with 0.7 seconds left closed the scoring.
Clovis West advanced to the title game and will meet the nation’s No. 2 team, Archbishop Mitty (Calif.), which defeated host ‘Iolani in the other semifinal.
The Golden Eagles had a 34-21 lead at the half, but couldn’t break the game open against the swarming fullcourt pressure of the Jackrabbits.
“We had too many missed free throws and layups,” Campbell said.
Clovis West shot 24-for-35 from the charity stripe. Poly shot 5-for-16.
The Jackrabbits won Classic titles in 2008, ’09 and ’13. Clovis West, which was fifth in ’09, is seeking its first.
Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) 67, ‘Iolani 33
Super sophomore Haley Jones scored 18 points and sharpshooter Daniella Guglielmo added 14 to lead the nation’s No. 2-ranked team.
Tori Lynn Maeda led the host Raiders with seven points. Skylar Nakata and Taylor Wu added six apiece.
Maryknoll 57, Leilehua 27
Rhianne Omori and Kehau Gilliland scored 10 points each to lead a balanced attack for the Lady Spartans (14-3).
Moe Notoa tallied nine points while Isabella Cravens and Chayse Milne added eight apiece. Kaylen Kamelamela led the Lady Mules (6-7) with 12 points.
Salesian Prep (Calif.) 57, Konawaena 32
Makayla Edwards scored 11 points and Anjel Galbraith hustled for eight to lead the Pride.
Cherilyn Molina paced the Wildcats (7-2) with 10 points. Tayvia Cabatbat added eight points.