Kaleena Smith’s 50 points sink Mitty in 2OT as national No. 1 Ontario Christian edges No. 3 Monarchs in SoCal

There was no stopping Kaleena Smith on Saturday in Santa Ana.

Try as Archbishop Mitty might, the Monarchs simply could not contain Ontario Christian’s superstar guard, and it was their ultimate undoing as they faced off at the Kay Yow Showcase at Mater Dei High.

Smith scored 50 points, including 11 in the second overtime period, as Ontario Christian, the No. 1 team in the country by MaxPreps, outlasted No. 3 Mitty 96-87 after two extra sessions.

“She’s a terrific player,” Mitty coach Sue Phillips said of Smith.

The Monarchs (12-2) fought their way back from a 13-3 early deficit and exhaustingly whittled Ontario Christian’s lead away until the score was tied 39-39 at the half.

Then Mitty took the lead in the third quarter for the first time since McKenna Woliczko made the game’s opening basket, pushing its advantage to 62-51 by the end of the third quarter.

“We started off a little rocky, but then kind of regained our footing and battled back,” Phillips told the Bay Area News Group.

But undefeated Ontario Christian (20-0) wasn’t going to let its unblemished record go without a fight. Aided by an of untimely Mitty turnovers down the stretch, the Knights chipped away at the deficit until Smith tied the game, sinking two free throws with four seconds to play.

Mitty missed its final field goal attempt, and the two teams headed to overtime.

The first extra period was a defensive struggle, with each team managing just five points.

The second was a different story.

Smith simply took over in the final five minutes, continually pushing Ontario Christian’s lead higher with a dazzling of midrange jumpers, including back-to-back deadly fadeaway stepbacks that stretched the Knights’ advantage to six points.

“I actually thought we did a decent job on the perimeter,” Phillips said. “She was 5 of 20 from three, so we like those odds. It was the amount of free throws she got. She’s just crafty getting into people. And I know she took 38 shots, but the ball was in her hands. We got to do a better job of defending her cleanly and probably prohibiting her touches a little bit more.”

Mitty responded with a layup by Maliya Hunter to get within four, but Smith closed the game out with five unanswered points to seal the win.

The Monarchs will rue the fourth quarter as a missed opportunity, as they led 73-61 with 4:08 to play before Ontario Christian made its late run.

“Squandering a double-figure lead in the fourth, that’s a tough pill to swallow,” Phillips said. “But I’m certainly proud of our fight and also grateful for the opportunity to play in a game, not only of this magnitude, but also to play that kind of competition to continue to help us grow as a team. So that was a terrific experience from from that standpoint.”

Smith led all scorers in the instant classic, doubling the output of any other player. Woliczko finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds to lead Mitty.

Tatiana Griffin added 20 points and 18 rebounds for Ontario Christian.

It was a bittersweet occasion for Woliczko, who tore her ACL against the Knights on Jan. 4, 2025, at the Sabrina Ionescu SI20 showcase in Concord.

Now healthy and recovered, Woliczko led the Monarchs on the floor. She got substantial help from her teammates as well.

Ze’Ni Patterson scored 21 points, which included five made 3-pointers, while Hunter and Devin Cosgriff each added 13. Tiera McCarthy contributed 10 while chipping in on the glass with 11 rebounds.

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