Mater Dei finishes at No. 1 in girls’ basketball

MELISSA ROHLIN’S FINAL GIRLS’ BASKETBALL RANKINGS

Rk.; Team (Record, Section-Division); Comment

1. MATER DEI (32-1, SS-Div. 2A). Top junior in the nation, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, and top sophomore in the nation, Jordan Adams, led Monarchs to Southern Section and state championships.

2. BREA OLINDA (31-3, SS-Div. 2AA). After defeating Mater Dei in last season’s regional final and again in January, Ladycats lost to the Monarchs in this season’s regional championship.

3. LONG BEACH POLY (32-3, SS-Div. 1AA). Jackrabbits came close to being first team to win five consecutive Division I state titles.

4. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (34-1, SS-Div. 4AA). Senior Nicole Hung led Wolverines to first state championship.

5. SANTA MONICA (28-7, SS-Div. 1A). Senior Thea Lemberger led Vikings to first Southern Section championship.

6. SUMMIT (28-7, SS-Div. 1A). Skyhawks made second Southern Section title-game appearance in four years their program has existed.

7. CORONA SANTIAGO (30-4, SS-Div. 1AA). Senior Jasmine Lister helped Sharks advance to Southern Section championship game and regional quarterfinal.

8. INGLEWOOD (30-6, SS-Div. 3AA). Senior Hazel Ramirez led Sentinels to a Southern Section championship.

9. CANYON SPRINGS (27-5, SS-Div. 1A). Cougars endured some heartbreakers down the stretch, losing to Summit, 72-71, in a Southern Section semifinal and to Santa Monica, 59-56, in a regional quarterfinal.

10. TROY (26-5, SS-Div. 1AA). Despite six injured players, Warriors managed to make noise in playoffs.

11. BISHOP AMAT (27-8, SS-Div. 3AA). Like Butler in the NCAA tournament, Lancers advanced to state championship game as a No. 5 seeded team.

12. VILLA PARK (26-8, SS-Div. 2AA). Spartans couldn’t find a way to get past Mater Dei or league rival Brea Olinda.

13. BISHOP MONTGOMERY (29-8, SS-Div. 4AA). Knights gave Harvard-Westlake a run in Southern Section final, but were overwhelmed by Wolverines in regional championship game.

14. SANTA MARGARITA (27-7, SS-Div. 3A). Senior Melissa Zornig had outstanding season for Eagles, carrying them to Southern Section championship.

15. BELL-JEFF (25-7, SS-Div. 4A). After claiming Division 5 state title last season, Guards struggled this time around in playoffs.

16. AGOURA (30-2, SS-Div. 3AA). Chargers won their first league title and made first Southern Section championship-game appearance and state playoff run.

17. ETIWANDA (24-8, SS-Div. 1AA). Even very best teams struggled against Eagles’ aggressive, strong squad.

18. SANTA MARIA ST. JOSEPH (28-5, SS-Div. 4A). Knights had four players average in double-digits during Southern Section title run.

19. VENTURA (25-6, SS-Div. 2AA). Led by senior Amy Pupa, Cougars had strong season, including tough loss to powerhouse Brea Olinda in Southern Section semifinal.

20. ORANGE LUTHERAN (24-7, SS-Div. 4AA). Lancers honored late coach Tony Matson by advancing to Southern Section semifinal.

21. ALEMANY (21-8, SS-Div. 4AA). Warriors had great season under new Coach Bethel Trice.

22. AYALA (22-9, SS-Div. 1A). Seniors Rhema Gardner and Ariel Marsh recovered from knee ligament tears to help Bulldogs finish strong.

23. WOODBRIDGE (27-7, SS-Div. 2A). Warriors made appearance in a Southern Section title game.

24. DIAMOND RANCH (27-4, SS-Div. 2A). Led by sophomore Erika Williams, Panthers made a Southern Section semifinal appearance.

25. EDISON (24-6, SS-Div. 2AA). Bonnie Samuelson averaged 27 points for Chargers and took them as far as a Southern Section semifinal.