Etiwanda team of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., repeated as 2024 Section 7 Champions, edg- ing out Ontario Christian. right: Etiwanda’s five-star senior Grace Knox led the team to a 58-51 win.
By Cedric Cobb
June 14-23, Section 7 Team Camp – the top scholastic exposure event in the country took place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. This event has quickly become one of the national go-to events for college recruiters. Next-level talent spread throughout the stadium from court to court. More than 400 teams, more than 1,000 players representing 12 states were on display showcasing their skills in front of 700-plus college coaches of all levels.
Millennium, Owyhee Capture Titles
Ten brackets were in play with the top two brackets consisting of at least seven teams some being ranked in the 2024-2025 preseason rankings.
In the first top-bracket championship matchup, Oak Ridge (Fla.) took on Owyhee (Ida.) in the NFHS City Of Glendale Bracket. The game started off slow, as neither team could establish much of a lead during the first 10 minutes. Oak Ridge led 15-14 midway through the first half. Owyhee went on a 9-2 run to establish a 28-22 lead with 4:47 left in the first half.
Hitting consecutive three-pointers, Owyhee opened up a 36-27 lead with a little under two minutes left in the first half. Going into half- time, Owyhee led 38-33.
Owyhee went on a 6-0 run to start the second half and extended their lead to 43-33. With 12:04, Owyhee led 51-35. When Oak Ridge attempted to make a run, Owyhee had an answer. At the 10-minute mark, Owyhee held a 56-40 lead. Owyhee’s hot shooting from the field kept Oak Ridge at bay, as the lead was 73-53 with a little under five minutes left in the game. Owyhee cruised to victory, winning by a score of 83-64.
In the second championship game of the top brackets, Goodyear Millennium took on Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco, Calif. This was the championship of the NFHS Legacy Foundation Bracket. These two squads had been very impressive during their run to the title game.
Riordan jumped out to an 8-2 lead. A quick Millennium run, led by senior Kingston Tosi, cut the lead to 8-7 with 13 minutes left in the first half. At the 8:06 mark of the first half, Riordan behind some strong interior play led 23- 16. Tosi continued his hot shooting, getting Millennium within 25-23 in the first half. At the 3:47 mark, Millennium was up 31-29, led by Tosi with 19 points. At halftime, Millen- nium was leading 42-31.
The second half started off with both teams trading baskets. Millennium continued its hot shooting, as they led 50-40 with a little under 12 minutes left in the second half. Cold shooting by Riordan kept them in a deficit. A big-time breakaway dunk by nationally-ranked junior Camer- on Holmes helped Millennium add to its lead.
A quick run by Riordan cut the lead to 56-48 with 8:36 left in the game. After a timeout, Millennium settled down and played good defense, as they had a 63-52 with a little less than five minutes left in the game; Millennium continued to work the clock as they were leading 67-54 with under three minutes remaining. Millennium finished the job and won the game 69-58. Tosi finished with 31 points and Holmes had 22.
Millennium became the first Arizona team to win one of the top two Section 7 Team Camp brackets.
Cam Holmes and Kingston Tosi stood out for Millennium team
Etiwanda Girls Win
The event was divided into six different brackets with the top being the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Bracket. This bracket four of the preseason top 25 girls teams for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
The championship game had Ontario Christian of Ontario, Calif., taking on the preseason number one team in the nation, Etiwanda of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
On the way to the championship game, Ontario Christian had to defeat last season’s national champion, Archbishop Mitty of San Jose. On their road to the matchup, Etiwanda had beaten their first three opponents by an average of more than 34 points per game.
The title game started off with Etiwanda jumping out to a 14-4 lead on Ontario Christian.
Midway through the first half Ontario Christian had went on a run and had cut the lead to 14-11. A short Etiwanda run was answered
by Kaleena Smith, the top-ranked player in the nation for 2027, whose three-pointer made the game 18-14. With a little less than five minutes left in the half, Etiwanda held on to a 21-18 lead.
Ontario Christian got within one point with a little more than one minute left in the first half. Etiwanda ended the first half strong, led by five-star senior Grace Knox, and took a 27-23 lead into the half.
The second half started off slow, but Etiwanda got going and went on a 9-1 run to extend their lead to 38-24 with 12:03 left in the game. Ontario Christian went cold from the floor, scoring just two points in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half. With over nine minutes left in the game, Etiwanda continued to lead Ontario Christian 46-27. A Smith three-pointer with 3:52 remaining cut the lead to 52-40.
Ontario Christian continued to fight, and with a little less than two minutes left were down 54- 44. Etiwanda held off Ontario Christian, winning 58-51, to repeat as 2024 Section 7 Champions.
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