Column: Ontario Christian girls’ basketball team is creating Southland excitement

Taking the 60 freeway from Los Angeles to Ontario, exit at Mountain Avenue and don’t worry about finding somewhere to eat before attending an Ontario Christian girls’ basketball game. There’s a Sizzler, an In-N-Out and an Italian restaurant, Cannataro’s, that was so crowded last weekend that you could have spent half an hour waiting while eating their delicious garlic bread.

Once you arrive at Ontario Christian’s multimillion-dollar 1,500-seat gymnasium that opened in 2021, the fun begins. They take their girls’ basketball seriously during the Southern Section Open Division playoffs, offering a free roster for both teams, a media guide and player introductions that start with a music video on the large video screen.

Respect has been earned and appreciated at Ontario Christian (27-1), ranked No. 1 in California and on a path toward becoming the Inland Empire’s girls’ version of the Chino Hills teams from the Ball brothers’ days nearly 10 years ago.

You can see the beginning of sports fandom. It centers around sophomore guard Kaleena Smith, who has an Adidas name, image and license deal and welcomes fans to take photos after games. She’s a diminutive talent on a first-name basis with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. She shoots threes, drives and excites. After averaging 34.9 points as a freshman, she’s averaging 23.9 this season and showing she can run a team while surrounded by elite teammates.

Add 6-foot-7 freshman Sydney Douglas, the daughter of a father who played football at USC and a mother who played basketball at UCLA, and you get a hint of the approaching bullet train. There’s another freshman phenom in Tai Griffin.

During an early test in November, Ontario Christian handed two-time defending state champion Etiwanda a 68-35 defeat, letting everyone know there was a changing of the guard. But it’s not official until Ontario Christian proves itself when both teams are at full strength competing for a championship in March. That date and that rematch is looming if everyone follows through. First, Ontario Christian has to get past Sierra Canyon on Saturday at home to win its pool in the Open Division playoffs, and Etiwanda must defeat Mater Dei in its pool.

Then the first of two likely postseason games against Etiwanda would occur March 1 at Toyota Arena in Ontario.

The Ontario Christian gym should be rocking with photographers and videographers Saturday night. Sierra Canyon has one of the top juniors in the nation in Jerzy Robinson and is a mystery team, because it’s 27-1 and has not faced any of the top teams in Southern California.

Sophomore Kaleena Smith takes baseline shot against Etiwanda.

(Craig Weston)

“I know Jerzy,” Smith said. “I feel it’s going to be a great game.”

In the past, Sierra Canyon and Etiwanda battled it out for section and regional championships, with JuJu Watkins facing off against Kennedy Smith before they became USC teammates. It could happen again depending on Ontario Christian’s response.

Ontario Christian first-year coach Aundre Cummings has been preaching to his team about taking it “one game at a time” even though he and his players know Etiwanda (24-4) is the big roadblock to a championship.

“The California Open Division is the toughest division to play in across the country,” Cummings said. “We have to take to take it one game at a time because at any moment, something can happen. At practice, we’re reminding them that every game matters now. You lose one and it can jeopardize winning the championship.”

Make no mistake about it, everyone knows for Ontario Christian to become the new powerhouse in Southern California, Etiwanda must be toppled.

“Until you stop them, you haven’t stopped anyone,” Cummings said.