Watch: Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian Expresses in Wins at HOPE Showcase

CYPRESS, Calif. – The rise of Ontario Christian ladies basketball over the previous 4 years has actually been sudden.

One 12 months, this system was ranked outdoors the highest 400 within the state, which is remarkable among the many state's prime officers, regardless of having a number of profitable seasons. Subsequent, new head coach Matt Tumambing and 4-star Class of 2023 juggernaut Chloe Briggs have led an astonishingly steep rise to nationwide relevance.

Final season, Ontario Christian earned the fifth seed within the Open Division, whereas Briggs grew to become the all-time main scorer in CIF Southern Part historical past.

Now, Ontario Christian graduated not solely Briggs (College of Washington), however two different 6-foot-1 standouts, beginning with forwards Julia Lavigne and Brooklyn Goedhart.

All of which is to say: if anybody thought Ontario Christian was going to fade away quickly with these stars gone, at the very least that they had an excuse.

However they’d be horribly mistaken.

Whereas the Knights' roster is sort of solely new, they confirmed on the HOPE Showcase that they're not going wherever — not this 12 months, not subsequent 12 months, not two years after that.

One of many predominant the reason why? Lengthy thought-about one of many prime ladies basketball gamers within the class of 2027, Kaleena Smith has now hit the highschool ranks. And the high-scoring level guard is able to decide up the place Briggs left off — carrying the torch for Ontario Christian. It gained't be lengthy earlier than she turns into a full identify as Woman Knight.

Between Smith, senior capturing guard Dejah Saldivar — who is among the finest scorers in CIF historical past — senior transfers Amanda Ajobiewe (six factors) and Karsen Marshall (10 factors) and a projected bounce from returnees like Savannah Philan (10 factors), Ontario Christian might as soon as once more have one of many stronger cores within the South.

On Saturday, Smith dropped 27 factors in a 53-41 win over Fastbreak, a membership crew made up of Acalanes gamers that is among the prime highschool groups in NorCal.