Nike event puts top teams in spotlight

Many of the top boys basketball teams in the nation will descend upon Orange County this weekend for the Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei High, but the girls will be in the spotlight Friday night.

Windward (18-3) of Los Angeles, ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and No. 6 in the nation by ESPN, takes on Mater Dei (20-2), ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 11 in the nation, in the main event on Friday at 9 p.m.

One of the featured players for Windward is 6-foot-7 center Imani Stafford, who has signed with Texas. She is averaging 9.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. The Wildcats also have 6-foot-1 sophomore Kristen Simon, who is averaging 12.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and junior point guard Courtney Jaco, who is averaging 12.4 points per game.

The Monarchs are led by USC-bound Jordan Adams, UCLA-bound Nirra Fields and Washington State-bound Alexas Williamson.

In the other girls games on the Nike Extravaganza schedule on Friday: Rosary takes on Rialto at 4:30 p.m. and Orange Lutheran faces Oaks Christian of Westlake Village at 6 p.m. Tickets for the Friday session are $12 (cash only).

NOTES

Estancia's Celia Duran turned in an excellent effort to lead the Eagles to a 61-60 victory over Costa Mesa in an Orange Coast League game last Tuesday. Duran scored 34 points, including a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to secure the victory. ...

Godinez can control its own destiny in the Orange Coast League after knocking off Estancia, 49-25, on Thursday. The Grizzlies are 17-4 overall and 6-0 in league with four games remaining. Godinez can clinch its third league title in four years with a victory over Costa Mesa on Tuesday. ...

Edison has put together two huge victories on back-to-back Saturdays. Karlie Samuelson scored 28 points to lead the Chargers to a 75-59 victory over The Bishop's, ranked No. 4 in San Diego County, in the OC/SD Challenge on Jan. 21 and she had 23 points in a 67-59 nonleague victory over Troy, ranked No. 4 in the county and No. 11 in the state, on Saturday. ...

Los Amigos shared the Garden Grove League title with Rancho Alamitos last year, but the Lobos knocked off the Vaqueros, 53-35, last week to take sole possession of first place. The two teams meet in the rematch on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at Rancho Alamitos High.

"Now, everyone wants to knock us off the chart because they know we're the team to beat," Los Amigos' junior guard Olisa Horn said. "It means we have to go even harder next time." ...

St. Margaret's is still in the hunt for the Academy League title. The Tartans (14-4, 5-1) are one game behind Whitney (18-3, 6-0) of Cerritos with four games remaining in the regular season. Whitney beat St. Margaret's, 60-38, in the first meeting on Jan. 10. The rematch is set for Feb. 9 at St. Margaret's in the regular-season finale. Senior point guard Jenny Tedori is averaging 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 3.4 steals per game for the Tartans.

THIS WEEK

Long Beach Poly at Troy, Tuesday, 7 p.m.: The Jackrabbits, ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 17 in the nation, are coming off a 56-55 loss to top-ranked Windward on Saturday, while the Warriors, ranked No. 11 in the state, are coming off a 67-59 loss to No. 7 Edison. Highly sough-after recruit Destiny King and Keyla Morgan lead a talented group for Long Beach Poly. Troy is led by Gabriella Hanson, a member of the Swedish national team, Alecia Dimas and Seattle-bound Shleby Dougherty. ...

Brea Olinda at Canyon, Tuesday, 5:45 p.m.: The Ladycats, ranked No. 2 in the county, needed overtime to get past Canyon, 60-50, in the first meeting on Jan. 7. The Ladycats' top players are Pepperdine-bound Keitra Wallace, Cal Poly SLO-bound Taylor Spears and Anna Kim. The Comanches, ranked No. 7 in the county, are led by Idaho-bound Christina Salvatore and Cal State L.A.-bound Shanice Jackson. ...

Westminster at Segerstrom, Thursday, Thursday, 7 p.m.: The Lions are undefeated in the Golden West League and could pretty much lock up the league title with a victory over the second-place Jaguars, who are 5-1 in league play. Westminster beat Segerstrom, 52-44, in the first meeting on Jan. 17. Maggie Dumphy is averaging 13.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and Karen Batani is averaging 12.3 points and 3.1 steals per game for the Lions. Kayla Stephens is averaging 9.9 points per game for the Jaguars. ...

Edison vs. Huntington Beach, Thursday, 7 p.m.: The Chargers, ranked No. 3 in the county and No. 7 in the state, can pretty much wrap up the Sunset League title with a victory over the Oilers, ranked No. 8 in the county. Karlie Samuelson was out with an ankle sprain when Edison barely pulled out a 60-58 victory over Huntington Beach on Jan. 12. Samuelson is back and at full strength and her younger sister, Katie Lou Samuelson, has also been on fire for the Chargers. Kelsey Minato and Maya Kennedy are Huntington Beach's 1-2 punch. ...

La Jolla Country Day at JSerra, Saturday, 6 p.m.: The Torreys are ranked No. 1 in San Diego County, No. 4 in the state and No. 16 in the nation. The Lions are ranked No. 6 in the O.C. Coco Miller has been one of the top freshmen in the county and August Touchard is a clutch veteran for the Lions. Junior point guard Kelsey Plum is one of the top recruits in the nation and San Diego-bound Maya Hood is the Torreys other go-to player.