Massive upsets take down two of the top girls high school basketball teams in the country

Few girls’ basketball programs at the high school level have been as dominant this season as Sierra Canyon (Calif.) and Bishop McNamara (Md.).

The two schools combined to win 59 of their 63 games, with both ranking among the top-5 squads nationally in the Rivals Composite High School Basketball Team Ranking. And unsurprisingly, each was expected to win their respective state titles this month to cement their status as one of the country’s best.

But March madness goes beyond just the college level. Both the Trailblazers and Mustangs were upset on this weekend, ending their seasons prematurely. A week after knocking off national No. 1 Ontario Christian in the CIF Southern Section Open Division title game, Rivals Composite No. 5 Sierra Canyon was the one on the wrong side of a shocking result Saturday night.

Sage Hill out of Newport Coast stunned the Trailblazers in a 57-54 upset to advance to the CIF State Open Division SoCal regional final — where they will face Ontario Christian. The Lightning trailed by eight at halftime, but used an explosive third quarter to take a 44-41 lead into the final frame.

Jerzy Robinson, the No. 3 overall prospect in the country and a South Carolina signee, did everything she could to help the Trailblazers retake the lead. But she ultimately fouled out in the games final seconds, finishing with a team-high 26 points.

Amalia Holguin led the Lightning with 26 of her own, including 17 in the second half to spark the comeback.

Bullis School (Md.) stuns Bishop McNamara

Across the country, No. 2 Bishop McNamara suffered a similarly heartbreaking loss. Albeit this one came in the state championship game against nationally ranked The Bullis School. McNamara hadn’t lost a game in three months, with their last defeat coming to Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) back in early December.

In that span, they defeated numerous state-ranked teams, as well as national No. 1 Ontario Christian (Calif.) and looked poised to win the Maryland private school title. Bullis had other things in mind though, pulling out a 62-50 win, led by 25 points from senior guard Adora Nwude.

The Bulldogs closed the first half on a 12-2 run and never relinquished its lead in the second half, using a 10-2 run into the fourth quarter to begin pulling away. McNamara shot just 8 of 27 from the field in the second half and was outrebounded 38-25, a rarity for a program so dominant all season.