RANCHO CUCAMONGA — Three McDonald’s All-Americans on the court at the same time and playing for two of the state’s best girls high school basketball teams.

That’s not a scenario seen every day, but it was the case when Mater Dei faced off against Etiwanda in a CIF-SS Open Division playoff game Saturday to decide which team would advance to the finals.

Mater Dei fell behind by 18 points in the third quarter before charging back to make it a down-to-the-wire finish. But the Eagles regained their composure and hung on for a 63-60 victory at Etiwanda High.

Etiwanda (25-4 overall, 3-0 pool play) advances to the championship game against Ontario Christian on Saturday, March 1, at Toyota Arena in Ontario.

The Eagles, ranked No. 6 in the state, are going to the Open Division final for the fifth consecutive year. The Eagles also defeated the Monarchs (28-3 overall, 2-1 pool play), ranked No. 2 in the state, in the Open Division semifinals for the fourth year in a row.

“I’ve had a lot of good players over the past five years,” Etiwanda coach Stan Delus said. “But the one thing is just staying resilient. We challenge ourselves all the time, so even when a team comes back, we still know how to play through tough situations.”

The Monarchs’ season is not over. They will continue in the CIF state playoffs that begin with regional games March 4.

“The beauty of being in this Open Division is that we are not done yet,” Mater Dei first-year coach Jody Wynn said. “We have another game on March 4.”

Mater Dei’s Harmony Golightly hit a 3-pointer to bring the Monarchs all the way back, making the score 59-59 with three minutes remaining in the contest. Golightly finished with 14 points and four assists.

But the Eagles took the lead right back on the ensuing possession with a basket by Aliyahna Morris, one of Etiwanda’s two McDonald’s All-Americans.

Morris scored 15 points, and the Eagles hit 10 3-pointers, which enabled them to take such a large lead.

The Monarchs had a chance to tie the game or take the lead on their final three possessions, but turned the ball over on the first, hit one of two free throws to make it a one-point game on the second, and then missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds after the Eagles had pulled back ahead by three.

“I’m so proud of our comeback effort,” Wynn said. “Yeah, you want to see the ball go in a little more, but I think our effort was outstanding. We could have executed a little bit better down the stretch, but our kids played their tails off and gave ourselves a chance to win.”

Addie Deal, Mater Dei’s McDonald’s All-American and an Iowa commit, finished with 14 points and nine assists. Amaya Williams contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, and Lani Stores added 14 points and six rebounds.

Deal took the potential game-tying 3-pointer, but in their effort to grab the rebound the Eagles knocked the ball out of bounds, giving the Monarchs one final chance with 2.3 seconds left.

Mater Dei turned the ball over on the inbound pass.

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