The Christian High School girls basketball team can take pride in its 2024-25 season.
The Lady Patriots finished 8-0 in City Conference’s City League play to capture the league championship, placing two games clear of runner-up Patrick Henry. Christian posted a 20-4 regular season record to earn the No. 1 seed in the ensuing San Diego Section Division III playoffs, winning four consecutive games to earn the right to hang a CIF banner in their gym.
All that success led to a marathon 19-game winning streak that was snapped by top-seeded Pacific Palisades, 76-56, in the second round of the Southern California regional playoffs.
“It has really been a journey this basketball season,” Christian head coach Jermani Stewart said. “My coaching staff, along with the girls, had a goal this whole year and we kept our eyes on the prize.
“Having the No. 1 seed comes with knowing your team. Communication is a big part of our program and we talk to the girls about goals and expectations. We always discuss our strengths and weaknesses and try to make gains in everything. Our initial mindset wasn’t on being No. 1 but on working to be the best we could be. We challenged ourselves in different areas across the board and versus different opponents.
“Knowing you have the No. 1 spot does give a sense of pride and we give it all to the girls. They worked hard to achieve that and give everything they have when we ask them.
“Our starters are all impactful and we call them the Fabulous Five. It can be challenging in a smaller school being able to compete and maintain at a high level, but we have been blessed to have some girls who really love the game. We had three returners who went through the trenches last year and our freshmen and senior really stepped into their roles.”
Scoring leaders included freshman Leah Speers (20.6 points per game), senior Maepon (M.J.) Johnson (16.5 ppg) and junior Sierra Weckback (10-5 ppg).
The Lady Pats defeated Escondido Charter, 71-69, in the section final and then kept their season going by topping ninth-seeded Cerritos, 67-58, in the opening round of the regional playoffs.
