St. Joseph junior guard Mia Minshall watches her lunging 4th quarter shot go in the basket in Del Rey League play against St. Anthony at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph junior guard Mia Minshall reacts while sitting on the court after scoring on an acrobatic shot in the 4th quarter against St. Anthony at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph’s Aniyah Johnson powers her way to the basket against St. Anthony’s Dallyn Knox in a Del Rey League matchup at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony’s Ayaka Yiu works her way through a pair of St. Joseph defenders in Del Rey League action at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony senior Laila Hughes shoots over St. Joseph junior Fran MarieDiaz in Del Rey League play at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph is all smiles as she visits the foul line to convert a three-point play against St. Anthony at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthony senior Jordyn Washington drives to the basket past St. Joseph’s Bella Harmon in Del Rey League action at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph’s Mia Minshall gets off a shot between two St. Anthony defenders in girls basketball at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph junior point guard Tailele Wily-Ava throws up a bomb against St. Anthony in Del Rey League action at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph junior guard Mia Minshall shoots from long range in Del Rey League play against St. Anthony at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph junior point guard Tailele Wily-Ava visits the free throw line during the Jesters’ dominating win over St. Anthony in girls basketball at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph’s Mia Minshall shoots over St. Anthony’s Lailah Hughes in girls basketball action at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph’s Mia Minshall dribbles up court towards St. Anthony’s Jordyn Washington in Del Rey League action at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph’s Bella Harmon drives against St. Anthony’s Ayaka Yiu in Del Rey League play against St. Anthony at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Joseph’s Bella Harmon blocks a shot by St. Anthony’s Jordyn Washington from behind in Del Rey League action at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
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St. Joseph junior guard Mia Minshall watches her lunging 4th quarter shot go in the basket in Del Rey League play against St. Anthony at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
LAKEWOOD — The St. Joseph girls basketball team knew what was at stake on their quest for consecutive league titles.
That’s why when the Jesters started the game on an 11-0 run, it set the tone for the all-around performance needed to secure a 69-52 wire-to-wire victory at home against St. Anthony Thursday night.
The Jesters improved to 20-5 overall and 7-0 in the Dey Rey League, which earned them at least a share of the league title.
“To see this senior group out the right way is special to me,” said St. Joseph second-year coach Chris Childress.
St. Joseph won the Camino Real League last season and was promptly promoted to the Del Rey League. They can secure an outright league championship with a road win over La Salle in Pasadena on Feb. 3.
“We expect to win,” Childress continued. “We want to win. I think that win puts us in the Open Division and we’re ready for the challenge.”
St. Joseph had five players in double figures in the scoring column. Guards Bella Harmon, Mia Minshall and Tailele Wily-Ava each scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior guard Ava Washington, who played her freshman season at St. Anthony, had 11 points and seven rebounds.
6-foot-4 junior forward Ella Mims, who transferred from Gahr, was a bright spot off the bench with 10 points and eight rebounds.
“Honestly, I’ve just been looking forward to bringing energy to my team,” Mims said, “and putting all my effort out on the court and doing whatever I can to get the win.”
Senior guard Laila Hughes led St. Anthony (17-10, 2-6 Del Rey League) with 16 points. Freshman guard Jordyn Ramirez had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Wily-Ava’s three-point play made it 9-0 with 2:47 left in the first quarter. Mims’ offensive rebound and layup capped off St. Joseph’s 11-0 start.
“We came out ready to go,” Childress explained. “That set the tone for the game and allowed us to play in control.”
The Jesters held St. Anthony scoreless for the first six minutes of the game. Saints coach Lawrence Brown said the team’s slow start was difficult to overcome emotionally.
“At times we had moments where we could have fought back,” Brown said. “We have to look at the tape and get back to it.”
Ramirez made two free throws to end St. Anthony’s scoring drought but St. Joseph led 13-3 at the end of first.
Mims’ three-point play made it 16-3 with 7:23 in the second quarter. Ramirez’s offensive board and layup cut it to 17-5. Hughes’ layup made it 17-7. Minshall’s putback, followed by a 3-pointer, extended the lead to 22-7. Hughes’ three-point play followed by her coast-to-coast layup cut it to 22-12. Minshall’s layup pushed it to 24-12. Ramirez’s 3-pointer later cut it to 27-18. Wily-Ava’s running layup through contact made it 29-18. St. Joseph junior forward Fran Marie Diaz’s layup before the buzzer made it 31-18 at halftime.
Harmon scored her team’s first four points in the second half to go up 35-20 early in the third quarter. Ava Washington’s pull-up jumper made it 39-23. St. Joseph junior guard Olivia Molina’s 3-pointer made it 42-24 late in the third. Diaz’s layup off a nice assist from Mims made it 44-24. Ramirez’s shot, which banked in off the glass, made it 46-28 going into the fourth quarter.
Mims’ second three-point play of the game made it 49-29 with 7:27 remaining in the fourth. She said her new teammates and coaching staff have motivated her step up and contribute.
“They push me every single day… I really appreciate the opportunity and everybody around me,” Mims continued.
The top two girls’ basketball teams in the Press-Telegram Top 10 rankings matched up for the second time in Del Rey League play this season. St. Joseph outlasted St. Anthony for a 74-62 road victory in the first round of league play on Jan. 13.
The Saints finished fourth in the Del Rey League standings and will not receive an automatic playoff berth. They must wait until Feb. 7 to see if they will receive an at-large playoff berth, likely into the Division 1 bracket.
St. Anthony will finish the regular season with a nonleague game at West High in Torrance on Feb. 3.
St. Joseph girls basketball coach Chris Childress on winning back-to-back league titles and junior forward Ella Mims, who transferred from Gahr, on being one of five players who reached double figures in the scoring column in a 69-52 victory over St. Anthony Thursday night. pic.twitter.com/mDMFEcbHNk
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) January 30, 2026