If Sacramento High girls basketball coach Michele Massari knows how many consecutive league games her team has won, she won't say.
The streak precedes her five years at the Oak Park charter school.
But the players are well aware of it. And none want to be members of the team that sees "The Streak", as it's called, come to an end.
So Thursday's showdown at No. 3 Kennedy was more than a battle of Metro Conference unbeatens and defending Sac-Joaquin Section champions, Sacramento at D-III and Kennedy at D-I.
It tuned into a stunning crowd pleaser with plenty of big plays, dramatic moments and, for Sacramento, a rare down-to-the-wire league game finish.
In the end, Sacramento prevailed 53-49, extending its league winning streak - sorry Michele - to 83 straight. The top-ranked Dragons haven't lost a league game since Jan. 18, 2006, when they were in the Capital Athletic League.
"We're aware of it, and we want to defend the history of the school every time we take the court," said senior Allie Green, who had a game-high 22 points on 10 of 20 shooting in her best performance of the season one year after missing the entire 2011-2012 campaign with a knee injury.
The Pepperdine scholarship signee scored seven fourth-quarter points and hit a pair of baskets late when Kennedy twice cut Sacramento's lead to two points.
Junior guard Zonyia Cormier added 11 points for Sacramento (15-2, 6-0), and freshman guard Aliceah Hernandez had seven, including two free throws with 7.7 seconds to play for the final margin of victory.
Senior post Dalayna Tyler-Scott led Kennedy (14-4, 5-1) with 14 points, do-everything standout Lynette Johnson added 12 and long-distance shooter Katie Lee had nine, all three-pointers.
"I love these type of games," Massari said. "They help build our character."
Sacramento is off its best start under Massari, having won its own St. Hope Classic and finished third in two prestigious out-of-area tournaments.
And more is ahead.
The Dragons will play Hanford 1 p.m. Saturday and defending D-II state champion Archbishop Mitty of San Jose 6 p.m. Monday in the Martin Luther King Showcase at St. Mary's High School in Stockton.
In other girls games reported to The Bee involving Top 20 teams:
NO. 5 FLORIN 66, ROSEMONT 29 - Dalayna Sampton and Daijah Joe-Smith each had 25 points as the Panthers (12-5, 3-3) coasted past the Wolverines (9-10, 2-4) in a Metro Conference game in Rosemont.
NO. 14 RIO AMERICANO 61, WHITNEY 34 - Daizy Wilson had 21 points and Elizabeth Moulton 18 as the Raiders (17-3, 3-0) downed the Wildcats (7-13, 1-2) in the Capital Athletic League game in Rocklin.
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