SureWest Sports has named Joey Rollings and Mike Yates as its High School Coaches of the Year for the 2011-12 academic year, SureWest.com host Mike Finnerty announced Friday.
The honors are based on achievement, leadership and sportsmanship.
Rollings led Sheldon to a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I three-peat and to a Northern California large-school championship, the only public school in regional history to do so. Sheldon reached the state title game before losing to national power Mater Dei of Santa Ana. Rollings was also named The Bee's 2012 Boys Basketball Coach of the Year following the season.
Sheldon returns a wealth of talent next season and will attempt to become the first boys team in section history to four-peat in D-I.
Yates led Union Mine of El Dorado to a CIF Division IV State Championship, beating La Jolla Country Day near San Diego 3-1 to cap a 32-5 season. Union Mine played - and beat - a number of larger-school teams during the season.
Winning a state volleyball title is difficult as the only other area team to win a state championship at any level was St. Francis in 2005 at Division III. Yates retired from coaching on top. Yates was also The Bee's 2011 Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Also: we join Mike Finnerty on the SureWest Sports Radio Show on Saturday morning from 9-10 a.m. to break down a wild week of baseball playoffs, including several pitching gems such as David Smith tossing a no-hitter for Elk Grove to beat Napa 1-0. Guests include Elk Grove coach Jeff Carlson.
We will also talk about the SureWest Coaches of the Year, the latest on the Jesuit football coaching search and other news and notes.
Some of Northern California's top players, including a number from Sacramento, will perform in the second annual Bay Area Memorial Day Classic boys basketball tournament May 26-28 in Martinez.
The event features 64 AAU teams and is an evaluation event for four-year and community college coaches, according to organizer Gerry Freitas.
Elite division games will be played at Nor Cal Courts, 360 Ferry St., Martinez, and varsity division games at Alhambra High, 150 E. St., Martinez.
Dominican University of San Rafael men's basketball coach Booker T. Harris has taken a liking to Sacramento area high school players.
Harris has recruited three of the area's top players to compete for his emerging NCAA Division II program.
Bella Vista's K.J. Logue, Yuba City's Matt Hayes and Sacramento Waldorf's Christopher Schwartz-Edmisten have all signed letters of intent with Dominican.
Matt Donlan is headed to the cold country where he expects to impact the South Dakota State men's basketball team with the sort of hot shooting that made him such an effective champion this past season.
The 6-foot-6 wing from Capital Christian High School has signed a letter of intent to play for the Jackrabbits, who competed in their first NCAA Tournament this past season in winning a school-record 27 games. South Dakota State moved up to Division I play in 2004 after years of success in Division II.
Donlan powered small-school Capital Christian to the program's first Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship. Blessed with a 35-inch vertical leap, an outside game, post moves, the ability to handle the ball and run the floor, Donlan averaged 17.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in earning Golden Empire League MVP honors and Bee All-Metro accolades.
Donlan went from sleeper prospect to college talent in a matter of months. This is what his since-retired Capital coach Terry Battenberg said of him earlier in the season, "He's 6-6 and can shoot the lights out. He's got a lot of upside to him. As he fills out and keeps working on his game, he's going to be a superb college player."
Donlan also has some personality to his game.
Asked about his mad hops, he cracked earlier, "It must be the kangaroo in me. I was born in Melbourne, Australia."
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
Several web-sites are reporting that Arizona transfer Josiah Turner has committed to SMU and new coach Larry Brown.
"It's a great fit for me," Turner told Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com earlier today.
The former Cordova and Sacramento High guard had a troubled first season with the Wildcats, which included suspensions for several games for off-court problems.
Last week he was arrested by University of Arizona police for allegedly running a red light and driving under the influence.
But Brown, the Hall of Fame coach hired by the Dallas university April 23, has dealt with several challenging players during his long NBA tenure, including Allen Iverson.
The 71-year-old Brown had already cleared room for Turner and other potential recruits by telling several incumbent SMU players that they would not remain on the team.
Starting point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas told the school's student newspaper that Brown said he "wasn't good enough to play for him."
SMU hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1988 and the school is moving into the Big East Conference in 2013.
Hammered by increased legal fees and overwhelmed by a huge volume of contentious transfer requests, the CIF is expected to approve Friday a new transfer policy similar to the Sac-Joaquin Section's widely popular 30-day rule that was killed five years ago.
The new "sit-out rule," which would take effect July 1 and be revisited after one year, will allow student-athletes to transfer to another school and be eligible to play without changing residence after sitting out the first 30 to 35 days of the season, instead of the current one year.
Athletes who transfer without moving would become eligible on Oct. 1 for fall sports, Dec. 31 for winter sports and April 1 for spring sports.
Former Del Oro High School boys basketball standout Aaron Hendricks will play at Pacific as a preferred walk-on.
The 6-foot-2 guard played three seasons at Del Oro before transferring to New Hampton School in New Hampton, N.H., where he will finish a post-graduate year at the end of May.
Hendricks elected to transfer to New Hampton to improve academically and play in the high-level New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.
Dominican University of the Bay Area is quickly putting together quite a men's basketball roster, heavy on Sacramento-area talent.
Christopher Schwartz-Edmisten of Sacramento Waldorf, the state's leading scorer this past season at 34.1 points per game, has signed a national letter of intent with the small Catholic school in San Rafael.
A 6-foot-3 guard who can shoot and defend and set a number of single-season and career scoring marks for coach Dean Stark, Schwartz-Edmisten will join two other Sacramento Bee All-Metro players in an effort to jump start the Penguins, a Division II program that went 11-18 last season.
Matt Hayes, a combo guard who is the all-time career scoring leader at Yuba City, and K.J. Logue, a physical and skilled 6-foot-6 forward from Bella Vista, also recently signed with Dominican. Yuba City and Bella Vista, like Waldorf, were league champions.
Stark, the veteran Waldorf coach, said Schwartz-Edmisten was the finest player he has coached, a four-year starter who warded off every defense imaginable. Schwartz-Edmisten scored without putting up huge amounts of shots, and he scored late to win games in dramatic fashion, all with a humble view on things and genuinely surprised and flattered that fans took notice of his efforts. - By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
The former Cordova and Sacramento High basketball standout, who recently departed the University of Arizona men's basketball team after a troubled freshman season, was arrested early Thursday morning on suspicion of a DUI after being stopped for allegedly running a red light on the Tucson campus.
According to the University of Arizona police report, which the Arizona Daily Star obtained Monday via a public records request, Turner was arrested for DUI with a blood-alcohol count twice the legal limit.
In a move that will have a major impact on the Sac-Joaquin Section postseason landscape, the section will bump the Sierra Foothill League to Division I starting in 2012-2013.
The section's board of managers also decided on Wednesday to move girls basketball powerhouses Sacramento and St. Mary's of Stockton and the Modesto Christian boys into higher divisions next year.
The moves are part of an effort by Commissioner Pete Saco and the board of managers to try to even the playing field in the geographically large and diverse section that stretches from Merced to Yuba City.
The SFL traditionally has been a D-II league but its growing dominance of that division - it won 15 of 29 section titles in 2010-11 - forced the section's hand, say section officials.
The first annual Nor Cal Spring Showcase will be held Friday (6-10 pm), Saturday (9 am-9 pm) and Sunday (9 am-4 pm) at City College of San Francisco.
The event will be NCAA sanctioned allowing Division I basketball coaches to attend, making it Northern California's only NCAA sanctioned event of the spring, according to event director Gerry Freitas.
Forty club teams from Northern California and other areas are execpted to compete.
Cosumnes River College power forward Tony Gill of Oakmont High School has signed a national letter of intent to play at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.
The 6-foot-9 All-State sophomore averaged 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Hawks, who made the playoffs in each of his two seasons. A biology major who aspires to become an orthopedic surgeon, Gill can shoot from three-point range, pass and score in the low post. He was an All-Metro pick by The Bee and a two-time All-Sierra Foothill League selection.
Gill would has studied hours of the Pete Newell Big Man series, with scores of post players working on moves. He shed close to 25 pounds since his high school days. CRC coach James Giacomazzi has raved about Gill, calling him a "coach's dream."
Gill was also heavily recruited by Boston College, visiting the campus earlier this month.
Also this week, CRC center Ryan Salmonson signed with the University of North Dakota of the Big Sky Conference. - By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavison
Matt Hayes, Yuba City High School's career scoring leader, has signed a letter of intent to play men's basketball at Dominican University in San Rafael.
The 6-foot-2 combo guard will join two other area players on the Penguins men's team.
Center graduate Connor Haysbert recently completed his sophomore season at the 2,200 Catholic school, and Bella Vista senior forward K.J. Logue recently announced his decision to play for the Penguins.
Some basketball quick-hit news and notes...
* Casey Cutts is the new boys coach at Rocklin.
Cutts was a key guard on the Thunder's 2007 team that went 26-4 and reached the Northern California playoffs. Cutts replaces Mike Lorente.
* Andy Beal has stepped down as the boys coach at Ponderosa after two seasons of rough sledding in the power-packed Delta River League that featured Sheldon, Jesuit, Oak Ridge and Folsom. Ponderosa did have a strong finish, stunning rival Oak Ridge in a season finale. Beal, the founder and president of MaxPreps.com, said coaching his sons and leading the program gave him "a great run with Ponderosa."
* Johnson girls basketball coach Jeanie Huizar will be recognized for her courageous efforts during a trying, winless season at the April 28 Character Combine event that emphasizes effort and sportsmanship. Huizar earned accolades and notes of appreciation from around the region from a Bee story detailing her season, including how spirited and eager the Warriors were to improve even after a 105-3 loss to Florin.
* Malik Pope, a 6-foot-7 sophomore center who helped power Burbank into the Division I playoffs this past season, has transfered to Laguna Creek. There was a lot of early speculation that Pope was headed to Sheldon, which three-peated as Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions and won the large-school D-I NorCal title.
Sheldon returns a wealth of talent next season, including Bee Player of the Year D'Erryl Williams and Bee All-Metro forward/guard Dakarai Allen. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
Davidson co-hosts with Mike Finnerty the SureWest Sports Radio Show each Saturday morning on ESPN1320 from 9-10 a.m.. The show is linked later in the day on ESPN1320.net.
Ryan Salmonson, a 6-foot-10 center for Cosumnes River College out of Colfax High School, has signed a national letter of intent with the University of North Dakota, a program from Grand Forks that will compete in the Big Sky Conference next season.
Salmonson averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds for CRC this past season for a playoff team after going for 4.2 and 2.6 as a freshman. He averaged 14 points and seven rebounds as a team captain for Colfax as a senior in 2010. That club went 27-6.
Salmonson scored 39 points on 16 of 19 shooting in a win over Chabot of Hayward in December. He was named the CRC Haw of the Year for his athletic and academic achievements.
Said North Dakota coach Brian Jones in a release, "He brings a high skill level and workman-like approach to the game that will allow us to continue to make strides as we move into the Big Sky Conference next season. His best basketball is ahead of him and we as a staff are excited about his versatility." - Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Spencer Butterfield of Del Oro High School and Yuba College fame has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Utah State, a program with 13 consecutive postseason tournament appearances.
A guard, Butterfield was the emotional and physical heart and soul leader of Yuba College this past season. The sophomore could shoot with range, attack the rim and defend, and he had little regard for his body. Butterfield crashed for rebounds or onto the floor for a loose ball. Yuba coach Doug Cornelius called Butterfield the most competitive athlete he has coached, a "grinder and a grunt." Both powered the 49ers to the state championship game, just the third boys team in regional history to pull that feat.
The 6-foot-3 Butterfield averaged 15 points and seven rebounds. - By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
Terry Battenberg, who led Capital Christian to the school's first Sac-Joaquin Section Division V boys basketball title in March, has stepped down after just one season as the Cougars' coach.
"Yes, I know many of you will now think I am a John Calipari man - 'One and Done' - but that is all right," Battenberg said kiddingly in an email announcing his decision.
After stints at Jesuit, El Dorado, Ponderosa and Union Mine, the 65-year-old Battenberg came out of four-year prep head coaching retirement to lead a Capital Christian team that included nine underclass players to a 26-6 record.
Yuba College sophomore guard Spencer Butterfield has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join 49ers teammate Sean Harris on the Utah State men's basketball team next season.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Butterfield was named the California Community College Co-Player of the Year in leading Yuba College to a 33-4 record and an appearance in the state community college championship game at Cosumnes River College.
"We are excited about the signing of Spencer Butterfield and the talents he brings to our basketball program," said Utah State coach Stew Morrill on the Aggies' web-site. "Spencer is a hard-nosed, competitive player with very good perimeter skills. He is an excellent shooter who can handle the ball and is a willing passer. He also has the character and toughness to be a good defender."
Bella Vista senior forward K.J. Logue has announced that he will play men's basketball in the fall at Dominican University in San Rafael.
The 6-foot-6 Logue, a two-time Capital Valley Conference Player of the Year, averaged 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds last season in leading Bella Vista to the CVC title and a 26-6 overall finish.
Dominican University, a Division II program, finished third in the Pacific West Conference and 11-18 overall last season.
Former Center High star Connor Haysbert has been a key member of the Penquins the last two seasons.
High school basketball transfers don't happen in Sacramento nearly as much as they do in Southern California, where all the title teams seem to be clogged with players coming and going.
But there was a stunner of a switch this week that could impact two Division I programs.
Malik Pope, a promising and still-growing 6-foot-7 sophomore defensive specialist center, left Burbank of the Metro Conference and enrolled into Laguna Creek of the Delta Valley Conference after his mother moved within that Elk Grove Unified School District residential boundary, The Bee learned Friday.
The Elk Grove Citizen published in its Friday print and online edition that Pope was transferring to Sheldon High, the program that stormed to D-I Section and NorCal titles and became the section's first large-school boys program to play for a state title. Burbank coach Lindsey Ferrell said that Pope was headed to Laguna Creek.
The coach said he was disappointed by the transfer but not crushed by the loss as he is known to always be perpetually upbeat. Still, Ferrell doesn't agree that Pope's move from a decades-long basketball force on Florin Road will suddenly enhance Pope's game, nor could he explain exactly why the transfer happened, except that perhaps Pope's family prefer that Pope started more this past season. Ferrell went with a senior-dominated lineup with Pope playing a lot of minutes.
Laguna Creek has had some strong teams in the past and it has a superb coach in Paul Casey, but the Cardinals are not postseason regulars. They could be now with Pope manning the middle.
The irony of the move is if there is an Open Division in the NorCal and State basketball playoffs next season, a team like Burbank could have seized the moment in D-I with heavyweights such as Sheldon and Jesuit likely slotted for the Open level. What about Laguna Creek now?
"I've been at this a long time so I won't let it get to me," said Ferrell, the veteran coach. "Malik's a great kid. I'm going to follow his career. He can play. He has so much upside, he's a great kid and he's very coachable. His mom said they just wanted to move.
"We'll be OK. We're still building a great program. Burbank will do great without me, with Malik. We'll always compete to the best of our ability and do well in the classroom. I wish the kid the best." - By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Twitter: @sb_jdavidson
Bee photo by Hector Amezcua: Malik Pope, 15, grabs a rebound against Valley High School on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012.
Bee All-Metro guard Bryce Pressley of Jesuit, left, has accepted a scholarship to the University of Portland. He helped lead the Marauders to the NorCal Division I finals as a combo guard who could score inside, outside, above the rim and defend. In one playoff game, Pressley had 22 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots.
Pressley had received recruiting interest from across the country, including Villanova, where his father Harold played before becoming a first-round pick with the Kings and teaching his son the game.
Pressley said he has mixed feelings about going to Portland. He is thrilled at the opportunity but added, "it's mixed feelings because it's hard to know that my high school career is over."
Also, River City guard Jordan Ligons, right, who helped power the Raiders to their first-ever girls basketball league championship, will play at Point Loma University in San Diego.
A point guard with speed and a good shot, Ligons was a senior stabilizing force for one of the region's youngest teams. She said her time at River City was "the time of my life."
River City tied El Dorado for the Sierra Valley Conference championship then stunned traditional power El Camino in the postseason en route to the NorCal playoffs under coach Jamie King.
Add Josiah Turner to the list of area college basketball players who have decided to transfer.
The 6-foot-3 point guard announced Wednesday that he was leaving the University of Arizona after a turbulent freshman season in Tucson.
It comes on the same day that former Rocklin star Brendan Lane, a 6-9 forward, announced he will enroll at Pepperdine after playing three seasons at UCLA.
The California Interscholastic Federation's 15-year deal with Time-Warner Cable to broadcast state and regional championships in all sports is worth $8.5 million.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the rights fee is $550,000 for year one and will increase by 4 percent yearly under the 15-year deal.
The contract, which was first announced last September, gives Time-Warner exclusive rights to all state and regional championships and allows it to resell its content to local outlets.
Former Folsom High football and basketball standout Kori Babineaux has verbally committed to play basketball at Drake.
The 6-foot-4 combo guard is a fifth-year high school player who played four seasons at Folsom - he was a key member of the Bulldogs' State Bowl championship football team in 2010 - and is now at Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Ill.
This past season, Babineaux put up a school-record 48 points in a Lake Forest Academy loss to North Chicago. He averaged 27.6 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for a team that went 8-13.
Babineaux figures to immediately contribute to the Drake Bulldogs, who play in the Missouri Valley Conference.
According to Rivals.com, the wide receiver-defensive back at Folsom had at one time football offers from Colorado State, Iowa State, San Diego State and Wyoming.
Basketball players can officially sign letters of intent on April 11.
These are the area all-league boys basketball teams that have been submitted to The Bee.
CAPITAL ATHLETIC LEAGUE
MVP: Jarvis Watkins and Gabe Bealer, Antelope.
All-League: Isaiah Ellis, Antelope; Harrison Ashen, Mason Pigman and Zach Suarez, Rio Americano; Dallen Eddenfield and Ryan Johnson, El Camino; Troy Owens and Justin Sevilla, Cordova; Evan Orrick, Whitney.
CAPITAL VALLEY CONFERENCE
MVP: K.J. Logue, Bella Vista.
All-League: Tyler Berkness, Ahmad Smith and Cristian Salhani, Bella Vista; Mitesh Patel, Christian Brothers; Davit Saghatelyan, Semir Cahtarevic and Johnny Hayes, Del Campo; Nick Bruce and Chris Stapleton, Casa Roble; Hunter Ford, Oakmont; Enrique Guzman, Rio Linda.
CENTRAL VALLEY CALIFORNIA LEAGUE
MVP: Christopher Schwartz-Edmisten, Sacramento Waldorf
Coach of the Year: Dean Stark, Sacramento Waldorf
All-League: Robby Maxey and Blake Owen, Victory Christian; Brennan Petersonwood, Sacramento Waldorf; Anthony Castaneda, Woodland Christian; John McDonald, Forest Lake Christian.
DELTA VALLEY CONFERENCE
MVP: Theo Johnson, Franklin.
Coach of the Year: Dustin Monday, Elk Grove.
All League: Hayden Russell, Kevin Sorenson and Tyler Sousa, Davis; Noah Wellington and Jason Williams, Elk Grove; Darin Johnson, Franklin; DeSean Parsons and Eddie Sparks, Grant; Shaquille Cornelius and Barry Ogalue, Laguna Creek.
Chris Blees, The Bee's 2007 boys basketball Player of the Year while at Jesuit High School, capped a stellar career at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California by being named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America Third Team for NCAA Division III.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Blees, a forward, also was named to the NABC Western District First Team.
Blees, who starred on the Jesuit High teams that won Sac-Joaquin Section titles in 2006 and 2007, graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2011 after missing most of last season with a torn ACL.
It was a clean sweep for the private schools in this year's 10 CIF State boys and girls basketball championship games Friday and Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion.
The Sheldon and La Costa Canyon-Carlsbad boys and the Berkeley, J.W. North-Riverside and Laguna Hills girls all lost in finals.
North teams split with Southern California teams, each winning five games..
The Mater Dei boys and girls; Village Christian-Sun Valley boys; La Jolla Country Day girls; and Archbishop Alemany-Mission Hills were the SoCal champs.
The Salesian-Richmond boys; Archbishop Mitty-San Jose boys and girls; the Brookside Christian-Stockton girls; and Bishop O'Dowd girls won from the North.
In the 25 years since the CIF expanded the state finals to five divisions, the North and South have split evenly 10 times.
The South has won six or more games 11 times, including 9-1 in 2001. The North has won six or more games four times, including winning seven of 10 in 2004.
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Sheldon couldn't overcome the shooting of senior Katin Reinhardt or the around-the-basket play of sophomore Stanley Johnson as Mater Dei of Santa Ana defeated the Huskies 66-48 in tonight's CIF State Division I boys basketball championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.
Sheldon fans will say they couldn't overcome the officiating, either. Four of Sheldon's five starters fouled out as the Huskies were called for 25 fouls.
The UNLV-bound Reinhardt, a 6-5 guard, scored 30 points, including a new state record six-three pointers, while the 6-7 Johnson added 21 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.
It's halftime at Power Balance Pavilion with Mater Dei-Santa Ana leading Sheldon 33-27 in the CIF State Division I boys basketball championship game.
Most of the crowd of nearly 5,000 has come out to support Sheldon - band, choir and all.
Kyi Thomas is leading the way for Sheldon with 11 points, including three three-pointers.
D'Erryl Williams has seven points, though he's favoring a tender ankle.
Katin Reinhardt is lighting it up for Mater Dei. He has 16 points, including four three-pointers from NBA land.
Sheldon has the edge on the boards 25-18. Nate Iese leads with nine rebounds.
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Nevada-bound 6-foot-4 senior guard Marqueze Coleman had 27 points and nine rebounds and 5-9 senior guard Max Guercy added 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals in leading Bishop Alemany of Mission Hills to a 71-67 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco in the CIF State Division III boys basketball championship game today at Power Balance Pavilion.
Josh Fox's free throw for Sacred Heart (28-6) tied the game 65-65 with 1:53 to play, but a basket by Coleman and two free throws by Guercy put Bishop Alemany (33-4) ahead to stay and give the Warriors their first boys state basketball title in the school's 57 years.
Fox had 19 points and seven rebounds and Taylor Johns added 13 points and 19 rebounds for Sacred Heart.
It was a rough and physical game as four players fouled out, two from each team, and two others had four fouls.
DIVISION III
BISHOP ALEMANY-MISSION HILLS 71, SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL-SAN FRANCISCO 67
Bishop Alemany 17 15 23 16 - 71
Sacred Heart Cathedral 15 25 11 16 - 67
BA - Moffett 8, Coleman 27, Guercy 19, Henderson 12, Coleman 3, Anderson 2.
SHC - Fox 19, Johns 13, Petroni 15, James 5, Pratt 10, Otis 5.
St. Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda was one of the sentimental favorites in this weekend's CIF State Championship boys basketball field at Power Balance Arena.
The Pilots were making a return appearance to Sacramento for the Division V final after beating St. Bernard-Playa del Rey 47-44 in last season's championship game.
Respected coach Don Lippi had won his 700th game earlier in the playoffs and with a team that had graduated all but three players from last season.
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Aaron Gordon is considered one of the 10 best junior class boys basketball players in the United States.
The Archbishop Mitty of San Jose 6-foot-7 forward showed why again tonight on the big stage of the CIF State Division II boys championship finals at Power Balance Pavilion.
Gordon scored 33 points and grabbed 20 rebounds - one off the state championship game record he tied last year - to lead the Monarchs to a 78-57 win over La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad.
It was Mitty's second consecutive state title win for the boys and with the girls team beating JW North of Riverside 56-54 in the preceding game, it was a clean sweep for the parochial school from the West Catholic Athletic League.
The CIF State Basketball Championships, a fixture in Sacramento for 20 years, will return for at least three more seasons to Power Balance Pavilion, CIF Senior Director Ron Nocetti confirmed Friday night.
Nocetti said he shares the excitement and pride of the CIF in general for the three-year contract extension. What happens after that, when the new sports and entertainment arena opens in 2015 with the Kings as a primary tennant and likely more NCAA visits, is yet to be determined.
"The arena management, the Maloofs, they've all been incredible to work with," Nocetti said. "We're glad to be here."
While there is stability in the state event at Power Balance, there are still questions regarding where the Northern California Regional games will be held. Normally, the NorCal finals and state-title games go hand-in-hand at Power Balance, but there's a new wrinkle that could enhance the tournament.
The Federated Council, the governing body for the CIF, will in May vote on whether or not to introduce an Open Division title game. Elite teams would be placed in the Open in an effort to provide more balance as so many title entrants are private schools.
This weekend, 15 of the 20 state-title participants - boys and girls in five divisions - hail from private schools.
If the Open Division concept passes, Open play would start next season. In that case, Nocetti said there could be multiple NorCal title sites to better accomodate teams. For example. Bay Area teams could have a Bay Area venue. Sac-Joaquin Section teams could conceivably compete at UC Davis or at Pacific, or Santa Clara or San Jose State, among others.
At current, UCD is bidding for a NorCal site, as is Power Balance.
Power Balance won out in bidding for the state games over Anaheim and Bakersfield, home of the 2010 state finals when the NCAA Women's Tournament had a Power Balance visit. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
I had a long discussion with CIF Executive Director Marie Ishida in her Sacramento office this week. At the CIF helm for 11 years and in education/administration for some 40 years, Ishida is retiring in July. Some highlights from the talk...
* Ishida said the CIF is in good health but she worries and feels for troubled school districts across the state that are bracing for budget cutbacks. She said the fear is always losing kids to other schools, for any reasons.
* On how far athletics have changed in 30 years, "it's a different ball game."
* Ishida said the same issues remain in recent decades: public schools versus private and if it's fair - and how to solve it.
* Ishida said it's far easier said than done to just dramatically introduce an Open Division or create a private school tournament to go with a public school like Texas or New York. Ishida said there has to be a positive vote by the Federated Council - 64 members strong - to pass. Still, Ishida said, "personally, I don't know if it'd pass. The concern is a once-in-a-lifetime team getting stuck in the Open Division and not winning. We are exploring ways to making regional and state championships more competitive and interesting."
* There will be a May vote in the Federated Council to decide on an Open Division concept. If it passes, it would be introduced next season.
* Ishida on her role in general, "I don't make the rules, I administer them. Do I have an influence? Yes."
* Ishida said the introduction of the regional NorCal and SoCal football games - the winners reach State Bowl games - is a great move for the CIF. An example: a Grant-De La Salle showdown, at long last, with Ishida saying, "we may never get that matchup unless it's a regional game. This would be something people would want to watch."
* Ishida said the TV Time Warner Contract boosts the CIF with an eight-figure contract over the life of the 15-year deal.
* The NorCal and state title games at Power Balance Pavilion, pretty much a staple in the state capital for 20 years, could be on the move. The existing contract expires at the end of this weekend. Bids are being entertained across the state. One place that doesn't seem likely - ever - is Oracle Arena in Oakland where the Warriors play. Ishida said Arco Arena/Power Balance has always been a good relationship - and that it could continue.
* All indications as of Friday evening are that the state tournament will return to Power Balance for another three seasons. The NorCal site could be multiple sites, depending on the May vote for the Open Division concept.
* The CIF has an annual budget of $800,000 to fight lawsuits, generally regarding transfers. Without rules and holding firm, Ishida said transfers would ruin prep sports. And without fighting them, the CIF would be trampled. Still, she is concerned as always with the amount of transfers that do happen.
* Ishida said she is troubled by club sports that tug at high school athletes. She said the appeal of prep sports is playing for your school and community, saying, "high school sports are an extremely valuable experience."
* Ishida said she is cringes at the thought of Mater Dei suing the CIF for what the school contends is unfair scrutiny and standards regarding transfers. Ishida said it is "reprehensible" that Mater Dei has a suit.
* Ishida is beyond pleased with the impact of Title IX, the law that mandated gender equity in 1972, adding, "What a difference. Kids now don't realize the impact of Title IX. That's the only thing I'm envious of - not playing high school sports with Title IX."
* Ishida said she is "very comfortable" stepping down in July. Her time has come, she said, and it's time for a fresh voice and leader. Said Ishida amid a laugh, "I get that final notice from medicare and it's 'maybe I really am that old!"
* Ishida said she wants to tour the country in an RV - clogging traffic from the fast lane. She is involved with the Habitat for Humanity where homes are built across the country for the needy.
* Ishida grew up in Strathmore in the heart of Tulare County and learned the value of work ethic on her family's tomato farm. One of four daughters, there was always work to be done, always an eye on the weather report. Said Ishida, "I can tell you everything about pruning, weeding, how a tomato seed grows into a tomato - packing, loading, shipping it to market."
* Ishida cracked that she didn't dare tell her parents she was switching from tomato growth to citrus until they were retired.
* The old tomato farm is still in the family, but is now a citrus farm with oranges and lemons. She will surely take her RV there, not to mention her Santa Cruz home.
Sizing up the monsters of Mater Dei, the national super power in Santa Ana that aims for a record ninth state championship Saturday night at Power Balance Pavilion against a Sheldon-Sacramento team that seeks its first:
* Gary McKnight accepted the Monarchs job in Orange County 30 years ago, his only varsity post. He was 29.
* McKnight has won a state-record 29 league championships, 28 in a row, with a state-record 21 section titles, 13 SoCal Regional titles and a record tying eight state banners.
* McKnight has a staggering record of 933-93, a state record. The Monarchs have won three of the past five D-I titles and posted eight consecutive 30-win seasons.
* McKnight was one of 72 coaches who applied for the Mater Dei job in 1982. He said his career in general has been "a fairyland" experience, yet he works just as hard now as he did when he started.
* McKnight said overcoming a life-threatening illness makes him appreciate life and enjoy his long success even more. He told us this week, "I had a real scary bout with cancer 16 years ago, the asbestos cancer, and it's not a very good percentage that survive. My wife (Judy) kept pushing for me to go see the doctor, and had I waited, I wouldn't have made it. I'm lucky. I know that. You walk out of a cancer ward and you wonder how am I lucky and the others weren't. I realize every day is a special day."
* McKnight had a large cancerous growth removed from his chest and continues to be tested cancer free. He acknowledges that he still has to watch his weight and that he is diabetic. He lost a decades-long friend to cancer last fall, something he thinks about daily.
* McKnight wasn't a basketball player growing up as he loved baseball. As for coaching, he said he continues to try and refine his craft.
* McKnight admits his players love to tease him about how many different shades of red his face becomes - red, redder, red hot - depending on game situation and mood. Said the coach, "They always give me a hard time."
* McKnight said he would prefer to have state-title games in Southern California, but his players "love to play out of town."
* With four starters back from last year's state-title team, McKnight said the Monarchs have played well with "the bull's eye."
* At 59, McKnight has no plans to retire. He's having too much fun, cracking, "Social security kicks in at 68 years years of age, and I'm not there yet. I live here on campus during the season, it feels like. But I'm one of the really lucky ones. I get up in the morning and this is something I truly enjoy doing. I love organizing a team, putting things together, seeing how it turns out."
* McKnight understands the argument that private schools have an advantage over public, but he's not about to apologize for his good fortune. Mater Dei, he said, has earned its success: "In Division I, it's mostly public schools. Everyone wins their share. I know we have. We've lost our share of state titles and won our share."
* On losing state-title games in the past decade to eventual NBA players Ryan Manning of Oak Ridge and Jeremy Lin of Palo Alto, "I felt a lot better knowing they made the NBA."
* Married 36 years to his wife Judy, McKnight said she's in charge, not him: "She's a lot calmer than I am, too. She runs the house, the kids, the grandkids. She's my wife, my best friend, and she was the one who pushed me to have that physical when I found out I had cancer."
* McKnight's son Clay played for him and once hit nine three-pointers in a game.
* Mater Dei, tabbed No. 2 by MaxPreps' Freeman rankings and top-ranked in the state by Cal-High Sports, has won 20 consecutive games, losing only to out-of-state powers.
* Star Mater Dei wing Katin Renihardt was home-schooled early, attend Mater Dei basketball camps as a kid, learned to count to 100 by shooting baskets and said it was a "dream" to play for the Monarchs. The 6-foot-5 shooter is headed to UNLV.
* Reinhardt texts with Kevin Durant of the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder.
* Xavier Johnson of Mater Dei is a 6-7 forwarded headed to Colorado. He is nicknamed "X-Stroudinaire."
* Johnson's dad Samuel played at San Diego State and was a member of a CBA title team. Young Johnson transferred from Chaparral High of Temecula, with dad explaining that the cutbacks at public schools concerned him.
* Sophomore Stanley Johnson, no relation to Xavier, won a national prep dunk contest earlier this season.
* Four-year player and team captain Eli Stalzer is a gifted piano player. He played at halftime of a game this season when someone wheeled out a baby grand. He will play hoops on scholarship at Colorado.
* Stalzer said he insisted to his teammates that they all embrace incoming transfer Elijah Brown, son of first-year Lakers coach Mike Brown, telling us this week, "Be nice to him - we want Lakers tickets."
* Mater Dei opened in 1950 with 111 students. It swelled to 2,150 by the 1960s when it became the largest Catholic high school west of Chicago. In 2008, Mater Dei opened an $18 million 3,200-seat home gym. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
The Salesian of Richmond boys basketball team didn't play in the marquee game of the CIF State Basketball Championships today at Power Balance Pavilion.
But the Pride, which opened the 10-game, two-day tournament early this afternoon, could easily make the argument that it is the best boys team in California.
Behind electrifying junior Jabari Bird's 24-point, three-dunk performance and the off-the-bench heroics of muscular 6-foot-8, 305-pound Freddie Tagaloa, Salesian sprinted past Price of Los Angeles 70-56 in the Division IV boys title game.
Rudy Tomjanovich once said of his Houston Rockets after coaching them to an NBA championship two decades ago, "Never underestimate the heart of a champion."
Joey Rollings can second that thought at the high school level with the same measure of exhausted glee.
His gritty, determined, talented Sheldon Huskies bunch rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit to topple Jesuit 61-56 on Saturday night in a historic Northern California Division I championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.
Needing to beat their Delta River League rivals a seventh consecutive time over two years and a fourth time this season, the Huskies showed remarkable resolve and poise in chipping away from a game that Jesuit owned early, then rejoiced with a closing 12-2 run to become the first Sac-Joaquin Section public school to win a large-school boys NorCal title.
What's more, this was the first time in the 30-year history of the NorCal tournament that two larger-school boys teams from Sacramento played for a title, a show of strength for a region that for years has been buckled by the traditional powers of the Bay Area.
Jesuit, a senior-dominanted club, was determined to reverse fortunes with one final title chance but the Huskies would have none of it, and now they have a chance to make real history. Sheldon (29-5) will take on national super power Mater Dei of Santa Ana next Saturday at Power Balance for a shot to become the section's first D-I state champion.
"I'm very proud of these guys," a spent Rolling said before scooping up his equally as sweaty 3-year old son Tristan for a celebration hug. "Some thought maybe we were too young this year but they're all warriors."
Sheldon is indeed young with a junior-dominated lineup, but it is seasoned, confident and increasingly battle-tested crew. Dakarai Allen, Sheldon's smooth, unflappable junior guard who scored 16 points, had a putback to pull to within 56-55 with 1:50 to go. He followed with a steal, was fouled and made two free throws to give his team the lead for the first time -and for good - at 56-56. Nate Iese, the national football recruit headed to UCLA, had two of the ugliest free throws in tournament history by his own admission for a 59-56 lead with 1:20 left, and free throws by Allen and team leader point guard D'Erryl Williams capped it.
Williams two weeks earlier took over down the stretch to beat Jesuit for the section title and a three-peat title effort and he he took over in the second half here with more inspired play. The junior had two points at the half as Sheldon made just 8 of 25 shots and finished with a game-high 23 with six rebounds in willing his team to compete.
"I wanted it so bad - we all did," Williams said. "Didn't want to lose. We worked too hard for this."
Said an admiring Allen, "I'm so proud of this team. We didn't want it to end. And D'Erry...I love that guy. He's the best player in Sacramento. No one can stop him."
Kyi Thomas had 10 points, Iese four and Antonio Lewis again came off the bench to provide a big boost, scoring eight.
The senior group of Akachi Oguko (12 points), Parker Uu (12), Bryce Pressley (12), Kurt Parker (12), Luke Lutes (five) and Brian Glodowski (five) led the Marauders. Uu fouled out with 1:59 to go, his team up 56-53.
Jesuit coach Greg Harcos implored his team to keep their heads up after the game, to be proud of their effort and to appreciate the rivalry at hand. There was no shame losing to Sheldon, the section power these days itching for one more win to cap what has already been a regional story book season. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
By John Parker
Special to The Bee
Salesian-Richmond 69, Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 38 - Junior forward Jabari Bird led all players with 24 points as the Pride claimed its second straight D-IV NorCal crown and third in the last four years.
Sacred Heart Prep (23-7) did not score until five minutes into the first quarter, during which Salesian (33-2) had already built a 12-0 lead. The Pride, which won the 2010 D-IV state title, dominated in all phases, especially rebounding, where it earned a 38-27 edge. Freddie Tagaloa and Mario Dunn each had six boards to pace Salesian. Davion Mize joined Bird in double figures in points with 11.
Cole McConnell led the Gators with 15 points.
The Salesian High School boys basketball team is used to playing this game.
But for the Pride girls, always stalwart supporters of the boys program, this is a whole new feeling. Sophomore guard Mariya Moore hit three of four free-throws and stole and inbounds pass with seven seconds remaining to lead the Salesian girls to their first NorCal title in their appearance on Saturday evening with a 47-44 win over St. Mary's of Berkeley just before the boys took the floor.
Prior to this season the Salesian girls had won just two North Coast Section playoff games in the past decade.
"I'm so proud of these girls," Pride coach Stephen Pezzola said. "They're known for their courage and fortitude and used both tonight."
When Pezzola took over the program three years ago the girls were 10-14 while the boys were just embarking on what would be a run of four straight NorCal championship games and counting, including their third championship which they claimed with a 69-38 win over Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton.
"They are a tremendous motivator for us," Pezzola said. "When I took the job I said I wanted to be just like them."
They will get the chance on Friday as they play back-to-back in their respective D-IV state championship games at Power Balance Pavilion. The boys play at 1:30 p.m. against Price of Los Angeles (26-8) while the girls will face La Jolla Country Day (32-1) at 3:30 p.m.
"This has been special for both programs in different ways," Salesian boys coach Bill Mellis, in his 13th year at the school said.
The teams began hosting NCS playoff double-headers in the Richmond school's gym until their combined achievement outgrew the cramped venue. Both teams supported each other loudly in the other's respective games on Saturday at Folsom.
Moore had 16 rebounds, 13 points and six assists posting game-highs in all three categories for the girls against St. Mary's.
The Panthers (26-8) led 42-39 with just under two minutes remaining but Salesian (31-4), as it did in the North Coast Section championship game two weeks ago against the Panthers, came roaring back. Salesian sophomore post Alana Horton converted a 3-point play with a rebound and putback with 1:37 to go to tie it and on the Pride's next possession gave it a 44-42 lead with an up-and-under move.
After St. Mary's, the two-time reigning NorCal champion, answered Moore converted two free-throws off a blocking foul then stole the ensuing inbounds pass intended for Gabby Green.
"I knew they would try to throw to Gabby because I was reading the eyes," Moore said. "From there I just tried to time it right to get in front of it."
MaAne' Mosely joined Moore in double figures in points for Salesian with 12 while Mikayla Cowling had 13 for the Panthers.
The boys easily handled Sacred Heart as Pride junior forward Jabari Bird led all players with 24 points as the Pride claimed its second straight D-IV NorCal crown and third in the last four years.
Sacred Heart Prep (23-7) did not score until five minutes into the first quarter, during which Salesian (33-2) had already built a 12-0 lead. The Pride, which won the 2010 D-IV state title, dominated in all phases, especially rebounding, where it earned a 38-27 edge. Freddie Tagaloa and Mario Dunn each had six boards to pace Salesian. Davion Mize joined Bird in double figures in points with 11.
Cole McConnell led the Gators with 15 points.
St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda 77, Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 53 - Four players scored in double figures and sophomore center Temidayo Yussef recorded a double-double as St. Joseph won the D-V title on Saturday afternoon in Folsom.
St. Joseph, the defending state D-V state champion, captured its eighth overall NorCal championship and third in four years at the D-V level.
Yusseff had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks while senior guard Gemeny Givens led all players with 17 points. Senior guard Nick Lacy added 16 points and junior guard Justin Brown had 15.
"It's an honor to be a part of Pilot nation," Givens said. "We always know we have a big support group behind us."
The Pilots (29-4) needed it as only suited-up nine players, while Pinewood had 12. St. Joseph substituted early and often as seven players played more than a quarter and only had one player foul out.
Dante Fraioli led the Panthers (27-3) with 14 points while Kevin Sweat added 12 and Cameron Helvey pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
St. Joseph will play Village Christian of Sun Valley (32-3) for its fifth state title at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion.
Brookside Christian-Stockton 55, Eastside Prep-Palo Alto 38 - Sophomore guard Brianna Smith led all players with 18 points and fellow sophomore Tiara Tucker added 15 as the Knights claimed the D-V NorCal girls title on Saturday afternoon in Folsom.
Brookside Christian (29-4) led 23-14 at halftime but midway through the third quarter the Panthers had whittled the lead to three points, closing to within 25-22. The Knights responded with a 21-6 run, spurred by back-to-back 3-pointers from Ariana Vaughn, to put the game out of reach.
"Those were the big momentum shifter for us," Knights coach Que Ngo said.
Eastside Prep (17-14) had two players post double-doubles as junior center Hashim Carothers had a team-high 13 points and 11 rebounds while sophomore forward Alexus Simon had 10 points and 11 boards.
"They're not a better team than us," Carothers said. "We just didn't play well enough to beat them."
The Knights will face Rolling Hills Prep-San Pedro (22-4) on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Power Balance Pavilion for the state championship.
Reach John Parker at johnparker2008@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @john_a_parker.
Four players scored in double figures and sophomore center Temidayo Yussef recorded a double-double as St. Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda defeated Pinewood of Los Altos Hills 77-53 for the CIF Northern California Regional D-V boys basketball championship today at Folsom High School.
St. Joseph, the defending state D-V state champion, captured its eighth overall NorCal championship and third in four years at the D-V level.
Yusseff had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks while senior guard Gemeny Givens led all players with 17 points. Senior guard Nick Lacy added 16 points and junior guard Justin Brown had 15.
The Pilots (29-4) only suited-up nine players, while Pinewood had 12, but it did not matter as they substituted early and often as seven players played more than a quarter.
Dante Fraioli led the Panthers (27-3) with 14 points while Kevin Sweat added 12 and Cameron Helvey pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
ST. JOSEPH NOTRE DAME 77,
PINEWOOD 53
Pinewood (27-3) 22 7 17 7 - 77
St. Joseph (29-4) 20 15 21 21 - 53
P: Fraioli 14, Sweat 12, Carp 8, B. Naumann 8, Wolfgram 7, Lewis 4. SJ: Givens 17, Lacy 16, Brown 15, Yussef 15, Banks 4, Gayden 4, LaFollette 3, Voisenat 3.
In perhaps an appropriate result on St. Patrick's Day, the Fight'ng Irish of Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco defeated Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland 61-57 in the CIF Northern California Regional Division III boys championship game today at Power Balance Pavilion.
The loss ends the Dragons' two-year reign as D-III NorCal champs.
Senior leaders Joshua Fox and Taylor Johns led the top-seeded Irish (28-5), who won their third NorCal title in five appearances. Fox, a 6-foot-5 forward, had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Johns, a 6-6 post, added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Sacred Heart will play Southern California champion Bishop Alemany of Mission Hills (32-4), a 62-61 winner over St. John Bosco of Bellflower, for the state title 2:45 p.m. on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion.
Marcus Green led second-seeded O'Dowd (26-6) with 15 points and Terrence Daniel added 14 points. Washington State-bound 6-7 forward Richard Longrus had a game-high 14 rebounds, eight points and three blocks in retiring coach Doug Vierra's last game.
It was O'Dowd's 10th NorCal finals appearance. The Dragons have won seven titles.
Division III (boys)
SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL-SAN FRANCISCO 61, BISHOP O'DOWD 57
Bishop O'Dowd 23 7 10 17 - 57
Sacred Heart Cathedral 14 16 16 15 - 61
BO - Crum 6, Daniel 14, Green 15, Longrus 8, Texada 4, Gomes 7, Rabb 1, Perri 2.
SHC - Fox 21, Johns 15, Petoni 5, James 4, Pratt 13, Otis 3.
One person who will watch closely the results of the NCAA men's basketball tournament this afternoon is former Ponderosa boys basketball coach Dave Millhollin.
St. Mary's College, ranked 24th nationally by Associated Press, opens the tournament today against Purdue in the Midwest Regional in Omaha and playing for the Gaels is Brad Waldow, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward and former Bruins player.
Waldow, a starter since mid-December for the Moraga college, made the WCC all-freshmen team this season in averaging 18.7 minutes, 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds. He shot 67 percent from the field (107 of 159).
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the San Diego State men's basketball team and veteran coach Steve Fisher.
The Aztecs lost four starters, including Kawhi Leonard to the NBA, from a school-record 34-3 team that lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the NCAA regional semifinals last year.
But thanks to former Sacramento High star Chase Tapley, the Aztecs' only returning starter, and ex-Pleasant Grove standout Xavier Thames, San Diego State is back in the tournament for the third consecutive season, this time as an at-large team.
As the No. 6 seed in the Midwest, San Diego State (26-7) will face No. 11 North Carolina State (22-12) on Friday morning in Columbus, Ohio.
Some news, notes and items of interest on the looming Sheldon-Jesuit Northern California Division I title tilt...
* It seems perfectly fitting that Sheldon and Jesuit square off for the Division I championship Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion. The teams are the standard this season for basketball excellence. Not just for the Delta River League, but Sacramento, the Sac-Joaquin Section and all of Northern California for large school supremacy.
* This is the first time in NorCal championship playoff history - 30 years - that two area teams will play for a D-I boys title.
It was a contrast of emotions for two teams Tuesday night - tears for one at home and cheers for another on the road - in the CIF Northern California Regional basketball semifinals.
In Concord, fourth-seeded Jesuit High School outscored top-seeded De La Salle 14-3 down the strech to topple the defending NorCal champion Spartans 44-41. Jesuit will play Delta River League rival Sheldon for the title on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion.
In Oak Park, the second-seeded Sacramento girls saw their season come to a shocking close against a hot-shooting, well-coached and determined Miramonte of Orinda team 71-64 in D-III.
As if this high school basketball season wasn't already full of twists and turns and plenty of rich story lines, it's about to add a new chapter of great intrigue.
The No. 2-seeded Sheldon Huskies held off decades-old traditional powerhouse McClymonds of Oakland 59-55 in a Northern California Division I semifinal in an entertaining if not sometimes erratic semifinal in Sacramento on Tuesday night. And as time ran out, Sheldon public address announcer Herbie Berry announced - slowly for emphasis and a bit of drama - that Jesuit had upended top-seeded De La Salle 44-41 in the other semifinal in Concord.
Jesuit denied De La Salle any field goals in the first quarter in taking an early 10-4 lead. The senior-laden Marauders trailed 38-30 with 3:26 to go but closed out the Spartans with a 14-3 run for one of the program's great signature triumphs. De La Salle was seeking a NorCal D-I repeat and its 12th title appearance. Parker Uu led Jesuit with 12 points and Bryce Pressley had nine. Okachi Okugo also played well, hitting the go-ahead three-pointer and handling the ball throughout against fierce pressure.
Breaking down tonight's NorCal Regional basketball playoff semifinals with local teams, boys and girls...
Girls Oak Ridge (25-8) at Berkeley (27-2)
These programs know each other, with Oak Ridge beating Berkeley in the NorCal title game at Power Balance Pavilion in 2010, en route to the state large-school championship. It was a remarkable run for the Trojans of El Dorado Hills as it was their first venture in the D-I field (after years of great success in D-II).
Coach Steve White takes another superbly coached and conditioned team to Berkeley tonight, where the top-seeded Yellowjackets lose every election term or so. Oak Ridge has reached a Norcal semifinal - D-I or II - five times in six years and lost to Berkeley in the quarterfinals a year ago. This year's Oak Ridge team has two fine shooters/ball handlers in Jenn Hoffman and Jenna Klein and an emerging post in Lauren Sende. There is concern with frontcourt player Michelle Barkley, who left Saturday's 44-29 win over Heritage with a knee injury.
Berkeley, of course, is tradition. The Yellowjackets seek their on-going, all-levels, either-gender record 15th NorCal title game and seek a record 11th title. Berkeley is led by impressive point guard Elisha Davis and has front-court power in Desire Finnie and Rachel Howard. Berkeley isn't as big as season's past, but it is just as fast, just as motivated. For Oak Ridge to win, it must not be bugged by the moment, must beat the pressure defense and must hit three-point shots.
The Sac-Joaquin Section has traditionally been a power in CIF Northern California Regional Division II boys basketball.
In the last five seasons, a section team reached the NorCal championship game.
Woodcreek made it back-to-back finals in 2011 and 2010. Rocklin made it in 2009 (and beat St. Francis of Mountain View to reach the state final), Fairfield in 2008 (after beating Rocklin by three points in the semifinals) and Jesuit in 2007.
Heading into this year's postseason, it appeared that streak might continue with Sacramento and Antelope putting together strong regular-season runs.
But Lodi shocked Sacramento in the section quarterfinals and although Antelope won the D-II section title, the Titans' season wasn't expected to come to an end so quickly. They lost 66-58 against visiting Chico in Saturday's NorCal quarterfinals.
For 22 games, Yuba College engaged in the perfect storm of a basketball season with cohesion, athletes and skill galore - and a united goal of putting the plucky 49ers on the state map.
It came to an emphatic end Sunday at Cosumnes River College when national powerhouse Fresno City used a 17-5 second-half run, waves of depth and superb defense to seize control for a 77-62 triumph in the California Community College Athletic Association Men's Championship.
This is common fare for the Rams, who earned the program's fifth state title and third since 2005.
Before Doug Cornelius arrived in Linda to steer Yuba College 11 years ago, the college made regional hoop news in the late 1980s for serving as the training camp home of the Kings. Now there's a team to behold and a town that embraces it. CRC's state-of-the-art facility was full - 3,000 strong - with a good portion from the Sutter-Marysville region who made the 54-mile trek, including the 49ers mascot dressed as a miner, for Saturday's semifinal and Sunday's title game.
Bryce Pressley had 26 points and Akachi Okugo 15 as fourth-seeded Jesuit defeated Castro Valley 73-53 in a CIF Northern California Regional Division I quarterfinal tonight in Carmichael.
The Marauders (26-6) will play at top-seeded De La Salle of Concord on Tuesday. De La Salle defeated Pleasant Grove 54-40. Cody Demps led Pleasant Grove with 10 points.
In other games:
Division I
Sheldon 65, Piedmont Hills-San Jose 44 at Sheldon - Kyi Thomas scored 19 points and D'Erryl Williams added 13 as the second-seeded Huskies (27-5) advance to the semifinals. They will play host to McClymonds of Oakland - an 87-79 overtime winner over Deer Valley of Antioch - on Tuesday.
Division II
Newark Memorial 75, Bella Vista 64 in Newark - Despite 20 points apiece by Ahmad Smith and K.J. Logue, the Broncos (26-6) saw their season end against the second-seeded Cougars.
Chico 66, Antelope 58 in Antelope - The Northern Section champion Panthers (27-3) stopped the No. 4 Titans' (31-2) winning streak at 30 games.
Division III
Center 63, Foothill-Palo Cedro 57 in Antelope - Christopher Smith's 30 points helped move the Cougars (23-8) into Tuesday's semifinals at top-seeded Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.
Foothill 50, El Cerrito 46 in Foothill Farms - Kelly Bender had 17 points and Michael Bryson and Anthony Williams 12 each as the No. 3 Mustangs (29-3) advance to face No. 2 Bishop O'Dowd in Oakland on Tuesday.
Division V
Branson-Ross 44, Capital Christian 42 at Capital Christian - Gabe Moynihan hit the go-ahead basket, then grabbed a rebound on Capital Christian's first attempt of a one-and-one to lift the North Coast Section runner-up Bulls (26-9) over the third-seeded Cougars (26-6).
Central Catholic 59, Sacramento Waldorf 39 in Modesto - The Raiders outscored the Waves 28-9 in the first half en route to the win. Chris Schwartz-Edmisten had a game-high 22 points for Sacramento Waldorf (26-5). Jack Fenton led Central Catholic (26-6) with 21.
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Although Capital Christian coach Terry Battenberg won his first Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball title March 2, he was quick to put the Cougars' 64-50 Division V win over Central Catholic of Modesto at Power Balance Pavilion into perspective.
"A section title doesn't really grade you as a coach," said Battenberg, who started as a prep coach in 1969 before there were section playoffs. "The guy that wins a section title usually has the best talent."
And Battenberg says he has talent, even if it is comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores.
While senior captain Robby Maxey capped a brilliant career last Thursday by leading (11 points, seven assists, seven rebounds) Victory Christian to a 65-46 win over Sacramento Adventist in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-VI section boys basketball title game, he also shined brightly in defeat a few weeks earlier.
After the Vikings lost to Sacramento Waldorf 74-67 Feb. 17 to finish second behind the Waves in the Central California Valley League, Maxey entered the Waldorf locker room and told his opponents how much he respected them and what an honor it was to have played against them during his prep career.
"John, I have been coaching for 26 years and that may have been the greatest act of sportsmanship that I have ever witnessed," Waldorf coach Dean Stark wrote in a letter to Victory Christian principal John Huffman. "For a player to have played his heart out in a championship game, come up a little short, be heartbroken ... and have the character to come into our room and praise us for out effort and skill was very moving."
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Bella Vista boys basketball coach Dave Gonzalez figured it would take awhile for his team to get going tonight against visiting Shasta of Redding in the opening round of the CIF Northern California Division II Regionals.
The Broncos were coming off an emotional 55-49 loss to Antelope a week earlier at Power Balance Arena in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals.
They also were still reeling from an injury to senior leader K.J. Logue, who rolled his right ankle on Friday with five minutes to go in practice.
He did not practice on Monday or Tuesday and wasn't in the starting lineup tonight.
But after a slow start - the Broncos led only 29-25 at the half - they got things rolling in the final two quarters to post a 65-51 win and advance to the quarterfinals.
Bella Vista (26-5) will play at Bay Area heavyweight Newark Memorial (26-4) on Saturday.
"We had a hard time getting re-focused and then K.J. got hurt, so it took us a little while to get going," Gonzalez said. "I had a feeling this would be a tough game. (Shasta) won 18 games. Those teams up there sometimes feel they get overlooked. They were tough. They gave us a battle for a half."
Here are the seeds, in order for the Northern California Regional boys basketball playoffs that start at home sites on Wednesday with comments (keep in mind that top seeds have first-round byes)
Division I
1. De La Salle, Concord (NCS) 27-2
2. Sheldon, Sacramento (SJS) 26-5
3. McClymonds, Oakland (OS) 18-10
4. Jesuit, Carmichael (SJS) 25-6
5. Bellarmine, San Jose (CCS) 18-11
6. Deer Valley, Antioch (NCS) 27-8
7. Piedmont Hills, San Jose (CCS) 27-3
8. Pleasant Grove, Elk Grove (SJS) 23-6
9. Castlemont, Oakland (OS) 14-9
10. Freedom, Oakley (NCS) 21-7
11. Bethel, Vallejo (SJS) 23-7
12. Castro Valley (NCS) 21-7
Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Castlemont (14-9) at Pleasant Grove (23-6)
Castro Valley (21-7) at Ballarmine (21-7)
Bethel (23-7) at Deer Valley (27-8)
Freedom (21-7) at Piedmont Hills (27-3)
Translation: Sheldon got the desired No. 2 seed, meaning it is opposite of De La Salle, the longtime state power that bounced the Huskies in the semifinals last season. These teams target each other for a NorCal title rumble at Power Balance on March 17, the same floor where Sheldon won its third consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section large-school championship, downing rival Jesuit. De La Salle has won 10 North Coast Section titles, relying on its suffocating defense and the efforts of scorers Elliot Pitts and Amandi Udenyi. Jesuit earned a No. 4 seed and very well may run into De La Salle in a semifinal in the Bay Area. No. 6 Deer Valley of Antioch is led by 6-foot-9 post Marcus Lee, a national recruit who hurt his hamstring against De La Salle in the North Coast Section playoffs. Bellarmine-San Jose is a the 5 seed and has a won over NorCal D-II top-seed and defending state champion Mitty-San Jose.
Division II
1. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose (CCS) 27-3
2. Newark Memorial, Newark (NCS) 26-4
3. Serra, San Mateo (CCS) 23-6
4. Antelope (SJS) 30-1
5. Chico (NS) 25-3
6. Lodi (SJS) 23-6
7. Bella Vista, Fair Oaks (SJS) 25-5
8. Windsor (NCS) 26-5
9. McNair, Stockton (SJS) 23-5
10. Shasta, Redding (NS) 18-10
11. Las Lomas, Walnut Creek (NCS) 19-10
12. College Park, Pleasant Hill (NCS) 20-9
Opening-round game, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
McNair (23-5) at Windsor (26-5)
College Park (20-9) at Chico (25-3)
Las Lomas (19-10) at Lodi (23-6)
Shasta (18-10) at Bella Vista (25-5)
Translation: Mitty got the top seed, as expected, give its pedigree this season and with so many players back from its state title team of last season. A bit of a surprise is Antelope gaining just a No. 4 seed, despite having the state's longest winning streak of 29 games. Clearly, the Bay Area teams and sections were rewarded with tradition and overall strength of schedule. Antelope is on the same side of the bracket as Mitty, meaning a potential game at the Monarchs on March 13. Newark Memorial could draw Bella Vista in a second-round game. Serra of San Mateo got the No. 3 as survivors of the rugged, battle-tested West Catholic Athletic League.
Division III
1. Sacred Heart Cathedral, SF 25-5
2. Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland (NCS) 24-5
3. Foothill, Sacramento (SJS) 28-3
4. Campolindo, Moraga (NCS) 22-6
5. Mission, San Francisco (SFS) 23-10
6. El Camino, South San Francisco (CCS) 25-5
7. Enterprise, Redding (NS) 20-8
8. Sierra, Manteca (SJS) 27-3
9. Miramonte, Orinda (NCS) 19-9
10. Lindhurst, Olivehurst (SJS) 24-7
11. El Cerrito (NCS) 20-8
12. Center, Antelope (SJS) 21-8
13. Foothill, Palo Cedro (NS) 21-8
Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:
Miramonte (19-9) at Sierra (27-3)
Center (21-8) vs. Mission (23-10) at Kezar
Foothill-Palo Cedro (21-8) at Campolindo (22-6)
Lindhurst (24-7) at Enterprise (20-8)
Translation: Foothill-Sacramento seeks its third NorCal title under coach Drew Hibbs, and is in the same bracket as second-seeded Bishop O'Dowd, the two-time defending NorCal champion. The Mustangs fear no one, of course, and have beaten all four of its Sac-Joaquin Section playoff foes by at least 20 points. A Foothill-O'Dowd showdown would happen in Oakland on March 13. O'Dowd is big, headed by Washington State-bound Richard Longrus. Sacred Heart is the top seed and routed Jesuit earlier this season.
Division IV
1. Salesian, Richmond (NCS) 30-2
2. Modesto Christian, Modesto (SJS) 26-5
3. Sacred Heart Prep, Atherton (CCS) 21-6
4. Central Valley, Shasta Lake (NS) 20-8
5. Ripon (SJS) 18-13
6. St. Patrick/St. Vincent, Vallejo (NCS) 19-11
7. Cardinal Newman, Santa Rosa (NCS) 26-5
8. Half Moon Bay (CCS) 23-6
9. Calaveras, San Andreas (SJS) 19-9
10. Marshall, San Francisco (SFS) 15-14
11. Riverbank (SJS) 23-4
12. Gridley (NS) 14-13
13. Arcata (NCS) 24-5
Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:
Calaveras (19-9) at Half Moon Bay (23-6)
Gridley (14-13) at Ripon (18-13)
Arcata (24-5) at Central Valley (20-8)
Riverbank (23-4) at St. Patrick/St. Vincent (19-11)
Marshall (15-14) at Cardinal Newman (26-5)
Translation: It's Salesian by a landslide, given the state power's size, speed, skill and schedule, including a win at Sheldon. Modesto Christian is the second seed and gives the Sac-Joaquin Section some hope.
Division V
1. St. Joseph Notre Dame, Alameda (NCS) 26-4
2. Pinewood, Los Altos Hills (CCS) 25-2
3. Capital Christian, Sacramento (SJS) 25-5
4. Liberty Christian, Redding (NS) 25-1
5. Central Catholic, Modesto (SJS) 24-6
6. Branson, Ross (NCS) 24-9
7. San Francisco University (NCS) 20-10
8. St. Francis CCC, Watsonville (CCS) 17-12
9. Durham (NS) 19-10
10. Ripon Christian, Ripon (SJS) 23-6
11. Fall River, McArthur (NS) 23-5
12. Bentley, Lafayette (NCS) 23-7
13. Sacramento Waldorf, Fair Oaks (SJS) 25-4
14. Tulelake (NS) 24-4
Opening-round game, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:Durham (19-10) at St. Francis-Watsonville (17-12)
Bentley (23-7) at Central Catholic (24-6)
Sacramento Waldorf (25-4) at Liberty Christian (25-1)
Tulelake (24-4) at Capital Christian (25-5)
Fall River (23-5) at Branson (24-9)
Ripon Christian (23-6) vs. SF University (20-10) at Kezar
Translation: Capital Christian, first-time Sac-Joaquin Section winners, has the more favorable bracket as it will not have to face No. 1 St. Joseph-Alameda until the finals, should it get that far. Capital is young yet dangerous with senior leader Matt Donlan and veteran coach Terry Battenberg. St. Joseph is led by legendary coach Don Lippi, who has 698 wins, and he was able to replace an entire rotation that won two straight NorCal titles. Sacramento Waldorf and state scoring-leader Chris Schwartz-Edmisten is still alive.
On the white board in the team locker room this week at Power Balance Pavilion, the Sheldon Huskies have a reminder in ink about what is at stake.
"Cement your legacy."
Consider it cemented.
The top-seeded Huskies beat Delta River League rival and No. 2-seeded Jesuit 49-44 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game on Saturday night, crowning the Elk Grove Unified School District program as large-school champions for the third consecutive season.
Sheldon overcame bouts of sloppy play and gritty Jesuit defense to become just the third D-team to three-peat, and it came at the expense of their respected rivals the past two seasons. All told, Sheldon (26-5) has beaten Jesuit (25-6) seven consecutive times, three times this season alone, a hearty feat given the competition.
It is the Huskies' fifth title in nine seasons, a clear dynasty for this era - and it's still a team heavy on underclassmen.
So given all that, it seemed a bit amusing to hear a college recruiter say with conviction that Sheldon didn't boast "of much talent at all." Sir, you may need a new set of bi-focals or another line of work.
There's talent and leadership in point guard D'Erryl Williams, who took over down the stretch with three inside power plays and two late free throws. The junior had 18 points and eight rebounds. Dakarai Allen had six points, 10 rebounds and was presented with the sportsmanship award. Nate Iese, the national football recruit headed to UCLA to knock people around, muscled inside for nine and had six rebounds.
The one downer for Sheldon is a significant one as one of the key cogs to the machine had to be helped off the floor with a knee injury. Armani Hampton was the only Huskies player who wasn't all grins when it was over. It's too early too tell how bad the knee is.
Jesuit targeted this title as a last-chance shot to win a section title.
It is a senior-dominated team led by Bryce Pressley and Parker Uu. Pressley had nine points after he had 22 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots as he labored with a bad ankle. Uu had 12 despite a sore back. Brian Glodowski, another senior, had nine points and seven rebounds for the Marauders, playing in their 16th title game and seeking their first large-school title since 2000.
Sheldon struggled at times on offense but played its typical stout defense. Uu was only 4 of 14 shooting, Akachi Okugo, the steady point guard leader, was 1 of 12 - and Jesuit as a team shot 15 for 52, including 3 for 24 from three-point range.
Sheldon wasn't much better, making 17 of 53 shots and 3 for 14 from long range, but it made three of five down the stretch inside to ice it.
In general, Sheldon is ecstatic with the win.
"It feels great, especially with a young team," said Sheldon coach Joey Rollings. "It's greatest feeling in the world. We're not done. The goal is to go all the way. We think we have the team to do it."
Both teams will advance to next week's NorCal D-I tournament where things generally get a lot more taxing and difficult. The NorCal field has for decades been dominated by Bay Area programs. De La Salle of Concord is expected to be the No. 1 seed, the same team that eliminated the Huskies last season in the NorCal semifinals.
Photo by Randall Benton: The Huskies' #4 Dakarai Allen reaches for a rebound.
So much for the spacious confines, the setting, the stakes and any nerves.
Outside some early jitters two underdog girls basketball teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs produced as good a championship game that's been played in Power Balance Pavilion, even dating back to the Arco Arena days of yesteryear.
The No. 4-seeded Kennedy Cougars had just a bit more in the tank to toppled sixth-seeded Oak Ridge 62-58 in double overtime in the large-school title round Saturday night.
There were big shots, big free throws, big plays throughout in a gym notorious for defusing hot teams and derailing seasons. And there were plenty of pileups in an all-out scrum for a loose ball in a thoroughly entertaining and exhaustive show.
"It was a great effort and everyone dug deep," a relieved Kennedy coach Dave Parsh said. "We were in a constant battle and finally pushed it over the top."
It's the fifth section championship for Kennedy, all since 2001, and it was the third such title for Parsh, who won two banners with St. Francis in the 1990s. It was also the only title game that of the weekend that didn't have a No. 1 seed.
Kennedy didn't win the Metro Conference - that went to D-III champion Sacramento - but it did win the defacto Delta River League, beating DRL members St. Francis, top-seeded Pleasant Grove and Oak Ridge on its way to its eighth NorCal D-I tournament in 11 years. And the Cougars do so with a lineup that has no 6-footers and with just two returning starters from last season.
Lynette Johnson, the humble team star, had 24 points and nine rebounds. Steady floor leader Lori Wong had 11 and unsung Katie Lee had nine, including two three-pointers during a 9-0 late fourth-quarter run.
Jenn Hoffman had 24 for Oak Ridge, including six threes. Hoffman made two free throws to force the first overtime and Johnson had a buzzer-beating putback to force the second extra session. Johnson gave her plucky team the lead for good at 60-58 with a three with 1:05 to go and Mele Kolokihakaufisi had two free throws to account for the final score with 31 seconds remaining.
Parsh said his team surged late in the season and the Cougars shared the ball, upped their defense and generally bought into the team-now theme.
"This is my family," an elated Johnson said, pointing to her teammates. "I love them so much. We had our ups and downs....We can keep winning if we fight hard and keep playing together."
Jenna Klein had 11 and Haley Anderson each had 11 points for Oak Ridge, which beat No. 2-seeded Armijo of Fairfield in a semifinal. All told, Oak Ridge made seven threes and Kennedy eight.
Kennedy and Oak Ridge both advance to the NorCal playoffs, with the Cougars hoping for a No. 2 or 3 seed. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
Adversity, even in small doses, doesn't even seem to provide much of a speed bump for the Antelope Titans.
Eight days after trailing by 10 at the half in an early round Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff game, the Titans regrouped and shattered St. Mary's of Stockton.
On Saturday night at Power Balance Pavilion against upstart Lodi in the title game, top-seeded Antelope overcame the bizarre and hugely controversial ejection of one of its top talents in the second quarter, regrouped and savaged the No. 7 Flames en route to a 77-55 rout for the program's first section crown.
Isaiah Ellis, known for his calm demeanor as much as his zest to defend and rebound, was ejected in the second quarter for what one referee deemed taunting and even cursing, all of which Titans players and coaches denied. None of the scores of baseline photographers mere feet away from the action or court-side reporters heard or saw such behavior. The referee in question - from out of region - would only explain to Antelope coach Rob Richards that he saw Ellis' "lips move." Richards said Ellis was merely congratulating a teammate on a blocked shot.
Regardless, Ellis was tossed, and per prep rules, he must sit out the next game, a NorCal Regional D-II game next week - unless the ejection can be overruled through appeal.
Antelope (30-1) showed impressive resolve without it's ace defender and dominated in stretches in extending its winning streak to a section-best 29-game winning streak.
Gabe Bealer produced yet another superb playoff outing with 24 points and 11 rebounds, Kei'Shaun Sinclair had 13 points and six rebounds, Jarvis Watkins had 13 and five and Caleb King had 12 and seven.
All this from a school sporting its first full four-year senior class. And all this with the backdrop of the Titans Red Zone rooting section, clearly the section's largest, loudest and most entertaining - and a group that cheers without demeaning opponents. To cross the line in the Red Zone is to risk the wrath of Antelope activities director Kristin Patten, who was decked in red from head to toe, including a wig and face paint.
"I'm having so much fun with this," she said before the game.
Said Richards on his team in general, "We've had all these players since their freshman season, and I couldn't be more proud of the amount of work and time they put into school, the community and this team."
Lodi was led by Brandon Michelucci's 14 and Colton Machado's 13. Lodi will also advance to the NorCal Regionals and looms as a dangerous road draw.
As for Ellis, Richards defended his junior forward, insisting he did not curse, nor did he even taunt. The referee who ejected Ellis also challened Richards during the second quarter, ordering the coach to not look at him and to "just coach."
Antelope will find out Sunday what seed it will get in the D-II NorCal tournament. It could be as high as a No. 2 seed, behind defending state champion Mitty of San Jose.
"We feel we can go toe-to-toe with Mitty or Serra (San Mateo)," Richards said. "I see us as a 2 or 3 seed, and we can represent this section and make some noise."
Photo: Antelope High School basketball head coach Rob Richards talks to his team during a time out. Brian Baer/ Special to the Bee
Check Bill Paterson's report on this game after midnight on Sacbee.com or in Sunday's print version of The Bee.
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
The Foothill boys basketball players served notice late Friday night that they might be making a couple of more trips to Power Balance Arena this season.
The top-seeded Mustangs dismantled No. 2 Sierra of Manteca 74-52 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game at Power Balance, which also will be the home of the CIF Northern California and State championship games in the coming weeks.
Foothill (28-3) is clearly a team on a roll. Friday's win was the Mustangs' 23rd consecutive and also ended Sierra's 26-game win streak. It was Foothill's fourth playoff win by 20 or more points.
Balanced scoring, superb defense and some major momentum carried the top-seeded Foothill Mustangs on Friday night in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game at Power Balance Pavilion, resulting in a 74-52 rout of No. 2 Sierra of Manteca.
Kelly Bender had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Bryson 19 and Douglas James 16 for the Mustangs, who have won 23 consecutive wins, are 28-3 on the season and now stand as a serious threat in the looming D-III NorCal Regional playoffs that start next week.
Foothill hopes to land at least a No. 2 seed in a field that will include Bay Area powers Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco and Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland.
Foothill jumped to a 40-18 halftime lead as the faster, stronger, more composed outfit. The Mustangs beat all four playoff foes by at least 20 points. Foothill has won four section titles since 1997, three under veteran coach Drew Hibbs (the other was under Mike Wall).
Hibbs now seeks his third NorCal and third state championship.
Guillermo Nunez led Sierra with 19.
Things got a bit chippy in the fourth quarter when Bryson crashed to the floor and was kicked by a Sierra player. Assistant coaches from both teams glared and then cursed each other as Foothill fumed at the play and Sierra coaches wondered what the deal was. Sierra coaches didn't initially realize there was a kick.
But in a good show of sportsmanship and genuine regret later, those coaches sought each other out after the game during the post-game hand-shake line to apologize and wish each other well in the NorCal playoffs. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson Log onto ESPN1320.net for a link to this week's SureWest Sports Radio Show that first aired Thursday afternoon and breaks down all the title contenders in big-picture form and breaks down some of the great prep scorers in regional history.
Not bad for a band of young pups, or as their oldish coach likes to call them, "Young Bucks."
Playing well beyond their years with inside passing, post moves, shooting and defense, top-seeded Capital Christian High School beat No. 2 Central Catholic 64-50 on Friday night at Power Balance Pavilion to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship.
It is the first such title in this section for the Cougars, a school that has for years enjoyed athletic success across the board.
The Cougars were section runner-ups five successive seasons from 2003-2007, losing each time to Modesto Christian, the southern region super power that has an all-divisionis section record 13 section banners.
But what impressed first-year coach Terry Battenberg - a veteran of the regional coaching ranks since 1969 - is how well his club played. He anticipated a championship run, but truth be told, not this season with so many underclassmen.
Of the main rotation, there is one core senior in 6-foot-5 forward Matt Donlan, who displayed his versatile game with 22 points and six rebounds. Nifae Lealao, a 6-5 sophomore post, had 15 points and seven rebounds, and 6-5 sophomore forward D.J. Wilson had 11 and six.
"We're Young Bucks," Battenberg said, his face awash with pride. "I don't know if we can ask any more of this young group than what they gave us. They've impressed me all year long. Sometimes they scare me."
Scary in a good way, that is. So young, so eager - and with so much potential to win more games.
"We honestly didn't think it'd happen this year," Battenberg said.
Battenberg came out of retirement after decades of success in the high school and college ranks, including league-title runs at Jesuit, El Dorado, Ponderosa and Union Mine - the Highway 50 stretch. Capital is also on Highway 50 and he jokes it made sense to answer previous coach Phil Oates' plea to take over as head coach.
Oates remained as an assistant and he stood as a proud papa of the program.
Oates and his team agonized at the finish of their season last year, when a jump shot by Summerville in the Summerville gym clearly after the final buzzer was ruled good. Battenberg praised Oates for his work over the years and this season and said he was thrilled to join the ride this season.
The Cougars will find out Sunday what seed they will earn for the Northern California D-V regional playoffs. If Capital Christian gets a top three seed - the early thinking is a No. 3 seed - it will get a first-round bye on Wednesday and then host its first NorCal game in history on Saturday.
Terry Battenberg photo by Randall Benton
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson For a breakdown of the section championship game teams and discussion on some of the great prep basketball scorers in regional history, listen to the SureWest Sports Radio Show link from this week on ESPN1320.net
Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game 50 years ago this week, an NBA record sure to withstand the test of time.
Remarkably, Chamberlain rarely talked about the feat, how he made 36 of 63 field goals and 28 of 32 free throws (incredible for a man who struggled from the line) in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks.
Reporters who covered him or interviewed him years later said he was more proud of how he once led the NBA in assists. He also liked to talk about the, um, 20,000 or so women he "met" during his lifetime in a different act of scoring.
Darrall Imhoff, the former center from Cal, guarded Chamberlain plenty during their NBA careers, including that 100-point night in Hershey, Pa. for the Philadelphia Warriors. Wilt won all the battles, once saying of his battles with Chamberlain, "It was a privilege to have spent 12 years in his armpits."
For nearly as long as they have played basketball, 100 has been something of a mythical and magical number - for all levels of play. But only Chamberlain's effort seemed to come in a the spirit of true competition, against a worthy foe. Pore through other monstrous scoring efforts and no game was close.
Chamberlain scored 90 points in a high school game in 1955 for Overbrook High in Philadelphia, which turned out to be the second most in his life. He was 36 for 41 from the floor and 18 of 26 from the line and did not play in the fourth quarter of a 123-21 beating of Roxborough. So yeah, Wilt could make free throws if bearing down on 100 points.
That Philadelphia city record for either gender stood until 1981 when Linda "Hawkeye" Page, a 5-7 guard had 100 points in a 131-38 Dobbins Tech win over Mastbaum.
College scoring -
The college record for most points in a game is 113, set by Bevo Francis in 1954 for the University of Rio Grande. Francis was a skilled 6-foot-9 shooter for the NAIA power who also had a 116-point game that was not recognized long term as an all-levels college record since it came against a junior college opponent - Ashland College of Kentucky.
The only other recognized college player to go for 100 points in a game was Frank Selvy with 100 for Furman University against Newberry College in 1954.
And the preps -
The first prep to score 100 in a game was in 1913 when Herman "Buzz" Saygar, who went for 113 in a 154-10 win for Culve, Indiana over Winamac.
Ed Vondra had 102 for Brainard, Neb. in 1922, and it wasn't until 1953 that someone had 100 again when Dick Bogenrife of London, Ohio had a record 120 in a 137-47 triumph of Canaan.
Danny Heater - perfect name here - scored the most points in a high school game when he went for 135 for Burnsville, West Virginia in 1960, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
All told, 20 players have broken the century mark in high school, not all that surprising considering the sheer volume of players and teams - and the timeless pursuit of such a mark at all costs of the overwhelmed opponent.
In Heater's record showing, a 173-43 rout of Widen High of West Virginia, Heater scored 85 points in the second half alone, including 55 in the final 10 minutes. He finished with 32 rebounds.
If those results happened now with the media storm clouds always hovering, there would be a national outrage. The winning coach would likely be fired for completely disregarding sportsmanship. It's happened in Texas in recent years where coaches have been dismissed for running up outrageous scores in an effort to set scoring records.
Players scored a ton in 1960s era. Six players had at least 100 in a game in a three-year stretch, one seemingly trying to top the other.
Johnny Morris went for 127 in a game in 1961 for Portsmouth, West Virginia in a 173-47 rout of Mary Smith High. Pete Cimino had 114 for Bristol, P.a. in 1960 against Palisades, Pa., scoring all 69 of his team's points in the second half of a 134-86 win. Cimino went on to pitch four years in the Major Leagues.
Also from that immediate era: Ken Robinson had 108 for Cassatt Midway, South Carolina in 1961 and Danny Boyd 104 for Camden, Tenn. in 1961.
And Greg Procell of tiny Ebarb High in Noble, La., in 1961 had 100 in a 139-79 win over Elizabeth. He had a stunning 3,173 points that season and 6,702 for his career and still owns the national high school career total by nearly 1,400 points.
On Jan. 16, 2001, two players scored 100 in blowout efforts. Cedrick Hensley of Heritage Christian in Texas had 101 against Banff Christian in a 178-46 win and Dajuan Wagner dropped 100 for Camden, N.J. on Gloucester Tech, N.J. in a 157-67 win.
California records
The California state record for most points in a game is 100, by Tigran Grigorian of Pico Rivera Mesrobian in 2003 in a 114-47 demolition of Pacific Christian of Los Angeles. He had 11 three-pointers.
Suffice to say no one goes for any where close to 100 in close games against quality opposition.
The most absurd scoring effort by any age, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records is the 272 points - yes, 272 - that 13-year old Mats Wermelin of Sweedin had in a boys tournament in Stockholm. To add to the crazy nature of that record, Wermelin scored all the points in that 272-0 game.
The national girls record for most points in a game is held by Cheryl Miller of Poly-Riverside when she went for 105 in 1982. Lisa Leslie and her Morningside-Inglewood coach set out to shatter that record in 1990. She had 101 points at the half against South Torrance - and then South Torrance made a stand by refusing to play the second half, claiming outrageous sportsmanship on the part of Morningside in its quest for a record.
And locally...
The Sac-Joaquin Section record for most points scored in a single game is held by Bill Cartwright of Elk Grove with 66 in 1975. Cartwright also holds the section championship game record with 44 points in '74 (he is also second all time in the section with a 38-point title showing in 1975).
Cartwright led the state in scoring in 1975 at 38.5 points a game. He certainly could have scored 100 in a game as the nation's No. 1 recruit - NBA teams considered drafting him right out of high school - but Thundering Herd coach Dan Risley usually had his 7-foot center on the bench by the fourth quarter.
Top photo: In this March 2, 1962 AP file photo, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors holds a sign reading "100" in the dressing room in Hershey, Pa., after he scored 100 points, as the Warriors defeated the New York Knickerbockers 169-147. For 50 years, Chamberlain's 100-point night has stood as one of sports magic numbers. Bottom photo: Bill Cartwright of Elk Grove accepts the Sac-Joaquin winner's trophy at last Saturday night's wind-up, with Elk Grove scoring an astonishing 79-57 upset over Grant, a team they had earlier managed to beat by only four points, 53-49. Big Bill scored 38 points in both the final and semi-final games, wound up his year with 1117 points and a state-record average of 38.5. Bee file photo, 1975 / Skip Shuman
The River Cats will play host to 48 high school baseball games this season, beginning with El Camino vs. Laguna Creek in a 6:30 p.m. game Saturday at Raley Field.
The 2012 Raley Field High School Baseball Series will culminate with the inaugural High School Showcase Games on Sunday, June 3, beginning at 1 p.m.
The doubleheader will feature players from 43 participating high schools who will compete in front of college coaches and pro scouts.
Here's a list of scheduled games involving area teams (all varsity games are at 6:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted):
A year ago, the Antelope Titans were young, fun and a bit star struck by the NBA arena moment.
These days? Old hat.
From newcomers to the big stage of Sacramento-area championship success to sudden veterans hungry for more, the top-seeded Titans held off No. 4 Bella Vista 55-49 on Wednesday night in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal at Power Balance Pavilion.
Isaiah Ellis powered inside for 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots, Jarvis Watkins had 10 points, Caleb King had nine and Gabe Bealer, Kei'Shaun Sinclair and Rashard Thornhill combined for 18. In short, another across-the-board effort for Antelope, which carries its remarkable 27-game winning streak into Saturday's title game.
And no, nerves won't be an issue. That is so...yesteryear.
"The butterflies weren't there this time," Titans coach Rob Richards said. "We're on a mission."
Everyone on campus seems to be on a mission in an impressive show of one-for-all. Every where you look on the newish campus, there are reminders of hoops success.
At Power Balance, the school's "Red Zone" rooting section rocked, rolled and rejoiced in again standing alone in student support.
"I love the Red Zone," Richards said. "The whole school is on board. We've got banners, balloons every where. It's one giant, fantastic community."
At times, Ellis is one giant, fantastic joy to watch. The junior seems to improve by the week, Richards said.
"He's just now figuring out that he can take over on both ends of the floor," the coach said.
All told, the Titans as a team have learned they can take over games. Antelope lost in the section finals to St. Mary's of Stockton beat Antelope in the D-II finals. Antelope responded by winning two NorCal playoff games, and then exacted a measure of revenge by bouncing St. Mary's on Friday with a second-half charge.
So mission indeed. Antelope targets much more than a section title. Richards and his players talk about "unfinished business" and the urgency of "getting it done."
Ahmad Smith had five three-pointers and scored a game-high 27 for Bella Vista, the junior guard producing his finest playoff moment. Richards said, "he was on fire; couldn't hhandle him." Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
Senior Matt Donlan led four Capital Christian players in double figures with 14 points as the top-seeded Cougars defeated No. 4 Sacramento Waldorf 65-39 in today's Sac-Joaquin Section Division V boys basketball semifinal at Galt High School.
Freshman Trey Belton and sophomore Nifae Lealao each had 12 points and sophomore DJ Wilson added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Cougars (24-5), who play the winner of tonight's Ripon Christian-Central Catholic late game for the championship 5:30 p.m. on Friday at Power Balance Pavilion.
State scoring leader Chris Schwartz-Edmisten led Sacramento Waldorf with 24 points, including all 13 of the Waves' fourth-quarter points, but struggled throughout the game to find his touch.
The senior, averaging 34.4 points per game, made eight of 34 shots from the field as he was hounded by the Cougars three-man rotation of Justice Shelton-Mosley, Tanner Nissen and UC Iroegbu.
Capital Christian, under first-year coach Terry Battenberg, is seeking its first Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball title. The Cougars won a D-V Northern Section title in 2002.
Capital Christian also played in five consecutive D-V Sac-Joaquin Section finals from 2003 to 2007, losing each time to powerhouse Modesto Christian.
Bryce Pressley is about as kind and considerate of a young man as you'll meet in the regional high school sporting scene this academic year.
On a regular basis, Jesuit Marauders coach Greg Harcos pleads for the 6-foot-3 senior guard to transform that sure smile to a sneer and snarl - and for his game to match. Play with fury, in other words.
Message received, coach.
Pressley nearly recorded a unique triple double on Wednesday night at Power Balance Pavilion, scoring 22 points to go with nine rebounds and nine blocked shots, and he was surrounded by waves of player support to lift No. 2-seeded Jesuit over Delta River League rival and No. 6 Pleasant Grove 64-62 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal.
Pressley is the son of former Kings first-round pick Harold Pressley, who ran this very NBA floor a generation ago, and who reminds son to play with extra passion, too.
"He's gotten nasty the second half of the season," Harcos said. "The way he's going to the basket, the way he's guarding the other team's best player. He's got a chip on his shoulder. He's woken up, unleashed."
Parker Uu has played at a steady-to-spectacular pace all season, though Harcos also challenges that senior guard to be even better, to strive for more. Uu had 18 points and eigth rebounds.
In short, Jesuit has star power in Pressley and Uu, both fine students and intriguing recruit prospects, and a terrific supporting crew that includes Akachi Okugo, Lake Lutes, Brian Glodowski, Kurt Parker, Tom Sperbeck and J.T. Frank. Parker had a nifty assist late to Pressley that made for some valued breathing room. Jesuit's senior-dominated group now takes on a junior-dominated crew in Sheldon on Saturday in a DRL section-title rematch.
Down the stretch against Pleasant Grove, Sperbeck, Okuogo, Uu and Pressley all had baskets. A Colfax Nordquist free throw and Cody Demps jumper as time expired kept Pleasant Grove in it until the end, per the norm when the DRL heavies face off.
Malik Thames had 19 for Pleasant Grove, Nordquist 17, Matt Hayes 11 and Demps 10. The Eagles still advance to the NorCal tournament next week for the first time.
Jesuit is in the large-school section finals for the ninth time overall, and it is in a section championship - D-I or D-II - for the 14th time. The Marauders seek a ninth overall championship.
For senior leaders like Pressley, the time is now.
"I know this is my senior year and this is our last shot at a state-title run - there's no next year," Pressley said. "Coach has told me to be aggressive, to be me, do whatever I can to help us." Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
Dakarai Allen would like to say he can smell another championship, but in truth he can't.
The Sheldon High School junior star took an elbow to his nose Wednesday afternoon in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal against Bethel, had his nostrils clogged with gauze to stop the bleeding - and then he and his mates methodically inflicted all manner of hurt on the No. 5-seeded Jaguars of Vallejo in using a closing 21-4 run for an 81-55 triumph at Power Balance Pavilion.
For the top-seeded Huskies of the Elk Grove Unified School District, Allen had a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds, D'Erryl Williams had 18 and eight and Armani Hampton contributed 15 and four. Ryan Manning, yet another impressive junior on a team loaded with them, had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Allen said he shook off his bopped nose that bled pretty good for a moment. He said the best way to attack a team that offered so many elbows and chucks was to attack right back, and for Sheldon that generally includes inside plays and often above-the-rim finishes.
"I knew we could get to the rim and not be scared," Allen said.
Next is a chance of history. The Huskies bound into the D-I finals seeking a three-peat. If successful, Sheldon would match Jesuit and Merced as the only large-school teams to take three consecutive titles in this section.
Merced did it form 1986-88 behind all-time regional great guard Gerald Madkins and Jesuit did so from 1992-94 under program greats Isaac Fontaine, Chris Griffin and Josh King and coach Hank Meyer, now the Pleasant Grove principal. All told, another section title would be the program's fourth since 2007.
But Sheldon coach Joey Rollings understands his team has to clean up its game a bit. He doesn't doubt the defense, a staple all season, or the general effort. But the turnovers make irk him to no end. Sheldon had 13 turnovers in the first half and 22 total. The coach also expects to shoot a bit better Saturday now that the NBA arena doesn't feel so cavernous.
"We know if we play good defense and get to the rim, we'll be OK," Rollings said. "I don't know if we've ever hit more than three threes in here."
As for being in tight games and suddenly blowing it open with a run?
"We have that potential," Rollings said. "We don't like to lose. You can see it on our faces. The mistakes make the guys mad and they get after it."
Rodney Cook scored 16 for Bethel, a newer school in Solano County that hs quicky become a factor in the playoffs. The Jaguars eliminated Jesuit and Grant in the football playoffs last fall and played fearlessly against Sheldon on Wednesday. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
Trailing 26-21 at halftime, top-seeded Foothill outscored fourth-seeded Lindhurst 38-13 in the second half to defeat the Blazers 59-39 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III boys basketball semifinals tonight at Cosumnes River College.
The win advances Foothill (27-3) to Friday night's championship game against Sierra of Manteca 9 p.m. at Power Balance Pavilion. Sierra defeated Center 67-50 in tonight's earlier semifinal.
Kelly Bender led Foothill with 17 points and Michael Bryson added 14.
Junior forward Douglas James, who had 13 second-half points, helped ignite the Foothill comeback. He hit the tying and go-ahead baskets in a 9-0 run that put the Mustangs up 40-33 entering the fourth quarter.
James Trujillo topped Lindhurst (24-7) with 13 points.
Senior guard Tim Thornton scored 24 points, including six of eight three-pointers, to lead second-seeded Sierra (27-2) of Manteca to a 67-50 win over third-seeded Center in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III boys basketball semifinals at Cosumnes River College.
It was Sierra's 26th consecutive win. Myles Hunter had 16 points and Christopher Smith 15 for Center (21-8).
Here are the semifinal and championship matchups entering the final week of the Sac-Joaquin Section boys and girls basketball playoffs, with some notes from section media director Will DeBoard.
SEMIFINALS
Division I/II girls
Tuesday at Spanos Center, University of the Pacific
4 p.m.: No. 6 Oak Ridge vs. No. 2 Armijo
5:30: No. 4 Kennedy vs. No. 1 Pleasant Grove
7:30: No. 7 River City vs. No. 3 McNair
9: No. 4 Florin vs. No. 1 St. Mary's
Division III boys/girls
Tuesday at Cosumnes River College
4 p.m. (girls): No. 4 Vanden vs. No. 1 Sacramento
5:30 (girls): No. 3 Modesto Christian vs. No. 2 Christian Brothers
7:30 (boys): No. 3 Center vs. No. 2 Sierra
9 (boys): No. 4 Lindhurst vs. No. 1 Foothill
SJS playoff basketball semifinal times for next week
Division I/II girls
Tuesday at Spanos Center, University of the Pacific
4 p.m.: #6 Oak Ridge vs. #2 Armijo
5:30: #4 Kennedy vs. #1 Pleasant Grove
7:30: #7 River City vs. #3 McNair
9: #4 Florin vs. #1 St. Mary's
Division III boys/girls
Tuesday at Cosumnes River College
4 p.m. (girls): #4 Vanden vs. #1 Sacramento
5:30 (girls): #3 Modesto Christian vs. #2 Christian Brothers
7:30 (boys): #3 Center vs. #2 Sierra
9 (boys): #4 Lindhurst vs. #1 Foothill
Division I/II boys
Wednesday at Power Balance Pavilion
4 p.m.: #5 Bethel vs. #1 Sheldon
5:30: #6 Pleasant Grove vs. #2 Jesuit
7:30: #4 Bella Vista vs.#1 Antelope
9: #7 Lodi vs. #3 McNair
Division IV boys/girls
Wednesday at Tokay High School
4 p.m. (girls): #3 West Campus vs. #2 Colfax
5:30 (girls): #4 Bear River vs. #1 Calaveras
7:30 (boys): #5 Calaveras vs. #1 Modesto Christian
9 (boys): #7 Ripon vs. #3 Riverbank
Division V boys/girls
Wednesday at Galt High School
4 p.m. (girls): #4 Capital Christian vs. #1 Brookside Christian
5:30 (boys): #4 Sacramento Waldorf vs. #1 Capital Christian
7:30 (girls): #3 Ripon Christian vs. #2 Turlock Christian
9 (boys): #3 Ripon Christian vs. #2 Central Catholic
Sacramento's three-year reign as a Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball champion came to a surprising end tonight in Oak Park.
No. 7 seeded Lodi beat the No. 2 Dragons 90-81 in the quarterfinals.
Coach Derek Swafford's Dragons were three-time defending D-III champions before being bumped into D-II this season, and many still viewed them as the favorites to win a fourth consecutive title.
Lodi will advance to play No. 3 McNair (a 72-63 winner over Yuba City tonight in Stockton) in Wednesday's semifinals at Power Balance Pavilion.
Top-seeded Antelope will play No. 4 Bella Vista in the other D-II playoff.
As the clock drained into its final minutes, a raucous Pleasant Grove student section began chanting: "Ar-co! Ar-co!"
The official name of the building may have changed, but a trip to the arena still means the same thing. For the first time in its brief history, the Pleasant Grove boys basketball team on Friday night punched a ticket to Power Balance Pavilion and the semifinals of the Division I playoffs.
Sixth-seeded Pleasant Grove defeated No. 3 seed Franklin, 63-54, in front of a packed house at Franklin High in Elk Grove and will play No. 2 seed Jesuit in next Wednesday's semifinal.
"It still hasn't sunk in right now," said Pleasant Grove coach John DePonte. "Feels great for Cody Demps and Caleb Jackson, guys who have been three-year varsity players for us. Just proud of all our boys in our program trying to take that next step."
Franklin had knocked Pleasant Grove out of the playoffs in each of the last two years.
But it was Pleasant Grove (23-5) that pulled away this time with a balanced performance on offense and a late third-quarter run.
"We know a lot of people on the Franklin team, it's a cool little rivalry we've got going," said Demps, also a football standout in the fall. "So it was definitely a sweet victory tonight."
Demps scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Pleasant Grove, which also received an all-around night from junior Colfax Nordquist. Nordquist finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
Malik Thames added 11 points and D.J. Dunn and Matthew Hayes each scored eight for Pleasant Grove.
Standout senior Theo Johnson and team captain Kelton Newman led Franklin with 17 points each. Darin Johnson added 11 points for Franklin (22-6), the Delta Valley League champions.
"I told the boys, right now you're disappointed, but what happens on the scoreboard doesn't define what you are, doesn't define your season," said Franklin coach Jesse Formaker. "The other thing I told our seniors, they've got no reason to hang their heads. We've got four straight league banners, those guys have been a part of a championship every year they've been here."
Franklin led 25-24 at halftime and 31-29 with 4:22 left in the third quarter. But after the athletic, 6-foot-6 Theo Johnson picked up his fourth foul with 4:22 left in the third and went to the bench, Pleasant Grove went on a 10-2 run, often going inside to Demps and Dunn for buckets.
"We got into the paint a lot and kept trying to force the referees to make some calls," DePonte said. "When Theo went out we just kept doing more of the same. ... Without him there it opened things up a little more."
Johnson tried to lead Franklin back in the fourth quarter, making a three-pointer and driving layup on consecutive possessions at one point, but Pleasant Grove kept a poised hold on its lead.
Johnson fouled out with 2:29 left in the game. As he left the court, the Franklin student section led an ovation for the senior and Formaker greeted him with a hug at the Franklin bench.
Gabe Bealer was so exhausted he could hardly speak.
The Antelope forward was drenched in sweat. His chest was still heaving as he spoke in brief bursts of exertion after he and his Titans teammates outfought visiting St. Mary's of Stockton 50-36 in Friday night's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II quarterfinals.
The game was a rematch of last season's D-II section championship game at Power Balance Pavilion, a game St. Mary's won 61-50 against a upstart Titans team playing its second varsity season and first with a senior class.
Bealer wasn't on that team. He played as a sophomore for Jesuit.
But the 6-foot-5 junior grew up in Antelope, joined his neighborhood buddies this season and is another reason why the top-seeded Titans (28-1) have won 27 consecutive games and will return again to Power Balance. Antelope plays No. 4 Bella Vista (an 83-48 winner over Cosumnes Oaks) in Wednesday's semifinals.
"This is fun and this is my family," said Bealer, between gasps, who finished with a game-high 15 points. "I can't wait to play with these guys at Power Balance. Tonight was tough. We started slow, but then we got aggressive."
Slow is an understatement.
Antelope shot 1 of 12 in the opening quarter and trailed the ninth-seeded Rams 23-13 at halftime. But Antelope outscored the Rams' 17-4 in the third period and held them to 3 for 25 shooting in the final two quarters. Antelope also shot a sizzling 15 of 25 from the floor in the second half, although the Titans couldn't put it out of reach until less than two minutes remained against the tenacious Rams (22-7).
"They knew what we liked to do, got physical with us, and we took a punch in the jaw," said Antelope coach Rob Richards. "Nobody made us go that hard for that long this season."
Antelope had only one game in the Capital Athletic League that was decided by fewer than 14 points. St. Mary's finished third in a very competitive Tri-City League that included third-seeded McNair and D-I power West of Tracy.
Antelope made some halftime adjustments, improved its spacing to get shots closer to the basket while doing what they do best - run the floor.
The Titans also played off the dominating interior post play of 6-6 junior shot-blocker and rebounder Isaiah Ellis and were fired up by their monstrous and colorful Red Zone student rooting section that filled up one side of the grand stands and cheered, danced and sang the night away.
While Bealer was big in the second half with 13 points, Antelope sixth man Derek Denten also had a big night.
He scored 11 points, including two turning-point layups, one off his own steal, late in the third quarter that broke a 26-26 tie and put Antelope ahead to stay.
"He's my unsung hero, the sixth man off the bench," Richard said. "He'd probably start for 89 percent of the teams in the city. He had (11) points, a couple of big steals, a big block late, and he's my best on-ball defender. Those kind of players are a coach's dream."
[TAGLINE] Call The Bee's Bill Paterson, (916) 326-5506.
Here are tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section/Les Schwab Tires boys basketball playoff action as reported by section media director Will DeBoard
DIVISION I
Quarterfinals
Sheldon 65, Burbank 55
Bethel 74, Oak Ridge 59
Pleasant Grove 63, Franklin-EG 54
Jesuit 76, Kennedy 50
Semifinals/Wednesday at Power Balance Pavilion (Times TBA)
#5 Bethel vs. #1 Sheldon
#6 Pleasant Grove vs. #2 Jesuit
DIVISION II
Quarterfinals
Antelope 50, St. Mary's 36
Bella Vista 83, Cosumnes Oaks 48
McNair 72, Yuba City 63
Lodi 90, Sacramento 81
Semifinals/Wednesday at Power Balance Pavilion (Times TBA)
#4 Bella Vista vs. #1 Antelope
#7 Lodi vs. #3 McNair
DIVISION III
Quarterfinals
Foothill 76, Natomas 48
Lindhurst 79, Vista del Lago 54
Center 69, Vanden 57
Sierra 49, Los Banos 44
Semifinals/Tuesday at Cosumnes River College (Times TBA)
#4 Lindhurst vs. #1 Foothill
#3 Center vs. #2 Sierra
DIVISION IV
Quarterfinals
Modesto Christian 97, Encina 62
Calaveras 52, Bear River 49
Riverbank 70, San Juan 49
Ripon 52, Bret Harte 46
Semifinals/Wednesday at Tokay High School (Times TBA)
#5 Calaveras vs. #1 Modesto Christian
#7 Ripon vs. #3 Riverbank
DIVISION V
Quarterfinals
Capital Christian 94, Faith Christian 38
Sacramento Waldorf 54, Elliot Christian 44
Ripon Christian 93, Valley Christian 65
Central Catholic 75, Sierra Ridge/ROP 33
Semifinals/Wednesday at Galt High School (Times TBA)
#4 Sacramento Waldorf vs. #1 Capital Christian
#3 Ripon Christian vs. #2 Central Catholic
DIVISION VI
Semifinals
Victory Christian 73, Brookside Christian 41
#6 Lodi Academy at #2 Sacramentop Adventist, Saturday
Championship/Thursday at Galt High School, 8 p.m.
Lodi Academy/Sac Adventist vs. #1 Victory Christian
Posted by wdeboard at 8:40 PM
The Sheldon Huskies offer moments of superb play - sharing the ball, defending with purpose, polishing foes off.
And there are times The Bee's top-ranked group has lapses, handling the ball as if it was dripping of lava as it sails out of bounds. They are, after all, teenagers.
Top-seeded in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I field and gunning for a large-school section three-peat, the Huskies withstood an early fourth-quarter charge against No. 9 Burbank for a 65-55 second-round playoff victory in South Sacramento on Friday night.
The usual suspects contributed across the board for Sheldon (24-5) with steady point guard D'Erryl Williams scoring 17 points with 12 rebounds, and forward Dakarai Allen going for 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Forward Ryan Manning shot and drove his way to 12 points, wing Armani Hampton had six and seniors Nate Iese and Tyler Morris combined for six points.
Yes, it's a triumph, and they're all cherished at this time of year, but Huskies coach Joey Rollings was quick to remind his troops that a more polished effort is in order to continue the championship journey. Next is Bethel of Vallejo, which eliminated Oak Ridge. Bethel (23-6) is talented and no doubt eager to bruise and derail Sheldon in a semifinal Wednesday night at Power Balance Pavilion.
"Definitely have to get better," Rollings said. "We have to play better on the big stage. There's a little less pressure for teams now because the top four teams (in each division) go to the NorCals, but we still want to win the section."
Burbank of the Metro Conference tried to zone Sheldon but the Huskies had the athletes to attack it, or shoot over it. And no team in the section has been able to run in a full sprint with these fleet-footed Huskies.
Still, the Titans (21-8) got to within 48-44 with 7:14 to play before Sheldon pulled away with a 13-2 run. Allen had a three-point play and an inside bucket, Manning a driving layup, Williams had back-to-back drives and Hampton a score in a show of balance. Burbank was undone also by making just 13 of 31 free throws, prompting coach Lindsey Ferrell to mutter, "wow."
Williams is the catalyst, setting up teammates, attacking the basket, crashing the boards - and never getting rattled.
"Control the tempo," he said of his role. "I love the role, the ball in my hands, anything to help us win.
Sheldon is so balanced that two nights after Kyi Thomas went for 26 in an opening-round win over Pitman, he went for a modest five.
"We can have four guys in double figures," Rollings said. "D'Erryl is a beast and he's hard to guard. Allen is smooth when he attacks the basket."
The D-I playoffs have a decided Delta River League flavor now with league champion Sheldon to be joined at Power Balance next week by league rivals Jesuit and Pleasant Grove.
"We knew it was a great league," Williams said.
William Roots, Malik Pope and Jay Stone all had 11 points for Burbank. Joe Davidson and Mike Finnerty host the SureWest Sports Radio Show each Saturday from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320. Show is linked later to ESPN1320.net
The Metro Conference in boys basketball has produced many a mighty team over the decades: The Burbank Titans of the 1980s under scowling coach John Copeland. The Kennedy Cougars of the same decade and into the '90s with Spider Thomas, he of the bifocals and towel draped over his shoulder. Sacramento High last decade and now under booming coach Derek Swafford, he of the five Sac-Joaquin Section Division III banners and 300 career wins.
The Metro still features all three in the playoff scramble, with Sacramento the No. 2 seed expected to bolt to the finals, this time in D-II.
Burbank and Kennedy, meanwhile, delivered gritty opening-round D-I efforts and now draw the large-school field's top seeds in No. 1 Sheldon and No. 2 Jesuit, respectively.
If the Metro wins here, or at least splits, the D-I field will be drop-kicked off its axis.
"Playing at Sheldon or Jesuit, I don't wish that on anyone because they're great teams and have (great home atmosphere)," Burbank coach Lindsey Ferrell said, adding that the challenge is so inviting, his players "can't wait."
"The kids are really excited," Ferrell said. "It's a great opportunity."
Burbank, seeded ninth, blitzed Golden Valley of Merced in the second quarter of its playoff opener en route to a 57-33 rout. The Titans switched from a zone defense to man and filled the passing lanes. Jay Stone had 15 points, William Roots and Malik Pope 10 each and Mitchell Love nine.
No. 7-seeded Kennedy held off Chavez of Stockton 65-47 with Derrick West and D.J. Duronslet each going for 16 and Ryan Edwards powering inside for 10. Sheldon, seeking a third consecutive section title, belted Pitman 78-43 with Kyi Thomas going for 25 and Ryan Manning 18. Jesuit, hunting for its ninth title, downed Nevada Union 68-44 behind Bryce Pressley's 19.
* Concerned over the weekend if it would even make the D-I playoffs, Oak Ridge slipped in as a 13 seed and bounced No. 4 West in Tracy 60-54. Bryce Scott scored 25 with eight rebounds and Scott Sanchez went for 14 and seven. Scott is the terrific senior shooting son of Trojans coach Steve Scott.
* No. 12 Vista del Lago upset No. 5 Weston Ranch 72-71 behind Patrick Lowman's 38 points. Weston Ranch took a one-point lead late with a 22-0 run before Jake Duenkel and Ryan Rodriguez iced it with free throws. Lowman is a 3.2 student and also a student of the game.
* Leroy Abraham had 39 points and Marquice Clark 24 in No. 9 Natomas' 81-77 win at No. 8 El Dorado in D-III.
* Matt Hayes had 32 points - six three-pointers and 10 rebounds in an overall display of dominance to power No. 11 Yuba City past No. 6 Del Campo in D-II. Hayes is a terrific talent who has been a bit under the radar. Not now. He's moving the radar.
* Bear River joins Oak Ridge as the lowest-seeded boys team to advance. The Bruins beat No. 4 Sonora 50-47 on the road in D-IV and now gas up the busses again for a trip tonight at No. 5 Calaveras. Bear River is coached by Duwaine Ganskie, who stuffed his school's trophy case with nine section banners while coaching the girls.
* Elk Grove Unified School District teams Franklin and Pleasant Grove face off in the D-I playoffs for the third consecutive season tonight, with Franklin winning the previous two meetings. Both harbor D-I title hopes, with the winner reaching Power Balance Pavilion next week with a triumph.
Franklin and coach Jesse Formaker has two core leaders on Theo and Darin Johnson. Pleasant Grove coach John DePonte relies on the grit and leadership of Cody Demps, Malik Thames and D.J. Dunn, who drops the hammer on fouls like the linebacker enforcer that he is.
Kyi Thomas had 25 points and Ryan Manning 18 as top-seeded Sheldon defeated No. 16 Pitman of Turlock 78-43 in a boys basketball game tonight at Sheldon.
Sheldon will play host to No. 9 Burbank in Friday's quarterfinals.
With Jay Stone leading the way with 15 points, Burbank defeated Golden Valley 57-33 tonight in Merced.
Expect one sure thing from the Kennedy Cougars when they trot out for a high school basketball game: an all-out, exhaustive effort. Bodies on the floor, crashing the boards, tying up loose balls.
Hustle has been a staple for the program since its first taste of championship glory in the early 1980s under coach Spider Thomas, the Godfather of Greenhaven hoops, and it was paramount Wednesday night in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys playoff opener against pesky equally relentless Chavez.
With contributions from nine players and bench players applauding the effort, No. 7-seeded Kennedy prevailed 65-47 over the No. 10 Titans of Stockton.
Derrick West and K.J. Duronslet each scored 16 points on an array of moves, jumpers and put-backs, and Ryan Edwards muscled inside for 10 points and 12 rebounds. Complimentary pieces such as Jaylin cq McQuillon, Taylor Uda, Blake Williams and To'a Kolokihakaufisi combined for a lot of passing, assists, a drawn charge or two - and 23 points.
"We play hard - always," Kennedy coach Robert Fong said. "I never doubt our effort, and we play really good defense."
Kennedy basketball has a cross-generational feel-good story brewing. Fong is in his fifth-year in his second tour as head coach with the Cougars, at his alma mater where he was a star guard in the 1970. Thomas won 500 games during his famed Kennedy career in the 1980s and '90s with Fong and Joe Mugartegui his top assistants. Thomas has been the Kennedy scorekeeper for Fong the past five seasons, and his satisfied grin spoke of his pride. Mugartegui is also back coaching with Fong.
So yes, it's personal for Fong and company.
"I played here, this is my community, and I live here," Fong said.
Now the Cougars (21-7) would like to really turn the playoff field on its ear on Friday with an inspired effort at second-seeded Jesuit, a program synonymous with championship success. Kennedy and Jesuit waged some spirited meetings in the 1990s.
"They're really good," Fong said of Jesuit. "They're big, they've got shooters, very talented. You can bring back all the basketball talk of Kennedy-Jesuit, the great names like J.J. Polk and Isaac Fontaine."
Fong earned his first playoff win in his second tour, and it comes two years after the Cougars won 10 games. He said he is especially proud of his seniors such as West, a four-year player who endured the growing pains.
"We like how we're playing right now," West said. "We've got to keep competing like this, playing hard and staying mentally ready. The growing pains - it's been worth it."
Mack Harris scored 20 for Chavez, in the playoffs for the first time as a relatively new school. Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
There has been much debate this season about who is this area's best boys basketball player.
It may be time to toss Yuba City's Matt Hayes into the topic of conversation.
The 6-foot-2 senior guard put on an impressive all-around show tonight - including 32 points and 10 rebounds - in leading the 11th seeded Honkers to a 74-65 upset of No. 6 Del Campo in Fair Oaks.
DIVISION I
First round
Sheldon 78, Pitman 43
Burbank 57, Golden Valley 33
Bethel 81, Granite Bay 62
Oak Ridge 60, West 54
Franklin-EG 61, Turlock 37
Pleasant Grove 72, Rodriguez 32
Kennedy 65, Chavez 47
Jesuit 68, Nevada Union 44
Quarterfinals/Friday
#9 Burbank at #1 Sheldon
#13 Oak Ridge at #5 Bethel
#6 Pleasant Grove at #3 Franklin-EG
#7 Kennedy at #2 Jesuit
DIVISION II
First round
Antelope 83, Downey 47
St. Mary's 60, Grace Davis 47
Cosumnes Oaks at Fairfield, n
Bella Vista 71, Rio Americano 50
McNair 62, Johansen 37
Yuba City 74, Del Campo 65
Lodi 77, Del Oro 71 (OT)
Sacramento 98, Buhach Colony 70
Quarterfinals/Friday
#9 St. Mary's at #1 Antelope
Fairfield/Cosumnes Oaks at #4 Bella Vista
#11 Yuba City at #3 McNair
#7 Lodi at #2 Sacramento
DIVISION III
First round
Foothill 66, Dixon 46
Natomas at El Dorado, n
Vista del Lago 72, Weston Ranch 71
Lindhurst 64, East Union 47
Center 78, Patterson 50
Vanden 66, Valley 44
Los Banos 50, Casa Roble 45
Sierra 61, Placer 45
Quarterfinals/Friday
El Dorado/Natomas at #1 Foothill
#12 Vista del Lago at #4 Lindhurst
#6 Vanden at #3 Center
#7 Los Banos at #2 Sierra
DIVISION IV
First round
Modesto Christian 89, Amador 36
Encina 68, Lathrop 52
Calaveras 68, Union Mine 64 (OT)
Bear River 50, Sonora 47
Mariposa at Riverbank, n
San Juan 79, Escalon 67
Ripon 47, Highlands 44
Bret Harte 91, Waterford 54
Quarterfinals/Friday
#8 Encina at #1 Modesto Christian
#13 Bear River at #5 Calaveras
#6 San Juan vs. Riverbank/Mariposa
#7 Ripon at #2 Bret Harte
DIVISION V
First round
Faith Christian 61, Delta Charter 58
Elliot Christian 65, Forest Lake Christian 63
Valley Christian 95, Woodland Christian 72
ROP/Sierra Ridge 72, Le Grand 54
Quarterfinals/Friday
#9 Faith Christian at #1 Capital Christian
#5 Elliot Christian at #4 Sacramento Waldorf
#6 Valley Christian at #3 Ripon Christian
#10 ROP/Sierra Ridge at #2 Central Catholic
DIVISION VI
Quarterfinals
Victory Christian 68, Wilton Christian 39
Brookside Christian at Tioga, n
Lodi Academy 39, New Life Christian 36
Trinity Prep at Sacramento Adventist, n
Semifinals/Friday and Saturday
Brookside Christian/Tioga at #1 Victory Christian, Friday
#6 Lodi Academy vs. Trinity Prep/Sacramento Adventist, Saturday
Two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys basketball champion and Bee No. 1 Sheldon opens defense of its title 7 p.m. Wednesday at home against No. 16 seed Pitman of Turlock.
Bee No. 2 Jesuit, also seeded No. 2 in the D-I playoff field, plays host to Nevada Union in another D-I playoff opener on Wednesday. Nevada Union moves into the Bee's final regular season rankings at No. 20 this week.
No. 4 Antelope, riding a 25-game winning streak, plays host to Downey of Modesto on Wednesday. Antelope is the top-seeded team in D-II; one spot ahead of three-time defending D-III section champion Sacramento (now up a division). The Dragons play host to Buhach Colony of Atwater Wednesday night.
The Sac-Joaquin Section men's and women's basketball playoff brackets offer all sorts of possibilities and twists and turns.
In men's Division I, Sheldon seeks a large-school three-peat and the program's fourth title since 2007 and fifth NorCal playoff berth since 2004. The Huskies are balanced, defensive minded and motivated under coach Joey Rollings.
If No. 8 Burbank can upend No. 9 Golden Valley, a terrific second-round game could pit those Titans at Sheldon on Friday.
A second-round game could also pit Pleasant Grove at Franklin. Oak Ridge is in the field despite the last-second loss to rival Ponderosa in a regular-season finale on Friday, thanks in large part due to the strength of the Delta River League and Lincoln of Stockton losing on Friday as well, costing the Trojans a playoff spot.
Jesuit is the No. 2 seed under coach Greg Harcos, eager for another shot at Sheldon, which has downed the Marauders six consecutive times, including in last year's D-I title game at Power Balance Pavilion and in a last-play thriller at Sheldon this season. Jesuit has won eight section titles lifetime in D-I and II.
Antelope and coach Rob Richards has won 25 consecutive games and looms as a favorite in D-II, having reached the finals a year ago with its first senior class. And there's three-time defending D-III champion Sacramento, which prompted the move up in division, per section rules. The Dragons have won six section titles lifetime.
In Division III, Foothill is the monster under coach Drew Hibbs, winners of 19 straight and seeking a fourth section title since 1997. Modesto Christian is the favorite in D-IV, having already won a section-best 13 titles in various divisions. Capital Christian and veteran coach Terry Battenberg - in his first season with the Cougars - are the favorites in D-V, a very talented field that also includes high-scoring Valley Christian under coach Brad Gunter.
D-VI is also a talented field, headed by No. 1 Victory Christian.
A look at the opening round games on Wednesday with second-round games at home sites on Friday: Division I
No. 16 Pitman at No. 1 Sheldon
No. 9 Burbank at No. 8 Golden Valley
No. 12 Granite Bay at No. 5 Bethel
No. 13 Oak Ridge at No. 4 West
No. 14 Turlock at No. 3 Franklin-Elk Grove
No. 11 Rodriguez at No. 6 Pleasant Grove
No. 10 Chavez at No. 7 Kennedy
No. 15 Nevada Union at No. 2 Jesuit
Division II
No. 16 Downey at No. 1 Antelope
No. 9 St. Mary's at No. 8 Grace Davis
No. 12 Cosumnes Oaks at No. 5 Fairfield
No. 13 Rio Americano at No. 4 Bella Vista
No. 14 Johansen at No. 3 McNair
No. 11 Yuba City at No. 6 Del Campo
No. 10 Del Oro at No. 7 Lodi
No. 15 Buhach Colony at No. 2 Sacramento
Division III
No. 16 Dixon at No. 1 Foothill
No. 9 Natomas at No. 8 El Dorado
No. 12 Vista del Lago at No. 5 Weston Ranch
No. 13 East Union at No. 4 Lindhurst
No. 14 Patterson at No. 3 Center
No. 11 Valley at No. 6 Vanden
No. 10 Casa Roble at No. 7 Los Banos
No. 15 Placer at No. 2 Sierra
Division IV
No. 16 Amador at No. 1 Modesto Christian
No. 9 Lathrop at No. 8 Encina
No. 12 Union Mine at No. 5 Calaveras
No. 13 Bear River at No. 4 Sonora
No. 14 Mariposa at No. 3 Riverbank
No. 11 Escalon at No. 6 San Juan
No. 10 Highlands at No. 7 Ripon
No. 15 Waterford at No. 2 Bret Harte
Division V
No. 9 Faith Christian at No. 8 Delta Charter
No. 12 Forest Lake vs. Elliot Christian at Tokay
No. 11 Woodland Christian at No. 6 Valley Christian
No. 10 Sierra Ridge at No. 7 Le Grand Byes: No. 1 Capital Christian; No. 2 Central Catholic, No. 3 Ripon Christian; No. 4 Sacramento Waldorf
Division VI
No. 8 Wilton Christian at No. 1 Victory Christian
No. 4 Tioga at No. 5 Brookside Christian
No. 6 Lodi Academy at No. 3 New Life Christian
No. 2 Sacramento Adventist at No. 7 Trinity Prep
For the women, Pleasant Grove is the top seed and favorite in Division I under coach James McKeever, having posted two Delta River League wins over Oak Ridge and St. Francis, the defending D-I section champion.
An intriguing opener is No. 12 St. Francis playing at No. 5 Monterey Trail. St. Francis is tradition with scores of titles and the Mustangs are basking in their first league title in basketball.
In Division II, St. Mary's is the clear favorite, again formidable with a full-court pressing team and shooters. All told, St. Mary's has won a section-leading 12 section titles. Bear River has won 10, Colfax nine, St. Francis six, El Camino and Nevada Union five and Kennedy and Bradshaw Christian four.
An intriguing second-round game could include No. 5 Del Oro at No. 4 Florin and/or No. 7 River City at No. 2 El Camino.
In Division III, defending champion Sacramento is the clear favorite, superbly coached by Michele Massari and supremely conditioned and eager for another NorCal title push. Looming on the opposite bracket is No. 2 Christian Brothers, one of the section's youngest teams.
Division I
No. 16 Pitman-Chavez at No. 1 Pleasant Grove
No. 9 Nevada Union at No. 8 Bethel
No. 12 St. Francis at No. 5 Monterey Trail
No. 13 Napa at No. 4 Kennedy
No. 14 Tokay at No. 3 Lincoln-Stockton
No. 11 Grant at No. 6 Oak Ridge
No. 10 Beyer at No. 7 Sheldon
No. 15 Franklin-Elk Grove at No. 2 Armijo
Division II
No. 16 Vacaville-Buhach Colony at No. 1 St. Mary's
No. 9 Del Campo at No. 8 Inderkum
No. 12 Rio Americano at No. 5 Del Oro
No. 13 Kimball at No. 4 Florin
No. 14 Central Valley at No. 3 McNair
No. 11 Antelope at No. 6 Grace Davis
No. 10 Rocklin at No. 7 River City
No. 15 River Valley at No. 2 El Camino
Division III
No. 16 Casa Roble at No. 1 Sacramento
No. 9 Weston Ranch at No. 8 El Dorado
No. 12 Dixon at No. 5 East Union
No. 13 Oakmont at No. 4 Vanden
No. 14 Los Banos at No. 3 Modesto Christian
No. 11 Patterson at No. 6 Manteca
No. 10 Foothill at No. 7 Benicia
No. 15 Valley at No. 2 Christian Brothers
Division IV
No. 16 Mariposa at No. 1 Calaveras
No. 9 San Juan at No. 8 Liberty Ranch
No. 12 Sonora at No. 5 Ripon
No. 13 Hughson at No. 4 Bear River
No. 14 Linden at No. 3 West Campus
No. 11 Bret Harte at No. 6 Riverbank
No. 10 Bradshaw Christian at No. 7 Argonaut
No. 15 Venture Academy at No. 2 Colfax
Division V
No. 9 Big Valley at No. 8 Vacaville Christian
No. 12 Stone Ridge at No. 5 Sacramento Waldorf
No. 11 Denair at No. 6 Foresthill
No. 10 Central Catholic at No. 7 Elliot Christian Byes: No. 1 Brookside Christian; No. 2 Turlock Christian; No. 3 Ripon Christian; No. 4 Capital Christian
Division VI
No. 8 Valley Christian at No. 1 Victory Christian
No. 4 Faith Christian at No. 5 New Life
No. 6 Sacramento Adventist at No. 3 Trinity Prep
No. 2 Wilton Christian at No. 7 Lodi Academy
Corinne Friend had 17 points and MacKenzie Conarro 14 as No. 7 St. Francis defeated Folsom 69-46 in a Delta River League girls basketball game tonight.
The win secured a playoff berth for St. Francis, the defending D-I section champions. St. Francis entered the week needing a win.
The Troubadours (15-12, 5-5) were at No. 16 in the section's power ratings. Only the top 16 teams qualify for the postseason, unless a team that doesn't make the top 16 wins or shares a league title. Then there is an outbracket game.
Armani Hampton had 20 points, Dakarai Allen 17 and D'Erryl Williams 14 points and nine rebounds as No. 1 Sheldon defeated No. 5 Pleasant Grove 65-55 tonight in boys basketball game.
The win secured the outright Delta River League championship for the Huskies (22-5, 9-1).
Cody Demps led Pleasant Grove (21-5, 6-4) with a game-high 22 points.
It was Sheldon's second consecutive league championship.
Jesuit (22-5, 8-2), which beat Folsom 82-57 tonight, finished second.
Erik Kinney and Joseph Barnes led six Sacramento High Dragons in double figures with 14 points each as the No. 3 Dragons defeated McClatchy 86-57 in a Metro Conference boys basketball game tonight.
It marked the fourth time in six years that Sacramento (22-5, 14-0) has gone undefeated in Metro Conference play.
During that span, Sacramento has won five league championships and is a combined 79-3 in league games.
In other games tonight involving Bee Top 20 boys teams:
Antelope's boys basketball team has come so far in such a short time that even coach Rob Richards admits to being a little dazzled.
"Never as a coach do you expect to be in the third week of February with only one loss," Richards said.
No. 4 Antelope is on a monster roll: 24 consecutive wins and an average margin of victory of more than 20 points in Capital Athletic League play.
The latest to fall was visiting Rio Americano, 72-53 tonight in front of Antelope's boisterous Red Zone student rooting section on Senior Night. It also was Richards 200th coaching victory, which fans celebrated by waving "Mr. 200" signs after the game.
Juniors James Hadnot and Joseph Barnes combined for 35 points and No. 3 Sacramento outscored No. 10 Kennedy 25-13 in the fourth quarter to rally to a 76-67 Metro Conference boys basketball win tonight in Greenhaven.
With the win, Sac High (21-5, 13-0) claims the outright Metro title.
Derrick West had a game-high 20 points for Kennedy (19-7, 10-3).
No. 10 Kennedy will make its last push at a Metro Conference boys basketball title share when it takes on league unbeaten and No. 3 Sacramento 7 p.m. tonight in Greenhaven.
Kennedy (19-6, 10-2) trails the Dragons (20-5, 12-0) by two games and was humbled by Sac High in Oak Park 77-39 in their earlier meeting this season.
Coach Robert Fong's Cougars conclude the Metro season by playing host to No. 7 Burbank (19-6, 9-3), last season's league champions, on Thursday.
In other important boys games to wind down the final week of the regular season:
One season removed from winning the Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball D-IV championship, the Colfax Falcons likely will miss the postseason for the first time since the 1990-91 season.
Colfax is 10-16 overall and 1-8 in the Pioneer Valley League heading into Tuesday's regular-season finale at Lincoln. Colfax snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 58-50 win at Bear River on Thursday.
Colfax is at No. 24 in today's D-IV section power ratings. Only the top 16 teams qualify for the postseason.
Colfax's struggles weren't entirely unexpected. Last year's 22-10 Falcons had 11 seniors on the roster. Coach Mike O'Connell's team this year has 13 juniors and two seniors.
Jerry Hansen's game-high 28 points helped No. 17 Granite Bay (13-12, 5-3) defeat visiting Roseville 74-72 to move into sole possession of second place in Sierra Foothill League boys basketball action tonight at Granite Bay.
Granite Bay trails No. 13 Del Oro (17-8, 7-1) by two games in league.
Del Oro defeated Nevada Union 46-32 as Austin Soldano had 15 points and Jordan Broyles 13.
In other games involving The Bee's Top 20 boys teams:
Kelly Bender had 22 points, Michael Bryson 21 and Anthony Williams 18 as No. 6 Foothill defeated No. 14 Center 81-67 to lock up the outright Pioneer Valley League boys basketball championship tonight in Foothill Farms.
It was Foothill's 18th consecutive win as it moved to 9-0 in league and 23-3 overall.
Christopher Smith, who had missed the last four games with a sprained ankle and wasn't expected to play, topped Center (18-7, 6-3) with 25 points. Kenneth Parker added 17 points as the Cougars saw their two year reign as league champions come to an end.
Center won the Capital Valley Conference in 2009-2010 and the PVL last year. Foothill finished second both seasons.
Parker Uu and Bryce Pressley each had 20 points as No. 2 Jesuit defeated No. 5 Pleasant Grove 57-54 in a Delta River League boys basketball game tonight in Elk Grove.
Colfax Nordquist topped Pleasant Grove with 15 points.
The game was close throughout. Jesuit led 31-27 at the half and 42-40 after three quarters.
Jesuit remains a game behind first place Sheldon in league. Pleasant Grove drops to third.
In other boys games involving Bee Top 20 boys teams:
It was a pleasure to join Mike Finnerty on the latest SureWest Sports Show from last week that airs today, with links to previous shows.
We broke down the significance of National Signing day, anchored by Finnerty one-on-one interviews with Shaq Thompson and Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead. We also talked about basketball movers and shakers in the region, including the high hopper that is Kyi Thomas as he took on Jesuit in a battle of Bee and SureWest No. 1 vs. No. 2.
K.J. Logue had 16 points and Cristian Salhani 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 9 Bella Vista to a 63-47 win over No. 10 Del Campo in a Capital Valley Conference boys basketball game tonight at Bella Vista.
The win gives first place Bella Vista a one-game lead over the Cougars in the CVC.
Davit Saghateylan led Del Campo with 14 points.
In other games involving Bee Top 20 boys teams:
• Joseph Barnes had 21 points, De'Von Boyd 18 and Erik Kinney 16 as No. 3 Sacramento defeated Rosemont 92-50 in a Metro Conference game. Before the game, Sac High coach Derek Swafford was honored for his 300th win with the Dragons.
Fair Oaks boys basketball rivals No. 9 Bella Vista and No. 10 Del Campo will break a first-place deadlock when they meet tonight in a Capital Valley Conference game at Bella Vista.
Both are 19-4 overall and 5-1 in league.
Defending league champion Bella Vista defeated Del Campo 64-57 on Jan. 18 at Del Campo but was upset 55-53 by Oakmont two nights later.
Sheldon has moved to the top of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys basketball power ratings released today by the section office.
It's the second of three ratings to be released before the playoff brackets are posted on Sunday, Feb. 19.
In D-I boys, the top four seeds are Sheldon, No. 2 West, No. 3 Pleasant Grove and No. 4 Franklin. Jesuit, which topped the first rankings last Monday, is at No. 5.
Davis, meanwhile, climbed back into the playoff picture and is in the last qualifying spot at No. 16 after winning its last three Delta Valley Conference games, two in overtime.
National power Salesian of Richmond came to Sacramento Saturday night looking for a competitive game against Bee No. 1 Sheldon.
The Pride got that and more, needing a dramatic comeback late, led by their outstanding 6-foot-6 junior Jabari Bird, to post a 63-61 win in front of another packed crowd at Sheldon.
Trailing 57-54 with two minutes to play, Salesian went on a 9-1 run to go up 63-58 before Sheldon's Kyi Thomas hit a three-pointer with 6.6 seconds. But the Huskies couldn't corral a Salesian missed free throw with 4.7 seconds as the Pride ran out the clock.
Chico State senior point guard Jay Flores, a 2007 Jesuit graduate, has made the Capital One Academic All-West Region team for his excellence in the classroom and on the court.
Only athletes with cumulative GPAs of 3.30 or higher who have played in at least 75 percent of their team's games are eligible for Academic All-Region honors.
Flores, a business major, is now eligible for Academic All-America honors as well. That announcement will come on Feb. 22.
"This is such a huge honor, and no one deserves it more that Jay Flores," said Chico State coach Greg Clink in a press release. "Jay is the epitome of what it means to be a student athlete....His leadership on the court, in the classroom, on campus and in the community is inspiring."
Flores also has the Wildcats on the precipice of one of their best seasons ever. They're 16-5 overall and tied for first in the California Collegiate Athletic Association at 10-5 entering tonight's game against San Francisco State.
Flores leads the team in minutes played, steals and assists and is also averaging 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
The Davis boys basketball team and its unique up-tempo "The System" isn't going down without a fight.
The Blue Devils, appearing well out of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff picture a week ago, have bounced back with three consecutive Delta Valley Conference wins.
It started last Friday with an 86-84 triple overtime win over Elk Grove and continued on Wednesday with an 94-81 overtime win against Grant.
Tonight the visiting Blue Devils left Laguna Creek in shock in running past the Cardinals 104-66.
Kyi Thomas' tip-in at the buzzer lifted No. 1 Sheldon past visiting and No. 2 Jesuit 71-70 tonight in a boys basketball battle between Delta River League front-runners.
Bryce Pressley hit a three-pointer from the corner with 10 seconds to play to give Jesuit a 70-69 lead.
With no time outs, Sheldon scampered up court and Armani Hampton put up a running shot that didn't fall but the 6-foot-4 Thomas - he of the amazing 44-inch vertical leap and with a football scholarship to Sacramento State - got to the ball and tipped it in.
Michael Bryson scored 22 points and Anthony Williams added 12 as No. 6 Foothill defeated Bear River 61-53 in a Pioneer Valley League boys basketball game tonight in Lake of the Pines.
In other games involving Bee Top 20 boys teams:
• Darius Graham led four players in double figures with 20 points as No. 3 Sacramento beat Hiram Johnson 83-47 in a Metro Conference game.
No. 5 Pleasant Grove, which lost to No. 2 Jesuit and No. 1 Sheldon in boys basketball games last week, bounced back tonight by beating No. 11 Oak Ridge 60-52 in a Delta River League game in Elk Grove.
Cody Demps led four Eagles in double figures with 19 points. Bryce Scott had a game-high 30 for Oak Ridge.
In other games involving The Bee's Top 20 boys teams:
• Dakarai Allen had 42 points in leading top-ranked Sheldon to a 71-56 win at No. 15 Folsom.
• Bryce Pressley's 15 points helped Jesuit to a 64-26 Delta River win over Ponderosa.
• Theo Johnson had 20 points and Darin Johnson 18 as No. 8 Franklin defeated Monterey Trail 70-31 in a Delta Valley Conference game.
Josh Flanagan led four Valley Christian players in double figures with 32 points as the Lions defeated Wilton Christian 107-68 in a Sacramento Metro Athletic League boys basketball game tonight in Roseville.
It was the highest point total of the season for coach Brad Gunter Jr.'s up-tempo Lions.
The team's previous high was 105 in a win over West Campus Dec. 19.
Trying to stop the No. 3 Sacramento High boys basketball team is like playing Whac-A-Mole.
Just when you figure you have one of the No. 3 Dragons' scorers under wraps, another one pops up to fill the basket.
Entering tonight's Metro Conference showdown at No. 7 Burbank, five different Dragons had led or co-led their team in scoring during their first eight Metro Conference games, all wins.
El Camino joins The Bee's Top 20 boys basketball rankings for the first time this season at No. 20.
After losing to No. 4 Antelope 56-51 in the Capital Athletic League opener Jan. 17, the Eagles have since defeated Cordova 59-55, Whitney 49-41 and Mira Loma 65-35.
The Eagles (11-9, 3-1) play host to Rio Americano (8-12, 3-1) tonight.
Jesuit (Division I), Antelope (D-II), Foothill (D-III), Modesto Christian (D-IV), Capital Christian (D-V) and Victory Christian (D-VI) are the top seeded boys basketball teams in the first Sac-Joaquin Section power ratings released today.
In D-I, Sheldon is seeded No. 2, Bethel of Vallejo No. 3 and West of Tracy No. 4. Other area teams ranked among the top 16 are No. 5 Franklin, No. 6 Burbank, No. 7 Pleasant Grove, No. 8 Kennedy, No. 10 Oak Ridge and No. 14 Granite Bay.
In D-II, Sacramento is No. 2, McNair of Stockton No. 3 and St. Mary's of Stockton No. 4. Other area teams seeded among the top 16 are No. 6 Bella Vista, No. 7 Del Oro, No. 8 Del Campo, No. 12 Rio Americano, No. 13 El Camino, No. 15 River Valley and No. 16 Yuba City.
The second power rating will be released on Feb. 6 and the third one on Feb. 13.
Brackets will be posted on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 19.
The top-ranked Sheldon boys basketball team bounced back from its 39-35 upset loss on Wednesday to No. 12 Oak Ridge in a big way tonight.
Breaking open a close game, the Huskies went on a 19-0 second-half run to defeat No. 3 Pleasant Grove 74-57 in front of a turn-away crowd at Sheldon High School.
Sheldon (16-4, 4-1) junior point guard D'Erryl Williams turned in a dominating performance in finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
Dakarai Allen added 16 points, Ryan Manning 12 and Kyi Thomas 11 for Sheldon. Malik Thames topped Pleasant Grove with 22 points.
It was Pleasant Grove's second loss in a row after falling 75-57 to Jesuit on Wednesday. The Eagles (18-3, 3-2) started the season 18-1.
No. 12 Oak Ridge, putting the clamps on top-ranked Sheldon's fast-paced offense, upset the Huskies 39-35 tonight in a Delta River League boys basketball game in El Dorado Hills.
Oak Ridge led 17-9 at halftime and 24-20 after three quarters.
Bryce Scott led Oak Ridge with 15 points. Kyiron Thomas topped Sheldon with 10.
In other games involving The Bee's Top 20 boys teams:
At one point during tonight's Delta River League boys basketball showdown between No. 2 Jesuit and No. 3 Pleasant Grove, a Pleasant Grove fan bellowed, "Where's Uu!"
It wasn't in the form of a question.
It was a frustrated plea to Pleasant Grove's on-their-heels defenders to keep their eyes on Jesuit senior sharpshooter Parker Uu.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard seemed to be everywhere on the floor, hitting bombs from long range or using his sturdy frame to score inside.
He finished with a game-high 18 points in leading the Marauders past the visiting Eagles 75-57, snapping Pleasant Grove's 12-game winning streak and forcing the Eagles (18-2, 3-1) into a three-way tie for first with the Marauders (17-4, 3-1) and top-ranked Sheldon.
The Delta River League has earned this season's top Sac-Joaquin Section boys and girls basketball strength ratings.
The strength ratings, compiled by a section seeding committee based on nonleague games played before Jan. 6, help influence qualifying and positioning for the postseason.
The Delta River boys and girls both received an 8.2 rating.
The Delta River League boys includes The Bee's No. 1 Sheldon, No. 2 Jesuit, No. 3 Pleasant Grove, No. 12 Oak Ridge and No. 15 Folsom.
The Delta River League girls includes No. 2 Pleasant Grove, No. 3 Oak Ridge, No. 6 St. Francis and No. 9 Sheldon.
Jordan Broyles and Austin Soldano each scored 16 points to lead No. 14 Del Oro to a 64-53 win over No. 18 Roseville in a Sierra Foothill League boys basketball game tonight in Loomis.
In other games involving Bee Top 20 boys teams:
• Gabe Bealer led four players in double figures with 19 points as No. 5 Antelope defeated Cordova 69-48 in a Capital Athletic League contest.
It's another big week of showdown matchups in area boys basketball, especially the ultra-competitive Delta River League.
No. 18 Roseville, which moves into The Bee's Top 20 for the first time after beating defending Sierra Foothill League co-champion Granite Bay 69-66 on Thursday, plays at No. 14 Del Oro tonight in a battle of league unbeatens. Both are 3-0 in the SFL.
On Wednesday, No. 2 Jesuit plays host to No. 3 Pleasant Grove and top-ranked Sheldon plays at No. 12 Oak Ridge in Delta River League games. Sheldon and Pleasant Grove are both 3-0 in league.
Cole Jacobs had 23 points and Latrelle Swayne and Andrew Schmidt added 12 apiece as Roseville outscored No. 15 Granite Bay 20-8 in the fourth quarter to post a 69-66 win over the visiting Grizzlies (10-10, 2-1) in a Sierra Foothill League boys basketball game tonight.
Scott Romuk had 20 points and Jerry Hansen 18 for Granite Bay.
The win keeps Roseville (12-8, 3-0) in a first place tie with No. 16 Del Oro in the SFL.
The Golden Eagles (13-7, 3-0) defeated Nevada Union 55-43 tonight as Jordan Broyles had 19 points for the winners.
In other games involving The Bee's boys basketball Top 20:
De'Von Boyd had 17 points to lead No. 4 Sacramento to a 74-52 Metro Conference boys basketball win tonight over No. 19 Valley.
In other games involving boys basketball Top 20 teams:
• In his first game back since injuring his ankle at the Father Kelly Tribute Jan. 7 at Jesuit, Michael Bryson led four players in double figures with 15 points as No. 6 Foothill defeated Bear River 58-52 in a Pioneer Valley League game.
Bella Vista Broncos senior star K.J. Logue has mixed emotions when it comes to playing Fair Oaks boys basketball rival Del Campo.
The 6-foot-6 forward loves the packed gym, the raucous rooting sections and the playoff-type atmosphere.
But there's also the flip side.
"I must have played against these guys about 20 times, going back to seventh grade," Logue said after helping the No. 8 Broncos to a 64-57 Capital Valley Conference win over the No. 9 and host Cougars. "It's the battle of the Oaks. It's how it's always been. You grow up with them, so it's tough because you know it's super competitive. You're friends with them, so you know you can't lose to them."
Jarvis Watkins had 19 points and Gabe Bealer added 16 points as No. 5 Antelope defeated El Camino 56-51 in the Capital Athletic League boys basketball opener tonight.
In other games involving Bee Top 20 boys teams:
• Nate Brillington had 21 points and Jerry Hansen 18 as No. 15 Granite Bay defeated Nevada Union 85-54 in a Sierra Foothill League game.
• Alan Kidwell led a balanced Del Oro attack with 10 points as the No. 16 Golden Eagles defeated Woodcreek 56-42 in an SFL game.
• Matt Donlan scored 20 points to lead four Capital Christian players in double figures as the No. 17 Cougars defeated Marysville 82-46 in a Golden Empire League game.
With its convincing 88-70 win over Jesuit on Friday, Sheldon takes over the No. 1 spot held by the Marauders since The Bee's first top 20 boys basketball rankings debuted on Dec. 7.
The two-time Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion Huskies (13-3, 2-0) play only their third home game of the season on Friday against Ponderosa (8-10, 0-2) in a Delta River League game, then play defending CIF Northern California Regional champion Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland 6 p.m. on Saturday at Contra Costa College in San Pablo.
No. 2 Jesuit plays at No. 12 Oak Ridge on Friday, then hosts parochial rival Christian Brothers on Saturday.
In front of a packed house and two large and raucous standing rooting sections at Antelope High School for the marquee neighborhood finale of the two-day, 10-game Common Good Classic, the towering duo of Isaiah Ellis and Gabe Bealer helped No. 5 Antelope break open a one-point game at halftime to defeat No. 13 Center 60-46 in a boys basketball game tonight.
The 6-6 Ellis and the 6-5 Bealer, both juniors, dominated the inside in blocking and altering shots, rebounding and combining for 34 points. Jarvis Watkins added 16 points for Antelope (16-1).
Christopher Smith led Center (13-4) with 17 points.
"Our 10 days off really showed early on," said Antelope coach Rob Richards. "We were a little indecisive, little slow, little lethargic. Our guys should have known better. Center is a great ballclub. They're playing well. We can't come out like that. But we woke up at halftime and started to bang inside and got back to our basketball."
Del Campo's boys basketball team is every bit a throwback.
The Cougars are a bunch of no-names from the neighborhood who are playing so well these days that 10-year coach Dave Nobis admits to feeling rejuvenated.
No. 10 Del Campo is 15-3 after breaking open a tight game in the fourth quarter and beating defending Sierra Foothill League co-champion and No. 15 Granite Bay 61-49 in today's Common Good Classic at Antelope High School.
Tercail Hadley, Aaron Redd and Robert Perry each had 10 points as unranked Valley upset No. 6 Burbank 48-45 in a Metro Conference boys basketball game tonight.
In other games involving top 20 teams:
• Dakarai Allen had 29 points, four steals and three blocks and D'Erryl Williams added 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in leading No. 2 Sheldon past No. 1 Jesuit 88-70 in a Delta River League game. Kurt Parker led Jesuit with 18 points.
For one half Friday night in Carmichael, it lived up to a battle of The Bee's top-ranked teams and rivals who always seem to bring out the best in one another.
The No. 1 Jesuit Marauders trailed the No. 2 Sheldon Huskies 37-35.
Then came the blitz.
Sheldon opened the second half with a 13-2 run, outscored Jesuit 31-15 in the third quarter and coasted to an easy 88-70 Delta River League win.
Malik Thames scored 25 points, Colfax Nordquist 16 and Cody Demps 13 as No. 3 Pleasant Grove defeated No. 12 Oak Ridge 73-66 in overtime in the Delta River League boys basketball opener tonight in El Dorado Hills.
Bryce Scott had 26 points for Oak Ridge.
The game was tied 57-57 in regulation.
The win moved Pleasant Grove to 16-1. Oak Ridge is 9-7.
In other boys games reported to us involving teams ranked in The Bee's top 20:
In the wildest area boys basketball game in sometime, Grant defeated Davis 109-101 tonight in the Delta Valley Conference opener for both in Del Paso Heights.
De'Sean Parsons led six Pacers in double figures with 34 points. Tyler Sousa topped Davis with 24 points. Fourteen Blue Devils scored.
Davis is using a up-tempo offense called "The System" that has turned the once staid and low-scoring team into the state scoring leader.
But it's produced mixed results in wins and losses. Davis is now 8-8 overall and 0-1 in league after losing its third straight and fifth in the last six games.
No. 14 Folsom moves into The Bee's top 20 for the first time this week after beating No. 15 Granite Bay 64-53 Tuesday and No. 16 Del Oro 57-53 on Saturday in nonleague games.
Sandwiched between those games was a 52-26 win over Monterey Trail.
Senior guard Justin Woody continues to be coach Mike Wall's go-to scorer. He had 23 points against Granite Bay and 17 against Del Oro.
Already facing a daunting task in facing the tall and talented Deer Valley Wolverines of the North Coast Section, Foothill's challenge became even greater when star wing Michael Bryson went down early in the third quarter, nursing a two-point lead.
That would be down and out.
Bryson rolled his ankle and sat on the bench with an ice pack the rest of the way, imploring his teammates to soldier on. They did, admirably, playing with composure and with defensive fury to topple the Wolverines of Antioch 57-45 in the second game of the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit on Saturday.
Huge win," a relieved and delighted Foothill coach Drew Hibbs said. "The guys really picked it up after Bryson, and we played our hearts out."
The gifted 6-foot-4 Bryson scored 18 of his 21 in the first half in showcasing his full arsenal of skills: long-range shooting, ball handling, leadership. Bound for UC Santa Barbara via scholarship. Bryson's ankle isn't considered serious with Pioneer Valley League play opening next week.
Guard Anthony Williams scored 15 for Foothill (12-3), which has suffered losses only to Bee No. 3 Pleasant Grove (by three), No. 14 Center (by three) and to Analy of the Bay Area (by four).
Kelly Bender had nine points for Foothill, which also received superb overall efforts well outside the scoring column from guard David Sanders and forwards Douglas James and Dante Hullum.
Hibbs, the only area boys coach to win two state titles, both with Foothill, said the Mustangs can continue to surge if they play together and with effort.
"We have to play smart, limit our turnovers, and we can compete with anyone," Hibbs said.
That was certainly the case against Deer Valley (10-5), which boasts of 6-foot-9 center Marcus Lee, a junior national recruit commitment to Cal. He scored on an early dunk to highlight a 9-0 opening run and had 12 points total. But he didn't score in the fourth, testament to the Mustangs defense.
Follow Joe Davidson for more prep news and updates on Twitter: sb_joedavidson
Already facing a daunting task in facing the tall and talented Deer Valley Wolverines of the North Coast Section, Foothill's challenge became even greater when star wing Michael Bryson went down early in the third quarter, nursing a two-point lead.
That would be down and out.
Bryson rolled his ankle and sat on the bench with an ice pack the rest of the way, imploring his teammates to soldier on. They did, admirably, playing with composure and with defensive fury to topple the Wolverines of Antioch 57-45 in the second game of the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit on Saturday.
Huge win," a relieved and delighted Foothill coach Drew Hibbs said. "The guys really picked it up after Bryson, and we played our hearts out."
The gifted 6-foot-4 Bryson scored 18 of his 21 in the first half in showcasing his full arsenal of skills: long-range shooting, ball handling, leadership. Bound for UC Santa Barbara via scholarship. Bryson's ankle isn't considered serious with Pioneer Valley League play opening next week.
Guard Anthony Williams scored 15 for Foothill (12-3), which has suffered losses only to Bee No. 3 Pleasant Grove (by three), No. 14 Center (by three) and to Analy of the Bay Area (by four).
Kelly Bender had nine points for Foothill, which also received superb overall efforts well outside the scoring column from guard David Sanders and forwards Douglas James and Dante Hullum.
Hibbs, the only area boys coach to win two state titles, both with Foothill, said the Mustangs can continue to surge if they play together and with effort.
"We have to play smart, limit our turnovers, and we can compete with anyone," Hibbs said.
That was certainly the case against Deer Valley (10-5), which boasts of 6-foot-9 center Marcus Lee, a junior national recruit. He scored on an early dunk to highlight a 9-0 opening run and had 12 points total. But he didn't score in the fourth, testament to the Mustangs defense.
Follow Joe Davidson for more prep news and updates on Twitter: sb_joedavidson
The Franklin Wildcats trailed 12-0 out of the gates, called time out and then....woke up.
Playing inspired and with cohesion in gaining an even deeper measure of trust from the coaches, the Wildcats of Elk Grove stormed back against Freedom of Oakley of the North Coast Section to take their first lead at 43-41 on a Kyle Ford layup and never looked back, winning 53-46 in the opener of the four-game Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit on Saturday afternoon.
Ranked No. 7 by The Bee, Franklin improved to 11-4 in halting a two-game losing streak. The Wildcats now bound into Delta Valley Conference play next week as the clear favorites. Under coach Jesse Formaker, the Wildcats are four-time defending league champions.
Saturday's effort included the slow start, a meeting of the minds and plenty of earned coach-player trust. Specifically, Formaker listened to leaders such as Arieas Toney, who suggested going to a zone defense. That ploy helped stall the Falcons, who came in at 11-3, including wins over Monterey Trail and Laguna Creek and a 61-56 loss to Burbank. Franklin had a 16-4 run to seize control, and the Wildcats prevailed with one of their star players sidelined with illness in junior guard Darrin Johnson.
"They wanted to go to a zone and we did," Formaker said. "It's their team. I really like our group of kids. They're capable of achieving great things."
Formaker said he likes playing out-of-section opponents, all the better to get a playoff feel on the eve of conference play with a neutral court, unfamiliar locker rooms and more. And the coach couldn't contain his grin.
"I'm more pleased with this game than any we've played all season because it was a team effort," he said. "We as coaches took a step back and let the boys step up."
Senior standout forward Theo Johnson had 13 points and senior captain leader Kelton Newman, a wing, had 12 points, including cool free throw shooting down the stretch, making five. Victor Rustin had nine and Shikabe Aziz six for Franklin.
For more prep news updates, follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson
Bryce Pressley had 14 points and Akachi Okugo and Kurt Parker 11 each as top-ranked Jesuit walloped No. 10 Granite Bay 68-29 in a nonleague boys basketball game tonight in Carmichael.
In other boys games involving top 20 teams:
• Darius Graham and De'Von Boyd each scored 15 points and Erik Kinney hit the game-winning three-pointer as No. 4 Sacramento beat No. 5 Burbank 61-59 in a Metro Conference game in Oak Park.
Michael Bryson had 15 points and Kelly Bender 10 points as No. 8 Foothill held off No. 9 Bella Vista 48-46 tonight in a nonleague boys basketball game.
In other boys games involving top 20 teams: Gabe Bealer had 15 points in leading No. 6 Antelope to a 72-37 win over Christian Brothers, and Justin Sevilla had 26 points and Troy Owens 25 as No. 18 Cordova defeated Ponderosa 75-60.
In girls action, top-ranked Sacramento defeated Burbank 72-21; No. 3 Oak Ridge held off No. 14 Inderkum 44-42; No. 4 Florin beat Hiram Johnson 105-2; No. 6 Kennedy topped McClatchy 62-39; and No. 9 Sheldon topped Granite Bay 76-18 behind Brianna Burgos' 26 points.
Trailing 36-32 after three quarters, top-ranked Jesuit rallied to beat McClymonds 49-46 in a nonleague boys basketball game tonight in Oakland.
Akachi Okugo led the Marauders (12-2) with 19 points. Kurt Parker added 12.
In other games involving Bee boys ranked teams:
• Juniors Malik Thames and Colfax Nordquist combined for 29 points in leading No. 3 Pleasant Grove (13-1) to a 67-56 win over No. 12 Center (11-2) in Antelope. Christopher Smith had 22 points for Center.
Saturday's meeting between Jesuit and Newark Memorial in the marquee game of the four-game Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit gets a little added pizazz with the Bay Area school joining the Marauders this week in the Cal-Hi Sports' state boys basketball top 20.
Jesuit (11-2) is ranked No. 10 (climbing from No. 12) after beating St. Ignatius 68-49 Thursday to win the Sand Dune Classic in San Francisco.
Newark Memorial (7-4) moved into the state rankings at No. 20 after a strong showing in the ESPN Holiday Classic in Torrey Pines last week.
Former Hiram Johnson basketball star Darnell Hillman, a member of the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame and the university's first player to be chosen in the first round of a National Basketball Association player draft, will have his Spartan playing jersey No. 45 retired during a Feb. 4 halftime ceremony of the San Jose State-Hawaii men's game.
The 6-foot-9 Hillman played 10 seasons as a pro in the NBA and the American Basketball Association.
Hillman played on one of San Jose State's best teams in 1968-69 when the Spartans went 16-8 and beat then No. 2 nationally ranked Santa Clara 73-69 in overtime.
UC Santa Barbara-bound Michael Bryson scored 34 points, Kelly Bender added 19 and No. 8 Foothill outscored No. 11 Del Campo 33-6 in the first half en route to a 58-45 nonleague win tonight in Fair Oaks.
Foothill climbs to 10-3; Del Campo falls to 12-3.
In other games involving Bee Top 20 ranked girls and boys teams:
With No. 3 Pleasant Grove winning its division of the Maxpreps.com Holiday Classic in Palm Springs, Delta River League teams hold the top three spots in The Bee's rankings this week. Jesuit is No. 1 and Sheldon No. 2.
DRL play begins next week.
River Valley of Yuba City and Lindhurst climb into The top 20 this week.
The Bee's Top 20
PR - previous ranking
records Through Monday
School W-L PR
1. Jesuit 11-2 (1)
2. Sheldon 11-3 (2)
3. Pleasant Grove 12-1 (4)
4. Sacramento 8-4 (3)
5. Burbank 10-3 (5)
6. Antelope 13-1 (7)
7. Franklin 10-3 (6)
8. Foothill 9-3 (8)
9. Bella Vista 14-2 (9)
10. Granite Bay 7-5 (10)
11. Del Campo 12-2 (12)
12. Center 11-1 (13)
13. Del Oro 8-6 (11)
14. Kennedy 9-4 (15)
15. Cosumnes Oaks 10-4 (17)
16. Oak Ridge 7-6 (14)
17. Capital Christian 9-4 (18)
18. Cordova 8-5 (20)
19. River Valley 9-3 (-)
20. Lindhurst 10-5 (-)
Dropped out - Whitney and Davis
Tournament MVP Cody Demps scored 18 points and all-tournament selections Malik Thames and Colfax Nordquist added 15 and 11 points, respectively, in leading No. 4 Pleasant Grove to a 74-71 win over King of Riverside in the Maxpreps.com Holiday Classic Division 2 championship game late this afternoon in Palm Springs.
Matthew Hayes had 15 points and Arik Armstead 12 as five Eagles finished in double figures. Coach John DePonte's Eagles are now 12-1.
In other games today involving The Bee's Top 20:
• D'Erryl Williams had 15 points and Dakarai Allen added 11 points and eight rebounds as No. 2 Sheldon defeated Lake Washington of Kirkland, Wash. 49-42 in the National Division consolation championship game of the ESPN Holiday Classic in Torrey Pines. Allen made all-tournament.
It will be an all-Sacramento final Friday night at the Fairfield Holiday Classic after No. 6 Franklin and No. 7 Antelope won semifinal games tonight.
Kelton Newman had 25 points to lead Franklin past Bethel of Vallejo 71-65. Gabe Bealer scored 19 points and Isaiah Ellis and Kei'Shaun Sinclair added 16 points each as Antelope beat host Fairfield 71-57.
Antelope is 12-1, the only loss coming to Franklin Dec. 2 in the Bella Vista Bronco Round-Up.
Here are the results of other games today involving Bee Top 20 boys teams:
Football standout Nate Iese's buzzer-beating layup lifted No. 2 Sheldon past Lincoln of San Diego 56-55 in Wednesday's second-round action of the ESPN Holiday Classic boys basketball tournament at Torrey Pines High School in Southern California.
Dakarai Allen pushed the ball up the court and found the open Iese, just seconds after Lincoln guard Tyree Robinson sank an off-balance 3-pointer to put the Hornets ahead.
Tyree Robinson finished with 17 points, while his twin brother Tyrell led all scorers with 24. Allen topped the Huskies with 14 points.
Sheldon will play El Camino Real of Woodland Hills 5:30 p.m. today.
Most of The Bee's top 20 boys basketball teams are playing in area tournaments starting today.
Here's a quick breakdown:
• No. 9 Bella Vista (5 p.m. vs. Pleasant Valley-Chico), No. 14 Oak Ridge (6:30 p.m. vs. Shasta) and No. 19 Davis (8 p.m. vs. Rio Americano) are in the Trojan Toss-Up at Oak Ridge.
• No. 11 Del Oro (5 p.m. vs. Hoover-Fresno), No. 13 Center (2 p.m. vs. No. 18 Capital Christian) and No. 16 Whitney (6:30 p.m. vs. North Valleys-Reno) play in the Whitney Christmas Classic at Whitney.
The No. 5 Burbank boys basketball team overcame some adversity today at the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic opener.
Because of a morning big-rig accident that closed Highway 99 in both directions near Manteca for more than an hour, nine Titans players didn't arrive at the gym until five minutes before their scheduled noon game against University High of San Francisco.
The game was delayed 30 minutes so the Titans (9-1) could quickly warm-up. Despite some ups and down, the Titans won 64-56 in overtime.
The Sheldon Huskies, ranked No. 2 by The Bee and No. 14 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, had hoped to ride the momentum of their championship win on Friday in the National Prep Classic in Santa Maria into this week's mega-loaded ESPN Holiday Classic in Torrey Pines.
But Sheldon was dispatched by Mayfair of Lakewood 51-43 in today's National Division boys basketball opener to fall into the loser's bracket. The Huskies will play the loser of tonight's DeMatha Catholic of Hyattsville, Md., vs. Lincoln of San Diego game at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday. DeMatha is ranked No. 10 nationally by USA Today.
Mayfair outscored Sheldon 17-6 in the fourth quarter and forced 19 Huskies turnovers with its press, even though Sheldon had a 39-30 rebounding advantage.
Dakarai Allen had 15 rebounds and Nate Iese added eight for Sheldon.
Allen and D'Erryl Williams each had 13 points.
Dion Wright led Mayfair with 15 points and eight rebounds.
At the National Prep Classic, the Huskies downed Nipomo, St. Bernard of Playa del Rey, Westchester of Los Angeles and, in the finals, Sunrise Christian Academy of Bel Aire, Kansas, 63-51.
Sheldon will play Sunrise Christian of Bel Aire, Kan., in Friday's marquee National Division championship game of the National Prep Classic at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. Tip-off will be 7:30 p.m.
The Huskies (7-2), ranked No. 2 by The Bee, advanced to the finals with a 51-44 win over Westchester (8-4) of Los Angeles today. D'Erryl Williams led the Huskies with 17 points.
Sunrise Christian advanced by beating St. Joseph's of Santa Maria 67-40.
Sheldon defeated St. Bernard of Playa del Rey 69-57 and Nipomo 76-30 in earlier tournament games.
No. 4 Pleasant Grove used a full-court press and some sterling defense off the bench by D.J. Dunn to rally past No. 5 Franklin 66-57 tonight in a nonleague boys basketball game at Franklin High School.
The Wildcats (8-2), which held a 46-37 lead with 2:45 to play in the third quarter, wilted when the Eagles (8-1) moved to their turnover-inducing press. Quick and relentless, the Eagles forced 13 Franklin turnovers and outscored the Wildcats 29-11 in the final 11 minutes.
The 6-foot-3 Dunn, a football standout in the fall and a basketball role player in the winter, came in and helped contain Franklin star Theo Johnson.
David Straughter had 19 points and Mitchell Love 13 and Jay Stone had four steals, four assists and nine points in leading No. 6 Burbank to a 77-60 win over No. 13 Del Campo in Tuesday's marquee game of the fifth annual Hoops 4 the Human Fund showcase at Foothill High School.
In other games:
• Kelly Bender had 17 points and Michael Bryson added 16 as No. 8 Foothill defeated stubborn Elk Grove 47-44. Foothill led 22-11 after the first quarter.
• Brian Pascual had 19 points and seven assists as defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champion St. Mary's of Stockton downed Rio Linda 69-52.
• Kevin Daniels scored 17 points and Irakliy Pachuliya added 15 as San Juan upset No. 17 Union Mine 60-58.
According to event organizer and Foothill coach Drew Hibbs, the event's tongue-in-cheek title inspiration came from a "Seinfeld" episode in which a character, George Costanza, invented an imaginary charity called "The Human Fund."
"It's a fund-raiser for our program, and everyone has a good time with it," Hibbs said.
Cosumnes Oaks returns to The Bee top 20 after winning its own Running with the Pack tournament on Saturday while Yuba City joins the top 20 for the first time after winning its own Mel Good Invitational.
THE BEE'S TOP 20
PR - previous ranking
Records through Monday
School W-L PR
1. Jesuit 8-1 (1)
2. Sheldon 4-2 (2)
3. Sacramento 6-2 (3)
4. Pleasant Grove 7-1 (5)
5. Franklin 7-1 (4)
6. Burbank 4-1 (6)
7. Antelope 9-1 (7)
8. Foothill 8-3 (8)
9. Bella Vista 9-2 (10)
10. Granite Bay 6-5 (9)
11. Oak Ridge 6-4 (11)
12. Del Oro 6-1 (12)
13. Del Campo 8-1 (13)
14. Center 6-1 (14)
15. Kennedy 5-3 (15)
16. Whitney 8-3 (17)
17. Union Mine 9-2 (18)
18. Cosumnes Oaks 7-3 (-)
19. Capital Christian 6-3 (19)
20. Yuba City 6-2 (-)
Dropped out - Valley, McClatchy.
With Erik Kinney dominating the boards late, Sacramento broke open a close game in the fourth quarter to defeat Bakersfield 57-44 to win the inaugural St. Hope Elite Classic gold bracket championship game tonight at Sacramento High School.
Bakersfield had closed to within two points, 40-38, at the end of the third quarter before being outscored 15 to 6 in the fourth quarter of the finale of the 12-team, five-day tournament that featured seven out-of-area teams, including four from Southern California.
Joe Barnes led the Dragons with 14 points and UC Davis scholarship signee Darius Graham added 13. James Hadnot and Aaron Cameron each had nine and Kinney finished with eight, yet dominated nonetheless despite being ill.
Cal-bound Tyrone Wallace led Bakersfield with 22 points.
Sacramento, ranked No. 3 by The Bee, won all four games in the tournament, including 87-76 over Pasadena on Friday in which Kinney, a Cal State Bakersfield recruit, scored 26 points.
"It was great having this tournament," said Graham. "It kind of helps put Northern California on the map because everyone knows about the Southern California teams. But this tournament showed that a team like Pleasant Grove (a 62-60 winner over Pasadena) is good and can play with these teams.
"I think it will be even better next year. They're going to go to 16 teams, and Sheldon and Jesuit are supposed to be in it."
Cody Demps scored on a breakaway layup off an inbounds pass from Ben Nguyen with 2.5 seconds to play to lead No. 5 Pleasant Grove to a 62-60 win over Pasadena in the gold bracket consolation championship of tonight's St. Hope Elite Classic boys basketball tournament at Sacramento High School.
Demps, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, faked out his defender at midcourt, got behind the Bulldogs' defense and took a perfectly thrown pass from Nguyen for the basket.
A desperation three-point basket by Pasadena's Ajon Efferson was disallowed, coming just after the buzzer sounded.
Sacramento defeated Pasadena 87-76 in tonight's St. Hope Elite Classic boys basketball gold bracket semifinal at Sacramento High School.
Sacramento will play Bakersfield for the championship of the 12-team event 8:15 p.m. Saturday. Bakersfield defeated Plesasant Grove 62-58 in the other gold bracket semifinal game.
Saturday's matchups:
Noon - Bronze 3rd Place Game: Grant vs. Kennedy Richmond.
1:30 p.m. - Silver 3rd Place Game: Analy vs. Compton.
3:15 - Bronze Championship Game: Kennedy-Sacramento vs. Foothill-Palo Cedro
4:45 -Silver Championship Game : Dorsey-Los Angeles vs. Foothill-Sacramento.
6:30 - Gold 3rd Place Game: Pleasant Grove vs. Pasadena.
8:15 - Gold Championship Game: Sacramento vs. Bakersfield
Bakersfield will play Pleasant Grove at 7 p.m. and Pasadena faces Sacramento at 8:30 p.m. in today's gold bracket games of the St. Hope Elite Classic boys basketball tournament at Sacramento High School.
Four other games also will be played. They are:
1 p.m. - Kennedy-Sacramento vs. Grant, bronze bracket
2:30 p.m. - Kennedy-Richmond vs. Foothill-Palo Cedro, bronze bracket
4 p.m. - Analy-Sebastopol vs. Dorsey-Los Angeles, silver bracket
5:30 p.m. - Compton vs. Foothill-Sacramento, silver bracket
Here are Thursday's results:
Compton 67, Foothill-Palo Cedro 56
Kennedy-Sacramento 62, Kennedy-Richmond 48
Foothill-Sacramento 58, Grant 35
Bakersfield 62, Pasadena 61
Pleasant Grove 68, Dorsey 61
Sacramento 77, Analy 59
Here is today's schedule for the St. Hope Elite Hoop Classic boys basketball tournament at Sacramento High School:
1 p.m. - Foothill-Palo Cedro vs. Compton
2:30 - Kennedy-Sacramento vs. Kennedy-Richmond
4 - Grant vs. Foothill-Sacramento
5:30 - Bakersfield vs. Pasadena
7 - Dorsey-Los Angeles vs. Pleasant Grove
8:30 - Analy-Sebastopol vs. Sacramento
We joined Mike Finnerty of the SureWest Sports Show to bounce around the basketball region to spotlight top teams, coaches and players.
Camp stops included Jesuit, Sheldon, Burbank, Sacramento and Antelope for the boys and Sacramento, Pleasant Grove, Oak Ridge, Del Oro and St. Francis with the girls...
This week's show and those from previous weeks can be found on www.surewestsports.com
It was a good night on Saturday as several area teams won boys basketball tournament championships.
Here is a brief look at the highlights:
• No. 16 Valley (6-1) defeated Grace Davis of Modesto 71-62 to win the Frank Godinez title, led by tournament MVP Robert "Memphis" Perry's 25 points. Senior Arron Redd and sophomore Elijah Calloway also made all-tournament, but coach Mat Bradley credits senior point guard and captain Tercail Hadley for the Vikings' fast start. "He makes our motor run," Bradley said. Valley plays host to East Union of Manteca at 7 o'clock tonight.
THE BEE'S TOP 20
PR - previous rankings
Games through Monday
School W-L PR
1. Jesuit 6-1 (1)
2. Sheldon 3-2 (2)
3. Sacramento 2-2 (3)
4. Franklin 6-0 (4)
5. Pleasant Grove 4-0 (6)
6. Burbank 4-1 (5)
7. Antelope 6-1 (7)
8. Foothill 5-2 (10)
9. Granite Bay 5-3 (13)
10. Bella Vista 6-2 (8)
11. Oak Ridge 5-3 (11)
12. Del Oro 4-1 (12)
13. Del Campo 5-0 (-)
14. Center 6-1 (9)
15. Kennedy 3-1 (15)
16. Valley 6-1 (20)
17. Whitney 7-2 (17)
18. Union Mine 7-1 (18)
19. Capital Christian 4-2 (19)
20. McClatchy 4-1 (-)
Dropped out - El Dorado, Cosumnes Oaks
It figured to be a battle tonight when the No. 5 Burbank Titans boys met the No. 6 Pleasant Grove Eagles in the championship game of the fifth annual Mark Macres Memorial basketball tournament at Monterey Trail High School.
And that's exactly how it turned out in a game that was tense and close throughout as Pleasant Grove coach John DePonte and Burbank's Lindsey Ferrell matched moves of strategy and personnel.
Matthew Hayes scored on a base-line runner with three seconds to play to lift 4-0 Pleasant Grove over 4-1 Burbank 50-49.
After realignment moved their schools into different leagues last season, Valley boys basketball coach Mat Bradley and then Elk Grove coach Rudy Ortega decided that the Elk Grove Unified School District's two longest standing high schools, both with rich basketball traditions (17 league and five section titles between them), should continue to play one another for community bragging rights.
So they started the Old School Rivalry game.
Valley, which won the inaugural meeting 61-37 last year, held off the Thundering Herd again on Tuesday 53-50 to keep possession of the perpetual plaque that goes to the winning team.
Robert Perry led Valley with 19 points; Jason Williams topped Elk Grove with 14.
Sheldon boys basketball coach Joey Rollings, continuing his history of ambitious scheduling, will pit his Huskies against national power Archbishop Mitty 6 p.m. on Saturday at Los Positas College in Livermore.
Mitty (2-0) is the defending CIF state and NorCal Division II champions and ranked No. 17 nationally by USA Today. The Monarchs' Aaron Gordon, a 6-foot-7 power forward, is one of the nation's top junior recruits.
It's just one of a number of challenges for The Bee No. 2 Huskies (3-1) before entering the competitive Delta River League that includes top-ranked Jesuit, No. 6 Pleasant Grove and No. 11 Oak Ridge.
An all-Antelope neighborhood battle will highlight the 10-game field for the fifth annual Common Good Classic boys and girls basketball showcase event Jan. 14 and 16 at Antelope High School.
Sac-Joaquin Section D-II runner-up No. 7 Antelope will play section D-III runner-up No. 9 Center in the Jan. 16 7 p.m. boys basketball finale, the last game of the two-day event.
No. 11 Oak Ridge boys will face No. 12 Del Oro in the Jan. 14 7 p.m. nightcap, the last of five games that day.
The Sac-Joaquin Section today named Diane Heine of Christian Brothers, Kelly Rhoden of Nevada Union, Mike Takayama of Del Oro and Janice Williams of Galt as 2011-2012 section Model Coach award recipients.
Also named were Vacaville's Mike Papadopoulos and Atwater's Roddy Svendsen.
The awards are given to coaches who are positive role models within their schools and community. They will be honored at a breakfast April 17 in Lodi.
Here's a brief synopsis of the area winners, as provided by Will DeBoard, director of communications for the section.
Darin Johnson had 21 points, Kelton Newman 20 and Theo Johnson 18 as Franklin defeated Bella Vista 66-62 in tonight's Bronco Round-Up boys basketball tournament at Bella Vista.
Parker Uu scored 22 points, Akachi Okugo 15 and Bryce Pressley 13 in leading Jesuit past Strake Jesuit of Houston 68-55 in tonight's Father Barry Christmas Classic basketball tournament championship game at Jesuit.
Duke signee Rasheed Sulaimon led the Texas team with 21 points.
Sheldon defeated Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland 73-65 in the third place game. D'Erryl Williams and Armani Hampton each had 21 points for the Huskies.
Two parochial basketball powers will meet tonight for the championship of the 38th Annual Father Barry Christmas Classic tournament at Jesuit High School in Carmichael.
Host Jesuit will play Strake Jesuit of Houston, Texas, in the 6:30 p.m. final, the last of four games on the day.
Strake Jesuit is led by college scholarship signees John Gillon (Arkansas-Little Rock) and Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke).
Gillon had 38 points and Salaimon 26 in Friday's 87-73 semifinal win over Sheldon.
Parker Uu had 25 points and Bryce Pressley 18 in leading host Jesuit to a 74-64 win over Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland, the two-time defending CIF Northern California Regional Division III champion.
The 38th Annual Father Barry Christmas Classic Basketball Tournament continues today and Saturday at Jesuit High School.
In first round results Thursday:
Jesuit beat Bishop Manogue of Nevada 98-46; Strake Jesuit of Houston downed Oakland Tech 80-52; Sheldon topped St. Ignatius of San Francisco 67-44; and Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland beat Eisenhower of Rialto 83-72.
Today's matchups are:
Oakland Tech vs. St. Ignatius at 3 p.m.; Bishop Manogue vs. Eisenhower at 4:30 p.m.; Strake Jesuit vs. Sheldon at 6 p.m.; and Jesuit vs. Bishop O'Dowd at 7:30 p.m.
Two major boys basketball tournaments, each offering something special, will be held in the same neighborhood Thursday through Saturday.
Jesuit hosts its 38th annual Father Barry Christmas Tournament in Carmichael. Rio Americano, less than a mile from Jesuit on American River Drive, is putting on its 37th annual Jack Scott Tournament.
Among the teams entered in the Father Barry tournament are:
• Texas power Strake Jesuit of Houston, led by Duke signee Rasheed Sulaimon and Arkansas-Little Rock signee John Gillon.
Jesuit and Pleasant Grove looked impressive while Sheldon struggled offensively yet still won in their NorCal Tip-Off Classic boys basketball games Saturday in Newark.
Defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion Sheldon shot 39.5 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from the foul line in holding off McClymonds of Oakland 45-43 in the nightcap of the seven-game event at Newark Memorial High School.
Huskies junior guard Armani Hampton, who finished with 13 points, was selected the Player of the Game. Junior center-forward Ryan Manning added nine points and six rebounds. He is the son of former Center star and NBA player Rich Manning.
Junior standouts D'Erryl Williams and Dakarai Allen both struggled with their shooting touches from the floor and the foul line in combining for six points, but they and the Huskies held McClymonds to 30 percent shooting from the floor in what was a physical battle.
Jesuit, a rival of Sheldon in the Delta River League, looked more polished offensively in its 82-74 win over Dublin as Bryce Pressley earned Player of the Game honors with 24 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. He is the son of former Villanova star and Kings player Harold Pressley.
Kurt Parker added 22 points and Parker Uu 20 for the Marauders.
Matt Hayes, a 6-foot junior guard, earned Player of the Game honors with a game-high 20 points in leading Pleasant Grove past St. Patrick's-St. Vincent's of Vallejo 62-49.
Junior guard Malik Thames added 15 points and five assists. He is the younger brother of former Eagles star Xavier Thames, now at San Diego State.
Point guard Caleb Jackson, a 6-foot senior, grabbed nine rebounds and junior forward Colfax Nordquist had nine points, five assists and four steals for Pleasant Grove.
The win was even more impressive because the Eagles played without football standouts Cody Demps, Arik Armstead and D.J. Dunn.
Pleasant Grove is playing Granite Bay in Saturday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game at Sacramento State.
Defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys basketball champion Sheldon and area powers Jesuit and Pleasant Grove are among 14 teams that will compete in the fifth annual Nor Cal Tip Off Classic on Saturday at Newark Memorial High School in Newark.
Jesuit will play Dublin at 12:30 p.m.; Pleasant Grove faces St. Patrick's-St. Vincent's of Vallejo at 2:15 p.m. Sheldon will play Oakland power McClymonds in the 8:30 p.m. nightcap of the seven game event.
Bay Area powers Newark Memorial, Berkeley, El Cerrito and Vallejo also are entered.
Event organizer Gerry Freitas says some 30 Division I prospects are expected to play, including Oregon State commit Langston Morris-Walker of Berkeley.
Here's the complete schedule:
11 a.m. - Rodriguez vs. Freedom-Oakley
12:30 p.m. - Dulbin vs. Jesuit
2:15 p.m. - St. Patrick's-St. Vincent's-Vallejo vs. Pleasant Grove
3:45 p.m. - El Cerrito vs. Vallejo
5:30 p.m. - Berkeley vs. Weston Ranch-Stockton
7 p.m. - Newark Memorial-Newark vs. Deer Valley-Antioch
8:30 p.m. - McClymonds-Oakland vs. Sheldon
Foothill senior basketball player Michael Bryson will sign an NCAA letter of intent with UC Santa Barbara, reports Mustangs coach Drew Hibbs.
"Mike is 6-foot-5 and plays point to post in our system," Hibbs said in an e-mail. "He will be one of the top players in the area this year and was heavily recruited.
"But he made a tight connection with UCSB coach Bob Williams and the current Gaucho players. He and his family believe UCSB is the right fit."
Williams is the former UC Davis men's basketball coach.
Bryson averaged a team-leading 14.4 points for the Mustangs last season.
Two other area athletes also announced signings:
• St. Francis golfer Ashley Noda will play on scholarship for Santa Clara.
• Pleasant Grove's Jessie Sisler will compete in gymnastics for Arizona. She competes for Technique Gymnastics in Rancho Cordova.
National signing day at Sacramento High, where basketball is almost a religion, took on the atmosphere of a spiritual revival Wednesday.
There were smiles, hugs and tears as friends, relatives and peers cheered as Darius Graham, Erik Kinney, Jasmine Ware and Jehiah Cook became the latest in a long line of Dragons basketball players to earn college athletic scholarships.
Graham, a 5-foot-10 point guard, will join new coach Jim Les' program at UC Davis. Kinney, a 6-foot-3 forward, will play for Cal State Bakersfield.
Ware, a 5-10 guard, is headed for UC Santa Barbara, while Cook, a 5-5 point guard, is off to UNLV.
They joined dozens of other athletes across the region in putting pen to paper during the NCAA's early signing period that started today and runs through next Wednesday.
Sacramento senior point guard Darius Graham has verbally committed to play basketball next fall for UC Davis and new coach Jim Les.
The 5-foot-10 Graham, who helped the 27-6 Dragons to their third consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship last season, made his decision after his official visit over the weekend.
He is ranked No. 28 in NorCalPreps.com's Northern California Class of 2012 Top 40.
Last season, Graham averaged 10.6 points and five assists in earning Bee All-Metro honorable mention.
He will sign his NCAA National Letter of Intent on Wednesday at the Oak Park charter school along with teammate Erik Kinney (Cal State Bakersfield) and girls stars Jehiah Cook (UNLV) and Jasmine Ware (UC Santa Barbara).
Some of California's leading boys basketball teams and players will compete in the first annual St. Hope Elite Hoop Classic Dec. 13-17 at Sacramento High School.
The tournament, formerly the St. Hope Classic, will feature 12 teams, including traditional Southern California powers Compton, Pasadena, Dorsey of Los Angeles and Bakersfield.
Other out-of-area teams are Kennedy of Richmond, Analy of Sebastopol and Foothill of Palo Cedro.
Area teams Kennedy, Foothill, Pleasant Grove and Grant will join host Sacramento High in rounding out the field for the five-day event.
NorCalPreps.com has released its Top 40 boys rankings for the Class of 2012 and Class of 2013 and its girls rankings for the Class of 2012.
Among area boys ranked for the Class of 2012 are: Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead, No. 3; Sheldon's Kyiron Thomas, No. 7; Jesuit's Parker Uu, No. 8; Franklin's Theo Johnson, No. 12; Sacramento's Erik Kinney (CSU Bakersfield), No. 16; Foothill's Michael Bryson, No. 17; Oak Ridge's Byrce Scott, No. 18; Jesuit's Akachi Okugo, No. 21; Center's Chris Smith, No. 26; Sacramento's Darius Graham, No. 28; Antelope's Jarvis Watkins, No. 34; Jesuit's Bryce Pressley, No. 36; Pleasant Grove's Cody Demps, No. 39; and Capital Christian's Matt Donlan, No. 40.
Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland's Richard Longrus is No. 1.
Among area boys Class of 2013 ranked are: Sheldon's Dakarai Allen, No. 7 and D'Erryl Williams, No. 12; Franklin's Darin Johnson, No. 13; Pleasant Grove's Malik Thames, No. 22; Saramento's Aaron Carter, No. 23, James Hadnot, No. 24, and Joe Barnes, No. 25; Antelope's Gabe Bealer, No. 28; and Woodcreek's Tyler Milani, No. 40.
Mitty of San Jose's Aaron Gordon is No. 1.
Among area girls Class of 2012 players ranked are: Vacaville Christian's Amber Cooper, No. 2; Sacramento's Jasmine Ware (UC Santa Barbara), No. 12 and Jehiah Cook (UNLV), No. 15; Pleasant Grove's Marissa Wimbley, No. 19; Inderkum's Riana Byrd, No. 22; Sacramento's Brianna Womack, No. 25; Oak Ridge's Lauren Sende, No. 26; and Sheldon's Brianna Burgos, No. 33.
Carondelet of Concord's Hannah Huffman (Notre Dame) is ranked No. 1.
The Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team added a dynamic guard to its 2011-12 roster today as coach Rusty Osborne announced that former Sheldon High star Marcus Jackson has transferred from Division I Arizona State to play for the Seawolves.
The 6-1, 190-pound guard spent two seasons at Arizona State and saw action in 15 games, averaging seven minutes.
As a sophomore last season, he saw extended playing time in January. He tallied four assists and two steals in a victory over Tulsa and logged 15 minutes in a pair of Pacific-10 Conference games.
"Marcus is a great addition to our program both on and off the floor," said Osborne, who starts his eighth season at the Seawolf helm in November. "Marcus brings Pac-10 experience to the position and will work well with our two returning point guards, Steve White and Kyle Fossman.
News, notes and observations from the Sac-Joaquin Section office in Lodi today...
* A three-year deal in principle is in the works for Sacramento State to host the section championship football games in Divisions I, II, III, much like last season (a booming success highlighted by the overflow crowd of 22,000 for Folsom-Grant). The unsung mover and shaker here has been Sac State stadium operations manager Steve Tebbs, who used pepper section bosses Pete Saco and John Williams during prep basketall Arco Arena events about getting such events at Sac State.
Saco and Williams said a field turf would surely help the cause - prep coaches don't want to slug it out in the mud - and once Sac State installed an all-weather field, things heated up.
* Section basketball playoff games will remain at Power Balance Pavilion as long as the Kings are in town. Saco and Williams have long maintained that the Kings owners - the Maloofs - have been terrific to work with. Saco and Williams cracked that if the Kings leave for Anaheim, so will the prep playoffs. And Saco, "If they move to the rail yards in Sacramento, you'll see 'Saco' on one of the cars and we'll be there, too."
* The new mercy football rule - statewide - is indeed in effect. It stipulates that if a team is ahead by 35 or more points in the fourth quarter, a running clock will immediately be put into effect. It's happened already this season, with Central Catholic crushing Brookside Christian of Stockton 72-0. In fact, the running clock started at halftime, as agreed by both coaches.
* There are three new high schools competing in the section this fall - and no more on the horizon, meaning the growth has finally stopped. The next high school on the horizon is Mather High, to open in 2014 at the very earliest. There also might be a new school in Merced.
The newbies this fall are Pachecho of Los Banos, American Canyon in the Napa District and Gregori of Modesto, the seventh in that city.
* Due to renovations, Hughes Stadium will not host the Masters Track and Field Championships next spring. The 2012 Masters will be held at Elk Grove High. Hughes also wanted to be in the running for Section title football games but Saco said the Section could not wait on a contract. Hughes will get a new field turf installed at the conclusion of this season.
Hughes last hosted a prep playoff game in 2005, a Division I semifinal between Grant and Nevada Union in a swampy, muddy mess, prompting Saco and company to pull up stakes and look elsewhere.
* On any argument that 15 or 16 games is too many for a prep football team with the introduction of the Northern California Regional playoffs next fall to advance a NorCal champion against a Southern California foe, Saco said, "the general public would like to see a state-championship football game. What do you do? Eliminate earlier games? Some states play eight games. If I had my druthers, I'd go from 10 games (in the regular season) to nine, but schools don't want to do that. They want those games and the gate."
And this: Only the true survivors would reach even 13, 14, 15 or 16 games.
* It took some work and some convincing to get the regional playoff football format into place (and neutral games sites are still in the works). It was voted down the first time and the Southern Section and North Coast Section have not been in favor of expansion from the start.
* Any football team that wins or shares a league championship will host a playoff game. Del Oro last fall tied Granite Bay for the Sierra Foothill League championship and even beat Granite Bay but still drew a low seed for its 6-4 regular season mark and had to travel the first two weeks in the postseason. That scenario won't happen again. Unlike other sections, this one is not afraid of tinkering, fine tuning and adjusting playoff ideas out of common sense and fairness.
* The Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame - a terrific success in Year One last year in large part due to the tireless efforts of Will DeBoard - will thin out a list of dozens of candidates in the coming months. The section will induct coaches and athletes of note every other year. Former athletes have to be 35 years old to be considered.
* On the idea of a state playoff for softball and/or baseball, Saco said there simply isn't enough time in the academic year, given the graduations, senior trips and off-season competition with club teams. Sections would have to agree to shorten the season, and no one is in favor of that. One bonus for this section: only the San Diego Section has a double-elimination format in those sports.
* Don't expect to see an all one-town league such as an all-Elk Grove Unified School District league...ever.
Yes, the travel would be wonderfully short for the nine schools in the EGUSD, but Saco and Williams countered that the section has to have the best interest of all 194 of their schools, not nine of them in one city. They call it a shared-travel rule. How does the section explain an all-EGUSD league to Ponderosa in Shingle Springs or Davis in Yolo County, schools who would have to travel even farther if not linked to an Elk Grove-based league.
"You have to have consideration for the other schools," Saco said.
Saco and Williams added that they hear about travel concerns every year, and then roll their eyes when they look at non-league schedules with trips to San Diego, Los Angeles, Idaho, Las Vegas or across the country.
* Basketball teams that win 15 games out of a 27-game contact schedule will make the playoffs, if the plan gains approval in the October Board of Manager's meeting. The Ponderosa girls won 17 games last winter and did not reach the post season based on the Power Ratings formula.
Two Sacramento High basketball players have made college verbal commitments.
Senior 5-foot-10 guard-forward Jasmine Ware plans to attend UC Santa Barbara, and senior 6-foot-3 shooting guard Erik Kinney has verbally committed to Cal State Bakersfield.
Ware had an outstanding summer playing for the NorCal Elite Black, co-directed by her Sac High coach Michele Massari. Last winter she helped the Dragons to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III girls championship.
Antelope won the top-tier Platinum division by beating Jesuit in the fourth annual Sheldon-Trail Summer Jam contested earlier this summer at Monterey Trail, Sheldon and Valley high schools.
Other champions crowned in the 57-team summer event were San Leandro, Gold; Kennedy, Silver; Davis, Bronze; Center, Copper.
Burbank, which won the top division of the Sac Area Summer Showcase on Sunday in Rocklin, will be among the boys basketball teams entered in the fourth annual Sheldon-Trail Summer Jam Friday through Sunday at Monterey Trail, Sheldon and Valley high schools.
Defending champion Sheldon also is in the field as is Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco, which beat Sheldon in the championship game of the Valley CRC Summer Challenge June 12.
Other top area teams entered include Jesuit, Antelope, Oak Ridge, Woodcreek, Center and Granite Bay.
Burbank captured the top-flight Gold Division boys basketball championship at the Sac Area Summer Showcase in Rocklin on Sunday, defeating Oak Ridge 67-49 in the championship game.
The Titans also downed Del Oro 53-42 in the semifinals and Granite Bay 54-42 in the quarterfinals. Burbank went 4-0 in pool play.
Other division finals: Silver - Clovis North 56, Natomas 54, overtime; Bronze - Center 67, Colfax 34; Platinum - Lincoln 59, Cosumnes Oaks 53; Brick - Christian Brothers 69, Beyer-Modesto 59.
Several area boys and girls basketball players have made NorCalPreps.com 2012 Northern California Top 40 player rankings.
The boys and their ratings are: No. 7 Arik Armstead, Pleasant Grove; No. 10 Theo Johnson, Franklin; No. 11 Kyiron Thomas, Sheldon; No. 13 Parker Uu, Jesuit; No. 25 Akachi Okugo, Jesuit; No. 27 Darius Graham, Sacramneto; No. 30 Erik Kinney, Sacramento and No. 36 Cody Demps, Pleasant Grove.
Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland's Brandon Ashley, a 6-foot-8 power forward, is rated No. 1.
Five area players made the 2012 girls top 40 - No. 17 Jasmine Ware, Sacramento; No. 22 Marissa Wimbley, Pleasant Grove; No. 29 Brianna Womack, Sacramento; No. 35 Brianna Burgos, Sheldon; and No. 38 Alison Ryan, Ponderosa.
Notre Dame verbal commit Hannah Huffman of Carondelet of Concord is listed No. 1.
Here are some more noteworthy highlights from the 2010-2011 high school sport season to complement Joe Davidson's year-in-review story in today's sports section.
• Legally blind athlete Kym Crosby, a distinctive presence on area tracks because of her bright red hair and pale skin, finishes as River Valley's most accomplished track and field athlete. The Chico State scholarship signee sets school records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters and lands Tri-County Conference MVP honors after winning the triple jump and 400 and finishing second in the 200 at the league finals.
• Sheldon, behind Bee Player of the Year Darius Nelson, plays one of the most ambitious boys basketball schedules in area history, competing in major invitationals in Southern California, Kentucky and Louisiana. The Huskies repeat as D-I section champions, but lose by two points to De La Salle of Concord in a physical NorCal D-I semifinal.
• Davis' Wade Allen wins the Sac-Joaquin Section 50- and 100-yard freestyle swim championships to cap an incredible run of 13 individual section titles by the Allen family. Jake Allen, now swimming at Stanford, won six individual titles; Trevor, now playing water polo at UC Davis, won three and Wade, the youngest, finishes with four titles.
• Area baseball and softball players make the dramatic adjustment to two game-changing new rules. More baseball squads gravitate to small ball as hitters adapt to less explosive composite bats while softball gets an injection of offense with the pitcher's circle moved back three feet.
• Despite graduating all their starters and beginning anew under new coach Paul Hayes, there is no rebuilding for Woodcreek boys basketball. The Timberwolves make a return trip to the CIF Northern California Regional Division II championship game at Power Balance Arena, falling to parochial power Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.
• The Davis girls soccer team, ranked No. 1 nationally most of the season, beats St. Francis to end the Troubadours' three-year reign as D-I champions while another nationally ranked team, Rio Americano, finishes an unbeaten season by beating rival Benicia for the D-III championship.
• With high-profile national recruits Vei Moala and Puka Lopa of Grant leading the way, 28 area players sign NCAA football national letters of intent. Cal and coach Jeff Tedford enjoy the the biggest coup in landing both Moala and Lopa. But the Pac-10 plucks six others - Grant's Darryl Paulo, Burbank's T.J. Poloai and Sheldon's Mansel Simmons to Washington State; Grant's James Sample to Washington; and Folsom's Tyler Trosin to Oregon State.
• Bonded by teamwork and a best-friend unity, Del Oro girls basketball enjoys its greatest run in coach Mike Takayama's momentous 25-year career. Only nationally ranked St. Mary's of Stockton can stop the 27-5 Golden Eagles in the postseason.
• The Davis girls basketball team rebounds from the firing of popular coach Jeff Christian (and the reinstatement of twin stars Malika and Khaliya Wilkins who he had booted for "conduct detrimental to the team") to win the Delta Valley Conference under interim coach Dennis Foster, the first-year athletic director.
• UCLA scholarship signee and St. Francis four-year player Zoe Nightingale finishes as one of the area's all-time greats by earning All-American honors. Only one other St. Francis player has done that, Troubadour coach Alynn Wright's daughter, Taryn Wright.
• Multi-talented Davis senior Ian Rock readies for decathlete duties at Duke by beating a loaded field in the rain to win the boys pole vault with a personal best 16 feet, 2 inches at the CIF State Track and Field championships in Clovis.
That's the menu Mike Finnerty and I will explore in big-picture form as we talk and debate about the academic year on Saturday's SureWest Sports Radio Show on ESPN1320 from 9-10 a.m.
It's our last program until late August as we take a summer break.
Items of interest include:
* Folsom's fabulous football ride, going 13-1 and winning the CIF Division II bowl game behind Bee Player of the Year Dano Graves, who set state quarterbacking records.
* Del Oro winning a football section title despite some fans in Loomis pleading for the removal of coach Casey Taylor after a 2-4 start. He rallied the team by removing some players, then taking it all in D-III and emerging as The Bee's Coach of the Year.
* Rocklin winning a section title in girls and boys volleyball.
* Jesuit bearing down on an astounding 100 section titles this season, with recent celebrations in soccer and National Coach of the Year Paul Rose.
* The Del Oro basketball team of class and style, headed by Belle Obert and Bee Player of the Year Madeline Campbell.
* Michele Massari willing her Sacramento Dragons to a section D-III title and earning Bee Coach of the Year honors - and SureWest Sports Coach of the Year accolades - despite graduating four starters from last season.
* The Sac High boys basketball team overcoming the sudden and controversial transfer of high profile recruit Josiah Turner at midseason and the role of meddling parents in prep sports in general.
* The rise of Antelope athletics.
* The amazing run of success for small-school Bradshaw Christian.
* The Elk Grove Unified School District power in softball.
*Realignment.
* Transfers
* Mixed messages with recruiting
* Bill Baxter winning his 600th career game as the El Camino girls coach.
* The impact of amazing leaders such as Kris Richardson, Mike Alberghini, Max Miller, Joe Potulny, Guy Anderson and Mary Jo Truesdale.
* Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson
Belle Obert of Del Oro and Kyle Howarth of Granite Bay are the SureWest Sports Show Athletes of the Year, it was announced this week.
Show host Mike Finnerty said he based his selection criteria on impact on multiple sports, grade-point average, leadership and character. In these two, SureWest found gem winners in these seniors rooted in Placer County.
Obert was a Bee All-Metro selection in volleyball and basketball, a force at the net in the fall and a force on the boards and low block in basketball as she helped power both teams into the playoffs.
Obert has a 4.2 GPA and will attend Butler University this fall on a volleyball scholarship.
Howarth, also a 4.2 student, was a first-team All-Sierra Foothill League pick in three sports. He keyed Granite Bay's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II soccer title run. The Grizzlies finished No. 5 nationally. In basketball, his 8.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game helped lead the Grizzlies into the D-I NorCal playoffs.
And in the spring, Howarth led the SLF co-champions. He is off to UC Davis to study medicine.
Both athletes will be interviewed - with highlights of their senior seasons - on the May 24 SureWest Sports Show.
Click here for more information...
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/357994/f95eac672f/1471000028//
Former Bella Vista High School basketball standout Patrick Lacey is preparing to graduate next month from Claremont McKenna College's graduate school with his MBA and head into the work world as a financial analyst with Intel Corp.
But Lacey recently capped an impressive college basketball career at the prestigious Southern California school also know as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Lacey was named the team's most valuable player this season after helping the Stags win their third consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season men's basketball championship.
The 6-foot-6 center was a unanimous SCIAC first team selection as the Stags finished 16-10 overall, 11-3 in conference. They were co-championships with the University of Redlands, which beat the Stags in the postseason tournament championship game 63-54.
Lacey helped Claremont McKenna overcome the loss of former Jesuit star Chris Blees, the 2009 and 2010 conference player of the year (and former Bee Player of the Year), who tore a knee ligament in the second game of the season.
Lacey became the team's focal point and leading scorer at 11.7 points per game. He also averaged 5.8 rebounds in playing 31 minutes a game.
Lacey started his college career as a walk-on at the University of San Diego before transferring to Claremont McKenna, where he played for three seasons.
The school that former Sacramento High School basketball star Josiah Turner transferred to midway through this past season is being watched closely by the NCAA.
The New York Daily News reported Sunday that there may be questions about the academic standing of some of the standout players at Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Daily News reporter Kevin Armstrong noted that the NCAA is scrutinizing Quality's academics "in light of red flags being raised about course work and an atypical student body."
"At stake is the eligibility of players who have committed to Arizona, Wake Forest, DePaul and Wyoming as well as a clarification of a glaring question: Is the school a legitimate educational institution or a basketball factory posing as a safe house," Armstrong wrote in the 1841-word story.
One high-profile player, Dwight Meikle, was released from his letter of intent by St. John's last week.
There was no mention of Turner's academic situation, although an NCAA official is quoted as saying that each athlete's academic record is being looked at "on a case-by-case basis."
Turner, one of the nation's top recruits and an NBA prospect, has signed with Arizona.
The 6-foot-3 point guard was removed from the Sacramento High team by no-guff coach Derek Swafford in January for violating team rules.
Turner then enrolled at Quality Education Academy and was immediately eligible to play at a school that Armstrong reports has 75 students, including 13 that are basketball players from eight different states and two countries.
With Turner around for the final third of the season, Quality Education Academy won its third straight National Christian School Athletic Association title March 12 with a 55-48 triumph over La Lumiere of LaPorte, Ind.
Turner hit a layup at the buzzer to lift the South team to a 93-91 victory over the North at the inaugural All-American Championship game April 2 in Houston. He finished with 13 points, seven assists and six steals in the win.
Skills, desire, effort have rewarded Casey Arent, whose scholar/athlete days will continue.
Arent of Sierra College and Del Oro High School has given a verbal commitment to play scholarship basketball at the University of Oklahoma.
A 6-foot-10 center with skills, Arent earned All-State and All-Big 8 Conference honors this past season. He averaged 19.1 points and 11.4 rebounds for coach John Fusano after leading the state in both categories the first half of the season. Arent will play for Lon Kruger at Oklahoma.
Arent also drew considerable recruiting interest from Cal, Washington State and Colorado, among others. He piled on the units this academic year - 19 - in order to obtain his AA degree.
Interestingly, it was a community college All-Star showcase last summer in Tulsa that thrust Arent onto the national radar. He was one of some 125 JC players on hand and he showcased an ability to pass, shoot, run the floor and defend.
Sheldon's Darius Nelson landed a spot on NorCalPreps.com's All-Northern California boys basketball five-man first team.
Joining Nelson on the first team were Archbishop Mitty of San Jose's Aaron Gordon, Oakland's Jabari Brown, Castro Valley's Roderick Bobbitt and Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland's Brandon Ashley.
Sacramento's Robert Garrett made the second team and Woodcreek's Devin Murphy and Granite Bay's Robert Duncan were selected to the third team.
Del Oro's Madeline Campbell and St. Francis' Briana Charles made the All-NorCal girls second and third teams, respectively.
For the complete list, go to http://norcalpreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1213539
Former Franklin High standout Julian Welch signed a letter of intent today to play for coach Tubby Smith at Minnesota.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard was the Big West Freshman of the Year at UC Davis in 2009-2010, averaging 7.8 points. He was the Bay Valley Conference Player of the Year this past season at Yuba College, averaging 19 points and five assists for the BVC champions.
"We had the need for a guard with maturity who can handle the ball, and that's what we're getting with Julian," Smith said in a press release. "He has played at the Division I level before and also had a great run in junior college. I've been very impressed by his court vision and awareness. He also has the ability to knock down shots. We had trouble scoring last year, and he can score in multiple ways."
Minnesota finished 17-14 last season.
As a senior at Franklin High, Welch was fifth in the Sac-Joaquin Section in scoring at 25.1 points per game, including 45 percent from three-point range. He was a Bee All-Metro first team selectee and the Delta Valley Conference MVP.
Sheldon is ranked No. 15 in Cal-Hi Sports' final state top 40 boys basketball poll.
Granite Bay is No. 32, and Sacramento is No. 38.
Mater Dei of Santa Ana, the CIF State Division I champions, finished No. 1. Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, the D-II state titlist, finished as Northern California's top-ranked team at No. 5.
The bonding experience is great. The chance to play with some of the best girls and boys senior basketball players is memorable.
But when it comes right down to it, the winners of the annual Optimist All-Star games come away just a little more satisfied.
Tonight at Center High School, the North girls prevailed over the South 95-90 in a marvelously entertaining game in front of a good crowd considering the charity event was going head-to-head with the NCAA men's basketball Final Four.
We're also not sure if it's a first - the girls put more points on the scoreboard than the boys as the South boys defeated the North 97-87 in the nightcap.
The girls game had a little bit of everything. Rallies and runs. Astute coaching moves. Athletic plays from the renowned and the unsung.
"It was awesome practicing and playing with these girls," said North MVP Crystal Sewell of Del Oro, who led her team with 17 points. "It was a great experience and winning makes it even better."
Said South MVP Briana Charles of St. Francis who had a game-high 26 points: "I wanted to win so bad tonight, but it was a good game. We came back twice, which showed our chemistry."
It twice looked as if the North was going to run the South out of the gym. The North jumped to an early 13-point lead and led throughout the first half until Charles scored on a layup just before the buzzer to put the South ahead 42-41.
The North opened the second half with a 15-0 run as the South missed its first 18 shots.
But the South, behind some sizzling three-point shooting (eight in the second half) rallied to go ahead 66-65 with 9:38 to play on two Jolise Limcaco (St. Francis) free throws.
The teams traded leads until a Jordie Smith (Bradshaw Christian) layup with two minutes to play put the North ahead to stay 88-87. Antelope's Taylor Hawkins then secured the win by hitting three consecutive baskets, a layup on a no-look pass from Rio Linda's Sariah Louden, a putback of a teammate's miss and another layup from a Sewell assist.
The 6-foot-3 Hawkins finished with 14 points and Del Oro's Madeline Campbell added 12 points for the North.
For the South, Vista del Lago's Amara Wainwright added 15 points and Davis' Malika and Khaliya Wilkins combined for 21 points.
After the game, North coach Mike Takayama was inducted into the Optimist Hall of Fame for his 25 years of coaching at Del Oro. This season his Golden Eagles, his best team, went 27-5 and finished as Sac-Joaquin Section and CIF Northern Regional championship runners-up to nationally ranked St. Mary's of Stockton.
Takayama also got to coach is trio of stars - Campbell, Sewell and Belle Obert - for one last time.
"They had to carry me for one more game, and they definitely did their job," Takayama said. "It was a nice way to end the season for us. It was a special year."
Charles, who helped keep her team in the game, especially from the foul line where she made 12 of 15 shots, said playing in the Optimist Game was special.
"You hear about these girls and you read about them in the paper," Charles said. "I just think it's neat that the best of the best are able to get together and test each other's strengths."
In the boys game, the test for the North players was how they would deal with the South's 6-11 Robert Garrett of Sacramento High.
It didn't go so well.
The Santa Clara-bound post muscled his way for 21 points, blocked shots and rebounded with authority in earning the South team's MVP honors. Woodcreek's John Peska received the North team's MVP award with a team-high 18 points, including five three-pointers.
The South dominated from the start, although the North did close to 66-64 on two J.T. Adenrele (Oakmont) free throws with 9:42 to play.
But a Garrett dunk and layup sandwiched between a Darrell Polee Jr. layup and free throw ended the North's threat.
Polee, from tiny Global Youth Charter in Antelope, had 14 points and Franklin's Chuks Iroegbu 11 for the South.
Granite Bay's Robert Duncan and Jonathan Davis had 16 and 12 points, respectively, for the North.
Former Sacramento High star Josiah Turner, now of Quality Education Academy of Winston-Salem, N.C., will play in the inaugural All-American Championship on Sunday in Houston, Texas.
The doubleheader will feature some of the nation's best high school boys basketball players.
Turner is on the South team that will play against the North at 3 p.m. (EST). Turner's coach, Isaac Pitts of Quality Education Academy, is the South coach.
Mater Dei of Santa Ana outscored De La Salle of Concord 16-8 in the final quarter of a defensive slugfest to defeat the Spartans 43-36 in the CIF State Division I boys basketball championship game tonight at Power Balance Arena.
Katin Reinhardt led the Monarchs (32-3) with 17 points and Xavier Johnson added nine, all in the second half, as Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight earned his eighth state title with what he calls his "comeback kids." The eight championships ties Crenshaw for the all-time lead in state history.
De La Salle (27-6) led by as many as nine points in the third quarter before Mater Dei rallied in the final period.
Mater Dei, averaging 74.5 points coming into the game, trailed 18-12 at halftime.
The win capped a six-game Southern California sweep today after Northern California won all four of Friday's games at Power Balance.
Kevin Payne hit a pair three-pointers in the final one minute, 37 seconds - his only points of the game - to lead La Verne Lutheran to a 64-59 win over Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland in today's CIF State Division III boys basketball championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.
It was La Verne Lutheran's second straight state title.
Payne's baskets came after O'Dowd led 59-58.
Arizona verbal commit Grant Jerrett led La Verne Lutheran (27-5) with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Cameron Osorno added 16 points.
O'Dowd's Brandon Ashley led all scorers with 26 points and eight rebounds. O'Dowd finishes 25-7.
It was the fourth straight win today by a Southern California team after Northern California won all four of Friday night's games.
The Division I boys and girls games are to follow.
Here are recaps from today's first three CIF state basketball championship games at Power Balance Arena, provided by The Associated Press.
Division III Girls: St. Joseph 53, Bishop O'Dowd 42
Alyson Beebe scored 21 points as the Southern California Regional champions from Santa Maria defeated the Dragons from Oakland.
Brianna Bognuda added 15 points and Kelsi English 11 for the Knights (29-6), who won their second state title.
Oderah Chidom led Bishop O'Dowd (24-8) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but the Dragons shot less than 30 percent from the field and missed 10 free throws.
The game was close until the middle of the third quarter when St. Joseph went on a 16-3 run to build a 13-point lead. Beebe had 11 points in the period, and the Knights then coasted to their first state title since 1991, despite losing starter Tatiana Dunlap to an injury early in the first quarter.
Here are recaps provided by Clay Kallam of the Associated Press of tonight's CIF state boys and girls basketball championship games at Power Balance Arena.
Division II Girls: St. Mary's (Stockton) 64, Rialto 48
Courtney Range had 17 points as St. Mary's of Stockton won its third straight state championship and seventh overall by defeating Rialto.
Ali Gibson and Onome Jemerigbe each had 12 for the Rams (29-2), who have now won seven state championships. Kendall Kenyon added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Brittani Walker led Rialto (33-4) with 17 points, and Denae Williams added 13. Janae Sharpe, who was averaging 22.9 points a game, was held to just eight.
The game was close for the first quarter, but St. Mary's continual pressure wore down the Knights, who committed 33 turnovers in their first appearance in a state championship game.
Division V Boys: St. Joseph Notre Dame 47, St. Bernard 44
Jacari Whitfield had 15 points and the game-winning three-pointer as the Pilots defeated St. Bernard of Playa del Rey. It was the Pilots fourth state title since 1991.
Brendan Keane had 10 points for the Pilots (27-8) and Garret Rich had 14 rebounds.
Brandon Randolph had 14 points for the Vikings (26-9), and Thurman Thomas had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
St. Bernard was just 4-23 in 2009-10, but new coach Reggie Morris turned the program around in a hurry.
No team led by more than five, and it was a one-point game going into the fourth quarter, with St. Bernard holding a 36-35 lead.
With 58 seconds left and the score tied at 42, Whitfield hit his fifth three-pointer, and after surviving some anxious moments down the stretch, St. Joseph Notre Dame hung on for the win.
A look at the boys state basketball rankings from CalHiSports.com heading into the final hoops weekend. Special thanks to Cal-Hi editor Mark Tennis, who has ranked prep teams for more than 30 years. Go to CalHiSports.com for more prep news and notes.
Rankings by division with last week's ranking in parenthesis.
Sacramento-area teams bolded.
Division I
1. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 31-3
2. (2) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 30-2
3. (3) Centennial (Corona) 30-4
4. (5) Taft (Woodland Hills) 29-3
5. (8) De La Salle (Concord) 27-5
6. (4) Castro Valley 29-3*
7. (6) Loyola (Los Angeles) 25-6
8. (7) Etiwanda 29-4
9. (9) Westchester (Los Angeles) 27-8 10. (10) Sheldon (Sacramento) 24-8
11. (11) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 29-5
12. (12) Oakland 20-8
13. (13) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 26-3
14. (14) Torrey Pines (San Diego) 24-7 15. (15) Granite Bay 27-5 Others: Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo) 26-4, Bullard (Fresno) 27-7, Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo) 24-8, Franklin (Elk Grove) 25-6, Jesuit (Carmichael) 22-10, Montebello 27-4, Newark Memorial (Newark) 21-8*, Pasadena 21-7, Santa Teresa (San Jose) 23-7, Valencia 21-8, Upland 20-10, Washington (Los Angeles) 22-8.
Division II
1. (2) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 31-2
2. (3) Summit (Fontana) 28-7
3. (1) Lincoln (San Diego) 31-2
4. (4) Ventura 30-3
5. (6) Mission Viejo 30-3
6. (7) Gahr (Cerritos) 26-8
7. (8) Mayfair (Lakewood) 27-7
8. (9) Peninsula (RH Estates) 30-3 9. (5) Woodcreek (Roseville) 28-6
10. (10) Montgomery (Santa Rosa) 28-3 Others:Antelope 26-7, Casa Grande (Petaluma) 27-6, Chico 27-2, Clovis North (Clovis) 27-12, Compton 21-11, Edison (Huntington Beach) 26-3, Foothill (Tustin) 22-9, Helix (La Mesa) 28-6, Hoover (San Diego) 26-8, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 27-6, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 23-7, St. Mary's (Stockton) 21-11, Tulare 25-3.
Division III
1. (2) Lutheran (La Verne) 25-5
2. (3) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 25-6
3. (4) Lutheran (Orange) 27-7
4. (5) Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 29-5
5. (1) La Canada 30-4
6. (6) San Marin (Novato) 29-6
7. (8) Inglewood 26-8
8. (9) Price (Los Angeles) 24-8
9. (7) El Cerrito 25-8 10. (4) Sacramento 26-7* Others: Alemany (Mission Hills) 20-11, Atascadero 25-4, Burlingame 27-5, Center (Antelope) 25-8, Chatsworth 25-10, Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) 19-10, Crespi (Encino) 24-9, Damien (La Verne) 26-4, Foothill (Palo Cedro) 22-7, Foothill (Sacramento) 21-9, Palm Springs 25-3, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 23-7, University City (San Diego) 16-14, Weston Ranch (Stockton) 26-4.
Division IV
1. (1) Salesian (Richmond) 35-1*
2. (3) Windward (Los Angeles) 26-8
3. (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 26-8
4. (4) St. Mary's (Berkeley) 23-11 5. (5) St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 26-9*
6. (6) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 25-3
7. (7) Washington (Easton) 24-8
8. (8) Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 27-4
9. (9) Santa Cruz 24-8
10. (10) Morningside (Inglewood) 17-15 Others: Army-Navy (Carlsbad) 16-12*, Bishop's (La Jolla) 15-15, Buckley (Sherman Oaks) 24-6, Central Valley (Lake Shasta) 18-11, Colfax 22-10, JSerra (San Juan Capistrano) 15-16, La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) 17-12, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 24-7, Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 20-10, Modesto Christian 25-6, Orland 21-10, Parker (San Diego) 21-9, Summerville (Tuolomne) 25-6.
Division V
1. (2) St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 26-8
2. (4) St. Bernard (Playa del Rey) 26-8
3. (1) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 26-7
4. (3) Montclair Prep (Van Nuys) 26-9 5. (5) Vacaville Christian (Vacaville) 27-7
6. (6) Flintridge Prep (La Canada) 24-7
7. (8) Poly (Pasadena) 25-3
8. (7) University (San Francisco) 28-7
9. (7) Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 23-6
10. (10) Trinity (Weaverville) 27-3 Others:Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 22-9, Brethren Christian (Huntington Beach) 26-3, Foothills Christian (Escondido) 19-12, Horizon (San Diego) 19-12, Liberty Christian (Redding) 25-5, Renaissance (La Canada) 22-7, Ripon Christian 25-7, Valley Christian (Roseville) 24-6, Valley Torah (Valley Village) 22-5, View Park (Los Angeles) 18-16.
A look at the CalHiSports.com high school girls basketball rankings heading into this weekend's CIF State Championships at Power Balance Pavilion. Special thanks to Cal-Hi editor Mark Tennis, one of the giants in this business who has ranked teams across the state for more than 30 years. Go to the CalHiSports.com site for more news and notes on prep sports.
Sacramento-area teams are in bold. Last week's rankings in parenthesis
Division I
1. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 33-1
2. (2) Berkeley 29-1*
3. (4) Brea Olinda (Brea) 31-2
4. (5) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 25-3
5. (3) Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) 30-4
6. (6) Carondelet (Concord) 28-5
7. (7) Cajon (San Bernardino) 29-2
8. (8) Narbonne (Harbor City) 31-5
9. (9) Edison (Huntington Beach) 28-4
10. (10) Troy (Fullerton) 29-5
11. (11) Santiago (Corona) 27-3
12. (12) Etiwanda 24-4
13. (13) Santa Monica 23-10 14. (14) St. Francis (Sacramento) 26-7
15. (15) Rancho Cucamonga 20-5
Division II 1. (1) St. Mary's (Stockton) 31-2
2. (3) Rialto 32-3
3. (4) Dougherty Valley (San Ramon) 28-3 4. (2) Del Oro (Loomis) 27-5
5. (5) Buena (Ventura) 27-8
6. (6) Presentation (San Jose) 24-7
7. (7) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 24-9
8. (8) Canyon (Canyon Country) 27-6
9. (9) Westview (San Diego) 26-8
10. (10) Canyon (Anaheim) 24-9
Division IV
1. (1) St. Mary's (Berkeley) 30-4
2. (3) Windward (Los Angeles) 29-4
3. (2) La Jolla Country Day 27-5
4. (6) St. Anthony (Long Beach) 20-12
5. (7) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 23-11
6. (5) Laces (Los Angeles) 27-10
7. (8) Bishop's (La Jolla) 18-12 8. (4) Modesto Christian 25-9
9. (9) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 18-11
10. (10) Piedmont 20-13
Division V
1. (1) Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 27-5
2. (3) St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 25-5
3. (4) Eastside Prep (East Palo Alto) 22-8
4. (5) St. Bernard (Playa del Rey) 23-14
5. (2) Santa Clara (Oxnard) 28-7
6. (6) View Park (Los Angeles) 29-7
7. (7) Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 25-3
8. (8) Rincon Valley Christian (Santa Rosa) 30-4
9. (9) Poly (Pasadena) 26-3 10. (10) Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 24-10
By Joe Davidson
and Bill Paterson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Some odds and ends to ponder and consider as state basketball hoops concludes the season...
* Eight of the 10 NorCal and SoCal regional boys winners got here despite not winning a section championship, benefactors of an expanded tournament.
The only section winners were Salesian and Mitty in D-II.
* All 10 SoCal champions are from the massive, 600-school Southern Section, a first. The Southern Section has more schools than some states have high schools.
* The St. Mary's girls came into the weekend with the longest winning streak of any of the title contenders, either gender, with 26.
CAPITAL ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Most Valuable Player: Pogos Trunyan, Cordova
First team: Jarvis Watkins, Devin Campbell, Antelope; Deshawn Smith, Marc Burns, Cordova; Andrew Haugen, Nolan Adams, Rio Americano; Troy Owens, Mira Loma; Nolan Egar, Whitney; Adam Myren, Ben Morgan, El Camino.
CAPITAL VALLEY CONFERENCE
Most Valuable Player: KJ Logue, Bella Vista
Ahmad Smith, TJ Jackson, Bella Vista; Chris Burnett, Alex Powell, Artice Nelson, Del Campo; Devin Wallner, Christian Brothers; JT Adenrele, Hunter Ford, Oakmont; Matt Young, Casa Roble.
Beaten by top-seeded Castro Valley 60-42 in the North Coast Section Division I boys basketball championship on March 4, the Spartans, used to the big stage, were ready to rebound tonight at Power Balance Pavilion in the CIF Northern California Regional championship.
The Spartans (27-6), behind Travis Pacos' 19 points, upset Castro Valley 49-43. Castro Valley came into the game 30-1 and ranked as the top team in Northern California. But it also was the Trojans first NorCal title appearance.
De La Salle, winners of five NorCal titles in 11 tries, will play in next Saturday's 8 p.m. CIF state final at Power Balance against Mater Dei of Santa Ana, 76-64 winners over Centennial of Corona.
A more athletic and poised Archbishop Mitty of San Jose easily defeated Woodcreek 67-44 in the CIF Northern California Regional Division II boys basketball championship game today at Power Balance Pavilion.
The loss was the last hope for an area team to advance to Friday's and Saturday's CIF state championships at Power Balance. The Sacramento and Del Oro girls were beaten in earlier games.
Woodcreek never got started against the top-seeded Monarchs.
The Timberwolves trailed from the start (the game was briefly tied 2-2) and could never gain momentum against a Mitty team that is now 31-2 and will move on to Friday's CIF State final against Summit of Fontana. Summit upset top-seeded Lincoln of San Diego 74-69 in today's Southern Regional final.
It was the second year in a row that Woodcreek lost in the NorCal championship game.
Last year, the Timberwolves (29-6) were beaten at the buzzer by St. Francis of Mountain View, a team that hails from the same tough West Catholic Athletic League as Mitty.
Woodcreek can't get any momentum going against bigger more athletic Mitty as the Timberwolves continue to fall further behind in their CIF Northern California Regional Division II boys championship game today at Power Balance Pavilion.
The top-seeded Monarchs lead 55-31 after three quarters. Woodcreek had closed to eight, 37-29, on John Peska's layup off a feed from Devin Murphy with 6:16 to play.
Mitty then scored the next 18 points before Tyler Milani scored at the buzzer.
Woodcreek continues to battle back after digging holes in both the first and second quarters against top-seeded Archbishop Mitty of San Jose in today's CIF Northern California Regional boys basketball Division II playoff game at Power Balance Pavilion.
Mitty went ahead 14-4 in first quarter before Woodcreek rallied back to 16-12. The Monarchs twice led by 13 points in the second quarter before Woodcreek closed to within 35-25.
Devin Murphy's desperation heave from beyond half court at the buzzer to cut the lead to seven hit the backboard and the rim then bounced out.
-Bill Paterson
It's no friendly homecourt advantage for Woodcreek at the start of its game against top-seeded Archbishop Mitty of San Jose in the CIF Northern California Regional Division II boys championship game today at Power Balance Arena.
Woodcreek missed eight of its first nine shots before outscoring Mitty 8-2 late to pull to within 16-12 after one quarter.
Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland's height and length were too much for El Cerrito today as the Dragons defeated the Gauchos 50-32 to repeat as CIF Northern California Regional Division III boys basketball champions at Power Balance Arena.
O'Dowd's junior front-line duo of 6-foot-9 Brandon Ashley and 6-7 Richard Longrus helped to limit El Cerrito to 26 percent shooting (11 of 43) from the floor and forced 23 turnovers.
Kendall Jackson led O'Dowd (25-6) with 11 points; Ashley had nine points and eight rebounds. Jabri Jenkins led El Cerrito (25-8) with 10 points.
El Cerrito upset top-seeded Sacramento 63-51 in last Saturday's semifinals.
O'Dowd will face La Verne Lutheran at next Saturday's 2:45 p.m. D-III state championship game at Power Balance. La Verne Lutheran defeated La Canada 57-46 in today's Southern California Regional final at USC's Galen Center.
The Woodcreek boys basketball players know they are about to play one of the best team's in California when they go against Archbishop Mitty of San Jose in today's 4 p.m. CIF Northern California Regional Division II boys basketball championship at Power Balance Arena.
They also are aware that they are sizeable underdogs against the top-seeded Monarchs, despite the relative home-court advantage and an expected huge turnout of the school's famed "Black Mob" rooting section.
The Timberwolves (29-5) will be playing against a West Catholic Athletic League power that went 30-2 (one of their losses, however, was to Jesuit, a team Woodcreek beat) and includes one of the nation's top sophomores in 6-foot-7 Aaron Gordon.
But that's just it. The Timberwolves' senior leader trio of Jamie Geyer, John Peska and Devin Murphy hate any thought of being overshadowed by a sophomore.
"He's a good player, but he's still really young," said Geyer, a Woodcreek co-captain along with Murphy. "Besides, we don't want to lose to a sophomore."
Coach Paul Hayes knows Gordon is no ordinary underclassman, having been named the MVP of arguably Northern California's top boys basketball league.
"He's tremendous, very talented," Hayes said. "He's smooth. There's not a lot of wasted energy."
Hayes would feel more confidence about today's matchup if he had senior center Sam Anderson, a strong, experienced defender.
But the 6-7 Anderson was lost for season with a knee injury just before the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals.
"Sam did so much for us, things that didn't get into the scorebook," Hayes said. "He was great at keeping the other team's big man off the boards."
Instead 6-5 juniors Luke Summers and Logan Fearman will be put to the test. Neither played much before Anderson's injury.
Hayes, though, said he isn't surprised that this group is playing for another NorCal title today.
That's despite the graduation of last year's entire starting lineup - including 7-footer Mike Kurtz (now at UC Davis) - from a team that won the D-II section title and lost on a buzzer beater to St. Francis of Mountain View in the NorCal title game under then coach Burnel Pinkerton.
"It's a great thing and a tough thing to even get to," said Hayes, whose 2003 Timberwolves won the D-II Northern California championship. "There were 12 very good teams at the start.
"But I'm not surprised by this team's success. I had them as sophomores (as the JV coach). They were a real strong supporting cast last year on a team with an abundance of talent. They're a resilient group."
Division I
No. 1 Castro Valley (30-1) vs. De La Salle-Concord (26-5), 8 p.m., Power Balance Pavilion
Castro Valley beat De La Salle 60-42 in the North Coast Section title game. Castro Valley - led by Marquette-bound 6-7 senior Juan Anderson and senior point guard Roderick Bobbitt - is in its first NorCal title game. De La Salle, in its 11th NorCal final, is used to the big stage and is renowned for its stifling defense.
Division II
No. 1 Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (30-2) vs. Woodcreek (29-5), 4 p.m., Power Balance Pavilion
Mitty's Aaron Gordon, a 6-7 sophomore, is one of the nation's best, and senior Kyle Toth is a great shooter. Toth had 25 points and Gordon 20 points, 19 rebounds, six blocks in semifinal win over Las Lomas. Woodcreek counters with seniors Devin Murphy, John Peska and Jamie Geyer.
It was a downer for a team that caught a huge wave of community support and attention after their star teammate left them in the lurch in midseason.
The top-seeded Sacramento High boys were outplayed tonight in falling 63-51 at home to a motivated El Cerrito bunch in the CIF Northern California Regional Division III boys basketball semifinals in the Dave Hotell Pavilion.
The loss denied Sacramento a chance to play in a fourth consecutive NorCal D-III championship game.
El Cerrito (25-7) was bent on avenging an early season loss to the Dragons (27-6) in the Gridley Tournament, a win for Sacramento when star senior guard Josiah Turner, one of the nation's top players, was still with the team.
The Gouchos did it by continuously beating the Dragons in transition, seeming to win every contested ball and making plays whenever the Dragons appeared they were about to get something going.
El Cerrito's 6-foot-7 senior center Eric Nelson, not at all intimidated by the Dragons' 6-11 Robert Garrett, led his team with 20 points. Junior wing Justin Johnson added 15 points and senior guard Jabri Jenkins 12.
Sophomore De'von Boyd topped Sacramento with 13 points, Erik Kinney had 12 and Garrett and Darius Graham nine each.
The Dragons scored the first basket, then trailed the rest of the way. Garrett picked up his second foul with 3:59 to play in the first quarter and spent most of the first half on the bench.
El Cerrito led by 19 points, 43-24, early in the third quarter before Sacramento closed to within seven points, 57-50, with 2:08 to play on a Graham basket. El Cerrito outscored Sac 6 to 1 the rest of the way.
Before losing tonight, Sacramento had gone 17-4 and won its third consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section D-III title without Turner.
Now we find out who has the staying power, the poise and the free throw accuracy late.
Sacramento-area basketball teams bound into NorCal semifinal games Saturday night expecting victory but preparing for anything.
A reminder that I will join Mike Finnerty on Saturday (and every Saturday) to break the teams down on the SureWest Sports Radio Show on ESPN1320 from 9-10 a.m. A link to the show will be posted later in the day. Guests include Woodcreek coach Paul Hayes and Antelope coach Rob Richards.
For score updates, insight, on these games, follow us on Twitter at sb_joedavidson
A closer look at the matchups.
Girls Division I St. Francis (26-6) vs. Carondelet (27-4) at St. Mary's College Outlook: The Troubadours ramped up their schedule, the program's toughest, to prepare for this. St. Francis has lost only in recent months to Berkeley, the top seed in this playoff, and national power and D-II favorite St. Mary's of Stockton. St. Francis is superbly coached by Vic Pitton, who unleashes guards Jolise Limcaco and Briana Charles, in addition to versatile senior Beth Balbierz, Nicole Lau, Kristn Anderson, Ellie Earley and a host of others. Carondelet of Concord earned the No. 2 seed after three physical, emotional and down-to-the-wire encounters with Berkeley, including a victory.
Boys Division I Sheldon (24-7) vs. De La Salle (25-5) at St. Mary's College Outlook: This one will likely leave a lot of folks with bruises, cuts, welts and abrasions. That's the norm when you take on De La Salle, the terrific defensive dynamos from Concord. Sheldon offers a pretty sound defense, too, and an offense that averages 69 a game. The last loss for Sheldon was 13 games ago, to De La Salle, 48-45, when Darius Nelson was off target. He's eager for another shot, as is Sheldon to shed any perception that the Sacramento big schools cannot stand up to the large-school lads in the Bay Area. You know Nelson will score, as will Ramon Eaton, but it will come down to attacking that DLS defense, which yields next to nothing and put the clamps on Granite Bay on Thursday a week after Sheldon needed a buzzer-beating putback by Nelson to beat those same Grizzlies. How support crew members Kyiron Thomas, D'erryl Williams, Dakarai Allen, Ryan Manning, Mansel Simmons and others fare is paramount for Sheldon.
Girls Division II Del Oro (26-4) at Presentation (24-6) Outlook: Veteran Golden Eagles coach Mike Takayama says this is his best team in Loomis, and it's clear why: cohesion, skill, smarts, toughness. Del Oro has terrific well-rounded athletes in Becky Duncan, Madeline Campbell, Belle Obert, Crystal Sewell, Stephanie Geyer and Brianna Ruiz. Stinging from a 5-point loss to national power St. Mary's of Stockton in the section finals at Power Balance, Campbell said afterward, "I feel sorry for the next team we play." That was Chico, which absorbed a 68-37 beating on Thursday. In San Jose and Presentation, the Golden Eagles will encounter strength, speed and size, with post players and scholarship guards who have mowed teams all season, including a 29-2 El Camino bunch 75-50.
Boys Division II Woodcreek (27-5) at Antelope (27-6) Outlook: Eleven days ago, Antelope stunned Woodcreek in a Sac-Joaquin Section semifinal at Power Balance on a late play by Jarvis Watkins, then held its collective breath when a halfcourt shot just missed at the buzzer for the defending section champion Timberwolves. Now here they are again, this time in the cozy confines of Antelope's sparkling new gym that will include the rowdy rooting section named the Red Zone, to match wits with Woodcreek's spirited Black Mob. On the court, it'll be even more intense as Woodcreek leaders Jamie Geyer, Devin Murphy and John Preska seek redemption against Watkins, John Winters, Caleb King, Devin Campbell, Kendall Martin, Isaiah Ellis, Kei'shaun Sinclair, Dom Mullane and others. Antelope and Woodcreek have survived last-minute wins in the NorCals, twice each. For two schools mere miles away from each other and both members of the Roseville Joint Union School District, this really is about bragging rights.
Girls Division III Campolindo (25-6) at Sacramento (27-5) Outlook: The host Dragons realize the playoffs intensify greatly now as an established program that is battle tested from a rigorous schedule comes in and will not be awed in the least by Sacramento's 65-game home winning streak. Campo of Moraga is coached by one of the good guys - and great coaches - in the business in Clay Kallam. His team features a scoring trio in Annelise Ito, Amanda Forshay and Annie Ward, each 5-foot-10 or taller. Sacramento will counter with swift guards and wings of skill in Fantasia Hilliard, Allie Green, Breana Williams, Jasmine Ware, Najah Queenland. And there is emerging post Ayanna Edwards. Coach Michele Massari has been masterful in crafting this team, molding it, motivating it. The Dragons are one tough hurdle away from a repeat trip to the finals.
Boys Division III El Cerrito (24-7) at Sacramento (27-5) Outlook: The Dragons vowed to make a NorCal run after the crash and burn experience with Josiah Turner, who took his talents not to South Beach but to North Carolina. This team remains motivated - and dangerously fast and athletic, anchored inside by the 6-foot-11 Robert Garrett, whom coach Derek Swafford calls "the best big man in Northern California." The support crew is superb, too, with Aaron Cameron, Erik Kinney, Darius Graham and De'von Boyd. El Cerrito beat Sacramento on Dec. 9 - ancient history - with a fourth-quarter surge as Jamontee Condor scored 22. Turner had 24 for Sacramento, so the Dragons have to make up for that loss. El Cerrito has one local loss, to Franklin-Elk Grove 55-35, but don't read too much into that. The Dragons certainly won't.
Girls Division V Bradshaw Christian (24-9) at Pinewood (26-5) Outlook: The Pride have experienced Pinewood of Los Altos Hills before, with unpleasant results, falling to the small-school power 53-47 in the NorCal semifinals a year ago and in a NorCal second-round game in 2009 by a brutal 79-35 score. This time, Bradshaw vows to produce better results with a senior-dominated team that has four section titles to its credit and badly wants a NorCal banner. Captains Lauren Beyer, Fernandi Espinosa and Jordie Smith lead the way for coach Mike Ruble, who has scouted Pinewood this season and came away with this thought: still great, though beatable.
Boys Division V Vacaville Christian (27-6) at St. Joseph (25-8) Outlook: Vacaville Christian scored 90 to win the section title at Power Balance, and made it look easy. It then put up 84 and 81 in subsequent games, so scoring is the theme here, and defense is what St. Joseph's specializes in. St. Joseph's is a storied program, where Jason Kidd led the Pilots to state title glory in the early 1990s.
It's what the Sacramento High boys and girls basketball teams look forward to all year - the opportunity to play in the postseason in their venerable Dave Hotell Pavilion.
It's a huge, concrete monstrosity, unlike most of the cozy area gyms. Backdrops are far from the basket. The ceilings are high. The lighting dim.
Announcer Sean Boyd's thunderous voice adds to the raucous atmosphere as the pulsating sounds of cheers reverberate off the walls.
So with a huge crowd tonight for a rare doubleheader, the old barn was rocking. The Dragons, top-seeded in the boys and No. 2 in the girls, opened their CIF Northern California Regional Division III playoff run with a sweep.
The Sacramento girls (27-5) put together a late run and used a balanced offensive attack to defeat tenacious Miramonte (23-7) of Orinda 51-43 in the opener. Then the Sacramento boys (26-6), behind 6-foot-11 Robert Garrett's 20 points and dominating defensive presence, defeated an equally determined Foothill (22-7) of Palo Cedro 66-62 in the nightcap.
Into the house of horrors will come two more out-of-area teams for Saturday's semifinals. The girls will play Campolindo of Moraga, a 63-57 winner over Cathedral of San Franciso. The boys will face El Cerrito, which beat Burlingame 46-43.
"We have a unique, old gym," said Sacramento High athletic director Justin Gatling. "So it can be intimidating for visiting teams, especially when we fill the place."
It's almost an impossible place for visitors to win. By beating Miramonte, the girls extended their home-court winning streak to 65 games over five years. The boys are 72-6 during the same period.
"It's why we play all those tough games in the preseason," said Sac High boys coach Derek Swafford. "It prepares us for the playoffs. Getting to do it at home in front of our fans is a huge advantage and a treat for our kids."
Said Sacramento girls coach Michele Massari: "What an amazing crowd tonight. It really helped us."
Senior guard Fantasia Hilliard relishes the postseason atmosphere.
"I love big crowds," said the 5-3 Hilliard, who played every minute and scored 11 points. "During the regular season we don't play as tough of teams, and there may be five people in the stands. This fires us up."
It helps that both talented teams play entertaining, unselfish basketball. Against Miramonte, three Dragons were in double figures, led by Jasmine Ware with 12 points.
"That's what's great about our team," Hilliard said. "Someone is always going to be on so we don't have to be stars."
While Garrett continues to be a force since star Josiah Turner left the team in midseason, he didn't do it alone against a scrappy Foothill bunch motivated by an active student rooting section of its own.
De'von Boyd had 15 points, Darius Graham 13 and Erik Kinney came up with a huge block at the basket with 3.5 seconds left that prevented Foothill from possibly tying the score.
The first thing Kyle Howarth will tell you is that he's a role player.
So the 6-foot-2 senior forward's role for Granite Bay tonight was pretty simple - play the hero.
Cutting off a back-door screen by teammate Jonathon Davis, Howarth sprinted to the basket, took an inbounds pass from Robert Duncan and calmly laid in the game-winning basket with seven seconds to play.
That lifted the Grizzlies past visiting McClymonds of Oakland 56-55 in the CIF Northern California Regional Division I boys basketball playoffs.
The basket - and subsequent missed desperation shot by the Warriors - set off pandemonium in the nearly full Granite Bay gym.
The raucous student rooters stormed the floor, engulfed the players in hugs and lifted Howarth to their shoulders. They serenaded him to chants of "Kyle, Kyle, Kyle."
The win over one vaunted Bay Area basketball program moves the Grizzlies into a contest Thursday against another.
Granite Bay (27-4), in its first NorCal playoff run, will play at second-seeded De La Salle of Concord.
Seniors Duncan and Davis are Granite Bay's stars, and they played like it against McClymonds in combining for 36 points and numerous big plays.
But Granite Bay has had a season for the ages because of players like Howarth, Jacob Keys, Joe Eyen and Nathan Brillington.
"I'm just a guy who gets rebounds and plays defense, but I can step up and make a shot when we need it," said Howarth, who played on Granite Bay's section-winning volleyball and soccer teams, respectively, in the spring and fall.
Howarth, who finished with eight points, said the play initially was set to go to Davis.
"But they left me wide open and I just put it in," he said. "It was awesome, especially after that loss to Sheldon."
Howarth's game winner atoned for an earlier mistake. Unable to keep a ball from going out of bounds with 5:50 to go in the game, he slammed the ball in frustration. He was called for a technical and Dulani Robinson made two free throws and Dalvin Guy scored on the ensuing possession to put McClymonds ahead 50-46.
Duncan, who led all scorers with 24 points, couldn't believe how open his teammate was on the play.
"We've run that play all year, and it finally paid off," he said. "Our team always stays calm. It showed in that we didn't panic and ran the play right."
Entering the final minute against a tall and athletic McClymonds (17-15), it looked as if Granite Bay might be headed to its second heartbreaking loss within seven days.
The Grizzlies lost to Sheldon on a buzzer beater tip-in in overtime by Darius Nelson in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I semifinals last Tuesday at Power Balance Pavilion.
They trailed McClymonds 55-54 with 26.4 seconds to play when the Warriors' Guy stepped to the foul line for a one and one.
But the sophomore missed the first attempt and Howarth rebounded.
Keys missed a short runner with nine seconds to play, but in the loose ball battle it went off a McClymonds player out of bounds, leading to the winning play.
The lead went back and forth and the game was tied five times in the final quarter.
"The kids did a great job, especially on the boards in the second half," said Granite Bay coach Jason Sitterud. "They just killed us in the first half."
McClymonds' 6-9 Jamaree Strickland and the 6-6 Guy were a handful, keeping balls alive for their quick-handed teammates.
"We were a little jittery playing on our heels instead of our toes in the first quarter," Sitterud said of trailing 23-14 at that point. "Once we calmed down and started to attack, we were OK."
It helped that the 6-3 Duncan made a couple of amazing plays during the first 16 minutes. He hit a shot from halfcourt just before the first-quarter buzzer and sprinted coast to coast to score a layup and draw a foul at the halftime buzzer. He made the foul shot to help the Grizzlies close to within 30-27.
When Colfax beat Amador of Sutter Creek 53-44 on Saturday for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys basketball championship at Power Balance Arena, it marked the first time in four years that a public school won the title in that division.
Modesto Christian had won three consecutive from 2008 to 2010 before being upset 56-54 this season by Amador in the semifinals. The win also ended Modesto Christian's 46-game playoff win streak.
"I just think it was pretty cool we had a public school final," Colfax coach Mike O'Connell said. "I'm not going to get into any philosophical debates about that. I just think good foothill public schools playing for the section title is pretty good."
Colfax had lost to Modesto Christian in the 2008 and 2010 finals after winning it all in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Of those four section titles, three have come under different coaches, with O'Connell getting his first after missing out last year and in 2004 (losing to Colfax) when he coached at Lincoln.
So why the consistency, first under Wade Wolff, then Ron Pucci and, for the last two years, under O'Connell?
"There's expectations at the school," O'Connell said. "There is great parent support. They know we are going to work the kids hard and they back us doing that. The kids never miss practice."
The Falcons also don't make many mistakes, and they handle adversity pretty well. When leading scorer and Pioneer Valley League MVP Chase Mosier was forced out of the title game early with a leg injury, they didn't panic.
"It's about fundamentals at our school," O'Connell added. "We don't have anyone who can dunk. We don't run lob-dunk plays. We're about taking care of the ball, making good passes and taking good shots. It's a formula that's been successful over many, many years."
Colfax will be host to the winner of Tuesday's CIF Northern California Regional Division IV opener between Marin Catholic of Kentfield and Santa Cruz on Thursday.
A quickie peek at the NorCal playoff games. More coverage coming in The Bee in print, online, Sacbee Facebook.
Boys
All games 7 p.m. Division I First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Franklin-Elk Grove at No. 8 Serra-San Mateo
No. 10 McClymonds-Oakland at No. 7 Granite Bay
No. 11 Washington-San Francisco at No. 6 Santa Teresa-San Jose Second round: Thursday
Franklin/Serra winner at No. 1 Castro Valley
No. 5 Jesuit at No. 5 Oakland
No. Santa Teresa/Washington winner at No. 3 Sheldon
Granite Bay/McClymonds winner at No. 2 De La Salle Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, Saturday, 7 p.m. Finals: March 19, Power Balance Pavilion, 8 p.m.
Division II First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Casa Grande-Petaluma at No. Pleasant Valley-Chico
No. 12 Cordova at No. 5 Las Lomas-Walnut Creek
No. 11 Northgate-Walnut Creek at No. 6 Antelope
No. 10 Woodcreek at No. 7 St. Francis-Mountain View Second round: Thursday
Pleasant Valley/Casa Grande winner at No. 1 Mitty-San Jose
Las Lomas/Cordova winner vs. No. 4 St. Mary's-Stockton winner, Delta College
Antelope/Northgate winner at Chico
St. Francis/Woodcreek winner at No. 2 Montgomery-Santa Rosa Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: Power Balance Pavilion, 4 p.m.
Division III First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Analy-Sebastapool at No. 8 Foothill-Palo Cedro
No. 12 Weston Ranch-Stockton at No. 5 Burlingame
No. 13 Mission-San Francisco at No. 4 El Cerrito
No. 11 Foothill-Sacramento at No. 6 Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland
No. 10 Paradise at No. 7 Center Second round:Thursday
Foothill/Analy winner at No. 1 Sacramento
Burlingame-/Weston Ranch winner vs. El Cerrito/Mission winner
Bishop O'Dowd/Foothill winner at No. 3 Sacred Heart/San Francisco
Center/Paradise winner at No. 2 San Marin-Novato Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: March 19, Power Balance Pavilion, noon
Division IV First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Orland at No. 8 Modesto Christian
No. 12 Marin Catholic-Kentfield at No. 5 Santa Cruz
No. 11 St. Pat's/St. Vincent-Vallejo at No. 6 Amador-Sutter Creek
No. 10 Summerville at No. 7 Central Valley-Shasta Lake City Second round:Thursday
Modesto Christian/Orland winner at No. 1 Salesian-Richmond
Santa Cruz/Marin Catholic winner at No. 4 Colfax
St. Pat's-St. Vincent's/Amador winner at No. 4 Sacred Heart-Atherton
Central Valley/Summerville winner at No. 2 St. Mary's-Berkeley Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: Folsom High School, 7 p.m.
Division V
No. 9 Ripon Christian vs. No. 8 Mid-Peninsula-Menlo Park at Kezar
No. 12 St. Elizabeth-Oakland at No. 5 Vacaville Christian
No. 11 Valley Christian-Roseville at No. 6 Liberty Christian-Redding
No. 10 Head-Royce-Oakland at No. 7 Bradshaw Christian Second round:Thursday
Mid-Peninsula/Ripon Christian at No. 1 St. Joseph-Alameda
Vacaville Christian/St. Elizabeth winner at No. 4 Trinity-Weaverville
Valley Christian/Liberty Christian winner at No. 3 University-San Francisco
Bradshaw/Head Royce winner at No. 2 Pinewood Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: March 19, Folsom High School, 3 p.m.
Girls Division I First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Oak Ridge vs. No. 8 Lowell-San Francisco at Kezar Pavilion
No. 12 Castlemont-Oakland at No. 5 Lincoln-Stockton
No. 11 Washington-San Francisco at No. 6 Oakland Tech
No. 10 Armijo-Fairfield at No. 7 Gunn-Palo Alto Second round: Thursday
Oak Ridge/Lowell winner at No. 1 Berkeley
Lincoln/Castlemont winner at No. 4 Palo Alto
Oakland Tech/Washington winner at No. 3 St. Francis-Sacramento
Gunn/Armijo winner vs. No. 2 Carondolet-Concord at De La Salle. Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: March 19, Power Balance Pavilion, 6 p.m.
Division II
No. 9 Dublin at No. 8 Mitty-San Jose
No. 12 Bella Vista at No. 5 Pleasant Valley-Chico, 6 p.m.
No. 11 Chico at No. 6 Clayton Valley
No. 10 Santa Rosa at No. 7 El Camino-Sacramento Second round: Thursday
Mitty/Dublin winner vs. St. Mary's Stockton, Delta College
Pleasant Valley/Bella Vista winner at No. 4 Doughterty Valley, San Ramon
Clayton Valley/Chico winner at No. 3 Del Oro
El Camino-Santa Rosa winner at No. 2 Presentation-San Jose Semifinals: Thursday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: March 19, Power Balance Pavilion, 2 p.m.
Division III First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Acalanes-Lafayette at No. 8 Vanden
No. 12 El Dorado at No. 5 St. Ignatius-San Francisco
No. 11 Christian Brothers-Sacramento at No. 6 Campolindo-Moraga
No. 10 Enterprise-Redding at No. 7 Miramonte-Orinda Second round: Thursday
Vanden/Acalanes winner at No. 1 Biship O'Dowd
El Dorado/St. Ignatius winner at No. 4 Paradise
Campolindo/CBS winner at No. 3 Sacred Heart-San Francisco
Enterprise/Miramonte winner at No. 2 Sacramento Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: March 19, Power Balance Pavilion, 10 a.m.
Division IV First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Branson-Ross at No. 8 Calaveras
No. 12 Colfax at No. 5 Lassen
No. 11 Bear River at No. 6 Scotts Valley
No. 10 Anderson at No. 7 Marin Catholic-Kentfield Second round:Thursday
Calaveras/Branson winner at No. 1 St. Mary's-Berkeley
Colfax/Lassen winner at No. 4 Notre Dame-Belmont
Bear River/Scotts Valley winner at No. 3 Piedmont
Anderson/Marin Catholic winner at No. 2 Modesto Christian Semifinals: Saturday, home sites, 7 p.m. Finals: March 19, Folsom High School, 5 p.m.
Division V First round: Tuesday
No. 9 Turlock Christian at No. 8 Rincon Valley-Santa Rosa
No. 12 Sonoma Academy-Santa Rosa at No. 5 Bradshaw Christian
No. 11 Convent-San Francisco at No. 6 Brookside Christian
No. 10 Vacaville Christian at No. 7 Portola Second round: Thursday
Rincon Valley/Turlock Christian winner at No. 1 Pinewood-Los Altos Hills
Sonoma Academy/Bradshaw winner at No. 4 Hamilton
Brookside/Convent winner at No. 3 St. Joseph-Alameda
Vacaville Christian/Portla winner at No. 2 Eastside Prep/Palo Alto Semifinals: Saturday, home sites Finals: March 19, Folsom High School, 1 p.m.
Now onto bigger and brighter things, as in a Northern California banner to wedge into a fast-filling trophy case.
The Sheldon Huskies defended their Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship tonight at Power Balance Pavilion, pulling away in the second of against their Jesuit rivals, 84-69.
It was the third meeting of the season between the tradition-rich programs, with Sheldon prevailing in two white-knuckle Delta River League meetings, by three points each outing. This time, the Huskies inflicted their skill and will in the second half as they were faster to loose balls, stronger on the boards and a great deal more experience, having won the title last season with the bulk of the same roster.
Four-year starting cornerstones Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton again led the way with complete-game efforts that make them so difficult to defend.
Nelson had game highs in points (27) and rebounds (14) and Eaton had 18 and five in addition to handling the ball at 6-foot-8. Sophomore guard D'erryl Williams muscled in for 18 points and support crew members such as Dakarai Allen and Kyiron Thomas combined for 19 as the Huskies repeated as champions and won the title for the third time since 2007.
Akachi Okugo and Parker Uu each had 17 for Jesuit and Brian Glodowski and Bryce Pressley had 15 and 12, respectively for Jesuit, which also advances to next week's NorCal tournament.
"We want to get to the state championship and we think we can do it," Sheldon coach Joey Rollings said. "We have the team to do it."
Antelope High School's bid to win a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys basketball championship in its first season with a senior class ended tonight with a 61-50 loss to St. Mary's of Stockton.
The fourth-seeded Titans, who upset top-seeded and defending champions Woodcreek on Tuesday, ran into a St. Mary's team playing well and with superior size in 6-foot-10 senior center Chris Magalotti and 6-4 senior forward Alex Simmons.
St. Mary's outrebounded Antelope 37 to 26.
Simmons had a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds and Magalotti 14 points and 14 rebounds to lead the seventh seeded Rams (21-10) to the school's eighth section title.
Junior Jarvis Watkins and sophomore Isaiah Ellis each had 11 points to lead Antelope (25-6).
Both will advance to this week's Northern California Regional playoffs. Matchups will be announced Sunday.
Despite losing leading scorer and senior leader Chase Mosier early to injury, Colfax High School didn't miss a beat today in defeating Amador 53-44 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys basketball championship game at Power Balance Arena.
Mosier, a 6-foot-3 senior forward averaging 20 points a game, saw his left knee lock up midway in the first quarter and watched the second-half of the game from a gurney in back tunnel of the building. He may have ligament damage.
But his Falcon teammates, many of whom have played together since elementary school, stepped up by outrebounding Amador 36 to 28 and holding the Buffaloes (25-6) to 35 percent shooting from the floor.
Senior Austin Oberg led Colfax (22-9) with 15 points, including eight of eight from the foul line. Ben Buell added 10 points but it was a collective effort of starters and reserves as the third-seeded Falcons won their fourth section championship in the last eight years. They are also 24-4 in playoff games during that span.
Fourth-seeded Amador's two leading scorers, Clinton Tremelling and Austin Johnson struggled, shooting a collective 6 of 24 from the floor.
Johnson, averaging 17.7 points, finished with eight. Tremelling, averaging 16, had eight of his 15 points in the final quarter.
Amador was coming off a huge 54-52 upset of top-seeded Modesto Christian on Wednesday, ending the Crusaders' 46-game winning streak and 11 consecutive section titles in three different divisions.
Top-seeded Sacramento High School, fueled by sophomores Aaron Cameron and De'von Boyd and 6-foot-11 senior post Robert Garrett, rallied to beat No. 2 Center 53-48 tonight in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III boys basketball championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.
It was Sacramento's third consecutive D-III section title and fifth the last seven years.
Garrett scored 15 points, had nine rebounds, three blocks and held Center star Chad Haysbert to six points. Cameron added 14 points and two steals and Boyd nine points as the Dragons prevailed over a determined Center team that led by as many as 12 points in the first half.
Chris Smith topped Center with 13 points and Andrew Zan added 11.
Sacramento, which has played in seven consecutive D-III title games, extended its playoff record to 25-2 since 2005.
Center was trying to win the second boys basketball title in school history under coach Ray Gagnon, who led the Cougars girls to a section championship in 2001. The boys won their only title in 2004.
Both teams will advance to the next week's CIF Northern California Regional playoffs. Pairings will be announced on Sunday.
Fourth-seeded Vacaville Christian blew open a close game in the second half to defeat second-seeded Bradshaw Christian 90-63 tonight in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V boys championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.
Vacaville Christian shot a sizzling 62.5 percent from the field (35 of 56), including 12 of 17 in the third quarter. That's when the Falcons pulled away after leading by only four, 44-40, at halftime.
Senior forward Brandon Barnes led the way for Vacaville Christian (25-6) with 29 points. Jake Abel added 22, Torry Arthur 18 and Eric Vaughn 11, before having to be carted off the Power Balance floor by medical personnel with a leg injury.
Senior center Scott Ecklund topped Bradshaw Christian (21-8) with 23 points. Jake Adkins added 15 and Ron Henry 12 for a Pride team that shot a not-bad 50 percent from the floor (26 of 52).
Bradshaw Christian played without three-sport star Brady Dragmire, the senior guard and defensive force who injured his ankle early in an 80-71 loss Feb. 16 to Vacaville Christian during Sierra Delta League play.
Bradshaw Christian, co-champions with Highlands in the Sierra Delta, split with Vacaville Christian during league play.
Vacaville Christian took third in league but has been on a roll in the playoffs, including an upset of top-seeded Ripon Christian 71-63 in Tuesday's semifinals.
The win denied Bradshaw Christian coach Mike Ruble the chance to accomplish a rare double. Before the boys played, his girls team beat Brookside Christian of Stockton 44-32 to win their fourth consecutive section title.
Ruble's Pride did win boys and girls titles in 2009.
Bradshaw Christian and Vacaville Christian will advance to next week's CIF Northern California Regionals. First-round matchups will be announced Sunday.
Some interesting, amazing, thought-provoking items of interest on the Sac-Joaquin Section basketball playoffs at Power Balance (long live Arco). Items provided by the guru informant of necessary information John Williams of the section office.
* There are no first-time guaranteed winners, though five teams could hoist banners for the first time with the boys from Antelope and Vacaville Christian and the girls from Lincoln and Vanden (Brookside girls already lost to Bradshaw Christian this weekend).
* Champions who return for another chase in boys (Sheldon, Sacramento) and in girls (St, Mary's and Bradshaw, which won today for a four-peat).
* League rival title matchups with Sheldon-Jesuit in D-I and the Delta River, Vacaville Christian and Brookside in D-V.
* Seven No. 1 seeds are in the finals, with five No. 2s, four No. 3s and three No. 4s and Antelope the lowest seed at No. 7 in boys D-II.
* Darius Nelson of Sheldon already had 92 points and could join select company of stars from season's past if he passes 100 for a repeat playoff season (he has scored in double figures in all four playoff varsity seasons). Brother DeMarcus Nelson is the section's playoff scoring leader - and the state's all-time scorer. With 302 career playoff section points, he joins his brother, Adrian Oliver, Chase Tapley and Gerald Madkins.
* St. Mary's coach Tom Gonsalves of St. Mary's seeks his ninth title, a record. Duwaine Ganskie won eight with Bear River.
* Ray Gagnon of Center is attempting to join select company in winning a section title with both genders at the same school. Paul Gonzalez did it with Roseville, Harvey Tahara with McClatchy, Mike Ruble with Bradshaw and Joey Rollings with Sheldon. Center plays two-time defending D-III champion Sacramento on Friday night.
A Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball preview and breakdown of title games Saturday at the old barn with charm, otherwise known as Power Balance Pavilion.
Division I
No. 1 Sheldon vs. No. 3 Jesuit, 8:30 p.m.
Outlook:This is fabulous rubber-match to decide the best large-school team in the valley this season. These programs, steeped in tradition, battled it out in the section's top league, the Delta River, with Sheldon prevailing twice in nail-biting three-point victories.
So now it's the third time, but is it the charm for Jesuit? The Marauders knocked out two straight league champions in the playoffs in Burbank and Franklin, seeded second. The Marauders have a young team but they play smart, play inspired and they play within themselves.
Behind senior leaders and four-year varsity starters Lauren Beyer, Jordie Smith and Fernandi Espinosa, top-seeded Bradshaw Christian defeated second-seeded Brookside Christian 44-32 tonight at Power Balance Pavilion to win its fourth consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division V girls championship.
Smith scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds, Beyer added 14 points and 13 rebounds and Espinosa was all over the floor in helping the South Sacramento school clamp down on a Stockton team that was averaging 70.5 points a game, sixth best in California.
Pride sophomore Ashlee Jones also played outstanding defense in holding section scoring leader Tiara Tucker to 11 points. She made just three of 15 shots from the field.
The freshman, No. 2 in California and No. 8 nationally, came in averaging 31.6 points.
It was Bradshaw Christian's 16th consecutive section playoff win, fourth longest in section history.
Bradshaw Christian (22-9) and Brookside Christian (25-6) will advance to next week's CIF Northern California Regional playoffs. Teams will be determined Sunday.
Bradshaw Christian High School seniors Lauren Beyer, Jordie Smith and Fernandi Espinosa can accomplish a rare feat tonight.
The four-year varsity starters can win a fourth consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division V girls basketball championship when the top-seeded Pride plays against second-seeded Brookside Christian of Stockton in the 4 p.m. title game at Power Balance Arena.
If it wins, Bradshaw Christian will become the first area girls team to win four straight titles since Bear River won six consecutive championships in two divisions from 1993 to 1998.
The Pride (21-9) went undefeated in the Sierra Delta League after playing an ambitious nonleague schedule against big-school powers nationally ranked St. Mary's of Stockton, Berkeley and Highlands Ranch of Colorado.
The 6-foot-2 Beyer and 5-11 Smith are scholarship recruits headed to UC Davis and Vanguard University of Costa Mesa, respectively.
Ruble expects Espinosa, the Pride's 5-2 point guard, will play at the next level, too, though likely at a community college first.
Sophomore Ashlee Jones already is considered one of the top underclass players in the state and is getting lots of looks from major colleges, Versatile 5-6 sophomore Briana Barnes, a Pleasant Grove transfer, has given the Pride an all-around spark.
The Pride faces an intriguing Brookside Christian (25-5) team.
Despite having only six players and being young (three freshmen), the Knights are high-energy, quick and have the state's No. 2 scorer (31.6 points per game) in freshman Tiara Tucker.
Tucker is No. 8 nationally and No. 2 in California in girls scoring, according to Maxpreps.com.
Meanwhile the Bradshaw Christian boys also hope to win a section championship tonight. The second-seeded Pride (21-7) play Sierra Delta League rival and fourth-seeded Vacaville Christian (24-6) in the 6 p.m. boys D-V final.
A win would give Bradshaw Christian a double in the division for the second time in three years. The Pride boys and girls won D-V championships in 2009.
Both teams are coached by Mike Ruble, also the school's athletic director.
Bradshaw Christian, a 230-student school in only its sixth season of varsity sports, has quickly established itself as a sports power.
The Pride won football section titles in 2008 and 2009 and were runners-up to Brookside Christian this past fall. The baseball team won a section championship last spring.
So even with a 25-2 lead midway in the second quarter, the Center High boys had to sweat a little in their Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinal tonight against Foothill at Cosumnes River College.
Second-seeded Center withstood a valiant comeback try by the sixth-seeded Mustangs before prevailing 66-54. Foothill twice closed to within eight points in the fourth quarter, including with 4:06 left to play.
But Center made enough free throws down the stretch to move into Friday's 9 p.m. championship showdown with top-seeded Sacramento, the two-time D-III defending champs, at Power Balance Pavilion.
For Center, senior forward Chad Haysbert led the way with 20 points. Chris Smith added 14. Michael Bryson had 19 and Fidel Cadenas 13 for Foothill.
Center (24-6) and Foothill (21-9) are long-time neighborhood foes, even after realignment moved them into the Pioneer Valley League this season.
For a long time it was a one-sided rivaly when both were in the Capital Valley Conference.
But that ended last season when the Cougars twice beat Foothill in league, ending a 10-year drought. Center did it again this season.
Last year was a breakthrough season for the Cougars, who not only won the CVC but compiled an impressive 28-4 record under coach Ray Gagnon.
But they were denied a chance to play for the section title game at then-Arco Aena on the very same Cosumnes River College floor in which they won tonight.
They lost a memorable 69-66 triple-overtime heartbreaker to Vista del Lago.
The ghost of Josiah Turner hovering over the Sacramento High boys basketball team is fading away.
With the present melding nicely with the future tonight, the top-seeded Dragons (25-5) defeated No. 4 Weston Ranch (26-3) of Stockton 74-67 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals at Cosumnes River College.
The win advances the Dragons into Friday's 9 p.m. championship game at Power Balance Pavilion against the winner of the Center-Foothill game now underway. For the Dragons, it will be their seventh consecutive title game appearance as they try to three-peat as champs.
Some doubted that Sacramento could get back to the championship after Turner, one of the nation's top players, was removed from the team by no-guff coach Derek Swafford for violating team rules. Turner then bolted for a school in North Carolina.
With a couple of other seniors also quitting just after Turner, it forced Swafford to rely even more on a core of talented sophomores who joined hold-over veterans Robert Garrett, a senior, and juniors Darius Graham and Erik Kinney.
The group, learning to play together on the fly, has gone 15-4 since Turner's departure, with the results on full-display tonight.
The 6-foot-11 Garrett, showing how much he has matured since playing as a varsity freshman, dominated at both ends, scoring 20 points and blocking nine shots.
"More than anyone Rob had to step up and make the biggest change when Josiah left," Swafford said. "He had to become more of a scorer, and he has grown into it. He's the best big man in the section."
Sophomores Devon Boyd and Aaron Cameron did their part. Boyd had a game-high 21 points and Cameron added 13.
"Over time we have achieved a lot in terms of sticking together while still maturing," Swafford said. "With Josiah, we might have breezed through the section. Without Josiah, we're going to have to earn it."
Three-year-old Antelope High School isn't waiting to establish its athletic reputation.
The Titans won the Capital Athletic League football title in the fall, and the boys basketball team may have done them one better late Tuesday night by rallying to upset top-seeded Woodcreek 62-61.
Jarvis Watkins' driving layup with 8.4 seconds gave the fourth-seeded Titans (25-5) the win in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals at Power Balance Pavilion. The school with its first senior class will play St. Mary's of Stockton in Saturday's 4:30 p.m. championship game at Power Balance.
Seventh-seeded St. Mary's beat Antelope's CAL rivals, Cordova, in Thursday's early semifinal.
"As a new school we had a plan last year," Antelope coach Rob Richards said. "We knew we would take our lumps (9-18) last year. But we knew if the players bought in, we would be OK. They have worked so hard."
Woodcreek's Luke Summers put his team up 61-60 on a tip-in of a Tyler Milani miss with 57 seconds left in the game. Woodcreek (25-5) star Devin Murphy then had a chance to lengthen the lead with 21.7 seconds, but missed the front end of a one and one.
Watkins, a 6-foot-2 junior, didn't waste any time firing up the large and already frenzied Red Zone rooting section.
He dribbled straight into the heart of Woodcreek's defense to score, also drawing a foul. He missed the free throw, but teammate Isaiah Ellis rebounded. His shot was blocked by Summers and Woodcreek recovered with 3.7 seconds.
After a Woodcreek timeout, Milani's heave from midcourt hit the front of the rim.
Antelope had blanketed Murphy, the Timberwolves' star, on the play. The 5-11 guard had scored 19 points and had a game-high 17 rebounds.
"Devin Murphy is such a great player that we wanted somebody other than No. 5 to take that shot," Richards said. "Woodcreek, that's a great team."
Antelope showed its resilience by coming back several times against the defending D-II section champs.
The Titans trailed 11-0 at the start and 23-8 after the first quarter. They stormed back to go ahead 30-28 on a John Winters tip-in at the halftime buzzer, then fell behind by eight when Woodcreek opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run.
"We were down 19 in the third quarter against Whitney (in league) and won," Richards said. "Our guys just don't quit."
Woodcreek had trouble containing the quicker Titans, who feasted on a number of athletic drives to the basket. They closed to one, 49-48, on a Kendall Martin 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter, then the fourth quarter became a battle of wills.
Watkins led Antelope with 20 points and Winters and Kei'shaun Sinclair each added 13 for the Titans while Ellis, a sophomore, had a team-high 11 rebounds.
Woodcreeks's John Peska led all scorers with 23 points, but missed his last seven shots. Summers, a 6-5 reserve post starting in place of injured Sam Anderson, added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Summers, who scored Woodcreek's last five points, played well, but Woodcreek missed the 6-7 Anderson, who tore knee ligaments in an earlier playoff game.
Woodcreek's season is not over. The Timberwolves will advance to the CIF Northern California Regionals, either Monday or Tuesday. They will learn on Sunday who they will play.
The season-long goal for the Cordova High players and veteran coach Bob Jones was to get to Power Balance Pavilion, where a Lancers' boys basketball team hadn't played since 1994.
But like a lot of teams that have come before them, playing under the bright, expansive lights of the aging NBA arena can be a mixed experience.
While it's quite a reward to run up and down the same floor as the Sacramento Kings, the atmosphere can be intimidating.
That's what third-seeded Cordova learned tonight in its Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff semifinal against seventh-seeded St. Mary's of Stockton.
Cordova (22-7) started poorly and never recovered in falling 48-35 to the Rams (20-10).
The win moves St. Mary's into Saturday's 4:30 p.m. D-II title game at Power Balance against the winner of tonight's Woodcreek-Antelope game.
How bad was it?
The Lancers didn't score in the first quarter and didn't make their first points, two Deshawn Smith free throws, until behind 17-0 with 6:28 left in the second quarter.
The Lancers didn't score their first basket, a reverse layup by Smith, until 2:46 was left in the second quarter and trailed 25-10 at halftime.
"I think they kind of got a little overwhelmed by the whole thing," said Jones, in his 27th and likely last season as the Lancers' coach. "It was just a bad night. But I didn't want to put a negative slant on the deal for the season for them because we end up 22-7, and we're one of four Division II teams to play at Arco. I told them that I really appreciated the fact that they got their old man to Arco again."
Neither team shot well.
Cordova finished 25 percent from the floor (12 of 48) while St. Mary's made 33 percent of its shots (15-45), missing all 12 attempts from the floor in the fourth quarter. But the Rams made 10 of 12 free throws in the period and 17 of 23 for the game.
Cordova's prolific 3-point scorer Pogos Trunyan made just one, in the second quarter, his only points of the game. The 6-foot-3 Smith topped Cordova with 12 points but he had several shots blocked by St. Mary's 6-10 post Chris Magalotti, who finished with six blocks.
"When you are being guarded by a guy 6-10, there isn't much you can do other than take a jump shot," Smith said. "And I'm not a guy to take a jump shot. I just kept going at him, but they weren't calling fouls."
There is a consolation for the Lancers that they only learned about after the game. This is the second year that four section teams in each division qualify for the CIF Northern California Regional tournament.
So on Monday or Tuesday Cordova will play on the road against a team to be announced on Sunday.
"We didn't know until coach told us after the game - we thought we were done," Smith said. "Although we're disappointed right now because the goal all year was to win sections, playing in NorCals is big. Maybe we can get back here (the D-II NorCal final is March 19 at Power Balance) and get another shot to play for a title."
Added Jones: "I had told them that their next loss would be their last loss. I had to retract that a bit."
With the Sac-Joaquin Section boys and girls basketball playoffs in the final week - the championships are Friday and Saturday at Power Balance Arena - here are some notes of interest provided by Will DeBoard, the section's director of communications.
• Darius Nelson (Sheldon) has moved into fifth place on the all-time career playoff scoring list with 265 points. He needs just 10 to tie Chuck Hayes of Modesto Christian fame, 54 to tie third place Reeves Nelson (no relation) of Modesto Christian. Reaching second (360 points) or first (377) seem unrealistic, as he would need 105 and 122 to tie those spots with just one or two games remaining. Nelson's older brother DeMarcus sits atop the career points list with 377.
• Freshman scoring sensation Tiara Tucker of Brookside Christian has scored 34 and 35 points in her first two games. A couple more similar efforts would allow her to join elite company (Kellie Cook, Jacki Gemelos, Ashley Moore and Danielle Viglione) of players that have scored 100 points in a single playoff season. The girls single season record is 149 held by Cook of Nevada Union in 1991.
• Twelve coaches with multiple titles to their credit have teams still playing. They include Modesto Christian's Gary Porter (13), St. Mary's Tom Gonsalves (8), El Camino's Bill Baxter (5), Sacramento's Derek Swafford (4), Bradshaw Christian's Mike Ruble (4 - one boys and three girls), Oak Ridge's Steve White (3), Del Oro's Mike Takayama (2), St. Francis' Victor Pitton (2), Sheldon's Joey Rollings (2 - one boys and one girls), Jesuit's Greg Harcos (2) and Foothill's Drew Hibbs (2).
• Center's Ray Gagnon is trying to join a short list of coaches who have guided both boys and girls teams to section titles. Paul Gonzalez did it at Roseville, Harvey Tahara at McClatchy, Mike Ruble at Bradshaw Christian and Joey Rollings at Sheldon.
With the Sac-Joaquin Section boys and girls basketball playoffs in the final week - the championships are Friday and Saturday at Power Balance Arena - here are some notes of interest provided by Will DeBoard, the section's director of communications.
• 89.2 percent (nearly 9 out of 10) of the higher seeded teams have been victorious, which is well above the norm. Here are the winning percentages of the higher seeds for the past several years: 2010 - 83.4; 2009 - 80.2; 2008 - 78.1; 2007 - 76.8; 2006 - 75.3.
• The boys have been slightly more predictable with the higher seeds winning 90.2 percent of the time, while the girls higher seeds have won 88.3 percent of the time.
• Two brackets have seen the top seeds win all of their games (D4 boys and girls), and five divisions have seen the top seeds lose only once (D1 boys, D5 boys, D1 girls, D3 girls and D5 girls).
• Division I girls higher seeds have struggled so far, winning only 8 of 12 games (66.7 percent), while the other nine brackets have gone 99-9, 91.7 percent.
• The No. 1 seed is still alive in all 10 divisions, while seeds 2, 3 and 4 are alive in nine divisions each.
• Eight of last year's champions remain alive in the tournament. On the boys side, Sheldon (D-1), Woodcreek (D-2), Sacramento (D-3) and Modesto Christian (D-4) are still playing. On the girls side, Oak Ridge (D-1), St. Mary's (D-3 champ playing in D-2 this year), Modesto Christian (D-4) and Bradshaw Christian (D-5) are still playing.
• Six different schools have both their boys and girls teams still playing. They are Sacramento, St. Mary's, Colfax, Modesto Christian, Bradshaw Christian and Vacaville Christian. Fourteen times boys and girls teams from the same school have won titles in the same year, last accomplished by Modesto Christian last year.
• Sixteen of the 42 remaining teams have never won a section title in basketball. They are: boys - Granite Bay, Franklin-EG, Antelope, Weston Ranch, Ripon, Capital Christian, Summerville, Vacaville Christian and Valley Christian; girls - Armijo, Lincoln-S, Vanden, Vacaville Christian, Turlock Christian and Brookside Christian.
• Seven of the remaining teams have never made an appearance in the finals. They are: boys - Granite Bay, Antelope, Vacaville Christian and Valley Christian. Girls - Armijo, Vacaville Christian and Brookside Christian.
• The Sheldon boys are looking for their third championship in five year. They and Jesuit have history on their side as well: A team from the Delta River League has won the D1 boys championship each of the last four years. Franklin-EG is looking to make its third straight appearance in the championship game.
• Woodcreek is looking to defend the championship it won last year, when the boys team stopped Oakmont. Facing it in the semis is Antelope, a school that will graduate its first senior class this year. Cordova is looking to make its first finals appearance since the Lancers won the D1 championship in 1984.
• The Sacramento boys are gunning for their third D3 championship in a row, their fourth in five years and their seventh straight finals appearance. They face Weston Ranch in a rematch of the 2007 championship (Sac won 62-58). And the other semifinal, Center-Foothill, is a rematch of the 2004 Section championship (won by Center, 53-52).
• Modesto Christian's boys have won 11 Section titles in a row, including the last three in D4.
• Ripon Christian's boys had quite the run in the mid 1990s. The Knights took six championships in a row from 1991-96, and appear to be drawing from their glory days this year. Their opponent, Vacaville Christian, has scored 177 points in its first two wins.
• The St. Francis girls won two titles and made three finals in D2 over the last four years. Now, the Troubadours are in D1 and face an Armijo program that has never made the finals. It's the same type of matchup in the other semifinal, as a seasoned Oak Ridge team that won the D1 state championship last year faces a Lincoln-S team that is looking for its first finals appearance since 1981.
• The top-seeded St. Mary's girls are in D2 after winning the last three D3 championships. They face a Bella Vista program looking for its first finals appearance since 1993. El Camino coach Bill Baxter just won his 600th career game and he's got a one-loss team facing Del Oro in what should be an outstanding semifinal.
• The top-seeded Sacramento girls have made it to the finals for seven straight years; they're facing off against a Christian Brothers team that won the D4 title in 2008. The other semifinal features teams that mark most of their success in the deep past. El Dorado won the D2 title in 1979, and haven't been back to the finals since. Vanden was a section runner-up in 1980 and 1988.
• The Modesto Christian girls are looking for their sixth section title in seven years. They face a Colfax team that was a Section runner-up in 2006. Calaveras won the 1975 D2 title, but hasn't been back to the finals since 1986; the Redskins' opponent Bear River was the 2006 and 2007 D4 champ.
• The top-seeded Bradshaw Christian girls have won the last three championships, and face a Vacaville Christian team that has never made the finals. Turlock Christian lost to Bradshaw Christian in last year's final, while the Eagles' opponent - Brookside Christian - is looking for its first trip to Power Balance Pavilion.
Here's a report from our Modesto Bee colleague Brian Vanderbeek about Summerville's wild Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoff win over Capital Christian on Monday, a game that had been postponed from Friday because of inclement weather.
In this age where everybody's cell phone is a high-resolution camera, someone had to have captured the moment in which Travis Arenas scored the basket that sent this town into its largest celebration since the last time someone hit a Big Bucks progressive jackpot.
And on that moving image is the definitive answer whether or not Arenas released the ball before the clock ran out.
The referees seemed to think so, and ran off the court a few milliseconds after Summerville High's 59-58 victory over Capital Christian became official.
No one could hear the buzzer in the din of the capacity crowd, and for the next 10 minutes no one could think straight between the joyful yelling of Summerville faithful, the brief but civil protests of the Capital Christian side and the near-eternal drone of the Bear Band's drumline.
Yes, it was a wild scene - one that ended the season of the Cougars (17-11) from Sacramento and sent Summerville (24-5) into Wednesday's 5:30 p.m. Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinal game at Tokay High against Colfax, which beat Ripon 58-36.
It was a wild and emotional game - one that despite the 29 points of Cougars' center Brian Simmons saw neither side lead by more than four points. It begged for the conclusion it got.
Bears center Tige Wingo capped his 16-point effort with two free throws with 1 minute, 8 seconds left to give the Bears a 57-55 lead, but the Cougars ran a perfect inbounds play moments later to free junior Matt Donlan for a 3-pointer and a 58-57 lead with 42 seconds remaining.
Summerville took its time with the next possession, but was rushed at the end of the shot clock, and Zach Roberson was picked clean at the top of the circle with nine seconds remaining.
"We had everything we wanted and my guy was playing me tight," Roberson said. "I was going to take him off the dribble, but I got careless with the ball. Luckily we fouled him quickly and gave us enough time to get at least one shot and maybe two like we did."
The Bears managed to foul with 6.1 seconds left, but since it was only their fifth team foul of the half, Capital Christian got the ball out of bounds near midcourt and called timeout to make sure it had the correct play.
In essence, the Cougars were two successful inbounds passes away from keeping their season alive.
Capital Christian ran a four-man stack in front of the inbounds passer and committed the basketball mortal sin of lobbing a mid-range pass back toward the Summerville basket.
Roberson tipped the ball, then gained possession and drove toward the hoop. His initial shot rolled off the opposite side, but Arenas was there to grab the rebound and hit the game-winner.
No one could have heard the buzzer in the din.
"I was very surprised to see the pass go that way," said veteran coach Marlen Ronten. "Why not go toward your own basket? I don't know.
"It was just a lot of hustle on our part. We were denying everything and happened to make the proper play. We picked it off, and I don't know if it was good or not, but it was awfully close."
Roberson, Summerville's multi-purpose, multi-sport star athlete, had the best view of the closing play.
"You don't think they're going to throw the ball into our court," he said. "If anything, you'd think they would have tried to get the ball inbounds on their side of the court to get some time off the clock.
"They made a careless little pass and we tipped it away and got the steal. And my shot? I'm glad Travis was there, that's all I have to say."
With the Sac-Joaquin Section girls and boys basketball playoffs in the final week - championship games are set for Friday and Saturday at Power Balance Arena - here are some notes of interest provided by Will DeBoard, the section's director of communications.
• The longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances for girls teams ended last year at 30 when Bret Harte failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1980. One year later, the Colfax girls have tied that mark with consecutive appearances from 1982 to 2011.
• Modesto Christian boys have extended their incredible record of consecutive playoff wins to 46, 25 ahead of second place Ripon Christian.
• St. Mary's and Bradshaw Christian girls have extended active playoff winning streaks to 14 apiece. That's a tie for sixth on the all-time list, 16 behind the St. Mary's streak of 30 from 1999-2006.
Here are some of tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball highlights from results reported to The Bee.
BOYS
DIVISION 1
Sheldon 93, Rodriguez 74 - Darius Nelson scores 31 points and D'Erryl Williams 22 in leading five Huskies in double figures.
Granite Bay 77, McNair 60 - Robert Duncan scores 27 points and Jonathon Davis 23 in leading the Grizzlies to victory.
Jesuit 81, Burbank 65 - Parker Uu tallies 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting from the field and Byrce Pressley adds 15 and Akachi Okugo 13 to lead the Marauders past the Titans. Vick West Jr. and Jay Stone score 20 each for Burbank.
Franklin-EG 59, Turlock 40 - Darin Johnson scores 20 and Theo Johnson 16 to lead the Wildcats to the win.
Semifinals/Tuesday at Arco Arena (times TBD)
#4 Granite Bay vs. #1 Sheldon
#3 Jesuit vs. #2 Franklin-EG
DIVISION 2
Woodcreek 60, Wood 48 - John Peska scores 21 points and Devin Murphy 19 to lead the Timberwolves to victory.
Antelope 55, Bella Vista 46 - Jarvis Watkins scores 16 points and John Winters 15 as the Titans beat the Broncos.
Cordova 64, Del Campo 57 - Pogos Trunyan scores 20 points to lead the Lancers past the Cougars. Cordova and veteran coach Bob Jones will make their first trip to Arco Arena since 1994.
St. Mary's 51, Fairfield 46, OT
Semifinals/Tuesday at Arco Arena (times TBD)
#4 Antelope vs. #1 Woodcreek
#7 St. Mary's vs. #3 Cordova
DIVISION 3
Sacramento 63, Sierra 52 - Robert Garrett and Aaron Cameron each score 15 points and Erik Kinney adds 14 for the Dragons.
Weston Ranch 76, Cosumnes Oaks 66
Foothill 62, El Dorado 53
Center 79, Yuba City 65 - Chad Haysbert tallies 26 points to lead the Cougars past the Honkers.
Semifinals/Wednesday at Cosumnes River College (times TBD)
#4 Weston Ranch vs. #1 Sacramento
#6 Foothill vs. #2 Center
DIVISION 4
Modesto Christian 61, Calaveras 55
Amador 69, Highlands 59
#6 Ripon at #3 Colfax, PPD. (Monday, 6 p.m.)
#7 Capital Christian at #2 Summerville, PPD. (Monday, 7 p.m.)
Semifinals/Wednesday at Tokay HS (times TBD)
#4 Amador vs. #1 Modesto Christian
Ripon/Colfax vs. Cap. Christian/Summerville
DIVISION 5
Ripon Christian 61, Faith Christian 29
Vacaville Christian 90, Brookside Christian 62
Valley Christian 74, Global Youth Charter 63 - Jesse Peters and Jason Gish each score 14 points to lead the Lions to victory.
Bradshaw Christian 59 Sacramento Waldorf 56 - Scott Eklund scores 26 points and Jake Adkins 17 to lead the Pride past the Waves. Chris Schwartz-Edmisten scores 36 for Sacramento Waldorf.
Semifinals/Tuesday at Galt HS (times TBD)
#4 Vacaville Christian vs. #1 Ripon Christian
#3 Valley Christian vs. #2 Bradshaw Christian
Here are tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball quarterfinals scores provided by Will DeBoard, the section's director of communications.
BOYS
DIVISION 1
Sheldon 93, Rodriguez 74
Granite Bay 77, McNair 60
Jesuit 81, Burbank 65
Franklin-EG 59, Turlock 40
Semifinals/Tuesday at Arco Arena (times TBD)
#4 Granite Bay vs. #1 Sheldon
#3 Jesuit vs. #2 Franklin-EG
DIVISION 2
Woodcreek 60, Wood 48
Antelope 55, Bella Vista 46
Cordova 64, Del Campo 57
St. Mary's 51, Fairfield 46, OT
Semifinals/Tuesday at Arco Arena (times TBD)
#4 Antelope vs. #1 Woodcreek
#7 St. Mary's vs. #3 Cordova
DIVISION 3
Sacramento 63, Sierra 52
Weston Ranch 76, Cosumnes Oaks 66
Foothill 62, El Dorado 53
Center 79, Yuba City 65
Semifinals/Wednesday at Cosumnes River College (times TBD)
#4 Weston Ranch vs. #1 Sacramento
#6 Foothill vs. #2 Center
DIVISION 4
Modesto Christian 61, Calaveras 55
Amador 69, Highlands 59
#6 Ripon at #3 Colfax, PPD. (Monday, 6 p.m.)
#7 Capital Christian at #2 Summerville, PPD. (Monday, 7 p.m.)
Semifinals/Wednesday at Tokay HS (times TBD)
#4 Amador vs. #1 Modesto Christian
Ripon/Colfax vs. Cap. Christian/Summerville
DIVISION 5
Ripon Christian 61, Faith Christian 29
Vacaville Christian 90, Brookside Christian 62
Valley Christian 74, Global Youth Charter 63
Bradshaw Christian 59 Sacramento Waldorf 56
Semifinals/Tuesday at Galt HS (times TBD)
#4 Vacaville Christian vs. #1 Ripon Christian
#3 Valley Christian vs. #2 Bradshaw Christian
A bid for respect and a chance to play at Arco Arena will be at stake tonight when Burbank plays at Jesuit High School in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section boys Division I basketball playoffs.
Burbank beat Sacramento High twice this season to win its first Metro Conference title since 1996 and, with a victory tonight, would reach Tuesday's semifinals and an Arco appearance for the first time since 1998.
But Titans (23-5) fans are miffed that their school got a lower playoff seed than perennial hoops power Jesuit (20-8), which finished second to Sheldon in the Delta River League, had a less impressive win-loss record and was ranked lower by The Bee (No. 3 vs. No. 7) and by NorCalPreps.com (No. 10 vs. unranked).
Burbank is a No. 6 seed; Jesuit a No. 3 seed, which gives the Marauders the home court advantage tonight.
Jesuit received the higher seed because the Delta River had the better league strength rating; it played the tougher overall schedule; and it beat the Titans 75-58 Dec. 11 at the Gridley Tournament.
Burbank comes into the game having not lost on the court since Dec. 16, when the Titans fell 63-39 to Analy of Sebastopol in the St. Hope Classic at Sacramento High.
The Titans did forfeit two games, including its Metro opener against Hiram Johnson, because of a brawl during the championship game of the Modesto Christian tournament Dec. 30.
Six other area teams ranked in the top 20 in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com also play tonight.
They are:
• No. 4 Sheldon, which plays host to Rodriguez in D-I
• No. 8 Granite Bay, which plays host to McNair in D-I
• No. 9 Woodcreek, which plays host to Will C. Wood in D-II
• No. 11 Sacramento, which plays host to Sierra in D-III
• No. 13 Franklin, which plays host to Turlock in D-I
• No. 20 El Dorado, which plays host to Foothill in D-III
Antelope figured to be tested in tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys basketball playoff opener against visiting Folsom.
The Bulldogs were only a No. 13 seed with a 12-14 record but they played one of the area's tougher schedules, including in the ultra-competitive Delta River League.
But fourth-seeded Antelope, a team playing its first season with a senior class, avoided being upset victims by rallying to beat the Bulldogs 40-38 at home.
Kei'shaun Sinclair led the Titans (23-5) with 12 points. Antelope will play host to Bella Vista in Friday's quarterfinal round.
In other highlights from tonight's opening round games:
* Devin Murphy tallied 17 points as top-seeded Woodcreek beat Los Banos 67-50 in D-II.
* Darius Nelson had 24 points and Ramon Eaton 12 as top-seeded Sheldon beat Monterey Trail 59-41 in D-I.
* Robert Garrett had 18 points and Erik Kinney 15 as top-seeded Sacramento defeated Hogan 63-47 in D-III.
* Darrell Polee, Jr., the section's leading scorer, had 39 points in No. 6 Global Youth Charter's 72-53 win over No. 11 Delta in Division V.
* Eli Hudson scored 38 points but it wasn't enough as No. 14 Encina fell at No. 3 Colfax 74-55 in D-IV. Ben Buell had 28 points to lead Colfax.
* Jeremy Bubier had 23 points to lead No. 5 Highlands to a hard-fought 64-60 win over No. 12 Central Catholic in D-IV.
* Terry Jackson had 22 points and Ahmad Smith 18 as No. 5 Bella Vista beat No. 12 Vallejo 74-66 in D-II.
It's an easy formula for success. Make your shots, hit your free throws and minimize your mistakes.
That's what the sixth-seeded Del Campo Cougars did tonight in the final quarter to beat the No. 11 Del Oro Golden Eagles 71-58 in an opening round Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys basketball game in Fair Oaks.
Del Campo made six of eight shots from the field, including its fifth and sixth three-pointers; hit 15 of 16 free throws (and 23 of 29 for the game) and committed only three turnovers against a desperate Del Oro press in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a runaway.
The win moves Del Campo (21-7) into Friday's second round game at No. 3 Cordova, a 57-49 winner over Buhach Colony tonight.
Del Oro, the third place finisher in the Sierra Foothill League, ends its season at 18-10.
Davit Saghatelyan led Del Campo with 17 points, Chris Burnett added 15 and seven other Cougars scored. Volleyball scholarship recruit (UC Irvine) Kyle Russell topped Del Oro with 17 points and Alan Kidwell added 15.
Del Oro was in the game in the first half, utilizing its superior size - Russell is 6-7, Kidwell 6-6 and Luke Cochran 6-9. The Golden Eagles scored easy baskets inside, dominated the offensive boards and disrupted Del Campo shot attempts in and around the key. They were within two points, 25-23, late in the second quarter.
But Del Oro found little success from the perimeter and Del Campo did. Del Oro closed to within four points, 41-37 late in the third quarter before the Cougars began to pull away.
A Jordan Broyles three-pointer - just Del Oro's second successful deep shot of the game - enabled the Golden Eagles to close within eight points, 59-51, with 1:40 to play before Del Campo closed it out by making all 12 of its free throw attempts.
We all know about the amazing atmosphere for Sierra Foothill League boys basketball.
But it would be tough to top tonight's electrifying mood at Del Campo High School, where the No. 16 Cougars took on Fair Oaks rival Bella Vista on Senior Night.
Del Campo has one of the area's bigger gyms, yet it still was standing room only with two large, boisterous rooting sections exchanging chants and cheers throughout in what was an fierce back-and-forth defensive slugfest.
Del Campo rallied to win 42-41 as senior wing Alex Powell scored the game's final five points - a three-pointer with 21.7 seconds to play, then a driving layup with 4.5 seconds.
When the buzzer sounded hundreds of Del Campo rooters, decked out in blue and gold, stormed the floor and mobbed the players.
"This was a great high school basketball atmosphere," said Del Campo coach Dave Nobis.
Added Bella Vista coach Dave Gonzalez: "I told our boys after the game, 'Look at how people act when they beat you.' It's something to beat Bella Vista in basketball, where it wasn't that way a few years ago. Our kids were awesome. Their kids were awesome. You couldn't ask for a better atmosphere."
Powell, the hero, led the way for Del Campo with 16 points. Chris Burnett added nine. K.J. Logue and Ahmad Smith each had 15 for Bella Vista.
There was no lack of intensity even though Bella Vista (15-12, 9-1) had already clinched the Capital Valley Conference title on Wednesday after beating Oakmont 53-41 while Del Campo (20-7, 8-2), the preseason favorite, was upset 49-45 by Christian Brothers to fall two games behind the Broncos with one to play.
"What's consistent is our effort," Nobis said. "It was unfortunate that we lost on Wednesday. The effort on Wednesday is the same effort you saw out here. It's just some shots didn't go in.
"The great thing about these guys is that they didn't hang their heads when it happened Wednesday."
They also didn't hang their heads when Bella Vista seemed to finally gain the upper hand. Smith scored on a base-line runner, then Tanner Wright added a layup for a 41-37 Bella Vista lead with 30 seconds to play.
"This is a great group, they love playing and competing," Nobis said. "They don't yell at each, they don't point fingers. They stay together. So I'm really happy for them to pull this off in front of this crowd.
"This crowd was pumped all week. The student body was talking about this game ever since we lost to them at BV."
With Gonzalez building a consistent winner at Bella Vista (89-50, four playoff appearances and three league titles in the last five years) and Del Campo (78-57 and four playoff appearances in the last five years) traditionally solid under Nobis, the rivalry keeps getting bigger.
"It's gotten crazy," Nobis said. "Dave has good teams year in, year out. We play each other tough whether we're up, whether we're down. His team has done a tremendous job this year. They're very talented. We didn't even blink when they had the tough preseason (6-11). We knew they were good, they were playing good teams. But we were beating good teams, too."
While Bella Vista has only one senior starter and two sophomores starting, Del Campo is a veteran group, with the team's top players - Powell, Burnett, Davit Saghatelyan, Tyler Smith and Mason Welch - all seniors.
Gonzalez said it was unfortunate that his surging Broncos - they had won nine consecutive league games - couldn't finish with a perfect league season as both teams head into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs that start on Wednesday.
"We're still league champions," Gonzalez said. "I told the kids they can't take that away from you. Fight back and be ready for Wednesday."
Nobis said the win is huge for his guys, who had yearned to win a league banner after a strong nonleague performance.
"At this point, it's about momentum," Nobis said. "...So this performance is going into their memory banks."
Both will enter a D-II field that, outside of defending D-II section champion Woodcreek, has a lot of parity.
"It will be a war," Nobis said. "So nothing will surprise me."
Cordova High School's bid to win its first boys basketball league championship since 1994 suffered a setback Tuesday night in Rocklin.
Whitney (13-13, 4-5) upset the No. 11 Lancers 60-52 behind sophomore guard Nolan Eger's 20 points. With No. 14 Antelope beating Rio Americano 63-60 in overtime, that leaves the Lancers (19-6, 7-2) and Titans (21-5, 7-2) tied for first place in the Capital Athletic League with one game still to play.
Cordova plays host to last place Mira Loma (4-22, 0-8, with last night's Mira Loma-El Camino game unreported) while Whitney travels to Antelope in Thursday's regular-season finales.
Global Youth Charter's Darrell Polee Jr. and Sacramento Waldorf's Chris Schwartz-Edmisten continue to battle for the Sac-Joaquin Section scoring lead.
Polee, who has scored 125 points in his last three games including 51 against Freedom Christian, leads with a 31.2 average. He's third in the state and 18th nationally among Maxpreps.com's scoring leaders.
Schwartz-Edmisten, averaging 30.3 points, is No. 2 in the section, No. 4 in the state and No. 25 nationally.
The national leader is Zach Richie of Oregon-Davis of Hamlet, Ind., at 40.5 points, and the California leader is Patrick Gonzalez of Providence of Burbank at 37.8.
With the regular season concluding this week, today's third Sac-Joaquin Section boys and girls basketball power ratings offer up a few surprises.
Showing the competitiveness of the Division I boys field, a 13-9 Laguna Creek team is on the outside looking in at No. 17. Only the top 16 teams advance to the playoffs.
But the Cardinals, hurt by their mediocre 4-4 record in the Delta Valley Conference, face a tough challenge in trying to qualify. They end the regular season this week with home league games Wednesday against Monterey Trail (17-7, 5-3) and Friday against Franklin (20-5, 8-0).
Nine of The Bee's top 20 teams are in Division I.
Here are those teams' latest power ratings: No. 1 Sheldon, No. 2 Franklin, No. 3 Granite Bay, No. 6 Burbank, No. 8 McClatchy, No. 9 Kennedy, No. 11 Jesuit, No. 13 Monterey Trail, No. 14 Pleasant Grove and No. 15 Oak Ridge. Grant (unranked by The Bee) is at No. 16.
Here are the the top four seeds by division, plus area teams on the bubble.
Boys
D-II - 1. Woodcreek, 2. Cordova, 3. Bella Vista, 4. Del Campo.
D-III - 1. Sacramento. 2. Center, 3. El Dorado, 4. Weston Ranch. Bubble teams: Vista del Lago, No. 17; Whitney, No. 18.
D-IV - 1. Modesto Christian, 2. Summerville, 3. Colfax, 4. Amador.
D-V - 1. Ripon Christian, 2. Bradshaw Christian, 3. Vacaville Christian, 4. Valley Christian.
For more go to:
http://cifsjs.org/sports/winter/basketball/boysbb/powerratingboys-3.pdf and http://cifsjs.org/sports/winter/basketball/girlsbb/powerratinggirls-3.pdf
Former Sacramento High star Josiah Turner, now playing for a school in North Carolina, was passed over for the McDonald's All-American game scheduled for March 30 in Chicago.
Turner, now playing for Quality Education Academy of Winston-Salem, N.C., was the highest ranked player (No. 10) not selected, according to Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com.
Turner's Oakland Soldiers AAU teammates Jabari Brown (No. 22) of Oakland High and Nick Johnson (No. 40) of Findlay Prep of Henderson, Nev., also were not among the 24 players selected. But Soldiers teammate Kyle Wiltjer (No. 25) of Portland, Ore., did get picked to play for the West team.
Turner and Johnson have signed with Arizona, Brown with Oregon and Wiltjer with Kentucky.
There is no better area boys basketball league for electric atmosphere and big-game intensity than the Sierra Foothill League.
That pulsating excitement was on full display tonight at Granite Bay when the No. 6 Grizzlies beat No. 5 Woodcreek 57-56.
The Granite Bay gym was so packed that the announcer appealed several times for spectators sitting in the bleachers among the standing-room-only crowd to squish in to try to create some extra seating.
Both student rooting sections, Granite Bay's "The Tribe" and Woodcreek's "The Black Mob", fired things up by exchanging constant chants and cheers.
Afterward, Granite Bay's monster rooting section stormed the floor and hoisted Nathan Brillington, who made the winning three-pointer with 6.2 seconds, on their shoulders and seranaded the happy and surprised 5-9 junior guard with chants of "Nate, Nate, Nate!"
"What an amazing high school experience," said Granite Bay coach Jason Sitterud. "We'll tell (the players), 20 years from now, you'll always remember this game.'"
The No. 4 Burbank High School boys basketball team broke a Metro Conference deadlock for first place tonight, beating No. 2 Sacramento 80-74 on the Dragons' home court in Oak Park.
Vick West Jr. led the Titans (18-4, 8-1) with 27 points, Rob Long added 15 and Mitchell Love 12. Erik Kinney topped Sacramento (17-5, 7-2) with 22. Aaron Cameron added 15 and Robert Garrett 12.
It was Burbank's second league win over Sacramento this season. The Titans beat the Dragons 78-74 at Burbank on Jan. 7.
Burbank's only league loss was a forfeit to Hiram Johnson in the Metro opener.
The Titans were forced to forfeit that game as penalty for a bench-clearing brawl in their previous game against Morningside of Inglewood in the championship of the Modesto Christian tournament.
Although Burbank's Tu'uta Inoke is expected to sign a letter of intent Wednesday to play football for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this fall, his current focus is on helping the No. 5 Titans win a Metro Conference boys basketball title.
Coach Lindsay Ferrell says the senior football quarterback-linebacker is a leader on the basketball floor in games and during practice as a point guard/forward averaging 2.4 points and 3.8 rebounds.
"He's got mental toughness and he's smart - he picks up things fast," Ferrell said. "He'll have just learned a play in practice and he'll be able to tell the guys how to run it."
No. 5 Burbank (17-4, 7-1) has a huge Metro Conference game Tuesday at No. 3 Sacramento (17-4, 7-1). Burbank beat the Dragons earlier this season.
Pleasant Grove put a slight kink into Friday's Delta River League boys basketball showdown game pitting No. 2 Oak Ridge at top-ranked Sheldon.
On Wednesday in El Dorado Hills, the No. 8 Eagles (14-6, 2-2) handed Oak Ridge (19-1, 3-1) its first loss of the season, 65-60, despite 32 points by the Trojans' Bryce Scott.
Pleasant Grove had the better offensive balance as Matt Hayes had 19 points, Arik Armstead 12, Cody Demps 10 and Colfax Nordquist eight.
No. 9 Jesuit (14-7, 1-3) almost spoiled things for Sheldon (12-7, 4-0), too, in another Delta River League meat-grinder on Wednesday.
Darius Nelson scored 29 points, Ramon Eaton 17, D'Erryl Williams 15 and Dakarai Allen 14 as the Huskies prevailed 82-79 in overtime. Parker Uu had 27 points and Bryce Pressley 16 for Jesuit.
By Bill Paterson bpaterson@sacbee.com
The Sac-Joaquin Section has released the league strength ratings for boys and girls basketball. These influence playoff qualification and seeding.
BOYS
Delta River League 8.2
Sierra Foothill League 7.6
Delta Valley Conference 7.4
Metro Conference 7.3
Capital Athletic League 7.2
Central California Conference 6.9
Tri-City Athletic League 6.9
Capital Valley Conference 6.6
Monticello Empire League 6.3
Pioneer Valley League 6.3
Solano County Athletic Conference 6.0
Sierra Valley Conference 5.8
Modesto Metro Conference 5.5
San Joaquin Athletic Association 5.5
Valley Oak League 5.5
Golden Empire League 5.5
Western Athletic Conference 5.0
Mother Lode League 4.8
Trans Valley League 4.6
Tri-County Conference 4.5
Sierra Delta League 4.2
Southern League 4.0
Sacramento Metro Athletic League 3.6
Central Valley Christian League 3.4
Mountain Valley League 3.0
Northern Pacific Athletic Conference 3.0
Girls
Delta River League 8.2
Capital Valley Conference 7.8
Sierra Foothill League 7.6
Metro Conference 7.4
Central California Conference 7.2
Capital Athletic League 6.9
San Joaquin Athletic Association 6.9
Pioneer Valley League 6.7
Tri-City Athletic League 6.6
Delta Valley Conference 6.5
Monticello Empire League 6.4
Sierra Valley Conference 6.3
Modesto Metro Conference 6.2
Solano County Athletic Conference 6.1
Valley Oak League 6.0
Golden Empire League 5.6
Mother Lode League 5.2
Western Athletic Conference 5.2
Tri-County Conference 5.0
Trans Valley League 4.6
Sierra Delta League 4.2
Southern League 3.8
Sacramento Metro Athletic League 3.6
Central Valley Christian League 3.4
Mountain Valley League 3.4
Northern Pacific Athletic Conference 3.0
Area teams are well represented on NorCalPreps.com's latest Northern California Top 20 boys and girls basketball polls.
Area boys teams ranked are: Sheldon (13-7) at No. 4, Oak Ridge (19-0) at No. 5, Sacramento (15-4) at No. 10, Woodcreek (117-3) at No. 11 and Granite Bay (17-3) at No. 13. De La Salle (15-2) of Concord is ranked No. 1.
Area girls teams ranked are: Del Oro (15-3) at No. 7, St. Francis (13-4) at No. 10; Sacramento (14-4) at No. 15 and El Camino (20-1) at No. 17. Berkeley (17-1) is ranked No. 1.
Berkeley will play host to St. Francis in a nonleague game Saturday.
For the complete rankings go to, http://norcalpreps.rivals.com/viewrankhs.asp?ra_key=274
The Sac-Joaquin Section has sent three proposals to its member schools that could have a profound impact on some.
During a Board of Managers meeting on Wednesday in Stockton, section officials proposed a "three strikes" section championship rule, a new football playoff seeding formula - some bill it as the "Del Oro Rule" - and a new format for the Division IV football playoffs.
Some highlights of the proposals, scheduled to be voted on in April:
• Schools that win three consecutive section championships would be forced to move up a division. Among area teams the new rule could affect are the Sacramento boys basketball team in Division III and the Bradshaw Christian girls basketball team in DV should they three-peat as section champions this March.
• Division IV football playoffs, currently divided into two eight-team brackets based on enrollment, would be one 16-playoff bracket with pairings based only on playoff criteria, not enrollment. It will give the section greater flexibility when pairing teams.
• Football teams that are the league's No. 1 seed would be guaranteed a first-round home playoff game. Last season Del Oro finished as co-champions of the Sierra Foothill League but because the Golden Eagles had a 6-4 regular-season record, they were forced to travel to East Union (7-3 during the regular season) in Manteca, the fourth place team in the Valley Oak League, for the D-III playoff opener. Del Oro, the No. 11 seed, went on to win the section championship.
Antelope girls basketball coach Sean Chambers, one of the best boys players to come out of the area during his reign at Highlands, isn't second guessing Sacramento High coach Derek Swafford's decision to remove star Josiah Turner from the team on Saturday.
Although Chambers isn't sure he'd make the same move - "I'm all about trying to save a kid" - Chambers believes it's a sad day for Sacramento basketball, especially now that the gifted point guard has left the area to finish out high school at a school in North Carolina.
"It's just sad we couldn't save this kid as far as Sacramento basketball, a community as a whole," Chambers said. "I don't know what goes on in other coaches' practices, but it would have been nice for him to finish it out the right way.
"He may be an amazing star at the next level, but there's always going to be a cloud over his name when you talk about him. It's going to be Josiah Turner, what happened?"
Mike Wall, who is on a year's sabbatical as the Folsom High boys coach, doesn't see the puzzling decision hurting Turner as far as college is concerned.
"Once he gets to Arizona and becomes part of the program, I don't think this will hurt him. As far as the coaches there, he's starting with a clean slate. If it persists, that's a different story.
"I hope when he gets to college, he settles down and foucses on being a team guy first and does what the coach asks. Very few times can you go wrong by doing what the coach asks."
The Oak Ridge boys basketball team, which takes an 18-0 record into tonight's Delta River League game against Ponderosa, has moved into Cal-Hi Sports' state Top 20.
Oak Ridge is No. 16, fourth highest among Northern California teams in the rankings behind No. 7 Salesian of Richmond, No. 8 Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland and No. 12 Oakland. Unbeaten Long Beach Poly is ranked No. 1.
Still listed as bubble teams are Sheldon and Sacramento, which beat O'Dowd 86-85 on Monday in the Martin Luther King Classic in Berkeley without the since departed (to a school in North Carolina) Josiah Turner.
Sheldon is ranked No. 1, Oak Ridge No. 2 and Sacramento No. 3 by The Bee.
In a statement game that they can play without star Josiah Turner, the Sacramento High Dragons upset Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland 86-85 in double overtime in tonight's Martin Luther King basketball showcase in Berkeley.
Sophomore guard Aaron Cameron scored 33 points, including eight three-pointers, to lead the Dragons (12-4), playing their second game since the Arizona-bound Turner was removed from the team by coach Derek Swafford for violating team rules.
Darius Graham added 17 points, Robert Garrett 16 and Erik Kinney 11 as the No. 4 Dragons rebounded from Saturday's loss to top-ranked Sheldon in the Common Good Showcase at Antelope High School.
Anders Haas had 23 points and Richard Longrus 21 for O'Dowd (12-3), which came into the game ranked No. 4 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.
The game was a rematch of last year's CIF Northern California D-III championship game won by Bishop O'Dowd.
By Bill Paterson bpaterson@sacbee.com
After three years at Del Oro High School, the Common Good Classic high school boys and girls basketball benefit showcase moves to three-year-old Antelope High School this Saturday and Monday.
"I get people all the time asking me, 'Where's Antelope?'" says Antelope girls basketball coach Sean Chambers. "This is actually a great location. It's right in the heart of the Sacramento area."
The high school, located in the unincorporated Sacramento County community of Antelope, five miles southwest of Roseville, will be the host site for 11 showcase games that will draw teams from throughout the area plus Stockton and Berkeley.
Classic organizer Brad Swope loved holding the event at Del Oro, where it got excellent support from the school and the community.
But Loomis is a little off the beaten track.
"We wanted to get it closer to the population base in Sacramento," Swope said. "We think that will help more people to be able to come out and enjoy this one-of-a-kind event."
The Roseville Joint Unified School District school with an enrollment of 1,800 has its first senior class.
Both Antelope teams are participating. The girls play Granite Bay in Saturday's 1 p.m. opener, the first of five games that day. The boys play No. 10 Monterey Trail at 2 p.m. on Monday, the third of six games that day.
If Swope could change one thing it would be to have the Titans' teams playing later in the day to generate a larger home crowd.
He said he didn't realize how good the Antelope girls and boys teams would be, since this is only the school's second season of varsity play. The boys are ranked No. 14 and the girls No. 16 by The Bee.
"We really have to put together our schedules early, pretty much by the end of August," Swope said.
Chambers isn't upset. He's just pleased that many spectators will be getting their first look at the school's top-flight facilities.
"It's a beautiful gym," Chambers said.
FOURTH ANNUAL
COMMON GOOD CLASSIC Where: Antelope High School,
7801 Titan Drive, Antelope Tickets: $10, $5 seniors and students, children 12 and younger free Benefit: Proceeds go to An Organization for the Common Good SATURDAY'S GAMES
1 p.m.: Antelope vs. Granite Bay (girls)
2:30 p.m.: Kennedy vs. Lincoln of Stockton (girls)
4 p.m.: Center vs. Folsom (boys)
6 p.m.: Sacramento vs. St. Francis (girls)
7:30 p.m.: Sacramento vs. Sheldon (boys) MONDAY'S GAMES
11:30 a.m.: Laguna Creek vs. Bradshaw ChrsitianChristian (boys)
Granite Bay (15-2), playing its fourth game in five nights, cut a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit to two points in the final seconds and had a chance to tie or win before falling 64-62 to Northern California No. 16 Newark Memorial (9-5), the defending CIF Division I Northern California champions, in tonight's Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit High School.
Robert Duncan led Granite Bay with 21 points and Jon Davis added 15. Kendall Andrews of Newark Memorial led all scorers with 22.
In the nightcap of the four-game event, Roderick Bobbitt and Marquette-bound Juan Anderson each scored 20 points to lead NorCal No. 4 Castro Valley (12-1) to an 80-68 win over Jesuit (11-5). Gary Melvin and Parker Uu had 14 each for Jesuit.
It was the second loss in as many nights for Jesuit. The Marauders fell 72-61 Friday night in overtime at Granite Bay.
Senior Chuk Iroegbu scored 19 points and junior Theo Johnson added 13 to lead Franklin to a 55-35 win over El Cerrito in the second game of the Father Kelly Tribute today at Jesuit High School.
The Wildcats jumped to a 14-6 lead, led 26-13 at halftime en route to the surprisingly easy win over El Cerrito, ranked No. 17 in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com
Junior Michael Bryson scored 22 points and senior Fidel Cadenas 20 to lead Foothill to a 65-61 win over Berkeley in today's ninth annual Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit High School.
Junior Langston Morris-Walker had a game-high 27 points, all but two in the second half, for Berkeley.
Foothill looked impressive against the No. 3 ranked boys basketball team in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com.
The Mustangs jumped to an 18-6 first quarter lead and stayed ahead the rest of the way. Foothill withstood a late Yellowjackets push hitting 14 of 15 free throws in the final quarter.
So is Josiah Turner's high school basketball career over?
Lots of folks were speculating when the Arizona recruit was nowhere to be seen tonight in Sacramento High's Metro Conference showdown at Burbank.
No. 2 Sacramento (9-3, 1-1) could have used the Arizona recruit's 22.3 points.
No. 11 Burbank (10-4, 1-1) beat the Dragons 78-74 in what is believed to be the Titans' first boys basketball win over Sacramento in at least 10 years.
Sacramento coach Derek Swafford offered little to solve the mystery.
"We've got an internal thing we're dealing with," Swafford said.
When asked if Turner's absence might extend longer than one game, Swafford added, "That's for me to decide."
We tried to call Josiah's mother, Doris Ward, to find out why Josiah missed tonight's game. She answered, then hung up before we could finish our first question.
Meanwhile, the "Where's Josiah?" comments spread like wildfire through the packed Burbank gym.
As one of the nation's top recruits this summer, Turner has been subject of a number of rumors, most unfounded.
During the summer the talk was of Turner not returning to Sac High to enroll at higher profile basketball school, such as Findlay Prep in Nevada.
The latest, greatest on the rumor mill: Turner isn't going to academically qualify for Arizona, the school to which he signed a letter of intent in November, and will play professionally next season in Europe.
Burbank coach Lindsey Ferrell wasn't sure what was going on when the Sac High team arrived tonight without Turner.
"When I didn't see him, I said, 'What the heck,'" Ferrell said. "I figured he was going to do the superman routine (and come in late). But when I didn't see him warming up, I told my assistant, 'Hey, he's really not here.'"
Burbank star Vick West Jr., who had 25 points and 10 rebounds, said Turner's absence surprised him but put the blame clearly on his rival.
"If he doesn't show up, that's on him," West said. "That's his team. If he had shown up, it would have been better because now that's going to be (Sac's) excuse why we won."
Ferrell said it's a "what if" he's willing to live with.
"I don't know what the outcome would have been if Josiah played, but my team was here," Ferrell said. "We showed up to play. If we've got an asterisk next to the win, so be it. We got the W."
Without Turner, it didn't take Burbank long to take control of the game. Mitchell Love and William Roots hit three pointers just before half to break a 27-27 tie, then the Titans scored the first eight points of the third quarter to go up 41-27.
"I think that was the difference right there," Ferrell said. "That gave us the cushion we needed."
Give Sacramento credit, though.
The Dragons kept battling, even with 6-foot-11 senior Robert Garrett forced to miss some valuable minutes because of foul trouble. He picked up his third foul with 3:44 to play in the second quarter and a fourth with 6:10 to go in the third when the Titans went up 14 points.
But the closest the Dragons got in the second half was the final margin of four points.
Burbank made only 4-of-10 free throws in being outscored 13-4 in the final 90 seconds.
"We were up 12 and then they climbed back in," Ferrell said. "That's a sign of a champion. We had to earn it."
Sophomore David Straugther, who averaged 2.6 points and four rebounds entering the game, had 22 points and 11 rebounds while Rob Long added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Titans.
Erik Kinney topped Sacramento with 19 points. Darius Graham added 17, De'von Boyd 16 and Aaron Cameron 13.
The Oak Ridge High School boys basketball team will take a 15-0 record into its Delta River League opener on Wednesday against Jesuit in El Dorado Hills after beating visiting Yuba City 75-66 tonight behind junior guard Byrce Scott's 34 points.
D.J. Leszczwinski added 13 points and Will Findlay and Tyler Simms 10 apiece for the No. 3 Trojans.
Darius Nelson scored 35 points and Kyiron Thomas and D'Erryl Williams combined for 23 more to lead Sheldon High School past St. Thomas Aquinas of Hammond, La., 62-58 in today's opening round of the 16-team Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic boys basketball tournament in New Orleans, La.
Sheldon, The Bee's top-ranked team, climbed to 7-4. Zaveral Jackson had 35 points for St. Thomas Aquinas, which drops to 14-3.
Sheldon will play Westchester of Los Angeles in Friday's quarterfinals.
Westchester (10-4) defeated East St. John of Reserve, La., 60-58 today.
Tournament MVP Robert Duncan overcame early shooting woes to lift the Granite Bay High School's boys basketball team over Mission Hills of San Marcos 54-39 Tuesday night in the Elite Division championship game at the Mission Prep Christmas Classic tournament in San Luis Obispo.
Duncan finished with 19 points. Guard Nathan Brillington tallied 11 points while forward Jon Davis added 10 points, according to information provided by tournament organizers.
Granite Bay's defense was rock-solid and the Grizzlies finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run to put the game out of reach.
Tournament MVP Robert Duncan overcame early shooting woes to lift the Granite Bay High School's boys basketball team over Mission Hills of San Marcos 54-39 Tuesday night in the Elite Division championship game at the Mission Prep Christmas Classic tournament in San Luis Obispo.
Duncan finished with 19 points. Guard Nathan Brillington tallied 11 points while forward Jon Davis added 10 points, according to information provided by tournament organizers.
Granite Bay's defense was rock-solid and the Grizzlies finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run to put the game out of reach.
The top-ranked Sacramento High Dragons girls basketball team will make its season debut Thursday at 8 p.m. against Fairfield in the St. Hope Classic Tournament at Sac High.
The Dragons, coming off Sac-Joaquin Section and CIF Northern California D-III runners-up finishes last season, will be led by senior returners Fantasia Hilliard and Bre'ana Williams and junior Jasmine Ware.
Thursday's game also will mark the debut of freshmen standouts Ayanna Edwards, a 6-foot-4 post, and Najah Queenland, a 5-10 shooting guard, as well as Sheldon transfer Allie Green, a 5-11 sophomore shooting guard.
In other St. Hope openers, West Campus plays Bradshaw Christian (3:30 p.m.); Deer Valley of Antioch faces Laguna Creek (5 p.m.) and Galt plays Sheldon (6:30 p.m).
The tournament continues Friday and concludes Saturday with the 7 p.m. final.
Here are other area tournaments scheduled Thursday through Saturday:
Girls:
Dorothy Speck Invitational, Davis High School
Oak Ridge Shoot Out, Oak Ridge
Claude Brock Invitational, Center
Varsity Rotary Tournament, Oakmont
River City Invitational, River City
Valley Christian Tournament, Valley Christian
Woodland Tournament, Woodland
Boys:
Titan Holiday Hoop Classic, Antelope
Mark Macres Tournament, Monterey Trail
Del Oro Invitational, Del Oro
Folsom Invitational, Folsom
Galt Warrior Classic, Galt
Bradshaw Christian Tournament, Bradshaw Christian.
Five of The Bee's top 20 boys basketball teams will play in the 36th annual Jack Scott Invitational that starts today and continues through Saturday at Rio Americano High School.
In today's opening round, No. 4 Center plays No. 13 Monterey Trail at 3:30 p.m. No. 8 Oak Ridge faces Cordova at 5 p.m. No. 14 Rio Americano plays Galt at 6:45 p.m.
In tonight's finale, No. 16 Foothill takes on an intriguing Kennedy team at 8 p.m.
Four games will be played Friday and four on Saturday.
The top-ranked Sheldon Huskies boys basketball team bounced back from a poor performance over the weekend in the Bay Area to beat the visiting Yuba City Honkers 82-74 in a Foundation Game on Monday.
Seniors Ramon Eaton and Darius Nelson combined for 39 points and sophomore D'Erryl Williams added 15 points.
On Saturday in the fourth annual NorCal Tip Off Classic at Newark Memorial High School, the Huskies lost to the Castro Valley Trojans 70-61. It was a rematch of a CIF NorCal playoff game last year in which Sheldon won 85-82 in double overtime.
In Saturday's game, the last of seven in the all-day event, Sheldon trailed by two points at halftime, but played poorly in the second half as the Trojans easily pulled away.
Nelson had 23 points and Eaton 12 but it couldn't counter Castro Valley's trio of Roderick Bobbitt, Juan Anderson and Chris Read. Bobbitt, named the Player of the Game, had 24 points; the Marquette-bound Anderson 18 and Read 14.
Analy of Sebastopol defeated the Franklin Wildcats 63-55 in a game played earlier in the day.
Franklin, The Bee's No. 3 team behind Sheldon and No. 2 Sacramento High, also lost on Monday to the No. 5 Jesuit Marauders 65-56. Also on Monday, the No. 11 Oakmont Vikings beat No. 4 Center Cougars 55-49.
The Foundation Games, designed to raise money for the Sac-Joaquin Section's scholarship fund, are exhibitions that don't count against a team's allowable contacts or power ratings.
It will be the first chance to take a look at Sheldon High's loaded boys basketball team.
The No. 1 Huskies will play Castro Valley in the finale of the seven-game Nor Cal Tip Off Classic showcase Saturday at Newark Memorial High School in Newark.
The 8:30 p.m. game is a re-match of Sheldon's CIF NorCal playoff opener last March in which the Huskies' Darius Nelson scored 49 points to beat Castro Valley 85-82 in double overtime. Nelson hit a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to force extra time.
Nelson, the younger brother of former Vallejo and Sheldon star DeMarcus Nelson, is headed to UTEP and his cousin, 6-foot-8 forward Ramon Eaton, has signed with Pepperdine. The Huskies have a number of other potential D-I recruits, including junior forward Kyiron Thomas and sophomores D'Erryl Williams and Dakari Allen.'
Castro Valley is led by 6-7 Juan Anderson, headed to Marquette.
In a scheduled 3:45 p.m. game, No. 3 Franklin will play Analy of Sebastopol, a team that Center knocked out of last season's NorCal D-III playoffs.
Another intriguing game will pit defending D-I Northern California champion Newark Memorial against Oakland, which has three scholarship seniors: Jabari Brown (Oregon), Dominique Taplin (UC Riverside) and T.J. Taylor (UC Santa Barbara).
In all, event director Gerry Freitas says there are 30 D-I prospects participating.
The other scheduled games are 11 a.m., San Leandro vs. Deer Valley of Antioch; 12:30 p.m., Valley vs. Dublin; 2:15 p.m. St. Patrick's-St. Vincent's Vallejo vs. Manteca; 5:30 p.m., Berkeley vs. Rodriguez of Fairfield.
Sheldon High, led by four-year varsity stars Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton, is ranked No. 7 in Cal-High Sports' preseason boys top 40 poll.
Josiah Turner-led Sacramento High is No. 11. Franklin is No. 30.
The only Northern California team ranked ahead of Sheldon is Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland at No. 4.
Long Beach Poly is ranked No. 1.
For the complete list go to http://rise.espn.go.com/boys-basketballlast year loaded basketball teams, i think a lot of good teams, level talent perse asgood as last year overall,/articles/2010/11/21-Cal-Hi-Sports-Preseason-Rankings-Part-I.aspx
Editor's Note: Parents or coaches that have an athlete who will sign an NCAA letter of intent this week, please e-mail bpaterson@sacbee.com with the details by 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Bradshaw Christian High School all-around athlete Brady Dragmire is taking an official NCAA baseball trip to the University of Miami this weekend.
Dragmire, the Pride's three-sport star, already has taken baseball recruiting trips to Nevada and Long Beach State.
The senior right-hander helped lead the Pride to the Sac-Joaquin Section D-VII baseball championship last spring, winning the championship game 4-2 over Valley Christian of Roseville.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Dragmire, who throws in the low 90s, went 8-2 with a 0.71 earned run average and 116 strikeouts in 69 innings. He also batted .588.
Dragmire, a running back-defensive back, also helped the Pride win the D-VII section football championship last year. He scored 30 touchdowns and rushed for 1,796 yards.
Dragmire was a key contributor to the boys basketball team that reached the D-V section semifinals. He averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 steals per game.
This football season he has rushed for 1,058 yards and 18 touchdowns for a Bradshaw Christian team that is 5-1.
Sacramento High's Robert Garrett, a 6-foot-11 senior center, verbally committed earlier today to Santa Clara.
Garrett, a four-year varsity player who averaged 8.1 rebounds, 6.7 points and 2.4 blocked shots last season, decided to pass on a recruiting trip to Washington State Oct. 15.
Garrett's decision also comes on a heels of a home visit last night by Washington's Lorenzo Romar. The Huskies were a late suitor for the defensive specialist's services.
Oakmont High School 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior forward J.T. Adenrele has verbally committed to play men's basketball next year for UC Davis.
The quick, explosive Adenrele averaged 11.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in helping Oakmont to reach the Sac-Joaquin Section Divison II championship game and the CIF NorCal semifinals as a junior.
He is listed as the No. 13 ranked prospect in NorCalPreps.com's Class of 2011 player rankings.
The defensive pest's recruiting stock continued to climb during a successful spring and summer of Amateur Athletic Union basketball with the Antelope-based E-Time Hoops.
E-Time Hoops coach Ernest Taubodo has called Adenrele, who has a 3.40 grade-point average, a "young Bill Russell in the making."
It was a good spring and summer for coach Brian Hamilton's Play Hard, Play Smart Amateur Athletic Union program boys basketball team that competed in several major national showcase events.
Among the highlights included wins in Long Beach and Las Vegas over a talent-loaded Team Odom squad that featured Sheldon stars Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton.
Here's Hamilton's brief rundown of the college recruitment of several of his players:
• Robert Garrett, 6-foot-11, center, Class of 2011 (Sacramento HS) - After a breakout spring and summer, he has scholarship offers from USC, Cal, USF, UConn, Texas Christian, Iowa State, St. Mary's, San Diego State, Santa Clara, Tulsa, and Washington State.
• Chris Carvin, 5-10, point guard, 2011 (Laguna Creek HS) - Now hearing from Santa Clara, SMU, Tulsa, Leigh, Bucknell, Sacramento State, UC Davis, CSU-Bakersfield and Chico State.
• Shawn Smith, 6-6 SF, 2012 (McClatchy HS) - Had a good All-West Camp and he played extremely well in the Cream of the Crop Challenge in Long Beach. Washington, Fresno State, Cal, St. Mary's, USF, UC Irvine, CSU-Bakersfield and Cal Poly, SLO, among those showing interest.
• D'Erryl Williams II, 6-3 combo guard, 2013 (Sheldon HS) - Lefty guard, although bothered by Osgood-Schlatter's knee issues this summer that limited minutes, still has earned offers from USF and Long Beach State. Washington, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Notre Dame, TCU, Tulsa, UC Irvine, UOP and UC Riverside among those showing strong interest.
• Dakarai Allen, 6-4, shooting guard, 2013 (Sheldon HS) - Is hearing from UC Irvine, Bakersfield, Tulsa, Oregon, USF and Santa Clara, among others.
Even for someone used to the bright lights, Sacramento High senior point guard Josiah Turner said he was dazzled during his official weekend recruiting visit to Tucson and the University of Arizona.
On Sunday, the day his visit ended, he verbally committed to the Wildcats, ending his recruitment before taking visits Oct. 2 to Oregon and Oct. 15 to Kansas.
Turner got a taste of how rabid Arizona's sports fans are when he attended Arizona's football upset of then-No. 9 Iowa on Saturday.
"That was crazy," Turner said. "Everyone was wearing red. You could just feel the energy of those fans."
Turner said a number of spectators recognized him, called out his name and did some impromptu lobbying.
"I must of have 30 or more people come up to me and tell me that wanted me to come (to Arizona)," Turner said.
There also was the usual pomp and circumstance that comes with trying to land a national recruit. That included dinner for Turner and his mother, Doris Ward, at the home of Ariozna coach Sean Miller.
"Coach Miller and his family was there, plus the families of his assistants," Ward said. "You could see that it was a tight-knit group, a real family atmosphere."
Added Turner, "Arizona did the most work. Coach Miller was on top of everything."
It doesn't hurt that Miller was a former point guard at Pittsburgh and that two of his assistants have also played the position.
That his Oakland Soldiers Amateur Athletic Union teammate, Findlay Prep of Nevada's Nick Johnson (ranked No. 40 nationally by Rivals.com), had already verbally committed along with highly touted Oak Hill Academy of Virginia power forward Sidiki Johnson (No. 70) also influenced his decision.
Turner thinks Miller is putting together the talent to win a Pac-10 championship and to return the program to NCAA playoff prominence. In Miller's first season, Arizona went 16-15 and placed fourth in the Pac-10.
One Arizona basketball web-site says the recruitment of Turner and Johnson gives the Wildcats, once renowned as "Point Guard U", it's best guard tandem since 1999, when Lute Olson signed Jason Gardner and Gilbert Arenas.
Highly recruited seniors Josiah Turner of Sacramento High and Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton of Sheldon made verbal college basketball commitments today.
The 6-foot-3 Turner, considered the No. 2 point guard and No. 10 overall prospect in the Class of 2011 by Rivals.com, committed to Arizona after concluding an official visit to the Tucson school this morning.
Nelson, a 6-7, 250-pound wing, says he is headed to the University of Texas, El Paso, and Eaton, a 6-9, 195-pound forward, will play for Pepperdine.
Turner's commitment comes as a surprise because he kept insisting that he wouldn't make his final decision until taking an official visit to Kansas on Oct. 15. The Jayhawks were viewed as front-runners in landing the area's hottest basketball recruit since the Bill Cartwright days.
Sac High coach Derek Swafford said Turner, who spent a hectic spring and summer playing Amateur Athletic Union ball in front of recruiters across the country and had already taken an official visit to Louisville, is ready to focus on his final high school season.
"He's been traveling more than the pros," Swafford said. "Going here and there every weekend, that's a lot for a young mind. We talked earlier this week. He said he was a little fatigued and tired, that he wanted to get it over with."
The decision by Nelson and Eaton to play at different colleges also was a surprising twist.
The cousins have seemingly been joined at the hip since their AAU youth playing days and as impact varsity players at Sheldon since their freshmen seasons.
Nelson thinks he'll get a chance to be an immediate impact player for UTEP and former NBA coach Tim Floyd, in his first season at UTEP.
"I'm going to have the opportunity to play right away because they are senior dominated this season," Nelson said. "I love their style of play, and Coach Floyd is a very good coach."
Nelson said he visited the El Paso campus on Aug. 27 and had a home visit from Floyd last Sunday. But Nelson, who also seriously considered Oklahoma, Cincinnati and Washington State, said he spent a restless week pondering his decision.
He twice consulted older brother DeMarcus Nelson, a former Sheldon and Vallejo star who played at Duke and with the Golden State Warriors.
"DeMarcus had some teammates who have played for coach Floyd," he said. "But it wasn't an easy decision, not with programs like Oklahoma interested in me. I did a lot of tossing and turning this week."
Although he said he also received an offer from UTEP, Eaton thinks playing at Pepperdine will be a better fit for his game.
"I kept going back and forth," said Eaton, who had an in-home visit from Waves' associate head coach Marty Wilson on Tuesday and visited the Malibu campus Friday and Saturday. "Pepperdine's style of play suits me better. And the campus is real beautiful."
Verbal commitments are non-binding. The early NCAA letter-of-intent signing period for basketball starts Nov. 10.
Standout basketball player Remi Barry, who transferred to Del Oro High School as a senior but was declared ineligible by the CIF, has enrolled at New Mexico State.
The 6-foot-7 French native selected the school because the Western Athletic Conference accepts non-qualifiers.
Barry, who has NBA potential, was being hotly pursued by St. John's, UCLA and Arizona State, but those schools are not allowed to accept non-qualifiers.
Chris Hendricks, who housed Barry during his stay in Loomis, said he had the grade-point average and SAT scores to qualify, but his core academic requirements are in question.
Barry has attended high school in France and Florida as well as at Del Oro.
While Hendricks said Barry may have to sit out a year, the NCAA has yet to render a decision on his eligibility for the coming season. Hendricks is the vice president of interactive media for the McClatchy Company, owners of The Bee.
Barry, a forward, was considered a top-100 player after his junior season at American Heritage High School in Florida.
Two-time All-Sierra Foothill League guard Aaron Hendricks is leaving Del Oro High School and transferring to New Hampton School in New Hampton, N.H., for his senior year.
Chris Hendricks, Aaron's father, said the move is being made so his son can focus on enhancing his academics while also pursuing his dream of playing Division I college basketball.
The 6-foot-1 Hendricks was the Golden Eagles' leading scorer (18.4 points per game) and their top three-point shooter last season. He also averaged 14 points as a sophomore.
Chris Hendricks, the vice president of interactive media for the McClatchy Company, said that his son is expected to stay at New Hampton for a postgraduate year as well.
He will join three other California players at New Hampton, including Class of 2010 high school graduates Will Davis of Sacramento High School and Travis Souza of Turlock.
Oakmont's J.T. Adenrele, Sacramento's Robert Garrett, Center's Chad Haysbert and Sheldon's Kyiron Thomas will play in Sunday's 5:30 p.m. Nor Cal Clash basketball showcase at Contra Costa College in San Pablo.
Adenrele, Garrett and Haysbert will play for the Class of 2011 stars against Thomas and the Class of 2012 stars.
Also scheduled to play for the Class of 2011 stars are Castro Valley's Juan Anderson and Roderick Bobbitt; Oakland's Dominique Taplin and T.J. Taylor; San Ramon Valley of Danville's Mark Tollefsen; San Marin of Novato's Stuart Wesonga; Deer Valley of Antioch's Andre McPhail; and San Leandro's Hameed Ali. The team will be coached by St. Mary's of Berkeley's Manny Nodar, last season's CIF D-IV state runners-up.
Slated to compete for the Class of 2012 stars are David Andoh and Glenn Baral of St. Mary's of Berkeley; Dominic Artis of Salesian-Richmond; Taylor Johns of Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco; Tajai Johnson of Vallejo; Richard Longrus of Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland; Langston Morris-Walker of Berkeley; Casey Norris of Newark Memorial; Robert Upshaw of San Joaquin Memorial of Fresno; and Lawrence Otis of McClymonds-Oakland. The team will be coached by Newark Memorial's Craig Ashmore, last season's D-I state finalist.
The next big area basketball prospect to keep an eye on is Sheldon's D'Erryl Williams II.
The Huskies' 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore guard, an All-Delta River League selection as a freshman, had an outstanding summer despite competing against players two and three years older and battling a painful knee ailment, Osgood-Schlatter Disease, that left him playing at about "70 percent."
Williams played so well for Play Hard, Play Smart, the Sacramento-based AAU team, that he recently received a scholarship offer from USF.
With a 3.9 grade-point average, Williams also has received interest from nine other programs, including Stanford, Cal, Washington and Notre Dame.
His father's only disappointment is that Santa Clara hasn't shown much interest. The elder Williams played for the Broncos in the early 1980s.
"I don't know what's up with those guys," he joked.
According to Dad, his son had one of his best games in the Fab 48 tournament in Las Vegas last month playing against his more illustrious Sheldon teammates, Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton. The seniors played for Los Angeles-based Team Odom.
Williams had 20 points and 10 rebounds in helping Play Hard, Play Smart beat Team Odom in an overtime game.
Josiah Turner, this area's biggest basketball recruit since the days of Elk Grove's Bill Cartwright, has narrowed his list of scholarship offers to seven schools and also has set his five official visits for the fall.
Doris Ward, Turner's mother, says the Sacramento High senior guard, rated the No. 3 point guard prospect in the country by Rivals.com, will visit Louisville Sept. 4, UConn Sept. 11, Oregon, Oct. 2, Kansas Oct. 15 and Arizona Oct. 22.
Ward also said that her son is still considering UCLA, in which he already has taken several unofficial visits, and Oklahoma, a school that he may visit unofficially the weekend that he attends the Late Night in the Phog ceremonies at Kansas.
While Ward says Turner has received "well over 30 offers", those are his seven finalists.
She says that he will make his final decision shortly after that and before the early signing date Nov. 10.
"He wants to get it done before the start of the high school basketball season so he can focus on trying to help Sac High win state," Ward said.
Sacramento High's Josiah Turner wound down a hectic summer by playing for the United States West team in last weekend's Nike Global Challenge in Hillsboro, Ore.
The 6-foot-3 senior guard made all six of his free throws and finished fifth overall in the tournament in assists with 14 during the three days in which four U.S. regional teams competed in an eight-team field with teams from Asia, France, Canada and Brazil.
Turner's team lost 112-108 to France (Turner had 15 points) on Friday, beat the All-Asia team of players from China, Australia, Taiwan and the Philippines 104-91 on Saturday, then lost to the USA East team 129-123 in the fifth-place game Sunday.
Turner was a member of the powerhouse Drew Gooden Oakland Soldiers team that won the Best of the Summer Tournament in Anaheim and the Fab 48 championship in Las Vegas last month.
Turner, ranked the No. 3 point guard in the Class of 2011 by Rivals.com, reportedly has scheduled official recruiting trips to Louisville Sept. 4 and to Kansas Oct. 15.
Former Oakmont High School star Tony Gill considers himself a late bloomer, partly because he didn't play high-level Amateur Athletic Union basketball until after his junior season.
Gill was a Cal-Hi Sports All-State Division II and Bee All-Metro first team selection this past season in leading the Vikings to the Sac-Joaquin Section D-II championship game. The 6-foot-8 center-forward credits an eye-opening summer last July for helping him have a breakout senior season in which he averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.
That's when he got his first taste of big-time basketball playing with the Rocklin Warriors (now NorCal Pump N Run) during the July viewing period for college coaches.
"To be perfectly honest, it was a slap in the face," Gill said. "Back home I had had a pretty good amount success and was a little cocky.
"Then I went to Las Vegas and Los Angeles and it was a shock. The amount of athleticism everyone has, and the amount of skills is ridiculous. It made me work a lot harder on my game."
Gill thinks if he had hit the showcase circuit a year earlier, he might have gotten more scholarship offers this season.
He thought he had a shot at playing at UC Davis, but he said he wasn't accepted academically, despite a 3.25 grade-point average.
He got scholarship offers from Cal State East Bay in Hayward and Sonoma State, but he thinks he is a D-I player. So he has decided to enroll at Cosumnes River College and play at least one season for the Hawks.
"The one thing you realize as you get older is how very tough it is to get an athletic scholarship," Gill said. "It's like a pyramid."
He thinks a year of community college ball will help him continue to mature physically while still playing at a challenging level.
"JC was the best option," he said. "It should open some doors."
In playing in Thursday's and Friday's NorCal Summer Tip-Off showcase at City College of San Francisco, Gill was well aware of how his role has changed from a deer-in-the-headlights player last season to one of the veterans playing for Cal Elite coach Troy Selvey, a former Sacramento State player and European pro.
On Thursday night, Cal Elite lost both its games and some of the mistake-riddled younger players started to get down and lose their focus.
"I felt I had to put a little spark into them," Gill said. "I told them after our last game, before the coach let them go, that for those who have dreams of playing in college now is the time to shine because there are 20 to 30 college coaches watching your every move.
"That means always playing hard, whether you are down 20 points or up 20 points. Every thing matters, especially how you conduct yourself on the court. Some guys were getting discouraged and giving up way too fast.
"I used to be the same way, but you learn that you've got to play through the adversity."
Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound incoming junior, verbally committed today to play football and basketball for USC in 2012-2013.
Armstead is the younger brother of USC defensive end Armond Armstead.
The news comes less than two weeks after the NCAA hit USC with major sanctions that include a two-year bowl ban and the loss of 30 scholarships over three years. The school has said it will appeal the penalties.
"It makes sense," Guss Armstead said. "We are familiar with the program. With his brother being there and once the basketball thing came into play, (Arik) decided to go ahead and commit."
Guss said he doesn't expect the sanctions, if upheld, will impact Arik.
Although he will play both sports, Arik will attend USC on a football scholarship.
With colleges targeting potential players at earlier ages, it is becoming more common for top recruits to verbally commit early. But a verbal commitment is non-binding and Guss said he expexts some schools will continue to pursue his son.
But making an early decision is good, Guss said, because his son can now focus primarily on preparing academically and athletically for college.
Still, it's a rare for an athlete to double at the D-I level, especially in football and basketball.
But Arik attended a showcase basketball camp on Friday at USC. Guss said USC coach Kevin O'Neill "was really, really impressed" and made the invitation to join the basketball program after watching him play.
USC football coach Lane Kiffin offered Arik a scholarship in the spring.
According to Rivals.com, the other football schools to offer Arik were UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State, Oregon State, Fresno State, Washington State and Washington.
"He can be a very effective player in both sports," said Guss, a renowned sports trainer.
Arik attended a football camp for linemen at UCLA this morning.
Guss said Arik will compete in the Rising Stars football camp at USC on Wednesday and Thursday.
Guss said Armond, who will be a junior at USC this fall, helped seal the deal.
"He said, 'Dad, this is a good place for Arik. They've treated me well. I'm doing well academically and socially.' He's been really encouraging to his brother."
Arik Armstead seconded that in an interview with USCFootball.com's Gerard Martinez.
"I just decided that the football team is excellent, the basketball team is on the rise, the academics are great and my brother goes to SC.
"He loves it there, and he loves L.A. Everything just fit. I also have a real good relationship with Coach O'Neill and Coach Kiffin."
As for USC's problems with the NCAA, Arik said: "I'm kind of making a statement. SC is an excellent school, and the sanctions can't take away from that."
Brendan Lane was huge hit today among the 170 first through eighth graders attending a popular youth basketball camp in Rocklin.
The 6-foot-10 UCLA incoming sophomore was the guest speaker at the Extreme Hoops Summer Camp at the Hardwood Palace.
Lane is a basketball rock star in the Rocklin community.
He spent much of his time signing autographs for those attending either the morning or afternoon sessions of the week-long camp at the Hardwood Palace put on by Steve Taylor, Lane's former coach at Rocklin High School.
"We finally had to stop the questions," Taylor said. "A lot of these kids have grown up watching Brendan play. He signed autographs for 20 minutes."
Lane was a four-year varsity player for Taylor.
He led Rocklin to back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championships as a junior and senior. The Thunder reached the CIF D-II state title game his senior year in 2008-2009, when he was selected The Bee Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
Lane struggled for playing time his freshman season at UCLA largely because of a bad left ankle, one that he had surgery on in April.
It's been a nagging injury. Taylor said Lane hurt that ankle during the summer between his junior and senior year of high school while playing overseas in Germany.
Lane suffered another sprain on Oct. 19 during the first week of practice at UCLA. He was sidelined for three weeks. He had two more sprains during the season, the latter on Feb. 23 caused him to miss a total of five games.
"He just got out of his ankle boot and should start running again sometime in the next couple of weeks," Taylor said. "They needed to tighten up the ligaments because of the numerous ankle injuries."
Although he isn't expected to play basketball for several more months, Taylor said Lane looks good, though his boyish features are changing.
"He's still able to lift weights," Taylor said. "He's up to 220 pounds. He looks so much more like a man."
Lane averaged 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while making three starts on the year for a Bruins team that missed making the NCAA playoffs for only the third time in the last 22 seasons. Lane shot 57.4 percent (27-for-47) from the floor.
Dominican University men's basketball coach Bret Tovani calls Center High recruit Connor Haysbert "an impact player."
Haysbert was the Capital Valley Conference MVP this past season in leading Center to one of the best boys basketball performances in school history.
The Cougars went 28-4 in reaching the Sac-Joaquin Section D-III and CIF Northern California semifinals.
Haysbert averaged 14 points and seven rebounds for coach Ray Gagnon.
"I am excited about the opportunity to work with Connor," Tovani said in a media release. "He is absolutely the guy we needed to bring in here to help us win a championship. He is a terrific student, a great person and I think he has a tremendous upside as a player."
He is one of five incoming freshmen who Tovani calls his best recruiting class in his five seasons as coach at the San Rafael school.
This past season, the Penguins finished 10-17 overall and went 7-9 in its first year in the NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference.
The Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team added size and versatility to its backcourt with the signing of Rocklin High School senior guard Cody Kale, Roadrunners coach Keith Brown announced earlier today in press release.
The Cal-Hi All-State Division II first team player and Bee All-Metro third team selectee helped lead Rocklin to 55 wins in his three years at Rocklin, including the CIF NorCal Division II championship in 2009.
"Cody can play multiple positions and has a great feel and understanding of the game," Brown said of the sturdy 6-foot-3, 190-pounder. "He's a tremendous kid and a good student. He's the total package."
Kale averaged 23.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season, including a career-high 37 against Woodcreek in the D-II section playoff semifinals. He became the leader of a Rocklin team this past season that went 22-10 and lost 75-72 to eventual NorCal champion St. Francis of Mountain View.
"Cody can score in a variety of ways and he is a really good passer," Brown said. "I think he can get on the floor and compete at a high level right away."
Kale becomes the second player from Rocklin to wear the Cal State Blue and Gold in men's basketball.
Former big man Jeff Kuehl, a stalwart on the 1993 and 1994 NCAA D-II national championship teams, also hailed from Rocklin, though he prepped at Roseville High.
The Roadrunners are completing a transition to D-I status. The upcoming season will be the first that the Roadrunners will be championship eligible.
Five of the top 10 prospects in NorCalPreps.com's 2011 Boys Basketball Top 40 are from the Sacramento area.
Bee Player of the Year and Cal-Hi Sports State Junior Player of the Year Josiah Turner of Sacramento High leads the way as the No. 1 player to watch.
Joining him are No. 2 Ramon Eaton and No. 4 Darius Nelson of Sheldon; No. 6 Kori Babineaux of Folsom; and No. 10 Robert Garrett of Sac High.
Oakland High's Jabari Brown is listed at No. 3, Manteca's Kiwi Gardner at No. 5, Castro Valley's Juan Anderson and Roderick Bobbitt at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, and Oakland's T.J. Taylor at No. 9.
Other area players listed are Oakmont's JT Adenrele (No. 13), Franklin's Chuk Iroegbu (No. 25) and Encina's Eli Hudson (No. 40).
It may be spring sports season but this is the hot an heavy time for high school basketball and football recruiting.
One of the biggest area stories is that of Remi Barry, the international student from France via Florida who was not allowed by the CIF to play basketball this past season at Del Oro High School.
The New York Daily News reported Thursday that the 6-foot-7 Barry is interested in St. John's and new coach Steve Lavin.
But St. John's reportedly is just one of several major powers trying to land the forward.
UCLA, Arizona State, Cal, Washington and Colorado also are in the mix, according to Daily News sportswriter Roger Rubin.
He quotes one Eastern Conference NBA scout as saying, "he is going to end up in the NBA - it's almost a lock judging from now. There's a lot of talent that hasn't been polished. But if it were, he could be a solid guy in the league."
Barry isn't the only one making news on the spring recruiting circuit:
• Bee Player of the Year Josiah Turner of Sacramento High impressed with plenty of highlight-reel plays (they are all over You Tube) during a Nike-sponsored three-day event in Hampton, Va., earlier this month.
Turner, viewed as the top West Coast point guard prospect of 2011, played with a group of Bay Area stars that included junior Jabari Brown of Oakland High and sophomore Brandon Ashley of Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland.
• UTEP and new coach Tim Floyd appear to be seriously interested in both Sheldon juniors Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton, who performed with Los Angeles-based Team Odom at the Pangos Sweet 16 in Long Beach on Saturday and Sunday.
Both Sheldon High juniors are impressed with Floyd.
"Tim Floyd is an awesome coach," Nelson told Rivals.com. "He coached in the NBA for a couple years, and he knows what he's doing."
Nelson had 22 points in a semifinal loss to eventual champion Compton Magic.
• Folsom High two-sport standout Kori Babineaux had told NorCalPreps.com that he plans to focus on football this coming season and won't play on the basketball club circuit this summer.
The 6-foot-4 wide receiver says he already has received football offers from Cal Poly, Sacramento State, San Diego State and Wyoming. But he'd love to play in the Pac-10, with Oregon a strong favorite.
"The city is great," he told NorCalPreps' Douglas Benton. "The offense runs a spread like at my high school. They can put people in the (NFL), too."
Sacramento High School's Josiah Turner is the recipient of a bevy of awards this week from Cal-Hi Sports.
The 6-foot-3 junior guard, The Bee's Player of the Year this season, was named Cal-Hi's All-State Junior Player of the Year.
Turner, who averaged nearly 28 points and helped the Dragons to the CIF D-III NorCal championship game, also landed a second team spot on Cal-Hi Sports' 30-man All-State Team and was one of 20 players named to Cal-Hi's All-State Division III Team.
Sheldon junior Darius Nelson joined Turner on the All-State Underclass first team (Sheldon's Ramon Eaton made second team), and he was one of 30 players named All-State Division I.
Oakmont's Tony Gill, Woodcreek's Nik Milani, Rocklin's Cody Kale and Yuba City's Zach Nelson were named to the 20-man All-State D-II Team.
Vista del Lago's Hayden Lescault joined Turner on the 20-man All-State D-III Team, and Victory Christian's Nathan Coppernoll, Sacramento Country Day's Robbie Lemons and Forest Lake Christian's Josh Ritchart made the 20-man All-State D-V Team.
Florin's Joseph Barnes was named to Cal-Hi's 10-man All-State Freshman Team.
Area boys and girls are well represented on NorCalPreps.com's All-Northern California basketball teams.
For the boys, Sacramento junior Josiah Turner joined sophomore Brandon Ashley of Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland and seniors John McAurther of De La Salle-Concord; Chris McNealy of San Ramon Valley; and Khion Sankey of Newark Memorial on the first team.
Sheldon's Darius Nelson made the second team and Yuba City's Zach Nelson, Vista del Lago's Hayden Lescault, Oakmont's Tony Gill and Woodcreek's Nik Milani made the third team.
For the girls, Oak Ridge's Sara James and Sacramento's Brittany Shine join St. Mary's of Stockton's Chelsea Gray and Afure Jemerigbe, all seniors, along with Carondelet of Concord junior Erica Payne on the first team. James also was selected the NorCal Division I Player of the Year.
McClatchy's Ariel Thomas made the second team.
Here's the complete list:
GIRLS
First team - Chelsea Gray, St. Mary's-Stockton, Sr.; Sara James, Oak Ridge, Sr.; Brittany Shine, Sacramento, Sr.; Afure Jemerigbe, St. Mary's-Stockton, Sr.; Erica Payne, Carondelet-Concord, Jr.
Second team - Brittany Boyd, Berkeley, Jr.; Ariel Thomas, McClatchy, Sr.; Ricki Radanovich, Carondelet, Sr.; Sage Romberg, McKinleyville, Sr.; Danielle Mauldin, St. Mary's-Berkeley, Sr.
Third team - Robie Mayberry, Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland, Sr.; Brandi Henton, Modesto Christian, Sr.; Rayven Brooks, Dougherty Valley-San Ramon, Jr.; Elisabeth Gordon, Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Sr.; Stephanie Golden, Miramonte-Orinda, Sr.
BOYS
First team - Josiah Turner, Sacramento, Jr.; Chris McNealy, San Ramon Valley, Sr.; Brandon Ashley, Bishop O'Dowd, So.; Khion Sankey, Newark Memorial, Sr.; John McArthur, De La Salle-Concord, Sr.
Second team - Tyler Johnson, St. Francis-Mountain View, Sr.; Roderick Bobbitt, Castro Valley, Jr.; Darius Nelson, Sheldon, Jr.; Dominique Lee, St. Mary's-Berkeley, Sr.; Desmond Simmons, Salesian-Richmond, Sr.
Third team - Hayden Lescault, Vista del Lago, Sr.; Nik, Woodcreek, Sr.; Jordan Barton, Bishop O'Dowd, Sr.; Zach Nelson, Yuba City, Sr.; Tony Gill, Oakmont, Sr.
Betrayed by two aching knees, Burnel Pinkerton stepped down as the boys basketball coach at Woodcreek High School today, less than a month after leading the Timberwolves to a momentous 28-6 season that included winning Sierra Foothill League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championships.
The coaching change is expected to be seamless. This past season's Bee Boys Coach of the Year will be replaced by former Woodcreek coach Paul Hayes, an on-campus teacher who has decided to jump back to the varsity after two years as the JV coach.
Pinkerton replaced Hayes in 2004.
"I just got to get healthy," said Pinkerton, 51, who is scheduled to return to school today after having surgery on his left knee March 23.
It was Pinkerton's fourth left knee surgery, and he has had five on his right knee (a sixth is scheduled for this year), the result of his high school and community college playing days.
Pinkerton officially told his players this morning, although most already "had an inkling."
"They saw me have to go and sit down during practices because my knee hurt so bad, or I was losing feeling in my arm and leg," he said.
Pinkerton had a roller-coaster career as a head coach, first at Granite Bay, then at Woodcreek.
This season's team came within a buzzer beater of reaching the CIF D-II state final. The Timberwolves lost to St. Francis of Mountain View 48-47 in the NorCal final at Arco Arena.
"With a public school program, you take the good with the bad," said Oakmont coach Rick Campbell, a good friend. "The thing about Burnel is that however his teams were doing, he always looked out for his kids."
Woodcreek gains a proven winner in Hayes, who took over a program in 1998 that had lost 47 consecutive games and turned it into a success. His 2002-03 team won section and NorCal championships before losing to Mater Dei of Santa Ana in the state final.
Hayes, 47, stepped down after the 2003-04 season to be more involved with his family, which included four children ages 9-16 at the time.
"Paul's a really good guy," Pinkerton said. "We have a good relationship. I'd kid him about being the most overqualified JV coach in history. I don't think the program will skip a beat."
Added Woodcreek assistant principal Mark O'Hair: "While we're sad to see Burnel go, we couldn't be happier with his replacement. We've got a proven commodity coming back. It's pretty rare to have this type of changeover."
Steve Taylor admits to having helped create a monster.
Through his sheer hard work and the demands made on himself, his staff and his players, the Rocklin boys basketball coach was one of those who helped turn what once was a seasonal sport into a year-round process.
"There is so much off-season training and competition," Taylor said. "It's so much more of keeping up with the Joneses. We do it as coaches, and the kids do it as players."
Taylor, Rocklin's only basketball coach since the school opened in 1993, announced his retirement Friday after 320 wins, five Sierra Foothill League and three Sac-Joaquin Section championships and many a sleepless night trying to figure out how to defeat the next opponent.
"The expectations, they're a monster," Taylor said. "People were asking us this year why we were losing... Sometimes you are a victim of your own success."
Rocklin went 22-10 overall this season, a year after finishing 33-3 and reaching the CIF D-II state championship game.
Taylor, 47, was renowned for having large rosters, encouraging multi-sport participation and was one of the first area adherents of the up-tempo, fan-friendly Dribble Drive Motion offense and full-court pressure defense that a number of schools have since come to utilize. It was developed by Taylor's friend and former coaching mentor Vance Walberg, now an assistant at UMass.
"I think it was fun for the kids," Taylor said. "It gives them freedom to make decisions and emphasizes the three-point shot, something to help them go beyond high school and play."
Taylor, who will continue to teach physical education at Rocklin, isn't walking completely away from coaching.
He says he will continue as the director of the Rocklin Youth Basketball Club and will coach his son's seventh-grade basketball team.
He also hasn't ruled out returning to coach high school basketball or even work at the college level.
"You never know what happens in a couple of years," Taylor said.
Area high schools are well-represented in NorCalPreps.com's final boys and girls Northern California Top 20 basketball polls.
The Oak Ridge (32-3) girls, upset winners over Long Beach Poly in the CIF state Division I championship game, finish second behind St. Mary's (34-1) of Stockton, the D-III state champions and Maxpreps.com's national No. 1 team.
Berkeley (27-4) is No. 3, Sacramento (27-7) No. 4 and St. Mary's (31-4) of Berkeley No. 5. Kennedy (30-4) is No. 12 and McClatchy (24-9) No. 14.
In the boys poll, Sacramento (26-7) is ranked No. 6, Sheldon (28-6) No. 9, Woodcreek (28-6) No. 10, Oakmont (23-8) No. 16, Vista del Lago (28-4) No. 18 and Center (28-4) No. 20.
Bishop O'Dowd (30-4) of Oakland, which beat Sac High for the D-III NorCal championship, finishes as the No. 1 team.
Newark Memorial (30-5) is No. 2, St. Francis (30-4) of Mountain View No. 3, De La Salle (29-3) of Concord No. 4 and San Ramon Valley (28-4) of Danville No. 5.
Sacramento High boys basketball star Josiah Turner is a natural.
That's what Mom says, that's seconded by Dragons coach Derek Swafford and that's what a lot of folks think who have watched the 6-foot-3 junior point guard play.
What people may not realize is that The Bee's 2009-2010 Boys Basketball Player of the Year also is a voracious worker.
It's a work ethic he seems born with. When he could barely walk, he already was dribbling a basketball.
Turner never seemed to get enough of the game, whether playing against older kids in an Oak Park league or through the years in AAU events in Northern California and beyond.
"I'd take him to the Bay Area a lot because the competition was tougher," said Doris Ward, his mother, and a former Sac High point guard. "He played against kids who were older. They were a lot more physical. It didn't matter. He was like a fish in water."
It's not just about playing, however.
Turner admits to being a workaholic when it comes to hoops.
He's a 6 o'clock regular most mornings at the Mather Gym, getting in 90 minutes of shooting practice before heading off to school. After school it's conditioning and weight lifting. He hopes to add 14 pounds of muscle to his 177-pound frame by the time school gets out.
"Even though he's got it all, he realizes he's got to put in the work," Swafford said.
Says Ward: "Josiah understands that that there is always someone working when you're not."
After leading Sac High to a 26-7 season, it's second consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section D-III championship and a third straight Northern California championship appearance, Turner is ready for more.
He can't wait for the AAU season to begin, even though the highly recruited player said he hasn't picked a team.
He played last season with the Southern California-based Pump 'N Run, which he said wants him back. But the Oakland Soldiers and Los Angeles-based Team Odom, which features good friends Darius Nelson and Ramon Eaton of Sheldon, also are seeking his services.
Swafford hopes Turner doesn't put all his focus into AAU this offseason.
For a player who already has gotten at least 10 college scholarship offers, Turner needs to fine-tune his academic game and help prepare his Sac High teammates for a state title run next season, says Swafford.
"I don't think he has to go all over the country and play all these different people to be seen," Swafford said. "I think the coaches know who Josiah is."
He also hopes Turner will keep an open mind about college as the calls and offers continue to flood in.
"A D-I basketball factory may not be right for him," Swafford said. "Maybe a smaller program, like a St. Mary's, could be a better fit. You want to surround yourself with people who want the best for you, want you to graduate and get that degree. There are too many horror stories.
"I want him to realize success is how you complete yourself, not how people define you."
Turner hasn't indicated a college preference and isn't likely to make up his mind until after the summer, if even then.
He doesn't want to make his earlier misstep of a premature decision. He verbally committed to Arizona State at the end of his freshman year at Cordova, then rescinded that commitment last summer.
"I was flattered at the time they made the offer, but I realized later it was too early," Turner said.
Turner hasn't ruled out attending Arizona State.
But now it's just one school on a list that is growing longer by the day.
Also on the list, according to Turner: Kansas, Georgia Tech, Arizona, Oregon, USC, Florida International, Marquette, Santa Clara and Southern Methodist, where current teammate Travon Abraham is headed.
Pretty heady stuff for the former little guy - "Josiah didn't really start to grow until the eighth grade," Ward says.
Back in the day, little Josiah would encounter some of his toughest battles against older sister Quanisha, the ex-pitbull of a point guard for Sac High, now playing at Chico State.
"Back then I'd tell Josiah if he could get around her, he could get around anybody in the city," Ward said.
Life as a cowboy prepared Burnel Pinkerton for the rigors of coaching high school basketball.
When the Woodcreek boys basketball coach was 16 and living in Ohio, his father sent him off for a summer to work as a wrangler in Wyoming.
The Bee's 2009-2010 Boys Basketball Coach of the Year had an interest in wildlife management and was thinking about attending Humboldt State.
"We'd go into the wilderness on horseback on Monday and come back on Friday," Pinkerton said. "Sunday was the rodeo. But I found enough time to attend a basketball camp at the University of Utah."
Pinkerton said it was a marvelous experience, even if he still carries a permanent reminder of his "City Slickers" days.
"I was working a rodeo, and I was given a whip," Pinkerton said. "I was told that every time the horses came near the fence, I was to swing the whip like crazy so the horses would go the other way.
"But this one horse didn't. Instead he jumped on top of me and pinned me against the fence. He had me T-boned, and he busted my rib. It never healed right. I still have the lump in there because of it."
But that pounding couldn't match the physical toll taken on Pinkerton's knees as a basketball player.
In leading Woodcreek to the Sierra Foothill League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division II titles during a momentous 28-6 season, Pinkerton endured much pain.
He hobbled about on two bad knees, the result of his high school days in Ohio and later as a 6-foot-3 center at the College of the Redwoods in Eureka.
Pinkerton has had five surgeries on his right knee and on March 23 he had the fourth on his left knee. It required 21 staples and has left a 10-inch scar.
"I feel pretty good now," Pinkerton said Tuesday. "But I went through a week of pain. The IV painkiller made me sick, and the pills weren't strong enough."
Any time things got bad, though, the 51-year-old Pinkerton could think back to the most enjoyable ride of what has been a rollar-coaster high school coaching career for the U.S. history teacher.
"It was a great year, even if it ended on a heart-breaking buzzer beater," Pinkerton said of the 48-47 loss to St. Francis of Mountain View in the CIF Northern California Regional championship game March 20 at Arco Arena. "I just felt bad for the kids. I really felt they deserved that victory."
Pinkerton has a lot of friends in the coaching community so they were rooting for a guy who has probably had more downs than ups as a prep head coach.
"Three years ago they won seven games," said Oakmont coach Rick Campbell, a good buddy. "To go from that to a team that wins a section title and plays for a Northern California championship is impressive. He did an amazing job."
Unlike private schools, which reload with talent season after season, most public school coaches only come across that special team every now and then.
"With a public school program you take the good with the bad," Campbell said. "You take the hand that is dealt you. The thing about Burnel is that however his teams were doing, he always looked out for his kids."
Senior center Mike Kurtz, who will play at UC Davis on scholarship next year, said the one thing he appreciated about Pinkerton was his sense of humor.
"He's a funny guy," Kurtz said. "Basketball is normally a very serious game. But he'd kid around at times in practice, try to lighten things up, to make it fun. You could tell he wanted us to enjoy the experience."
Pinkerton admits that coaching hasn't always been enjoyable.
After putting in his dues with assistant coaching stints at Redwoods, Sacramento State, Foothill, Johnson, El Camino, Roseville and Oakmont, Pinkerton became Granite Bay's first boys coach.
The experience didn't go well.
"Life is too short," Pinkerton told The Bee's Sam Amick in 2002 after stepping down under pressure from a team that finished 12-17. "I left because of parental pressure, because of a difference in philosophy with the parents and the players. When it happened, some of the players were upset, were loyal to me. Some weren't."
Pinkerton admits today he could have handled things differently and that Granite Bay might not have been the right fit for him.
"That was a tough experience," he said. "I didn't realize that if you didn't play someone's kid, it could get you in trouble. I wasn't prepared for anything like that.
"When I look back, some of it was my fault, some was just the way it was. Some of it was their (the parents) fault. I was not a good politician. I was too blunt."
When Paul Hayes stepped down as the Woodcreek coach in 2004, Pinkerton got a second-chance opportunity in the Sierra Foothill League.
But the Timberwolves weren't an immediate success.
There were player issues, a couple of missed playoff opportunities. There also was a miserable but not unexpected 7-20 2007 season, then last year's quick start that resulted in a dose of reality once in league play. Woodcreek went 21-8 but just 7-5 in league and lost 68-67 to Bella Vista in the second round of the playoffs.
Then came this season with a cast of seniors that learned well from the previous year's experience and a group of juniors hungry to keep winning.
"I knew we had this kind of potential," Pinkerton said. "But the SFL is so tough, I wasn't sure if we were going to pull this out. We're not nearly as good (talent wise) as our record. That 28-6 and the teams we beat goes to the character of our kids. They fought hard all the way."
En route the fourth-seeded Timberwolves knocked off the top-seeded team in the NorCal field by beating Archbishop Mitty 91-83 in overtime in the semifinals in San Jose, then took second-seeded St. Francis down to the wire, only to lose on a miraculous last-second shot after a missed attempt.
"These are public school kids here, trying to get it done the old-fashioned way," Pinkerton told the media after that crushing loss. "That's what the boys need to leave behind.... We're old school. We pass, cut and kick. And they're all home grown. That makes it sweet for us to come this far."
Pinkerton says he has been fortunate to have such a loyal and talented right hand man in assistant Terry Tangney.
"Terry Tangney is 72 years old and is a lot smarter and knows a lot more basketball than me," he said of the former Placer boys coach. "He's a good guy."
The addition before the season of Mike Holland, who played for Hayes on Woodcreek's 2003 CIF NorCal championship team, also proved a wise move.
"We had a younger guy who was a little more in tune with the players," Pinkerton said. "So I'll take the credit for surrounding myself with good people."
He can also take credit for taking every advantage in Woodcreek's late-season push that had him referring to his players as the "Cardiac Kids."
After losing back-to-back games to Rocklin and Del Oro in the SFL and preparing to play at rival Oakmont Feb. 10, Pinkerton decided he needed an edge.
So for good luck he put on a T-shirt that a coaching friend had sent him from his Redding, Pa., state championship team of a few years earlier.
It was a little snug, especially under Pinkerton's burgundy Woodcreek top. But when they beat Oakmont 70-45, he refused to take it off.
"I figured after beating Oakmont by 25, I ain't changing," Pinkerton said.
So he kept wearing the same T-shirt, socks, pants and top.
"Don't worry, I washed them after each game," Pinkerton said.
That outfit carried him through nine more wins and a split second from a 10th.
"Coach Tangney would say, 'We're not superstitious, we're just careful,'" Pinkerton said.
Oak Ridge's impressive upset of the Long Beach Poly girls wasn't the only good news for the Sacramento area in this past weekend's CIF state basketball championships in Bakersfield.
Attendance was so poor at Rabobank Arena - 8,786 total for two days and 10 games - that CIF executive director Marie Ishida didn't hide her disappointment during her annual press conference during the event.
"I am disappointed in the crowd," she said. "Very disappointed."
For the first time in 13 years, the state championships were held somewhere besides Arco Arena. The games had to be moved because of a conflict with the NCAA Regional women's basketball playoffs that were held Saturday and today at Arco.
Rabobank, which has drawn well for the CIF state wrestling championships, out-bid Fresno, Oakland and Anaheim for the one-and-done event.
No doubt having no Kern County teams in the event hurt. As hard-working reporter Zach Ewing of the Bakersfield Californian pointed out, that area hasn't had a team reach the state championships since 1994.
It also was a long drive either way for those from the prime population areas in Northern and Southern California, something Ishida noted.
Many schools also are on spring break.
While the one-year experiment may not be a litmus test for Southern California - teams from that region complain every year about having to come to Sacramento to play - it's doubtful any venue can provide the combination of good attendance at a reasonable cost that makes Arco so attractive.
CIF officials say Arco has consistently drawn crowds of 18,000 to 20,000 over the two days, regardless of the teams. And the Maloofs like having the event.
The last time the state basketball finals were held in Southern California was 1997 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. Attendance was paltry.
Arco will be the site of the state finals for 2011, then the contract goes out to bid again.
But the harmonious arrangement between the CIF and the Maloofs could all change, of course, if the Kings eventually get a new arena.
At that point, the CIF might just get priced out of the Sacramento market and have to find some other venue in which to play.
The magical run of Woodcreek's "Cardiac Kids" came to an end today at Arco Arena.
Patrick Crowley's 7-footer at the buzzer lifted second-seeded St. Francis of Mountain View (30-3) to a 48-47 win over the fourth-seeded Timberwolves (28-6) in the CIF Northern Regional Division II boys championship game.
The 6-foot-5 Crowley rebounded a missed shot by teammate Spencer Britschgi from the key as time was running out. Then Crowley threw up an off-balanced shot over the outstretched arms of Woodcreek's 6-foot-11 that cleared the basket as the buzzer sounded.
Fresno State-bound Tyler Johnson led St. Francis with 19 points and Ryan Milat topped Woodcreek with 14. Kurtz added 10 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.
Brandon Ashley, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, scored 13 points and had 13 rebounds and 6-5 senior Jordan Barton had 14 rebounds, seven blocked shots and six points to lead Bishop O'Dowd to a 57-50 win over Sacramento High in the CIF Northern California D-III boys basketball championship game today at Arco Arena.
Josiah Turner led Sac High with 20 points and Travon Abraham added 17.
Turner's jumper with 2:55 to go put Sacramento ahead 50-49, but O'Dowd's James Thomas made a three-pointer from the right corner with 2:02 to play and Sacramento missed its last eight shots.
Sac High led O'Dowd dominated on the boards, with a 57-28 advantage.
O'Dowd, Cal-Hi's top Northern California team, regardless of division will play Serra of Gardena for the state championship next Saturday in Bakersfield.
Remi Barry, the French national transfer student denied eligibility to play high school basketball by the CIF, will play Saturday when the YBA Dawgs open the Spring AAU competitive basketball season at Hardwood Palace in Rocklin.
The 6-foot-7 Del Oro High School transfer student will play alongside a lineup of Sierra Foothill League players from Nevada Union, Rocklin, Granite Bay and Del Oro. Also included is 6-7 Yuba City star Zach Nelson.
Saturday's tip-off for the Dawgs is 3:30 p.m. against Carson Valley AAU of Minden, Nev., on Court 2 at the Hardwood Palace.
Barry hasn't played in a high school game since February of 2009 in Florida, but worked out with the Golden Eagles all season.
"I'm really excited about playing this weekend," Barry said. "I really would have liked to play high school basketball this year, but AAU is a good substitute since I'll be playing with and against the area's and nation's best players."
Barry did not suit up for the Golden Eagles this season after the CIF ruled his transfer violated its bylaws. Barry's appeal of the CIF ruling was denied by a CIF appeals-panel in January.
Barry and his lawyer then filed for a stay in Placer Superior Court that would have allowed him to play prior to a court hearing on the merit of the CIF's initial denial. The plea for a stay was unsuccessful and Barry was resigned to cheering his teammates from the bench for the remainder of the SFL season and postseason play.
The Dawgs are coached by Millard "Doc" Haynes.
The team will compete in several NCAA-sanctioned tournaments in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Founded in 2004, YBA basketball teaches local youth basketball players the fundamentals of the game in a competitive environment and provides older players with the opportunity to be seen by college coaches and potentially secure scholarships.
Barry is still a highly recruited college prospect despite missing his senior year.
"We're confident YBA will provide Remi and our other seniors with greater exposure to college recruiters and coaches," said YBA Program Director Ken Gee. "These are talented kids who will likely be scholarship players in college next fall."
During the past seasons, several YBA players secured playing commitments and scholarships to Harvard, St. Michael's, St. Mary's and UC Davis among other schools.
Hardwood Palace is located at 1091 Tinker Road in Rocklin.
*Information for this story was provided by Christian Hendricks, who is housing Barry while he attends Del Oro. He is vice president of Interactive Media for the McClatchy Company, owners of the Sacramento Bee.
Sacramento High's Travon Abraham is a four-year varsity player and the leader of a Dragons team that is trying to reach the CIF state boys basketball championship game for the second time in three years.
In less than 24 hours (noon Saturday) at Arco Arena, Abraham and his teammates will play Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland for the Northern California Division III championship.
Abraham, a 5-foot-9 senior guard, averages 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Next season he will play for former Cal basketball coach Ben Braun at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Here are some of his thoughts during an impromptu question and answer session on Thursday.
Q: Bishop O'Dowd is the No. 1 ranked team in Northern California, regardless of division. Do you guys see yourselves as underdogs?
A: We're both equal teams. Whoever is most effective on Saturday is going to win. We can't go into this game and change what we do because they pressure us. But we want them to have to change the way they play. Whoever plays out of character is the team that's going to be going home.
Q: Having been to the Sac-Joaquin Section finals six straight years and now making a fourth NorCal title appearance in the last five years, do you feel pressure to have to perform well?
A: We can feel it at times. Sometimes we play better on road games than home games because we feel a little more comfortable. We do get criticized. A good example was the Miramonte game (NorCal quarterfinals). We won by three points (87-84). Everybody - students, parents, players from other schools - came up to us and said, 'We don't want to see that again.' We know there are a lot of people supporting us, so we owe it to them to go out and play well. It's all about pride.
Q: Even though you have played on the varsity for four seasons, do demanding coaches Derek Swafford and top assistant Earl Allen still get after you? Has Swafford ever booted you off the floor or out of the gym for not playing hard enough or smart enough during those renowned intense workouts?
A: I still go through it now. Ever since I signed (NCAA letter of intent), the coaches' expectations got higher. It's like I went back to my freshman year. If I even dress wrong, there's a problem. But I know where Swafford is coming from. He yells a lot, but I don't take it personally because I know he has good intentions. I've gotten kicked off the court, but never kicked out of practice. It was my sophomore year. It was a one-time thing. To me it was a little extreme, but at the next practice I was on my best behavior.
Q: How much did playing for the Dragons factor into your getting a basketball scholarship from Rice?
A: The first game Ben Braun ever saw me play, I was in a Sac High uniform my sophomore year when he still was at Cal. The guard coach (at Rice) who recruited me, recruited me through coach Earl, so I basically got my scholarship through playing high school basketball. I just had to show myself during the AAU season.
Q: You attended Kennedy High School for three months before transferring to Sacramento High your freshman year. Do you think you got a good education at the charter school?
A: When I was at Kennedy, I was in a lot of advanced classes. There, if you were having problems, as far as the teachers were concerned, you were going to have to figure out how to get through it on your own. If you're having problems here, teachers will force you to go into study groups. I think teachers here care for you more and are on you more than when I was at Kennedy.
Q: After you guys beat Vista del Lago for the D-III section title, you mentioned that this team was a lot different that the three previous you played on. You said there was a five-fold improvement in this squad this season. Expand on that?
A: On the teams I played on in the past, we just kind of cruised through the whole year and played at a steady pace. At the beginning of this year we weren't playing nearly as well as we thought we should, even though he had beaten some good teams like Etiwanda and Pasadena. That was during a three-game period where we played extremely well. Then the next two games (losses to Compton and Oakland) we played terrible. Our focus was up and down. So that's when we agreed we needed to re-focus and put all our attention on the basketball season. So we worked harder. And for some reason this is the most running I've ever done. This team gets run more than any other I've been on. I think that's because the players and coaches came to an agreement (in early January) that we weren't happy with where we were at.
CIF State championship
2008 - D-III: Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita 72, Sacramento 55
College players
These former Dragons have played or are now playing basketball in college, according to Swafford:
Demetrius Young (Class of 2004) Stoneybrook University
Jemell Cherry-Swafford (04) Cal Baptist
Issaac Richard (04) Moorehouse
Matt Johnson (05) Northern Arizona
Kevin Galloway (05) Texas Southern
Miguel Smith (05) UC Santa Cruz
Fred Ellis (07) Baylor
Brandon Curtis (07) Modesto Junior College
Cervante' Burrell (07) Seattle University
Bobby Evans (08) Yuba College
Kyle Allen (08) Yuba College
Chase Tapley (09) San Diego State
Woodcreek boys basketball coach Burnel Pinkerton would love to have the problem of his senior center Mike Kurtz.
If the 6-foot-11, 190-pound Kurtz doesn't eat about 4,000 calories a day, he'll lose weight.
"It's a challenge putting on weight," said Kurtz, who will play on scholarship at UC Davis next season. "Because of pure genetics and all the practices and activities, I'd probably have to consume 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day to gain weight."
So while Kurtz can pretty much eat whatever he wants whenever he wants, the 51-year-old Pinkerton gains weight just looking at a celery stick.
He said some friends kidded him after seeing pictures of Pinkerton celebrating with his Woodcreek players after they beat Oakmont in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game March 6 at Arco Arena.
In some of the photos, Pinkerton's pronounced belly is showing.
"I've gotten a lot of crap about it," the affable Pinkerton said. "Some of the comments I heard, 'Why don't you get a longer shirt.'"
Pinkerton admits to be a little sensitive about his bulk. He is a bachelor who doesn't eat right to begin with, especially during basketball season.
He's also been hobbling about on two bad knees, the result of his playing days at the College of the Redwoods. These days he can't get up and down the court, even in slow motion.
Pinkerton has had five surgeries on his right knee and three on his left.
He is scheduled to have another surgery on his left knee on Tuesday, although he says he'll cancel if the Timberwolves reach the CIF state finals. Fourth-seeded Woodcreek (28-5) is playing second-seeded St. Francis (29-3) in the Northern California D-II championship 4 p.m. Saturday at Arco Arena.
"I need to have it done," Pinkerton said. "I'm starting to get to the point where I can't feel my quad in my left leg, and I lose feeling in my arm. My knees hurt all the time.
"I can't stand for long periods of time. Sometimes I have to tell the guys in practice that it's not that I don't care, but I have to sit down."
Sac-Joaquin Section Communications director Will DeBoard notes that a number of former section boys high school stars will compete in March Madness.
They include:
• CHASE TAPLEY, San Diego State. Tapley led the Dragons to two Sac-Joaquin Section titles and one NorCal title. True freshman is averaging 7.8 points a game for the Aztecs.
• NATE GARTH, New Mexico (Capital Christian). Garth played his freshman and sophomore years at Capital Christian before moving out of state. The sophomore is averaging 4.2 points and 1.7 assists a game for the Lobos.
• TERRENCE JENNINGS, Louisville (Capital Christian). Jennings spent his junior year at Capital Christian in the 2004-05 season, where he averaged 17 points a game in leading the Cougars to the SJS D-V championship game. He's a sophomore at Louisville, where he's averaging 5.2 points a game.
• FRED ELLIS, Baylor (Sacramento). Was part of SJS D-III championship team in 2007 and SJS runner-up team in 2006. Redshirt sophomore is averaging 1.3 points a game for the Bears.
• WAYNE HUNTER, St. Mary's College (Valley). Hunter led Valley to the SJS D-II championship his senior year in 2004. Went to a prep school after that then on to St. Mary's. The redshirt senior averaged 11 points a game in the Gaels' first seven games before he tore his ACL, ending his season.
• ELSTON TURNER, Washington (Roseville). Turner spent three high-scoring years at Roseville High before moving to Houston. The sophomore is averaging 5.1 points a game for the Huskies.
Woodcreek overcame a lousy seed, a blown tire on its van en route to San Jose and a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat top-seeded Archbishop Mitty 91-83 in overtime earlier tonight in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Division II regional semifinals.
The win moves fourth-seeded Woodcreek into Saturday's D-II championship game against second-seeded St. Francis of Mountain View, a 53-39 winner over Oakmont.
According to Dennis Knight of the San Jose Mercury News, Woodcreek trailed Mitty by nine points with three minutes left, before going on a 10-0 run to take a 73-72 lead with just under a minute left.
After a free throw, Stephen Meade's steal and layup put Mitty ahead 75-73 with 18 seconds before Ryan Milat forced overtime with a drive with five seconds remaining. Woodcreek outscored the Monarchs 16-8 in overtime.
Nik Milani played a key role in the comeback, scoring eight of his 18 points in the fourth quarter. Mike Kurtz had 19 points and Milat finished with 15. Meade had 32 points for Mitty.
Kurt Johnson of the Roseville Press-Tribune reported that Woodcreek's team van blew a tire on the way to the game, but that coach Burnel Pinkerton and the seven players on board weren't injured.
Although Woodcreek (28-5) had the better record, Mitty, which finishes with 10 losses, was given the No. 1 seed for the NorCals based on its upset win of St. Francis in the Central Coast Section championship game.
St. Francis will make its second straight appearance in the D-II finale. The Troubadours lost last season to Rocklin.
Area boys basketball teams proved to be true road warriors in Thursday night's CIF Northern California Regional playoffs.
Here's a short recap:
• Center 68, Enterprise 55 in Redding - Although far from home, the Cougars (28-3) stung the third-seeded Hornets in the D-III quarterfinal by shooting 64 percent from the field (29-for-46), including 9-for-11 in the first quarter. Elliot Herald led Center with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but the story was the offensive resurgence of 6-foot-8 Connor Haysbert. Limited to 11 points in Center's two previous games, Haysbert scored 19 points on 8-for-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line. Center will play at Sac High Saturday night.
• Sheldon 59, Bellarmine 57 in San Jose - Darius Nelson, fresh off his 49-point performance in a double overtime win against Castro Valley on Tuesday, had 26 points as the Huskies (28-5) upset the second-seeded Bells in the D-I quarterfinal. Sheldon plays Saturday at Newark Memorial.
• Oakmont 57, Redwood 45 in Larkspur - The Vikings (24-7) jumped all over the Giants in the D-II quarterfinal game in taking an 18-4 first-quarter lead, then fighting off a comeback attempt that saw the host team close to within 36-34 with 3:38 left to go in the third quarter. But Oakmont sealed it with an 11-2 run in the fourth quarter. Tony Gill topped Oakmont with a game-high 19 points. Oakmont plays Saturday at second-seeded St. Francis in Mountain View.
• St. Francis 75, Rocklin 72 in Mountain View - Tyler Johnson sank two free throws with nine seconds as the second-seeded Lancers held off the Thunder (22-10) in a re-match of last season's NorCal D-II finalists, won by Rocklin. Rocklin coach Steve Taylor said the difference was his team's failure at the foul line. The Thunder made only 14 of 24 attempts. St. Francis was 18 of 23. "That being said, we were ahead 'til late, and they made a couple of shots and we missed a couple of shots in the last three minutes," Taylor said.
• St. Mary's 67, Colfax 54 in Berkeley - The Falcons (27-6) kept it close until midway through the final quarter against the D-IV top seeds.
It's conceivable that the Oakmont and Woodcreek boys basketball teams could meet for a fifth time this season in the CIF Northern California Division II championship game on March 20 at Arco Arena.
Oakmont, which plays host to Montgomery of Santa Rosa tonight, lost at the buzzer 45-44 to league rival Woodcreek in Saturday's D-II Sac-Joaquin section final at Arco.
It was the fourth time Woodcreek beat its Roseville rivals this season.
When the subject of a possible NorCal title showdown was broached after the heartbreaking loss in which the Vikings led most of the game, Oakmont coach Rick Campbell said, "Wouldn't that be fun."
Campbell and Woodcreek coach Burnel Pinkerton are close friends and the players on both teams are friendly rivals.
"We really wanted to win, but I am also really happy for Burnel," Campbell said after the game in the Arco tunnel. "We root for each other, and if I was going to lose this game, I would want it to be to him."
But four defeats is hard to swallow even among friends.
"I told Burnel that my folks were upset with him," Campbell said jokingly. "So he can't come over to dinner for awhile."
Even though his Center High School players were dejected for several days after their triple overtime loss to Vista del Lago in the boys Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals Wednesday at Cosumnes River College, coach Ray Gagnon thinks his guys will be ready to play tonight.
The Cougars (26-3) are playing Analy of Sebastopol (29-2) in tonight's California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Regional playoff opener at Antelope High School.
"It took us a little time to get going," Gagnon said. "The first thing we started working on is making sure the kids were re-focused and feeling good about themselves.
"There was not a dry eye among the starters after that game. They really expected to win.
"So we told them, 'We can see from your reactions that it really hurt. But it's supposed to hurt. You work your butts off all the time, so it shows how much you care.'"
Gagnon said three of his starters cramped up during the game, and a fourth did so at home later that night. Connor Haysbert, the Cougars' 6-foot-8 center, was in a lot of pain because of a tender ankle he sprained just before the end of the playoffs.
Gagnon played essentially six players, although a seventh made a brief appearance of "less than a minute" before halftime.
"It was incredible what they did," Gagnon said. "That's why I think we'll be ready. We don't want our last memory to be that we lost our last two games."
Gagnon feels his team has as good a chance as any to play March 20 in the NorCal D-III championship game at Arco Arena.
Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland (27-3) is the favorite, but Gagnon saw the Dragons play Miramonte of Orinda in the North Coast Section final on Friday and the Dragons, in winning 60-50, didn't look like the No. 1 team in Northern California, as they are ranked this week by Cal-Hi Sports and NorCalPreps.com.
"I was told by one writer that they played their C game, not their A game," Gagnon said.
He also saw defending D-III Northern California champion Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco (14-14) beat Burlingame for the Central Coast Section title on Saturday.
Good teams both, but not overwhelming.
He thinks his team, No. 2 seeded Sacramento and No. 4 seed Vista del Lago are all in the mix.
"Anybody can lose on any night in D-III," Gagnon said. "I'm terrified if we win (tonight) because we have to go up to Enterprise (of Redding) on Thursday. That's a three-hour drive."
But if Center beats Analy and No. 3 seeded Enterprise and the bracket plays out otherwise, Center could be back home on Saturday playing at Sac High.
"It will be a challenge but at this point the bottom line is that there are only going to be five teams in the entire state that will finish the season on a winning note," Gagnon said.
The wide smile on the face of Darius Nelson told the whole story.
The Sheldon High School junior did tonight what his more celebrated older brother, DeMarcus, couldn't do - lead his team to a Sac-Joaquin Section championship.
The 6-foot-6 forward scored 29 points in leading sixth-seeded Sheldon to a 78-72 win over top-seeded Franklin of Elk Grove in the Division I boys final.
DeMarcus Nelson, California's all-time scoring leader, had to settle for a runner-up finish in the 2004 D-I final when the Huskies were upset 63-61 by Kennedy at Arco.
Freshman D'Erryl Williams added 18 points and seven rebounds and 6-8 junior Ramon Eaton 13 points and 13 rebounds for Sheldon.
Anthony King led Franklin with 20 points while Chuk Iroegbu had 18 points and 12 rebounds, freshman Ikenna Iroegbu 14 points and Michael Rosaroso 12 points.
The two teams will advance to the expanded California Interscholastic Federation Northern California regional playoffs that will start on Tuesday at home sites.
The seeds of Victory Christian's 68-64 Sac-Joaquin Section Division V boys overtime basketball championship win against Ripon Christian Friday at Arco Arena were planted a decade ago.
That's when the core group of seniors was in the third grade at the K-through-12 Carmichael private school. Coaching dads Lane Boolen and Gary Halverson would point to the banner hanging in the gym.
It was the D-V section boys basketball championship banner from the 2001 season, the only boys title in that sport in school history.
"We'd point at it and tell the kids, 'Hey guys that's something to shoot for,'" said Boolen, now a Vikings assistant. "We saw the potential back then. Others would join as we worked with them through elementary school, junior high and into high school."
Even though one of the best athletes would wind up at another school starring in a different sport, the Victory Christian kids kept getting better through the countless games played in and around the Carmichael area.
"Ryan Dimino played with us in third and fourth grade," Boolen said of the Del Campo football star and Bee Player of the Year this past season. "A lot of our kids know Ryan. But that's how it is. Our kids know kids from all over the place because they play a lot of ball."
They played some very good ball on Friday, sparked by a surprisingly large rooting section considering the high school has an enrollment of fewer than 200 students. They turned aside an opponent with a rich basketball history that also had beaten them by 21 points earlier in the season.
Behind the Coppernoll brothers, Nathan and Clayton, Victory Christian outscored the Knights 7-3 in overtime to get a new upgrade banner for the gym.
Nathan Coppernoll, a 6-3 senior forward, had a game-high 21 points, including the game's last basket in regulation, scoring on a driving layup that tied it 61-61 with 31 seconds to play.
A Ripon Christian turnover with 11.4 seconds and a failure by Victory Christian to get off a shot before the buzzer extended the game an extra four minutes.
Sophomore 5-11 Clayton Coppernoll, known as a stout defender, hit three critical three-pointers, two in the fourth quarter and the overtime dagger that put them up by the final 68-64 score. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
Seniors Johnny Coburn and Brad Hoffelt had 12 points and 6-7 Ethan Boolen, Lane's son, added eight points and two blocked shots for the top-seeded Vikings (27-3).
Second-seeded Ripon Christian (22-7) has won nine boys section titles and two California Interscholastic Federation state championships.
The Knights also have one of the top big men among small-school programs in 6-foot-8, 255-pound Tyler Goslinga, who dominated the Vikings in their previous meeting Dec. 22. The senior center scored 29 points as the Knights coasted to a 64-43 home win.
Goslinga was held to 15 this time, a key to the victory according to Victory Christian coach Bob Grexton.
"What we knew tonight is we had to take away Goslinga in the middle," Grexton said. "We felt if we controlled the middle, we could control the basketball game."
Grexton had his guards, who normally extend out and apply pressure on the perimeter, sag and help the slightly built Boolen defend the stout Goslinga.
"I got lots of help inside," said Boolen, giving nearly 80 pounds to his rival post. "I think their guards began expecting us to be there."
Goslinga took only 13 shots -- he made 12 in the first game -- and was held scoreless during the final nine minutes.
"They kept passing the ball around the outside and their big guy was trying to get open inside," Boolen said. "We felt if we made them shoot threes, that would be the best for us."
Grexton said the one-sided loss in December only fueled his guys to buy into the plan.
"What's to lose?" he said. "Just go out and play hard. That's one of the things about this team, They never quit. If (we trail), it's not insurmountable."
Ripon Christian coach Ron Vander Molen said his team simply ran out of gas.
"Fatigue was as much of a factor as anything because we don't have a lot of depth," said Vander Molen, who used seven players (Victory Christian played eight). "When you're tired, you don't think as straight."
Ethan Boolen said it was easy to understand why a group that Grexton considers overachievers could beat a team with more size and arguably more talent.
"It's a brotherhood," he said. "We trust each other. We believe in each other."
Nathan Coppernoll said Grexton pulled out all stops to motivate them by touting Ripon Christian's greatness (only Modesto Christian has won more boys section basketball titles).
"Before the game he came into the locker room and said how much basketball tradition Ripon Christian had," Nathan Coppernoll said. "How many section championships, how many NorCal championships and how many state championships they had won.
"So we knew we had to come out and play hard and play aggressively to prove we belonged."
The Vikings did.
Now they will move on the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Regionals that start on Tuesday at home sites. Victory Christian will learn Sunday who they will play in the opener.
• The Modesto Bee's Richard T. Estrada contributed to this report
Vista del Lago vs. Sacramento in the CIF Division III high school basketball championship from Arco Arena. Video highlights from Access Sacramento. Watch full game coverage Tuesday March 9 at 8:30 p.m. or Saturday March 13 at 10:30 a.m. on Comcast or Surewest Cable Ch. 17 or on the internet at www.AccessSacramento.org.
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Will Davis admits he sometimes feels forgotten.
That's easy to understand, even though the Sacramento High senior forward is 6-foot-9.
Davis plays in the long shadow of teammates Josiah Turner and Travon Abraham, two of the area's best scoring guards.
Already an intimidating defender and superb rebounder, Davis has started to assert himself on the offensive end now that the perennial power is making another deep playoff push.
Davis scored a career-high 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots in top-seeded Sac High's 65-55 win over second-seeded Vista del Lago in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game Friday night at Arco Arena.
For the Dragons (24-6), it was their second consecutive section title and fourth in six years. Vista del Lago (28-3) was trying to win its first boys section title in just its second year of varsity, and its first season with seniors.
Turner had 23 points to break Reeves Nelson's single-season playoff scoring record of 121. Nelson starred at Modesto Christian and is playing as a true freshman this season for UCLA.
Turner finished his four-game section playoff run with 127 points but had a mixed performance overall. He made only 6 of 17 shots from the field and turned the ball over 10 times.
Abraham, a senior headed to Rice, finished with 13 points but also struggled in making just 4 of 14 shots.
But Davis, averaging 8.8 points per game coming in, was almost dead on.
He made 7 of 10 shots from the field and 8 of 9 from the foul line, all in the second half.
That helped keep Vista del Lago, making a valiant second-half run, at bay.
The Eagles were as close as 54-51 with 1:37 to play before the Dragons finished by making 11 of 12 free throws. Davis was 7 of 8 in that stretch, impressive for someone averaging just better than 50 percent.
"It's my senior season and I'm a captain so I'm starting to get more comfortable asking for the ball," Davis said. "Sometimes we get a little selfish, and I have to remind the guys, 'Hey, I'm open.'"
Abraham admits that while he and Turner sometimes try to do to much, they are getting more confident in Davis.
"We're starting to get real comfortable with giving Will the ball," Abraham said. "He works so hard on defense that we should reward him on offense."
But Davis understands why it's taken awhile to gain his teammates' confidence.
"I struggled with my shooting for awhile," Davis said. "In league play I was missing a lot of shots, a lot of layups. I think I wasn't as focused. But now that I'm into the playoffs and it's my last year, I'm a lot more focused."
Sac High coach Derek Swafford says that Davis has picked the perfect time to emerge from his offensive "shell."
"Will is an unpolished gem," Swafford said. "He's one of those kids who is starting to come into his own. He has a huge upside."
Davis and the Dragons had their hands full against the seven men of iron from Vista del Lago, which put on an impressive show of fortitude 48 hours after beating Center 69-66 in triple overtime in the semifinals.
Sacramento won the game at the foul line, making 31 of 40 attempts. Vista del Lago hit 10 of 20 free throws.
In trying to contain Turner and Abraham, five of Vista's seven players got in foul trouble, although the three who eventually fouled out, Hayden Lescault, Jaquai Wiley and DeMarcus Wishom, didn't do so until the final 39 seconds.
When they had the ball, the Eagles passed and cut brilliantly, but they also missed a number of open outside looks and easy attempts around the basket. They made just 34 percent (22 of 64) of their shots from the floor.
Lescault, Vista del Lago's star who had scored 73 points in three previous playoff games, topped the Eagles in scoring 17 second-half points. But the 6-4 senior guard was only 6 of 17 from the field and 1 of 5 from three-point range.
Marques White added 12 points and 10 rebounds, Spencer Hatten nine points and two steals and the 6-5 Wishom eight points, seven rebounds and six blocks.
Sacramento led by as many as 11 points late in the first half but Kalib Smith tied it for the Eagles, 34-34, with a layup with 3:08 to play in the third quarter.
Davis responded by scoring twice and making a free throw as the Dragons regained the lead for good.
"When we had that 11-point lead, I expected us to build on that, but we got a little impatient and they played tough," Abraham said. "They kept fighting."
Turner, who is second in the state in scoring at 28 points per game, said he thought he was in a war.
A Vista del Lago foul with 26 seconds left got Turner visibly angry, and he had to be restrained by his teammates.
"I was expecting it to be rough, but I wasn't expecting all that contact they were giving me," said Turner, who made 11 of 16 free throw attempts. "I go through (getting fouled) a lot, but I've never gone through all that contact.
"It didn't get to me until the end when one of their players did an on-purpose hit to me. But throughout the rest of the game I just took it as motivation."
It's possible that the two teams might meet again, possibly in the finals of the next playoff stage on March 20 at Arco Arena.
Both have qualified along with Center, The Bee's top-ranked team at the start of the playoffs, for the expanded California Interscholastic Federation Northern California regional playoffs starting on Tuesday. All three are ranked in the state D-III top 10 by Cal-Hi Sports.
Seedings will be announced Sunday.
Vista del Lago would love to get another shot at the Dragons. And probably so would the Eagles' huge crowd (Sac High supporters were sparse).
Turner, who plays with supreme confidence and doesn't always mask his emotions, was greeted at times with chants of "overrated" from the huge Eagles student rooting section as well as some adults sitting in the stands within earshot of media row.
"I think we get energy off that, our kids love it," Swafford said. "They just love playing in front of a crowd. You start yelling at them, and they play a little better."
For years, Woodcreek felt like the little brother who always saw big brother Rocklin get the last piece of pie.
None of the Woodcreek players could remember beating Rocklin until Jan. 5, when the Timberwolves out-ran the visiting Thunder 93-81 in the first Sierra Foothill League go-around of the season between the two schools, snapping a nine-game losing streak spanning five years.
But that win was tempered by a 68-61 loss at Rocklin Jan. 29.
On Thursday in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals at Arco Arena, Woodcreek outdueled the Thunder for the final piece of the pie.
The second-seeded Timberwolves beat the defending D-II section champions 71-64, despite a brilliant 37-point performance by Rocklin senior guard Cody Kale. Woodcreek will play Oakmont in an all-Sierra Foothill League D-II final 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Arco.
"We've been playing against these guys since the seventh grade," said Woodcreek senior guard-forward Nik Milani, a three-year varsity player. "We've never beaten them. So that makes this victory that much better."
Milani and Mike Kurtz finished with 16 points each, with Kurtz connecting on 8-of-8 free throws (our newspaper account today incorrectly credits the 6-foot-11 senior with 10-of-10) in the fourth quarter. Derek Anganes scored 11 points and Ryan Milat had 10. Tony Williams had 10 points for Rocklin.
Woodcreek will try to become the school's second boys basketball section titlist.
The Timberwolves, in winning the D-II section championship in 2003, went all the way to the California Interscholastic Federation state championship game that season. They lost to Mater Dei of Santa Ana.
That's the way J.T. Adenrele figured it after scoring the two most important points of his life.
The 6-foot-6 junior scored the game-winning basket as time expired in fourth-seeded Oakmont's 56-54 upset of top-seeded Fairfield in Thursday night's electrifying Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys basketball semifinal at Arco Arena.
The win sets up an all-Sierra Foothill League championship game on Saturday in which the Vikings (22-6) will play second-seeded Woodcreek (25-5) at 4:30 p.m. at the home of the Sacramento Kings. Woodcreek beat another SFL team, defending D-II section champion Rocklin 71-64 in the other semifinal.
But the tightly contested, emotional Oakmont-Fairfield game proved to be the best of the night, which included two not-so-bad Division I semifinals earlier won by Sheldon and Franklin of Elk Grove, respectively.
Adenrele, who sat more than 11 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, made his team's final four points. His two free throws with 21.8 seconds gave Oakmont a brief 54-52 lead. Fairfield's Tramayne Bondurant, virtually unstoppable in the fourth quarter en route to a game-high 27 points, made a reverse layup with 10.1 seconds to tie.
Then Alex Ford inbounded to Fred Mobley, who passed to Nathaniel Grady. Grady passed back to Mobley, who found Tony Gill on the left side. His 18-footer missed, but Ford rebounded. His hurried shot glanced off the rim. Adenrele, less than an inch from the rim, tipped in the miss as the buzzer sounded.
A big-screen replay showed 0.2 seconds on the clock when Adenrele tipped in the ball.
"At first, I didn't think I got it in time," Adenrele said. "But after I saw the replay, I knew it was good.
"I'm ecstatic. I don't know how to react right now. I thought Alex was going to tip it in, I just felt fortunate to be right there to make the play."
Oakmont coach Rick Campbell said Ford, a 6-2 guard deserved kudos for making a huge play in the final 10 chaotic seconds.
"That was the key, Alex going and getting it and keeping it alive, even if it didn't go in," Campbell said.
"I wasn't going to take a time out at that point and let them set up their defense. We were going to push it up the floor and see how things wound down. They wound up in our favor."
Gill, Oakmont's 6-foot-8 senior captain, was marvelous.
He scored 20 points -- missing only two shots from the field - grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.
"Tony Gill, what can I say?" Campbell said. "He hits big shots, makes the big free throws and helps us break pressure. He does a little bit of everything."
But Gill said his performance was only a small part of a monumental experience for players from both teams.
"This is something we'll all remember," Gill said. "The atmosphere was crazy, especially in the last eight minutes.
"Give credit to Fairfield. They're a wonderful team, so well coached, and those guys never give up. But our guys responded to everything."
Campbell agreed playing in the SFL and having senior leadership prepared his team for a postseason run that also included wins over Bear Creek and Jesuit.
"That three of the final four (in D-II) were from the SFL shows the strength of our league," Campbell said. "Where ever you go, whether its Woodcreek, Rocklin, Del Oro or Granite Bay, every game is a big game.
"Then there's the senior leadership. Tony's calm demeanor sets the tone and we kind of go as he goes. It's our team demeanor never to get too high or too low."
A key to the victory, Campbell said, was the play of little used junior guard Cholo Serrano. With Mobley, the team's top ballhandler, getting three first-half fouls, Serrano played 12 minutes and scored four points and grabbed two rebounds.
"He gave us a lift," Campbell said. "Being on this stage is something he'll remember."
Oakmont will be back on the big stage Saturday.
And the Vikings will be playing their Roseville rivals, who not only beat them out for the Sierra Foothill League title but have handed them three of their six losses this season.
"All along I've believed that Woodcreek is the best team in the section," Campbell said. "I've seen pretty much everyone at this point. They're deep, they have size, they have shooters. They've got everything."
Oakmont lost to Woodcreek 71-62 in the championship game of the Casa Roble tournament in December and 64-57 at Woodcreek in the first league game Jan. 14.
But what still hurts is their 70-45 home-court loss to the Timberwolves on senior night Feb. 10.
"We want some redemption," Gill said.
While a win would be nice, Campbell says getting to play for a championship is reward enough for a team that won only seven games last season.
"Win or lose Saturday this will be an experience no one can take from them," Campbell said. "I don't think there were too many people who thought at the beginning of the year that Oakmont would be in the section championship."
How often do you see a game that features two buzzer-beating, game-tying three-pointers?
Or basketball players cramping up, going down but refusing to limp their way out of the game?
Or three overtimes when one team only uses one sub and the other two?
That's what a large crowd at Cosumnes River College got treated to Wednesday night when second-seeded Vista del Lago defeated sixth-seeded Center 69-66 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals.
Vista del Lago (28-2), in only its second season of varsity competition, will play top-seeded Sacramento High (23-6) for the D-III championship 9 p.m. Friday at Arco Arena.
The Dragons reached the D-III title game for the sixth consecutive season by beating fourth-seeded St. Mary's of Stockton 85-72 earlier in the evening.
Center, The Bee's top-ranked team, will still have at least another game. For the first time, section semifinalists will qualify for the expanded California Interscholastic Federation Northern California regional playoffs.
The Cougars will learn Sunday who they will play in Tuesday's opening round.
Both teams will have a tough act to follow for the rest of the postseason.
The crowd, including two large, colorful and boisterous student rooting sections, couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Vista del Lago's Hayden Lescault, who finished with a game-high 31 points, made a 20-foot, lean-in jumper with two seconds in regulation to tie the game 49-49 and send it into overtime.
Center's Elliot Herald, with a Vista del Lago defender right in his face, hit a 30-footer at the buzzer in the first overtime to tie the game 56-56.
Mike Young put Vista del Lago ahead to stay 67-65 by hitting a finger-tip roll layup with 2:15 to play in the third overtime.
Despite playing 32 regulation minutes and 12 overtime minutes, Center used only seven players, one for less than a minute in the second quarter. Vista del Lago played seven, but center Marques White fouled out with 2:41 to play in the fourth quarter.
The win snapped Center's 20-game winning streak. The Cougars' last loss: In double overtime to Vista del Lago in the championship game of the Folsom tournament in December.
"We knew it was going to be a fight to the end, the last game showed us that," Lescault said. "Neither team was going to quit. In the end,. we just fought a little harder than they did.
"We talked about it after the second overtime, about how much work we put in the preseason and how no other team worked as hard as we did. That's what put us through at the end."
Chad Haysbert, the talented 6-7 junior, led Center with 20 points. Andres Martinez added 19 and Herald 14. Jaquai Wiley finished with 10 points for Vista del Lago.
"It was amazing that those kids could fight so hard," said Vista del Lago coach Jeff Bridges. "But that's how much it meant to both teams. I give their coach (Ray Gagnon) and their players a ton of credit.
"Both teams represented their schools well. Both fought hard, kept their mouths shut and just played basketball. The 3,000 or so people that were here sure got their money's worth."
In the back-and-forth game, Center had one last chance to win in the third overtime.
With the Cougars down a point, Daniel Smith missed two free throws with 5.9 seconds left. But on the second miss, the ball went out of bounds off a Vista del Lago player.
Center's inbounds with 4.3 seconds went awry and Martinez traveled while trying a desperation shot from near half court among three Eagles' defenders.
Gagnon, arguing that Martinez was fouled, was assessed a technical with 0.5 left.
Lescault made both shots for the final three-point margin of victory.
Bridges said they didn't want either Chad Haysbert or his 6-foot-8 older brother, Connor, to get the ball close to the basket.
"We were trying to contain the paint area, so we really packed it," Bridges said. "They were getting desperate, it was almost five seconds, so they threw it over the top. We reacted quickly to it."
Bridges said he's never seen so many players cramp up because of exhaustion.
He remembers at one point looking over at a fatigued Demarcus Wishom, his 6-5 senior forward, sprawled by the bench with cramps.
"There's Demarcus on the ground, and people are pouring water into his mouth," Bridges said. "I've never seen so many kids falling. They are just tough kids."
None tougher than Lescault, who played the entire 44 minutes and had nine of his 31 points in overtime.
"He's just got passion," Bridges said of his senior star. "He's going to find a way. He's not the quickest, not the fastest. But he's awfully crafty. He can handle the ball and pass it and shoot it. Those are three pretty tough things to guard."
Martinez put Center ahead 49-46 by making two free throws with 10.7 seconds left during regulation.
Then Lescault took the inbounds and dribbled hard up the court. He went to put up a shot, but a Center defender was there and leaped high in the air. Lescault cocked the ball in his arm, ducked slightly to his right and let it fly. The ball got all net.
"The clock was winding down and I had to get the shot off," Lescault said. "So as I turned I saw that the defender had already jumped, so I went for it."
Now Lescault and the Eagles hope to go for it against the defending section champions on Friday.
Sacramento High has won titles in 2005, 2007 and 2009 and was runners-up in 2006 and 2008 and they have a player, junior guard Josiah Turner who is vying for Lescault for Bee Player of the Year honors.
"We can't wait for it," Lescault said. "It's going to be a battle. It's going to be a great game. They are a good team. But we'll game plan for them and come out with all we've got."
Bridges was kidded if the clock-savvy, defensive-minded Eagles might try to surprise the uptempo Dragons by running with them on Friday night.
"We'll be lucky if we can jog," Bridges quipped. "We'll be lucky if we can walk after tonight
Sheldon and Woodcreek have moved into this week's Cal-Hi Sports' boys basketball state divisional rankings released earlier today.
Sheldon, at No. 15, is the only area team ranked in Division I. Mater Dei of Santa Ana is No. 1 and Westchester of Los Angeles No. 2.
Woodcreek is No. 7 in D-II Top 10. St. Francis of Mountain View is No. 1 and defending D-II state champion Eisenhower of Rialto No. 2.
Center maintained its No. 6 ranking in D-III while Sacramento High climbed to No. 8 (from No. 9) and Vista del Lago to No. 9 (from No. 10). Serra of Gardena is No. 1 and Ocean View of Huntington Beach No. 2.
Colfax climbed from No. 10 to No. 9 in D-IV. Salesian of Richmond is No. 1 and Price of Los Angeles No. 2.
Since the Sac-Joaquin Section moved Modesto Christian and Capital Christian out of Division V, boys basketball has shown plenty of parity in a division with an enrollment level of 300 or fewer students.
After Tuesday night's semifinal games at Galt High School, it will mark the fourth and fifth different schools to play for a DV boys championship in the last three years.
Modesto Christian and Capital Christian played in the DV title game five consecutive years from 2003 to 2007. Modesto Christian won all five before getting bumped up with Capital Christian to Division IV in 2008, where the Crusaders have since won two more championships (Modesto Christian has won 10 consecutive section titles at three different levels.)
In D-V, Forest Lake Christian beat Brookside Christian of Stockton 77-58 in 2008, then Bradshaw Christian downed Forest Lake Christian 55-52 in last year's final.
On Friday at 5:30 at Arco Arena, it will be Victory Christian of Carmichael taking on Ripon Christian for this year's D-V title after both won tight, emotionally charged semifinal games Tuesday at Galt High School.
"You know now that if you have a good DV team you are going to get a shot at a title and have the chance to play at Arco Arena," said Victory Christian's Bob Grexton, who has coached 14 seasons at the school. "When Modesto Christian was in the division, it seemed like we'd play them in the semifinals and lose by 30 points every time."
Logan Vos' two free throws with nine seconds left proved the winning points in second-seeded Ripon Christian's 63-62 win over third-seeded Bradshaw Christian (22-8).
Then top-seeded Victory Christian held off a ferocious Valley Christian (26-3) of Roseville fourth-quarter rally to prevail 73-64 over the fourth-seeded Lions (25-6).
But this won't be the first time Ripon Christian (22-6) or Victory Christian play for a D-V title. Ripon Christian has won seven D-V championships (nine overall), with the last coming in 1996 when the Knights beat Victory Christian 47-44.
That was Victory Christian's first championship appearance. The Vikings returned and lost to Modesto Christian in the 1997 finals, then beat Forest Lake Christian for the championship in 2001.
Ripon Christian is a junior version of Modesto Christian. The Knights have been D-V runners-up four times in addition to their seven championships at that level.
"We figured Ripon Christian would be the school we would be playing if we made it this far," Grexton said. "They've got quite a team, and they have an amazing history in DV. We're going to have our hands full on Friday."
One of Victory Christian's three losses came to Ripon Christian, 64-43, in a nonleague game Dec. 22. The Knights' 6-foot-8, 255-pound center Tyler Goslinga had 29 points.
"He presents a big challenge for us," Grexton said. "But I like my guys. We may not be the greatest skill-wise, but nobody is going to outwork us or outhustle us."
Victory Christian 73, Valley Christian 64
The defense-minded Vikings have been allowing opponents 39 points a game this season but that got tossed out the window against an athletic and tenacious opponent that maintained a frenetic pace right from the start.
Valley Christian coach Brad Gunter pressed and constantly shuttled in players in a bid to force turnovers and easy baskets and to tire the Vikings.
It almost worked.
Valley Christian several times cut double-digit second-half deficits and twice closed to within two points, including 66-64 with 39.7 seconds on Ryan Cordell's three-pointer.
But Victory Christian made six of seven free throws and Valley Christian missed its last three shots to fall to the Vikings for the third time this season.
Senior Nathan Coppernoll had 17 points and younger brother Clayton, a sophomore, added 13, all in the second half, to lead Victory Christian. Brad Hoffelt added 11 points and Kevin Halverson and Ethan Boolen 10 apiece for the Vikings.
Cordell had 17, Jason Gish 11 and Jesse Peters and Orest Shaynyuk 10 each for Valley Christian.
Ripon Christian 63, Bradshaw Christian 62
Two turnovers in the final 20 seconds ended the Pride's bid to return to the D-V championship game.
A pair of free throws by J.J. Mina with 44.9 seconds gave Bradshaw Christian a 62-61 lead, then Ripon Christian's Daniel Van De Pol missed a jumper and the Pride rebounded.
But Brady Dragmire, otherwise brilliant on the night, was called for traveling with 19.3 seconds to play. Vos was fouled after driving the length of the floor and going in for a layup that just rimmed out with nine seconds. He calmly made both free throws.
Then in trying to inbounds the ball with six seconds, Logan Schauer couldn't control Mina's high inbounds attempt high above the top of the key. The ball squirted into the backcourt, ending Bradshaw Christian's season.
It was a frustrating game for the Pride, who led most of the game.
Goslinga went scoreless in the first half, missing his only attempt and getting called for traveling four times. But he tallied 16 second-half points to complement a game-high 23 by Daniel Van De Pol. Vos finished with 15.
Mina had 18, Dragmire 17 and Orion Kidd 11 for Bradshaw Christian.
At first, it looked like Center had no answer for Del Oro's talented Spencer Butterfield.
The aggressive 6-3 senior guard made his first four shots and had 15 points by halftime in giving third-seeded Del Oro a 40-34 halftime lead in Friday night's Sac-Joaquin Section Division III boys basketball quarterfinal in Loomis.
"Spencer Butterfield is a great player," said Center's 6-8 post Connor Haysbert, who had 20 points. "He is going to score points."
But sixth-seeded Center, which won 79-73, made some second-half changes to try to contain the terrific offensive force, and it largely worked as Butterfield struggled to get shots in the second half, although he continued to work hard on the boards and would finish with 14 rebounds.
Butterfield made only one of six shots in the last two quarters. Even though he wound up with a team-high 19 points, Butterfield connected on only two of his last 10 shots from the field.
"We were in a little bit of a quandary at halftime," Center coach Ray Gagnon said. "Do we go drastic measures like a triangle and two; do we put a double team on Butterfield; or do we just play our solid team defense?"
Gagnon decided to stay the course with just a single defender on Butterfield. But instead of allowing him to feast on baseline moves and perimeter kickouts, Gagnon ordered primary defender Chad Haysbert to funnel Butterfield toward the key, where there was more help.
"By doing that it forced him to have to go through three guys instead of one," Gagnon said.
The 6-7 Haysbert, the younger brother of Connor, guarded Butterfield most of the night.
"Chad actually did a good job in the first half, but Butterfield was unbelievably hot," Gagnon said. "Chad stepped up and stopped him the second half."
Del Oro shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the first half, but was just 10 of 28 in the final two quarters. Half of those, however, were three-pointers -- Del Oro made 11 total --and the Golden Eagles also were 8 of 10 from the foul line.
"You look at when they were ahead in the second half, and it's because they were making free throws and we weren't," said Gagnon, whose team was just 11 of 19 from the foul line after going 9 for 11 in the first half.
Center, The Bee's top-ranked team, took the lead for good, 58-57, on an Eliot Hearld basket with 6:19 to play but the Cougars never could shake the Golden Eagles, largely because Aaron Hendricks made 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including a couple of three-pointers, despite being sick with the flu.
Del Oro was down 75-73 with 49 seconds and had the ball but missed its final four shots. Herald, who had a game-high 24 points, countered with a layup off a long outlet pass from Daniel Smith and Andres Martinez added two free throws to finish with 15 points.
Herald said playing Del Oro was a great challenge but also a grind.
"It was frustrating when they kept making those threes," Herald said. "But you've got to stay composed. Composure, composure, composure is what the coaches keep stressing. We battled, and we made one stop at a time."
Also helping get those stops was Conner Haysbert. He made 8 of 14 shots from the field and four of seven from the foul line, battled on the boards and scrambled after loose balls even though he was playing with a sprained left ankle suffered during practice Tuesday.
"It's a little tender, but once I got going it didn't matter," he said. "I wanted to help my team. It's my last year of basketball, so you play through the pain."
Gagnon credited trainer Kelly Luse for getting Haysbert ready.
Although Haysbert was on crutches during most of Wednesday and sat the first half of the Cougars' first-round 60-58 playoff win against Pioneer later that night, he eventually asked his way into the lineup in the second half.
He had just four points, but he helped contain Pioneer's 6-6 standout James Tillman, who finished with 28 points.
"He was hobbling around, but he still was able to challenge shots," Gagnon said. "He gave us another big body, which we needed."
Gagnon expected his team would play a lot better on the road against third-seeded Del Oro than at home against Pioneer, an 11th seed.
"I feel we can play anbody, anywhere," he said before Friday night's game. "I think playing at home Wednesday was a distraction. The place was packed, and everybody was worried about Connor."
Center wound up playing a gem in Loomis to run its record to 26-2. The Cougars were sparked by a large rooting section that more than held its own with Del Oro's boisterous group.
"It was almost like being at home," Connor Haysbert said.
Although on the losing end, Del Oro coach Geoff Broyles said it was an entertaining matchup.
"Both teams made big plays at big times," Broyles said. "All we wanted was an opportunity to be there at the end. And we were, we just didn't get the shots down.
"It was a really good playoff game by two good teams."
Times are still to be announced, but we should see an interesting Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinal boys basketball matchup on Tuesday at Pacific when sixth-seeded Sheldon plays third-seeded Burbank.
Vic West Jr. had 16 points in leading Burbank past 14th-seeded Golden Valley of Merced 46-29 while Darius Nelson had 29, Ramon Eaton 23 and Eric Williams 20 in Sheldon's 88-67 win over 11th-seeded West of Tracy earlier tonight.
Anthony King had a monster game in scoring 34 points to lead top-seeded Franklin past Edison 80-60 Chuk Iroegbu added 22 points for the Wildcats.
Ninth-seeded Pleasant Grove rallied to beat No. 8 Lincoln of Stockton 59-57 as Jose Rodriguez had 17 points.
DIVISION I results
Franklin-EG 80, Edison 60
Pleasant Grove 59, Lincoln-S 57
Rodriguez 62, Davis Sr. 31
Turlock 70, Vintage 49
Burbank 46, Golden Valley 29
Sheldon 88, West 67
Grace Davis 67, Oak Ridge 63
Merced 77, Kennedy 60
QUARTERFINALS
Tuesday/UOP (times TBA)
#9 Pleasant Grove at #1 Franklin-EG
#5 Rodriguez vs. #4 Turlock
#6 Sheldon vs. #3 Burbank
#7 Grace Davis vs. #2 Merced
DIVISION II
In tribute to the best section league strength rating, three Sierra Foothill League teams have advanced to the Division II semifinals Thursday at Arco Arena.
No. 2 seed Woodcreek will play No. 6 seed Rocklin in one semifinal while No. 4 Oakmont will take on top-seeded Fairfield in the other semifinal. Times are still to be announced.
Rocklin advanced with a 67-61 overtime with at third-seeded Yuba City; Oakmont downed fifth-seeded Jesuit 83-70; and Woodcreek walloped No. 10 Inderkum 90-56.
Tony Gill had 28 points and Fred Mobley 21 in Oakmont's win over the Marauders, who lost three of their last five games. Nik Milani had 23 points and Mike Kurtz 16 in Woodcreek's triumph.
DIVISION II results
Fairfield 51, Vallejo 42
Oakmont 83, Jesuit 70
Rocklin 67, Yuba City 61 (OT)
Woodcreek 90, Inderkum 56
SEMIFINALS
Thursday/Arco Arena
#4 Oakmont vs. #1 Fairfield
#6 Rocklin vs. #2 Woodcreek
DIVISION III
Top-seeded Sacramento continued its march toward another D-III section championship game appearance by beating eighth-seeded Lincoln 85-64 in a quarterfinal game.
Josiah Turner had 37 points and Travon Abraham 17 for the Dragons; Keenan Hale topped Lincoln with 31.
Sacramento will play fourth-seeded St. Mary's of Stockton on Wednesday at Cosumnes River College.
Elliot Herald had 24 points and Connor Haysbert added 20 in sixth-seeded Center's 79-73 win at third-seeded Del Oro. Spencer Butterfield had 19 points and Aaron Hendricks 18 for the Golden Eagles.
That will earn Center, The Bee's top-ranked team, a Wednesday meeting at CRC with second-seeded Vista del Lago, which beat seventh-seeded Manteca 68-62. Hayden Lescault topped the winning Eagles with 20 points.
DIVISION III results
Sacramento 85, Lincoln-L 64
St. Mary's 61, Rio Americano 56
Center 79, Del Oro 73
Vista del Lago 68, Manteca 62
SEMIFINALS
Wednesday/Cosumnes River College
#4 St. Mary's vs. #1 Sacramento
#6 Center vs. #2 Vista del Lago
DIVISION IV
No. 13 seeded Capital Christian earned a chance to play top-seeded Colfax in the D-IV semifinals on Wednesday at Tokay High School by beating fifth-seeded Central Catholic 76-51. Colfax defeated No. 8 Cosumnes Oaks 61-48.
DIVSION IV results
Colfax 61, Cosumnes Oaks 48
Capital Christian 76, Central Catholic 51
Modesto Christian 91, Christian Brothers 79
Calaveras 60, Hilmar 45
SEMIFINALS
Wednesday/Tokay HS
#13 Capital Christian vs. #1 Colfax
#3 Modesto Christian vs. #2 Calaveras
DIVISION V
The top four seeds all advanced to Tuesday semifinals at Galt High School, but three escaped the quarterfinals with narrow wins. Top-seeded Victory Christian edged eighth-seeded Global Youth Charter of Antelope 57-55 behind Brad Hoffelt's 22 points.
Orion Kidd's 20 points helped third-seeded Bradshaw Christian top sixth-seeded Brookside Christian 62-59. Fourth-seeded Valley Christian edged Sacramento Waldorf 68-65, despite a game-high 28 points from the Waves' Christopher Schwartz-Edminsten.
DIVISION V results
Victory Christian 57, Global Youth 55
Valley Christian 68, Sacramento Waldorf 65
Bradshaw Christian 62, Brookside Christian 59
Ripon Christian 59, Forest Lake Christian 32
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday/Galt HS
#4 Valley Christian vs. #1 Victory Christian
#3 Bradshaw Christian vs. #2 Ripon Christian
Expect the Yuba City High School gym to be packed tonight.
The Honkers (24-3) boys basketball team, fresh off only their third playoff win in three decades, will play host at 7 p.m. to two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champion Rocklin (20-8) in the second round of the D-II playoffs.
The third-seeded Honkers held off 14th-seeded Cordova 76-62 in Wednesday's playoff opener while sixth-seeded Rocklin beat 11th-seeded Grant 67-60 in Rocklin.
Talented 6-foot-7 senior Zach Nelson had his usually superlative game in scoring 28 points for Yuba City. But the difference was sophomore guard Matt Hayes, who scored a career-high 21 points against a pesky Lancers bunch that never allowed the Honkers to get comfortable.
The Yuba City win erased some of the frustration of 2009 when lower-seeded Woodcreek came north and beat the Honkers 76-71 in the opening round.
Hayes, who played on the JV team as a ninth-grader, hit two critical three-point shots in the fourth quarter to keep Cordova at bay.
But the Honkers turned the ball over a lot against the smaller, quicker Lancers, similar pressure they can expect to face against Rocklin.
Last season, Rocklin was a monster team with 6-foot-10 Brendan Lane (now at UCLA), 6-8 Mads Frandsen and 6-5 Pat Stover (now playing baseball at Santa Clara) helping the Thunder reach the D-II state championship game.
Now, Rocklin is a guard-oriented squad behind seniors Cody Kale, Tony Williams, Justin Soria and Jackson Cummings, all of whom played significant minutes last season.
Against Grant, Kale had 21 points and Williams 15.
Rio Americano High School team boys basketball manager Adam Felton, who we profiled in The Bee on Tuesday, says he would like to continue with basketball in one form or another in the future, perhaps through broadcasting or scouting.
"I love watching up and coming talent," said Felton, who was born with cerebral palsy. "It's fun watching the players learn something new every day."
Felton has taken a radio and television class at the school.
"His dream job would be to work for the Kings," said Sue Felton, his mother.
Adam also served as the public address announcer when Rio Americano played a fund-raising baseball game against Bella Vista at Raley Field last spring.
"That was a big night," Felton said. "I got to announce the lineups, do the introductions and there were 300-plus students there. It was the first time I had taken Paratransit on my own. It was a confidence boost: 'Heck, I can really do this. I can contribute and be part of the school.'"
Kennedy boys are a 15th seed and will play at second-seeded Merced on Friday in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I basketball playoffs. But Merced won't be taking the Cougars lightly.
Center boys basketball fans thought the Cougars got a raw deal with a No. 6 seed for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.
After all, the Cougars, ranked No. 1 by The Bee, went 24-2 during the regular season and were undefeated in winning the Capital Valley Conference.
But Center had its hands full Wednesday night with visiting Pioneer and 6-foot-6 post James Tillman in the opening round of postseason play, escaping with a 60-58 win over the 11th-seeded Patriots (20-8).
Elliot Herald scored 18 points, including the driving basket and free throw to give the Cougars the lead for good, 59-57, with 40 seconds left. Andres Martinez added 17 points while Pioneer's Tillman led all scorers with 28 points.
Center's 6-8 center Connor Haysbert, who sprained an ankle in practice Tuesday, sat out the first half but talked his way into playing in the second half. Normally the team's leading scorer at 14.7 points a game, Haysbert finished with four points and two rebounds.
The athletic 6-3 Herald helped fill the rebounding void by grabbing 13 boards.
Now it only gets more challenging for the Cougars. They must play at third-seeded Del Oro in Friday's quarterfinals.
The Golden Eagles pummeled 14th seeded Sierra of Manteca 69-39 behind Spencer Butterfield's 23 points.
Other D-III highlights:
Josiah Turner had 35 points and Robert Garrett added 12 as top-seeded Sacramento whipped Hogan 89-65.
Hayden Lescault scored 20 points as second seeded Vista del Lago beat 15th seeded Sonora 50-35.
Pioneer Valley League MVP Keenan Hale poured in 20 points in eighth-seeded Lincoln's 59-49 win over Foothill.
Fifth-seeded Rio Americano outscored 12th seeded Livingston 41-18 in the first half en route to an 80-52 win. Zach Nathanson and Abe Leibovitz combined for 42 points.
DIVISION III results
Sacramento 89, Hogan 65
Lincoln-L 59, Foothill 49
Rio Americano 80, Livingston 52
St. Mary's 70, El Dorado 55
Del Oro 69, Sierra 39
Center 60, Pioneer 58
Manteca 81, Placer 63
Vista del Lago 50, Sonora 35
QUARTERFINALS
Friday/7 p.m.
#8 Lincoln-L at #1 Sacramento
#5 Rio Americano at #4 St. Mary's
#6 Center at #3 Del Oro
#7 Manteca at #2 Vista del Lago
DIVISION II
Seven of the top eight seeded teams in won their opening round games.
Other highlights:
Nik Milani had 21 points and Michael Kurtz had 16 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four assists as second-seeded Woodcreek belted Folsom 67-44.
Zach Nelson poured in 28 points as third-seeded Yuba City downed 14th seeded Cordova 76-62.
Tony Gill had 21 points and JT Adenrele 19 in fourth-seeded Oakmont's 62-51 win over 12th seeded Bear Creek.
MacKenzie McCullough and Akachi Okugo led a balanced Jesuit attack with 13 points each as the fifth-seeded Marauders beat Pitman 70-49.
Cody Kale scored 21 points and Tony Williams added 15 as sixth-seeded Rocklin beat Grant 67-60. James Sample had 24 points for the Pacers.
Kareem Ransom had 28 points and Devonte Lloyd 18 in 10th-seeded Inderkum's 98-86 win over No. 7 Laguna Creek. Christian Carvin and Ty Brown had 19 points apiece for Laguna Creek.
DIVISION II results
Fairfield 63, Valley 41
Vallejo 76, Del Campo 55
Jesuit 70, Pitman 49
Oakmont 62, Bear Creek 51
Yuba City 76, Cordova 62
Rocklin 67, Grant 60
Inderkum 98, Laguna Creek 86
Woodcreek 67, Folsom 44
QUARTERFINALS
Friday/7 p.m.
#8 Vallejo at #1 Fairfield
#5 Jesuit at #4 Oakmont
#6 Rocklin at #3 Yuba City
#10 Inderkum at #2 Woodcreek
DIVISION IV
Eighth-seeded Cosumnes Oaks, the Elk Grove school playing its first varsity season and without seniors, won its opener, beating visiting Linden 52-49. Elijah Lewis topped Cosumnes Oaks with 16 points. Aaron Judge had 30 for Linden.
Other highlights:
Justin Witt had 18 points as top-seeded Colfax downed No. 16 Ripon 81-53.
Brian Simmons had 16 points, Mike Brill and Reggie Mixon 15 apiece and Trevor Fairrington 14 as 13th seeded Capital Christian beat fourth-seeded Amador 77-65.
Tenth-seeded Highlands' upset bid fell short at seventh seeded Hilmar as the Scots lost 63-58 in overtime.
DIVISION IV results
Colfax 81, Ripon 53
Cosumnes Oaks 52, Linden 49
Central Catholic 59, Escalon 49
Capital Christian 77, Amador 65
Modesto Christian 100, Millennium 50
Christian Brothers 49, Mariposa 47
Hilmar 63, Highlands 58 (OT)
Calaveras 52, Vacaville Christian 37
QUARTERFINALS
Friday/7 p.m.
#8 Cosumnes Oaks at #1 Colfax
#13 Capital Christian at #5 Central Catholic
#11 Christian Brothers at #3 Modesto Christian
#7 Hilmar at #2 Calaveras
DIVISION V
Nathan Coppernoll and Johnny Coburn had 15 points apiece and Clayton Coppernoll added 13 in top-seeded Victory Christian's 73-38 win over Elliot Christian.
Other highlights:
Orion Kidd and Scott Eklund each had 16 points as defending D-V section champion Bradshaw Christian beat Sierra Ridge Academy 78-62.
Michael Kelleher had 35 points in fifth-seeded Sacramento Waldorf's 81-39 win over Tioga.
Josh Ritchart had 19 points in leading 10th seeded Forest Lake Christian to a 43-40 win over No. 7 Sacramento Adventist.
DIVISION V results
Victory Christian 73, Elliot Christian 38
Global Youth 66, New Life Christian 20
Sacramento Waldorf 81, Tioga 39
Valley Christian 75, Big Valley Christian 46
Bradshaw Christian 78, Sierra Ridge 62
Brookside Christian 79, Sacramento Country Day 40
Forest Lake Christian 43, Sacramento Adventist 40
Ripon Christian 66, Stone Ridge Christian 31
QUARTERFINALS
Friday/7 p.m.
#8 Global Youth at #1 Victory Christian
#5 Sacramento Waldorf at #4 Valley Christian
#6 Brookside Christian at #3 Bradshaw Christian
#10 Forest Lake Christian at #2 Ripon Christian
For awhile, it looked as if it was going to be another long season for the Highlands boys basketball team and coach Greg Drumheller, in his second go-around as Scots coach.
The Scots lost nine of their first 10 games, albeit against upgraded competition. That didn't bode well for a school that was 21-108 over the previous five seasons, including the last two under Drumheller.
But Highlands won 10 of its last 13 and also captured the Golden Empire League championship with a 10-2 record, the school's first league boys basketball title in 25 years.
Now for the first time since Drumheller's previous go-round as coach from 1997 to 2005, the Scots are in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
Highlands (13-14), the 10th seed, will open the Division IV playoffs tonight at No. 7 Hilmar (19-7).
Drumheller thinks his Scots could be spoilers.
"I don't think teams in the southern part of the section have seen our type of speed," Drumheller said. "We're quick, we pressure and we play together. Our biggest drawback is that we have only one player taller than 6 feet."
The leaders are senior guard Colton Nelson, the GEL MVP who averaged 16.7 points per game; All-GEL junior guard Eddie Litvinov (11.6); and sophomore center Jeremy Bubier (12.4), the team's big man at 6-4.
"I've had had better teams as far as talent," Drumheller said. "But Colton sets the tone. He's the hardest working kid, he never misses practice and he never complains. The kids respect him and they follow him into battle."
Drumheller has been through the thick and thin of Highlands athletics through the years.
He grew up in the neighborhood when Highlands was a sports power, including the 1982-'83 bunch that went 33-1 and won the D-I section title under the late, legendary coach Carl Montross. It is considered one of the area's 10 greatest boys basketball teams.
Drumheller played for Montross in the late 1980s and early 1990s and older brother Paul was a member of the Scots' last league championship team in 1984-'85 that featured Sean Smartt, future NFL player Scott Galbraith and Craig Allen.
Greg Drumheller revived the boys program in his first go-around as coach from 1997 to 2005. His 2002-'03 team reached the D-III section championship finale at Arco Arena, but lost to league rival Foothill. Coach Drew Hibbs' Mustangs went on to win the state championship that season.
While a section title appearance appears a long-shot this season for a school that now numbers just 850 students and is officially called Highlands Academy of Arts and Design, Drumheller thinks the Scots are capable of winning a couple of playoff games.
If they can do that, it likely would set up a semifinal matchup with Modesto Christian next Wednesday at Tokay High School.
The Crusaders have won a section-record 12 titles at several different levels and are the strong favorites to repeat as D-IV champions.
But if the Scots can get that far, it would guarantee at least one more game.
This season, the top four section finishers advance to an expanded California Interscholastic Federation Northern California playoff field.
After a long and successful career as the girls basketball coach at Burbank High School, Ferrell took over the boys program three years ago that was a wreck.
The Titans finished a dismal 4-22 and 1-9 in the Metro Conference in 2006-07.
In three seasons, Burbank has gone 62-23 overall, 24-6 in the Metro and advanced to the postseason three consecutive seasons.
Every season the Titans seem to take another step in the right direction.
Now, the Titans are in a wide-open Sac-Joaquin Section Division I field, so the potential is there, despite being a young team, to play for a section championship, something the Titans haven't done in more than a decade.
Burbank, which has never won a section title in boys hoops, has been D-II runners-up three times: Twice under John Copeland in 1988 and 1991 (both losses to Jesuit) and again in 1999 under Frank Maestas.
In Ferrell's first season, 19-8 Burbank lost to Rodriguez 62-59 in the first round of the D-I playoffs. Last season the 21-8 Titans fell 76-72 to Merced in the second round.
This season the Titans take a 20-7 record and No. 3 seed in their opener Wednesday night against visiting Golden Valley.
If the Titans get past the Merced visitors and No. 6 Sheldon beats visiting West of Tracy, that would set up an enticing second-round match-up between two teams with similar styles at Pacific on Tuesday.
"Division I is tough," Ferrell said after the Titans lost 85-53 last Thursday to league rival Sacramento. "The middle part of it is the scary part. You've got (No. 5) Rodriguez, Sheldon and (No. 9) Pleasant Grove.
"(No. 1) Franklin is pretty good. (No. 2) Merced is always good, and so is (No. 4) Turlock.
"I think we are in a good place as far as our first-round seed."
Burbank is in a good place considering that its standout player the last two years, Terrance Mitchell, decided not to play as a senior.
Mitchell, who averaged 17.5 points as a junior, has a football scholarship to Oregon and decided not to play basketball his senior year so he could graduate early and attend the Ducks' spring workouts.
"A lot of people thought we weren't going to be very good without Terrance," Ferrell said. "But our guys have responded."
While seniors Ken Holloway, Murray Kameron and Gabriel Barnes have been mainstays, it's the younger guys that have turned in all-star efforts.
Vic West Jr. (13.8 ppg, 10 rebounds) is an athletic and active 6-foot-4 big man while 5-8 Jeff Davis (11.8 ppg, 4.3 steals) has played big at the point. Junior forward Paul Smith-Profit and sophomore guard Jay Stone also are key contributors.
Ferrell was disappointed that his team played so poorly against rival Sac High Thursday in front of Burbank's home crowd, a game that could have meant a Metro co-championship had the Titans won.
Sacramento, the defending D-III section champions, has won the last four Metro titles and is a combined 39-1 in league play.
All of Burbank's six league losses in Ferrell's tenure have come to the Dragons.
Yet Ferrell doesn't complain about the advantages that Sac High has over the other Metro Conference schools in being a charter school that draws students from throughout the area instead of within confined district boundaries.
As for his Titans, Ferrell thinks his bunch will rebound in the playoffs.
I think the whole thing is about brotherhood," he said. "We just need to play together."
Center may be The Bee's top-ranked boys basketball team, but it doesn't hold much weight in the Sac-Joaquin Section power ratings format.
Because the Cougars play in a league with a low strength rating, they have gotten only a No. 6 seed for the Division III playoffs that start on Wednesday.
Center went 14-0 in the Capital Valley Conference and is 24-2 overall, but the Cougars are seeded behind four of five teams with lesser won-loss records.
Defending D-III champion Sacramento (20-6) is the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Vista del Lago (25-2), No. 3 Del Oro (18-8), No. 4 St. Mary's of Stockton (20-7) and No. 5 Rio Americano (20-7).
What it means for Center, if it can get past No. 11 Pioneer in Wednesday's opening round, is a second-round game on Friday in Loomis against Del Oro. That's if the Golden Eagles beat No. 14 Sierra of Manteca in Loomis on Wednesday.
Division II features some intriguing first-round match-ups, also on Wednesday.
Dangerous Cordova (14-11), which beat Oak Ridge and Christian Brothers in Sierra Valley Conference play last week, earned a No. 14 seed (after being No. 20 in the power ratings the week before) and will play at No. 3 Yuba City (23-3).
Defending section and CIF Northern California D-II champion Rocklin (19-8), a No. 6 seed that finished in third-place tie in the Sierra Foothill League with Del Oro, plays host to No. 11 Grant (16-9).
Two-time defending D-I champion Folsom (12-15), now in D-II because of declining enrollment and still a threat despite a losing record, is a 15th seed that will play at No. 2 Woodcreek (22-5).
Fairfield (21-5), which has lost in the last three D-II section championship games, is the No. 1 seed and will play host to No. 16 Valley (16-11).
The D-I playoffs won't start until Friday. Franklin of Elk Grove (23-4) is the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Merced (23-4), No. 3 Burbank (20-7) and No. 4 Turlock (22-5).
But the team to beat may be No. 6 Sheldon (22-5), which will play host to No. 11 West (18-9) of Tracy on Friday.
Here are the complete first-round pairings. For brackets go to www.cifsjs.org.
DIVISION I (7 p.m. Friday) -- No. 16 Edison at No. 1 Franklin-Elk Grove; No. 15 Kennedy at No. 2 Merced; No. 14 Golden Valley at No. 3 Burbank; No. 13 Vintage at No. 4 Turlock; No. 12 Davis at No. 5 Rodriguez; No. 11 West at No. 6 Sheldon; No. 10 Oak Ridge at No. 7 Grave Davis; No. 9 Pleasant Grove at No. 8 Lincoln-Stockton.
DIVISION II (7 p.m. Wednesday) -- No. 16 Valley at No. 1 Fairfield; No. 15 Folsom at No. 2 Woodcreek; No. 14 Cordova at No. 3 Yuba City; No. 13 Bear Creek at No. 4 Oakmont; No. 12 Pitman at No. 5 Jesuit; No. 11 Grant at No. 6 Rocklin; No. 10 Inderkum at No. 7 Laguna Creek; No. 9 Del Campo at No. 8 Vallejo.
DIVISION III (7 p.m. Wednesday) -- No. 16 Hogan at No. 1 Sacramento; No. 15 Sonora at No. 2 Vista del Lago; No. 14 Sierra at No. 3 Del Oro; No. 13 El Dorado at No. 4 St. Mary's-Stockton; No. 12 Livingston at No. 5 Rio Americano; No. 11 Pioneer at No. 6 Center; No. 10 Placer at No. 7 Manteca; No. 9 Foothill at No. 8 Lincoln.
DIVISION IV (7 p.m. Wednesday) -- No. 16 Ripon at No. 1 Colfax; No. 15 Vacaville Christian at No. 2 Calaveras; No. 14 Millennium at No. 3 Modesto Christian; No. 13 Capital Christian vs. No. 4 Amador; No. 12 Escalon at No. 5 Central Catholic; No. 11 Christian Brothers at No. 8 Mariposa; No. 10 Highlands at No. 7 Hilmar; No. 9 Linden at No. 8 Cosumnes Oaks.
DIVISION V (7 p.m. Wednesday) - No. 6 Elliot Christian at No. 1 Victory Christian; No. 15 Stone Ridge Christian at No. 2 Ripon Christian; No. 14 Sierra Ridge/ROP at No. 3 Bradshaw Christian; No. 13 Big Valley Christian at No. 4 Valley Christian; No. 12 Tioga at No. 5 Sacramento Waldorf; No. 11 Sacramento Country Day at No. 6 Brookside Christian; No. 10 Forest Lake Christian at No. 7 Sacramento Adventist; No. 9 New Life Christian at No. 8 Global Youth.
Friday night produced some interesting highlights in boys basketball.
• After sitting out six games with ankle and Achilles' injuries, Darius Nelson returned to the Sheldon lineup and scored 27 points in a 66-58 win over defending Delta River League champion Folsom (12-15, 5-5). The No. 6 Huskies (22-5, 7-3) finished the regular season with six consecutive wins.
• Behind Bobby Barnes' game-high 19 points, unranked Pleasant Grove (15-11, 6-4) upset No. 2 Jesuit 73-72 in double overtime. Despite the loss, the Marauders (21-6, 8-2) are still the Delta River League champions.
• Despite knowing that talented French national transfer Remi Barry won't be playing for them after a Placer County court denied him a stay of a California Interscholastic Federation eligibility ruling, the No. 12 Del Oro Golden Eagles (18-8, 8-4) capped a late-season, four-game win streak with a 71-66 win at No. 7 Rocklin (19-8, 8-4), the defending Sierra Foothill League champions. Spencer Butterfield had 32 points for Del Oro.
• Cordova (14-11, 6-6), which started the week at No. 20 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II power ratings, may make the 16-team playoff field after beating Christian Brothers 78-56. That win, coupled with a 52-47 upset of No. 16 Oak Ridge on Wednesday, may be enough for the Lancers to move ahead of several teams in front of them that lost games this week. The section will release the playoff pairings on Sunday afternoon.
They packed the fans like sardines into the 1,200-seat gym at Oak Ridge High School Friday night.
A lucky few stood outside in the cold and peered through the glass doors. Dozens more were turned away.
It was No. 4 Vista del Lago and No. 16 Oak Ridge in a battle for the Sierra Valley Conference boys basketball title on the final night of the regular season.
And the game lived up to the billing.
Oak Ridge's Matt Mendoza missed an eight-foot runner at the buzzer as Vista del Lago (25-2, 11-1) held on for a 43-41 victory and, in only its second varsity season and first with seniors, won a championship banner.
"It was a battle," said Vista coach Jeff Bridges. "A packed house. A league championship on the line. The fans into it. That's what it's all about."
Although the Eagles had lost at home to Oak Ridge 49-48 on Jan. 26, they had at least a co-championship assured because Oak Ridge had been upset 52-47 by Cordova on Wednesday, snapping the Trojans' nine-game win streak.
But since many of the Oak Ridge and Vista del Lago players have grown up playing against each other in the two adjoining communities of Folsom and El Dorado Hills, this game would have been intense even if both were winless.
"We're just happy to win the championship outright," Bridges said.
It turned into a defensive slugfest, Oak Ridge's active and effective zone against Vista's in-your-grill man-to-man style. Shots were at a premium. Vista del Lago made 13 on just 25 attempts from the field. Oak Ridge was 12 for 35.
"I thought there was a stretch there that if we made some buckets, we could have pulled away," Bridges said. "But we're not a real good offensive team. We try real hard. We try to run good stuff, but a lot of it is due to these kids at Oak Ridge. They play really hard. There was a lot of pride on the line. The kids know each other well.
"Overall it was two teams that knew each other very well and, ultimately, it was meant to come down to the wire."
Vista seemed in control in taking a 23-14 halftime lead, but Oak Ridge ran off seven points to open the third quarter, then got to within a point three times, including Will Findlay's three-pointer from beyond the top of the key with 31 seconds to play that cut Vista's lead to 40-39.
Mike Young made the first of two free throws with 21 seconds. When Young missed the second attempt, Demarcus Wishom knocked the ball off an Oak Ridge player while battling for the rebound.
Marques White was fouled with 18.8 seconds and made both free throws. Bryce Scott's two free throws cut the lead back to two with 8.2 seconds, then Oak Ridge got the ball back for one last attempt when Jaquai Wiley stepped out of bounds trying to corral a full-court inbounds pass attempt with 6.9 seconds to go.
When Mendoza's shot missed, the huge Vista rooting section stormed the floor. There was a brief face-off between the two rivals' rooting sections on the court, but order was maintained.
"We've been practicing for this game the last two weeks," said a jubilant Hayden Lescault, Vista's senior guard and captain who led all scorers with 18 points. "We let the one slip by earlier against Oak Ridge, so we wanted revenge for that."
White added 10 points for the Eagles while Findlay and Connor Benander topped Oak Ridge with nine points each. Mendoza and Scott added eight points apiece for Oak Ridge.
Now both teams can focus on the postseason.
Oak Ridge (16-11, 9-3), despite losing its last two games, still could be a factor with its defensive ferocity in what is viewed as a wide open Division I field.
Vista del Lago will enter a meat-grinder of a Division III playoff field that includes defending D-III champion Sacramento, top-ranked Center, hard-charging Del Oro and St. Mary's of Stockton.
Pairings will be released Sunday by the section office.
"This helps us going into the postseason," Lescault said. "It gives us some momentum to roll on. We're going to try to play off this game."
It's a postseason challenge for which Bridges thinks his players will be ready, especially having competed so well last year in going 21-9 with all juniors before falling to Modesto Christian 64-60 in the D-IV semifinals.
Vista del Lago has moved up a division because of an increase in enrollment. The Eagles likely will be the No. 2 seed behind Sacramento High.
"D-III is by far the toughest field," Bridges said. "I think even the first and second round games are going to be tough. We're feeling good having two home games, we'll have our crowd.
"I think we can make a run. It will be nice to play some teams who aren't familiar with us."
And what about Sac High, the basketball behemoth that has played in the last five D-III finals, winning three?
"They're good, and they keep getting better," Bridges said. "But I think the experience of playing Modesto Christian last year to the wire will help us. We know we can compete with them."
Added Lescault: "Sac High is a great team, but so are we."
That Division III is the strongest in Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball this season is reflected in this week's Cal-Hi Sports state divisional rankings.
Center is No. 6, Sacramento No. 9 and Vista del Lago No. 10 in this week's D-III rankings. Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland is the only other Northern California team ranked at No. 3.
Serra of Gardena is No. 1 and Ocean View of Huntington Beach is No. 2.
There are no area teams ranked in D-I. Mater Dei of Santa Ana is No. 1 and Westchester of Los Angeles No. 2. The top NorCal team is Newark Memorial at No. 4.
In Division II, Jesuit is at No. 7, having fallen from No. 2 after its loss to Sheldon, while Yuba City is at No. 9. St. Francis of Mountain View is No. 1 and defending D-II state champion Eisenhower of Rialto is No. 2.
The only other area boys team to be ranked is Colfax at No. 10 in D-IV. Defending state D-IV champion Salesian of Richmond is No. 1.
Salesian also is the No. 1 team in the overall Northern California Top 15. Center is at No. 10, Sheldon at No. 11, Jesuit at No. 12, Sacramento at No. 13 and Vista del Lago at No. 14.
For more on the rankings, visit www.calhisports.com.
They are still on the postseason bubble, but the unranked Cordova Lancers are a boys basketball team that many coaches fear.
Last night, the Lancers showed why once again in beating No. 16 Oak Ridge 52-47, snapping the Trojans' nine-game winning streak and taking a little pizazz out of Friday's Sierra Valley Conference showdown game between Oak Ridge (16-10, 9-2) and 10-1 No. 4 Vista del Lago (24-2, 10-1) in El Dorado Hills.
Sophomore Bryce Scott led Oak Ridge with 19 points and senior Jeremy Harris had 13 and junior Deshawn Smith 11 for the Lancers.
Cordova (13-11, 5-6) is clinging to playoff life heading into its final regular-season game against visiting Christian Brothers (12-13, 5-6) on Friday. Cordova has played well at home in winning nine of 11 games and has lost two games to Vista del Lago by a combined eight points.
In beating Oak Ridge, the Lancers also got some help this week.
Of the six teams in front of them in this week's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II power ratings, four suffered losses - No. 14 Granite Bay, No. 16 River Valley, No. 17 Bella Vista and No. 19 Vacaville.
Cordova was at No. 20 entering the week. Only the top 16 teams advance to the postseason.
With its 70-45 win over Sierra Foothill League rival Oakmont on Wednesday, Woodcreek has jumped back among the top four in the latest Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys basketball power ratings released today.
Woodcreek is No. 4 behind No. 1 Fairfield, No. 2 Jesuit and No. 3 Yuba City.
If the Timberwolves can hold that No. 4 spot with wins this week at home over Nevada Union on Wednesday and Granite Bay on Friday, they will have the potential to play host to the first two rounds of the D-II playoffs.
Oakmont was No. 4 and Woodcreek No. 5 in last week's rakings.
Jockeying is often hot and heavy in Divisions II-V because of the home-court benefit for those finishing among the top four seeds. Home court advantage isn't nearly as critical in D-I because quarterfinal games are played at neutral Pacific.
Today's ratings are the last to be released publicly by the section. Section officials will seed the five divisions this weekend and release playoff pairings online by 3 p.m. Sunday.
The top 16 teams in each division qualify for postseason play.
Here are the current top 16 teams, plus bubble teams, by division:
In an age of up-tempo, dribble drive basketball, Dave Millhollin's Ponderosa boys basketball teams remained methodical and intensely focused on defense.
Millhollin, who stepped down earlier this season after 14 years at the Bruins' helm, had five teams that allowed 39.3 or fewer points in a season. Four times he had California's top defensive team.
"The reason we were able to win as much as we did at Ponderosa was because we had players who were unselfish and made a commitment, bordering on obsession, to their teammates and their team's goals," Millhollin said.
The 2007-'08 team, in setting a school record of 35 points allowed per game, led the nation in defense among those states with a shot clock.
Millhollin says he's looking forward to pursuing his third passion beyond family and basketball.
"I love flyfishing," said Millhollin, who has a protege in Tyus, his 12-year-old son and budding point guard who is named after former UCLA basketball star Tyus Edney.
"In addition to a nice jump shot, he's got a nice little casting stroke," Millhollin said. "I want to have a fishing buddy for life, someone who can help me put on my waders when I'm 70."
No. 8 Sheldon boys basketball is showing that it might be OK without star Darius Nelson.
The Huskies upset top-ranked Jesuit 61-59 in Carmichael Wednesday night as sophomore Kyiron Thomas led five Huskies in double figures with 18 points.
Sheldon, now 20-5 overall, is 5-3 and tied for second with Folsom in the Delta River League. Jesuit, led by MacKenzie McCullough's 14 points, remains in first place in the DRL at 7-1 and is 20-5 overall.
Ankle and Achilles' injuries forced the 6-foot-6 Nelson to the sidelines and it's possible he may not return this season. The first game Nelson sat was Sheldon's 64-53 loss to Jesuit at Sheldon on Jan. 27. Since then, the Huskies have won four in a row.
That wasn't the only important game on Wednesday.
• No. 10 Woodcreek (19-5, 7-2) moved back into first place in the highly competitive Sierra Foothill League with a surprisingly easy 70-45 win at No. 7 Oakmont. Mike Kurtz led Woodcreek with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Gill topped Oakmont with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The loss dropped the Vikings (16-6, 6-3) into a tie for second with No. 9 Rocklin.
• Davis looks like a team that could be a factor in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs after toppling No. 5 Franklin 58-50 in a Delta Valley Conference game. Franklin (20-4, 8-1) is the No. 1 team in this week's section D-I power ratings. The Blue Devils (14-9, 5-4) are No. 12 but could make a big move up with a win at Kennedy on Friday.
• No. 2 Center (21-2, 11-0) moved closer to winning its first league championship outright since 1992 with a 45-35 win at No. 11 Foothill (18-6, 8-3). Elliot Herald topped the Cougars with 16 points.
• No. 6 Yuba City climbed to 20-3 overall and 9-0 in the Tri-County Conference with an 83-71 win over Pioneer (18-6, 5-4). Donnie Triphan had 19 points and Zach Nelson 18 to lead the Honkers. James Tillman topped Pioneer with 22 points.
Connor and Chad Haysbert, with their combination of size and skill, are a huge reason why Center High School is 20-2 overall and ranked No. 2 by The Bee.
But as talented as they are - both also are excellent students - they are completely different personalities.
"Connor is our emotional leader, although he sometimes wears his emotions on his sleeve," said Center coach Ray Gagnon. "Chad is much more quiet. He's OK with sitting back, playing second fiddle and getting his brother the ball."
While the 6-foot-8, 215-pound Connor is getting looks from schools such as Puget Sound and Chico State, 6-7 Chad is the one that both Connor and Gagnon agree will get some major college looks next season.
"Sometimes he amazes me with the things he does," Connor said of his brother.
Adds Gagnon: "Chad can play any position. He reminds me of Doug Christie, and he can knock down threes all day long. Watch out for him next year."
Bee staff writers Joe Davidson and Bill Paterson provide news, analysis and insight on the area high school sports scene in their Prep Blog. Have a question to ask them? Send them an email any time at jdavidson@sacbee.com or bpaterson@sacbee.com.
