Prep Blog

Four area girls, led by Kennedy's Lynette Johnson, made Cal-Hi Sports All-State girls basketball teams.

Johnson, The Bee Girls Player of the Year headed to Utah State, made State Third Team Elite and Division I first team.

Sacramento's Allie Green made All-State D-II first team.

Oak Ridge's Ali Bettencourt made third team All-State Junior Class and second team D-I.

Christian Brothers' Kira McKechnie made the All-State Sophomore second team.

Sacramento High's Michele Massari was the D-II Girls Coach of the Year.

For the complete team go HERE

Fourteen Elk Grove Unified School District athletes, including boys basketball standouts Cole Nordquist of Pleasant Grove and Ryan Manning of Sheldon, will be recognized during a spring letter of intent signing ceremony 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the board room of the Robert L. Trigg Education Center, 9510 Elk Grove-Florin Road, Elk Grove.

They are:
• Arriana Rieland, Cosumnes Oaks, soccer, Jackson State

• Dylan Wakefield, Cosumnes Oaks, soccer, Chico State

• Scott Votino, Elk Grove, wrestling, Army

• Brianna Avila, Elk Grove, soccer, UC Riverside

• Mike Wright, Elk Grove, baseball, San Jose State

• Alex Gulseth, Franklin, soccer, Sacramento State

• Kaylah Valdry, Franklin, soccer, Texas Southern

• Tatyana Garrett, Franklin, soccer, UC Irvine

• Mark Langston, Franklin, swimming, Seattle

• Cole Nordquist, Pleasant Grove, basketball, Hawaii Pacific

• Avonna Lee, Pleasant Grove, basketball, Northern Arizona

• Madison McCann, Sheldon, soccer, Louisiana Tech

• Ryan Manning, Sheldon, basketball, Air Force.

• Donielle Hair, Sheldon, basketball, Dominican

Here are the All-Sierra Valley Conference boys and girls teams as released to The Bee by league commissioner Dave Johnson. For corrections, e-mail bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS
Player of the Year - Mike Meserole, Liberty Ranch
Co-Coaches of the Year - Greg Clark, River City and Josh Williams, Liberty Ranch.
First Team: LJ Reed, Alex Van Dyke, Raymund Gonzalvo, Cosumnes Oaks; Justin Morrison, Aaron Line, El Dorado; DeAndre Stallings, Matt Thomas, Liberty Ranch; Jose Chacon, Xavier Francois, Malik Dumetz, River City.

GIRLS
Player of the Year - Selena Moore, Liberty Ranch
Coach of the Year - David Moore, Liberty Ranch
First Team: Katelin King, Tori Torres, Rayelle Ross, Aliyah Brantley, River City; Stephanie Clawson, Rebecca Stephens, Caprina Pipion, Vista del Lago; Kimee Mueller, Madison Aliff, Sonya Watson, Union Mine; Damielle Hazlett, Galt; Sabrina Tate, El Dorado.

Oak Ridge, Oakmont and Sheldon high schools are holding NCAA letter of intent signing ceremonies at their schools today while two other area athletes have announced their college plans.

Four athletes will be recognized 12:30 p.m. in Oak Ridge's multipurpose room.
They are basketball player Josh Simms (Concordia), diver Sydney Newman (Pepperdine) and cheer athletes Siena Potts (Concordia) and Nicolette Wichert (Texas Christian).

Oakmont volleyball player Brennah Galdwill (Saint Anselm College, Manchester, N.H.) and wrestler Peter Santos (North Carolina State) will sign letters at 1:15 p.m. in the Roseville school's career center.

Sheldon basketball standout Ryan Manning (Air Force) will sign his letter at 7 p.m. during a ceremony in front of friends, family and teammates in the South Sacramento school's library.

Two other area athletes have announced their college choices: Sacramento High basketball player Breanna Garrett has given a verbal commitment to play for Sacramento State and Folsom swimmer Bret Bonzell has signed with Boston College.

Rocklin's Shannon Garvella and Bella Vista's Brynn Sargent received Clark Coover Memorial Scholarships and 46 additional athletes received Sac-Joaquin Section A. Dale Lacky Scholarships at an awards ceremony this morning in Lodi.

The awards, which range from $600 to $1,500, are given to those athletes who show outstanding athletic, community service and academic success.

Garvella and Sargent received $1,500 Clarke Coover Scholarships as the top girls and boys award recipients.

Sacramento High's Michele Massari has been named Cal-Hi Sports' State Division II Girls Coach of the Year.

Massari's Dragons had a 27-5 record this season, including 14-0 in the ultra-competitive Metro Conference, and won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title.

The Dragons beat D-I NorCal champion Berkeley in overtime at the West Coast Jamboree earlier in the season. They also became the first area girls team to compete in the CIF Northern California Regional Open Division.

Massari has a 132-35 career record with three consecutive section titles (the other two at D-III) and five Metro Conference banners. The Dragons are 62-0 in league play under Massari.

Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland's Malik McCord was the State and D-III Girls Coach of the Year after leading the Dragons to the State Open Division title.

The McClatchy High School Restore the Roar alumni group has announced 81 nominees for the 2013 CKM Athletic Hall of Fame.

According to Bob Sertich, Restore the Roar president, the primary focus of this year's class of inductees will be those McClatchy athletes who excelled in the 1960s and 1970s.

Among the nominees are former major leaguers Rowland Office and Ken Dowell and 1972 first-round draft pick Joel Bishop; football standout Morrison England, now a U.S. District Court judge; and track and field coach Scotty Bingham.

There also is a "legends" group of nominees which includes track and cross country standout Al Baeta and golfer Judy Ghilarducci. These were outstanding athletes at the school prior to 1963 but were not inducted in last year's inaugural hall of fame class.

The hall of fame selection committee is expected to announce inductees in June. They will be honored at a dinner Oct. 11.

"We face the same challenge as last year," Sertich said in a press release. "We plan to induct only the best 35 or 40 athletes, which means many of the nominees will have to wait until future years for induction."

For more, go HERE

Grant senior linebacker Abnor Toma has signed a late letter of intent with Southern Oregon, a rising small-college power in Ashland that plays at Sacramento State next season.

Cosumnes Oaks lineman Kameron Schroeder, a junior, has given a verbal commitment to Duke and Pleasant Grove cornerback Brandon Lewis has given a verbal pledge to Boise State.

Lewis missed his junior season last fall with a knee injury.

In other signings/commitments:

• Valley Christian's Erin Patterson has committed to play volleyball and softball for Wentworth Institute of Technology, a D-III school in Boston Mass. She is the fourth Valley Christian athlete from the 111-student high school who will play at the next level, joining volleyball player Emily Flood (Simpson University in Redding) and baseball players Caleb Van Patten (Simpson) and Jimmy Shaw (San Diego Christian).

• Oakmont will hold a signing ceremony 1:15 p.m. next Wednesday in the career center for volleyball player Brennah Gladwill (Saint Anselm, Manchester, N.H.) and CIF state champion wrestler Peter Santos (North Carolina State).

• Christian Brothers infielder Taryn Sigl will play softball for the University of the Cumberlands, an NAIA school in Williamsburg, Ky.

• Pleasant Grove senior shooting guard Avonna Lee will play basketball for Northern Arizona.

Former Oregon football coach and UC Davis football player Mike Bellotti and former Olympic, UCLA and Davis High basketball star Denise Curry are among those who will be inducted into the 43rd annual Northern California Sports Association's Hall of Fame at a dinner on Saturday in Yuba City.

Also to be inducted will be Mark Cartwright (Yuba City High School, baseball), Richard McKray (Yuba HS baseball and softball coach), George Nicholau (Marysville HS, football, baseball and basketball; Cal football), Byron Randolph (Winters HS, baseball; Marysville High, baseball coaching), Rex Chappell (Nevada Union football; Sierra College football coach and player) and, posthumously, Homer "Buzz" Ostrom (as an athlete, coach and administrator).

In addition to the inductions, some $15,000 in scholarship money will be awarded to six high school seniors.

The event, which will be held at St. Isidore's Church, 200 Clark Ave. in Yuba City, starts with a reception at 4:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

For more, call John Rice at (916)296-1501 or Joel Guthrie at (530) 743-2089.

Here are the All-Pioneer Valley League boys and girls basketball teams as submitted to The Bee by league comissioner Bill Flake. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS
Coach of the Year: Mike O'Connell, Colfax
MVP: Will Buell, Colfax
All-League: Marcus Salgado, Alexis Gonzales, Adam Felt, Lincoln; Anthony Williams, Douglas James, Foothill; Isaiah Pineiro, Placer; Justin Beskeen, Bear River; Matt Larson, Colfax; Isaiah Jones, Center.

GIRLS
Coach of the Year: Tony Camillucci, Placer
MVP: Kerri McCullough, Placer
All-League: Kaitlyn Reina, Savannah Welz, Sarah Hagar, Bear River; Ariana Jensen, Lauren Collins, Placer; Amber Tobiasz, Raegan Lilly, Colfax; Deija Smith, Center; Cassandra James, Lincoln; Elisha Anderson, Foothill.

Sacramento (27-5) finished No. 30, Oak Ridge (28-5) No. 31 and Kennedy (24-9) No. 36 in Cal-Hi Sports' final Top 40 state girls basketball rankings.

Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland (30-3), the first CIF Open Division girls champion, finishes No. 1.

For the complete list, go HERE

Sacramento High's Joseph Barnes had 24 points to capture team MVP honors and lead the South over the North 113-105 in tonight's Optimist All-Star boys basketball game at Center High School.

Casa Roble's 6-foot-10 Eric Stuteville, a Sacramento State signee, had 21 points in earning North Team MVP honors.

Pleasant Grove's Arizona-bound Dejza James took team MVP honors with 17 points in leading the South girls over the North 85-58. Washington signee Brianna Ruiz of Del Oro was the North MVP with 16 points.

The two fund-raising games featured some of the area's top graduating seniors.

Here are the winter All-Tri-County Conference teams as submitted to The Bee. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Terrance White, Inderkum.
All-league: LD Dhaliwal, Andrew Ignont, Nef Torres, Inderkum; Phillip Morgan, Natomas; Gabriel Torres, Pioneer; Stuart Bradley, TJ Dove, Jordan Noall, River Valley; Carson Frank, Armando Madueno, Woodland; Travis Blas, Louis Mowers, Yuba City.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Co-MVP: Aleqse Hawkins, Taylor Massengale, River Valley.
All-league: Shymir Mitschan-Balwin, Sakara Brewer, Kyliyah Daniel, Inderkum; Halle Hamre, Sierra Maun, Natomas; Maddi Bellin, Pioneer; Sarah Brennan, Amrita Dale, River Valley; Emily King, Woodland; Destiny Fleenor, Tiffany Friend, Yuba City.

WRESTLING
Lightweight MVP: Alex Rominger, Woodland.
Heavyweight MVP: Jordan Sepeda, Natomas.
All-league: Fermin Novoa, Pioneer; Mansoor Ahmadi, Wesley McMahon, Yuba City; Ruban Escalante, Jamie Villar, Inderkum; Esquiel Stringer, Woodland; Alex Gonzalez, Rafael Pantoja, Joey Ames, Natomas; Timmy Webb, Logan Morace, Jordan Davis, River Valley.

Here are the winter All-Sierra Foothill League teams that were submitted to The Bee. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Scott Romuk, Granite Bay.
All-league: Jacob King, Kendrick Jackson, Anthony Pedersen, Granite Bay; Danny Becker, Trevor Pistochini, Del Oro; Devin Moss, Rocklin; Matt Tawlks, Roseville; Noah Blackwell, Tyler Milani, Woodcreek; Lucas Vojak, Nevada Union.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP:Stephanie Geyer, Del Oro.
All-league: Lydia Summers, Shannon Garvella, Rocklin; Sydney Porter, Nicole Lierly, Sammy DeHart, Nevada Union; Aliya Davis, Liz Gehweiler, Woodcreek; Lauren Heyn, Del Oro; Daeja Black, Granite Bay; Lindsay Anderson, Roseville.

WRESTLING
All-league first team: 106 pounds - Isaac Blackburn, Del Oro; 113 - Clay Shropshire, Del Oro; 120 - Zach Ruybal, Del Oro; 126 - Sean Brown, Granite Bay; 132 - Tanner Robison, Del Oro; 138 - Jonny Callas, Nevada Union; 145 - Johnny Zieour, Del Oro; 152 - Andrew Tyson, Rocklin; 160 - Patrick Neu, Del Oro; 170 - Dylan Kainrath, Del Oro; 182 - Skyler Gonzales, Rocklin; 195 - Mitchell Houston, Woodcreek; 220 - Jon Francom-Clark, Del Oro; 285 - Dominic Balmer, Woodcreek.

Here are the winter All-Sierra Delta League teams as submitted to The Bee. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
Co-MVP: Dajon Green, Aaron Johnson, Encina.
Coach of the Year: Freddie Bryant, Encina.
All-league: Datwon Brown, Encina; Isaiah Brooks, Grant Heisinger, Dominic Bromstead, Justin Sobcoviak, Bradshaw Christian; Lincoln Gallegos, Brandon Hayworth, San Juan; Andrew Grabowski, Vacaville Christian; Marquez Fears, Egor Andreyev, Highlands.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP: Ashlee Jones, Bradshaw Christian.
Coach of the Year: Faith McKinnie, Encina.
All-league: Gabby Miller, Quashoma Johnson, Encina; Erika Bean, Jordyn Bell, Briana Barnes, Bradshaw Christian; Robin Martinez, Kashay Johnson, San Juan; Kimmy Guggemos, Rio Vista; Hailey Kenyon, Vacaville Christian; Sierra Monroe, Golden Sierra.

WRESTLING
Lightweight MVP: Trent Rose, Bradshaw Christian.
Middleweight MVP: Ra' Heem Johnson, Encina.
Heavyweight MVP: Cyrus Javan, Vacaville Christian.
Coach of the Year: Eric Wilson, Vacaville Christian.
All-league: Dennis Keough, San Juan; Daniel Ewing, Rafael Gallegos, Mateo Olloqui, Vacaville Christian; Patrick Lewis, Brian Agee, Golden Sierra; Andrew Balderas, William Abalos, Highlands; Mat Zahra, Christian Zamora, Encina; Thomas Ubelhoer, Bradshaw Christian.

Here are the winter All-Sacramento Metro Athletic Conference teas as submitted to The Bee. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Micah Atkins, Faith Christian.
Coach of the Year: Rick Dougherty, Faith Christian.
All-league: Justin Glen, Faith Christian; Josh Niccum, Joey Niccum, Buckingham Charter; Morgan Bennett-Smith, Sacramento Country Day; Micah Gunter, Forest Ryan, Valley Christian Academy; Tony Jia, Lutheran.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP: Mary Clare Bosco, Sacramento Country Day.
Coach of the Year: Kim Contreras, Valley Christian Academy.
All-league: Lily Hagerty, Erika Lyon, Grace Magni, Valley Christian Academy; Isabella Tochterman, Sacramento Country Day; Kayla Brown, Wilton Christian.

Here are the winter All-Metro Conference teams as submitted to The Bee. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
Co-MVPs: Aaron Cameron, Sacramento; David Straughter, Burbank.
Coach of the Year: Derek Swafford.
All-league: Ben Walls, Florin; Aaron Harmetz, McClatchy; Charles Mills, Deandre Churchill, Johnson; Toa Kolokihakaufisi, Matt Nakatomi, Joey Helow, Kennedy; Jaylen Coats, Clifford Lyles, Burbank; Joe Barns, David Solomon-Young, James Hadnot, Sacramento.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Co-MVPs: Lynette Johnson, Kennedy; Allie Green, Sacramento.
Coach of the Year: Michele Massari, Sacramento.
All-league: Daijah Jo Smith, Delayna Sampton, Florin; Irene Colaivalu, Rosemont; Lauren Nubla, McClatchy; Chaya Durr, Ayanna Edwards, Sacramento; Dalayna Tyler-Scott, Kennedy; VyVy Tran, Burbank.

WRESTLING
All-league: 108 - Brandon Gonzales, Florin; 115 - Sean DeVissche, Florin; 122 - Brandon Vang, Valley; 128 - Christian Cotter, Johnson; 134 - Chris Vaughn, McClatchy; 140 - Zackery Augustine, Rosemont; 147 - Joel Smith, McClatchy; 154 - Aaron Davis, McClatchy; 162 - Joshua Garcia, Johnson; 172 - Marcus Hudson, Rosemont; 184 - Anthony Alvarado, Johnson; 197 - Djuan Smalls, McClatchy; 222 - Bryan Knowles, Rosemont; 287 - Xang Her, Johnson.

Here are the winter All-Golden Empire League teams that have been submitted to The Bee. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Cedric Thomas, Lindhurst.
Coach of the Year: Pat Pavelchik, Mesa Verde.
All-league: Devin Ward, Lindhurst; Roman Zazhitsky, Bret Lynch, Mesa Verde; Tim Spiridonov, Devin Sawyerr, West Campus; Nifae Lealao Jr., Tyler Jennings, Justice Shelton-Moseley, D.J. Wilson, Capital Christian.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP: Hayley Shaner, West Campus.
Coach of the Year: Shawnsey McBride, Marysville.
All-league: Haleigh Filer, Monique Colbert, Capital Christian; Madison Dwelley, Miranda Williams, Dixon; Bayshta Aguila, Marysville; Barbara Keomany, Enique Nelson, West Campus; Andrea Davis, Mesa Verde; Sarah May, Lindhurst.

WRESTLING
Lightweight MVP: Devan Turner, Dixon.
Middleweight MVP: Armante Gonzalez, Lindhurst.
Heavyweight MVP: Jordan Colby, West Campus.
Coach of the Year: Rob Taylor, Lindhurst.
All-league: Thongsai Thanadabouth, Jesus Yanez, Rigo Cole, Edgar Rivera, Justin Martinez, Lindhurst; Eybe Ceja, Jorge Jiminez, Dixon; Jordan Newberry, Mesa Verde; Nathan Hus, Andrew Peterson, Capital Christian; Michael Scott, West Campus.

Here are the winter All-Delta River League teams that were submitted to The Bee. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Dakarai Allen, Sheldon.
All-league: Jordan Ford, Folsom; Lake Lutes, Jesuit; Josh Simms, Oak Ridge; Matt Hayes, Colfax Nordquist, Xavier Thames, Pleasant Grove; Darrin Johnson, Antonio Lewis, Ryan Manning, D'erryl Williams, Sheldon.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP: Dejza James, Pleasant Grove.
All-league: Haley Anderson, Ali Bettencourt, Jenn Hoffman, Oak Ridge; Avonna Lee, Pleasant Grove; Ashley Beck, Danielle Craft, Ponderosa; Rachel Frank, Najah Queenland, St. Francis; Janae Hair, Daija Ward, Sheldon.

WRESTLING
All-league: Curtis Booth, Andrew Coyne, Mason Koshiyama, Lorenzo De La Riva, Nicholas Fiegener, Folsom; Gilbert Martinez, Alex Elko, Jesuit; Jimmy Scarr, Trae Providence, Nick Troquato, Kyle Jennings, Ponderosa; Keaton Subjeck, Sherman McVey, Oak Ridge; Sam Alnassiri, Sheldon.

Here are the Central Valley California League winter all-league teams. For corrections, email bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Anthony Castaneda, Woodland Christian.
Coaches of the Year: Justin Smith, Woodland Christian; Rork Crusto, Delta.
All-league: Benny Mitchell, Woodland Christian; Mike Halverson, Victory Christian; Chase Augustino, Forest Lake Christian; Kalil Williams, Cristo Rey; Jack Dean, Sacramento Waldorf.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP: Becca Williams, Woodland Christian.
Coach of the Year: Tim Smithers, Victory Christian.
All-league: Ashley Williams, Woodland Christian; Molly Huffman, Emily Potts, Victory Christian; Sadie Stroup, Foresthill; Lauren Piner, Forest Lake Christian; Ella Haberman, Sacramento Waldorf.

Here are the Capital Valley Conference's winter all-league teams. For corrections, e-mail bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Tyler Berkness, Bella Vista.
All-league: Dominic Driggs, Austin Hennen, Ahmad Smith, Bella Vista; Prestin Barnett, Christian Brothers; Semir Cahtarevic, Vasilije Saraba, Del Campo; Paul Rubio, Rio Linda; Dominic Marrero, Okamont; Jake Romine, Eric Stuteville, Mason Stuteville, Casa Roble.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP: Ana Burch, Christian Brothers.
All-leauge: Krystal Aubert, Casa Roble; Olivia Francis, Brittany Martin, Oakmont; Teryn Jackson, Kesles Johnson, Bella Vista; Jazlynne Macklin, Laura Noble, Megan Roberson, Del Campo; Marissa Sanders, Rio Linda; Kira McKechnie, Niel Valmores, Christian Brothers.

WRESTLING
All-league: Dru Smith, Victor Trujillo, Sam Pfau, Shayne Tucker, Sam Fowler, Dan Marotte, Shawn Council, Brennan Collins, Milen Tsvetkov, Justin Calderon, Jesse Downs, Nelson Lund, Bella Vista; Josh Vega, Kaleio Romero, Peter Santos, Tommy Krebs, Nathon Chambers, Oakmont; Brett Alfred, Reed Smith, Del Campo; Ray Biaz, Jake Minshew, Charles Hubbard, Seth Avis, Casa Roble; Stephen Andrews, Joseph Reynoso, Vaughn Hingano, Rio Linda; Chris Rios, Matt Spain, Christian Brothers.

Here are the winter All-Capital Athletic League teams. For corrections, please e-mail bpaterson@sacbee.com

BOYS BASKETBALL
MVP: Isaiah Ellis, Antelope.
All-league: Gabe Bealer, Rashard Thornhill, Tyler Winston, Antelope; Kyler Joaquin, Zack Suarez, Darrin Nishi, Rio Americano; Troy Owens, Jordan Roberson, Cordova; Dallen Eddenfield, El Camino; Nolan Eger, Whitney.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MVP: Elizabeth Moulton, Rio Americano.
All-league: Tyler Ellis, Rae Rae Terlaje-Taitano, Cameo Warren, Antelope; Monae Newton, Cordova; Courtney Brignac, El Camino; Shireen Sayareh, Mira Loma; Emily Hansen, Emily Wilson, Rio Americano; Sheibi Meyer, Alana Scott, Whitney.

WRESTLING
Coach of the Year: Brad Burton, Antelope.
All-league: Casey Burton, Daren Echeveria, Dakota Fierro, Vlad Lutsik, Brandon Matu, Tyler Moore, Nathan Rhodes, Nigel Summan, Luke Avery Ward, Antelope; Emmanual Armas, Ernie Armas, Tony Graciano, Donnie Hibbs, Antor Hollins, Mike Kintz, Ian McGarry, Austin Reynolds, Herman Thomas, Justin Yip, El Camino; Anthony Bondartchouk, Roman Glukhoy, Ruslan Glukhoy, Shawntay Humphrey, James Mullerleile, Tim Shverstov, Mira Loma; Peter Cardinale, Rio Americano; Josh Achanzan, Whitney.

Many of the area's top graduating seniors will compete in the 36th annual Evening Optimist boys and girls all-star basketball games Saturday at Center High School in Antelope.

Eleven college scholarship signees have been invited to play in the 4 p.m. girls game.

Among those scheduled to play for the South Team, coached by Christian Brothers' Ron Gully, are Kennedy's Lynette Johnson (Utah State), Pleasant Grove's Dejza James (Arizona), Sacramento's Allie Green (Pepperdine), River City's Katie King (CSU Northridge), Oak Ridge's Haley Anderson (UC San Diego), Christian Brothers' Ana Burch (Stanislaus State) and Bradshaw Christian's Ashlee Jones (Nevada).

Jazmine Johnson had 11 points, six rebounds and three steals; Amber Blockmon eight points and 13 rebounds; and Nijala Johnson eight points and seven steals as Lynwood won a defensive duel with St. Francis of Mountain View 39-26 in today's CIF State Division II girls basketball championship game at Sleep Train Arena.

It was the lowest combined point total in girls state history.

Lauren Johnson led St. Francis with 10 points and nine rebounds and Jennifer Lucian had seven points and 14 rebounds as both teams struggled to score points.

St. Francis shot 26 percent from the field; Lynwood 25 percent. But Lynwood's quickness forced St. Francis into 23 turnovers.

Coach Ellis Barfield of Lynwood (29-5) credited St. Francis, which led 10-7 early in the second quarter, for putting his team on its heels.

"We really had to elevate our game, especially defensively," Barfield said.

For Barfield it was his fourth state championship team, the other three coming in D-I. He joins St. Francis coach Brian Harrigan as a four-time state winner, though Harrigan's titles came at Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.

This is his second season at St. Francis, which had five consecutive losing seasons before he arrived. The Troubadours were 18-10 last season and finish 24-9 this season in making the school's first girls state title game.

"It's a pretty amazing step," he said of the program reaching a state final. "It's been an incredible journey, a fantastic journey."

Michigan-bound Siera Thompson had 26 points and Oregon-bound Deandrea Toler added 20 points and eight rebounds to counteract a state-record performance by Mariya Moore in leading Serra of Gardena to a 62-60 win over Salesian of Richmond in today's CIF State Division IV girls championship game at Sleep Train Arena.

Moore, one of the nation's top juniors, had 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Salesian (29-7).

Moore, one of the nation's top juniors, had 35 points 10 rebounds and five assists. In making 17 of 20 free throws, she set two new state tournament girls records. The previous high for free throws made was 13 set by Candice Wiggins of La Jolla Country Day in 2002. The previous high for attempts was 17 by Morningside of Inglewood's Lisa Leslie in 1990.

Moore's point total was fifth all-time, tied with Leslie's 35-point effort that same year. It was second all-time in D-IV to Courtney Paris' 37 for Piedmont in 2004.

Zoe Correal added eight points and 10 rebounds for Salesian.

For Serra (30-5), Caila Hailey had eight rebounds and three points and Seattle-bound post Titana Howard had seven rebounds and three points.

It was Serra's first girls basketball title in its first state appearance. Salesian lost for the second year in a row after falling last season to La Jolla Country Day.

Long Beach Poly seems to have Berkeley's number in girls basketball and that did not change tonight in the CIF State Division I championship game at Sleep Train Arena.

Long Beach Poly led 16-6 in the first quarter, 20-9 at halftime en route to 46-28 win over the Yellowjackets.

Jada Matthews had 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Arica Carter added 11 points to lead Long Beach Poly (30-5). Rachel Howard's 11 points and five rebounds topped the Yellowjackets (22-12), who shot only 23 percent from the field (9 of 38) and made 26 turnovers.

It was the fourth time Berkeley, making its 12th state title appearance, lost in the championship game to the Jackrabbits. Berkeley also lost to Long Beach Poly in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 title games, all at Sleep Train.

Long Beach Poly beat Monte Vista of Danville in 2009 for a fourth consecutive title before being upset the next season by Oak Ridge 55-42 in Bakersfield.

Mater Dei of Santa Ana beat Berkeley in the 2011 and 2012 championship games.

Sophomore Kennedy Burke had 14 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots and sophomore Cheyanne Wallace added 11 rebounds, seven points and three blocks as Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth defeated Pinewood of Los Altos Hills 47-33 in today's CIF State Division V girls championship game at Sleep Train Arena.

Sophomoe Gabi Nevill added nine points and junior Zoe Goss eight points and six rebounds for the Trailblazers (24-9), who were making their first state girls basketball title appearance.

Gabi Bade led Pinewood (24-8) with eight points and seven rebounds while Leeana Bade added seven points and eight rebounds.

Pinewood entered the game seeking their fifth D-V girls state title.

Leslie Lopez-Wood had 16 points and Hanna Johnson 12 points and 11 rebounds as Bishop Alemany of Mission Hills held of Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco 46-40 in the CIF State Division III girls basketball championship game today at Sleep Train Arena.

Genessa Bedoya added eight points and three rebounds and Adaora Obi three points and eight rebounds for the Warriors (32-5). Ashanti Coleman had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Fighting Irish (25-7).

It was Bishop Alemany's first state championship in two appearances. Alemany lost 67-54 to Sacred Heart Cathedral in the 1998 state final.

Bishop Alemany was cheered on by a contigent of 600 rooters who boarded buses at midnight and made the trip to Sacramento.

Lewis and Clark College senior Kristina Williams, a former Oak Ridge standout, was named to the D3hoops.com's All-America first team on Tuesday, making her one of the best five players in Division III women's basketball this season.

Williams received a similar honor from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association last week.

The 5-foot-9 guard averaged a team-leading 18.4 points and 8.9 rebounds for the 25-4 Pioneers.

Williams finished as the all-time leader in scoring since Lewis and Clark's transition to NCAA and she ranks in the top five all-time in career points, rebounds, steals, and assists.

The Northwest Conference MVP helped the Portland, Ore., college to three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III tournament, including the first in school history in 2010-2011.

She helped Oak Ridge to Sierra Valley Conference titles in 2008 and 2009 and a Sac-Joaquin Section D-II title in 2009.

Photo: Kristina Williams family photo

Four former high school girls basketball standouts are members of a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women's basketball team that will make its first NCAA women's Division I basketball appearance in school history on Sunday in Baton Rouge.

The No. 14-seeded Mustangs (21-10), winners of the Big West Tournament, will play No. 3 Penn State (25-5).

Senior guard Caroline Reeves (6.6 points per game) from Nevada Union, senior forward Nikol Allen (6.5 points, 4.9 rebounds) from Davis and freshman guard Beth Balbierz (2.6 points) from St. Francis are all contributing players.

Sleep Train Arena is a lot farther from Berkeley than El Dorado Hills.

But for perennial girls basketball power Berkeley High and senior star Rachel Howard, the NBA arena has become a nice home away from home.

See a photo gallery

Playing with collective poise and confidence, and led by Howard's 23 points and nine rebounds, the No. 12 Yellowjackets defeated No. 10 Oak Ridge 56-45 Saturday to win its third consecutive CIF Northern California Regional Division I girls championship.

It was Berkeley's 12th NorCal title in 16 championship-game appearances. No girls school, regardless of division, has won more NorCal titles.

Sacramento High, which lost in the CIF Northern California Regional girls basketball playoffs on Friday at St. Mary's of Berkeley, should be poised for another strong run next season.

Four of the eight area players in the Northern California's Class of 2014 Top 40, compiled by NorCalPreps.com, are Dragons.

They are 6-foot-4 post Ayanna Edwards at No. 7; 5-11 wing Chaya Durr at No. 11; 5-6 point guard Zonyia Cormier at No. 20; and 6-1 forward/post Simone Sheppard at No. 21.

Other area players to be ranked are No. 17, 6-2 post Dalayna Sampton of Florin; No. 18, 5-10 shooting guard Najah Queenland of St. Francis; No. 19, 6-1 post Aaliyah Pena of Pleasant Grove; and No. 26, 5-9 guard Jasmine Redmon, Monterey Trail.

St. Mary's guard duo of 6-1 Gabby Green and Mikayla Cowling are No. 1 and No. 2.

For the complete list, go HERE

Ali Bettencourt had 23 points and Haley Anderson added 13 as the No. 10 Oak Ridge defeated No. 3 Heritage 51-50 in Tuesday's CIF Northern California Division I girls basketball semifinal in Brentwood.

The win avenges a 19-point regular-season loss to the Patriots (26-6). It was Oak Ridge's third consecutive NorCal playoff road victory.

The victory also moves Oak Ridge (28-4) into Saturday's D-I final at Sleep Train Arena against defending champion Berkeley, a 54-46 winner over Gunn of Palo Alto.

The Yellowjackets are a familiar NorCal playoff foe.

This will be the fourth year in the row the Trojans have faced Berkeley, which ended Oak Ridge's season the last two years after the Trojans defeated them on their way to a state championship in 2010.

In other semifinals:

DII BOYS
Dublin 81, Sacramento 76- The Dragons led 55-52 entering the fourth quarter but couldn't hold on against the top-seeded Gaels (26-6) in Dublin. Aaron Cameron scored 19 points, and freshman center Devin Young had 14 points and eight rebounds for Sacramento (26-7).

DII GIRLS
St. Francis 44, Florin 31 - The No. 4 Panthers (23-9) couldn't get untracked against the top-seeded Lancers (23-8) in Mountain View.

DIV GIRLS
Piedmont 31, Bradshaw Christian 27 - The No. 3 Highlanders (22-9)outscored the No. 2 Pride (28-3) 10-6 in the fourth quarter to win in South Sacramento.

DV BOYS
Capital Christian 66, University-San Francisco 50- Nifae Lealao had 21 points and Trey Belton 15 to lead the No. 2 Cougars (26-4) past the No. 3 Red Devils (25-9) and into Saturday's Division V title game at American Canyon High School against St. Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda, a 44-41 winner over Branson of Ross.

Antelope senior forward Tyler Ellis has verbally committed to play women's basketball for New Mexico State.

The 6-foot-1 Ellis, a four-year varsity player for coach Sean Chambers, averaged 18.8 points and 17.4 rebounds this season for the Titans (19-9).

Chambers called Ellis one of the best girls rebounders he has seen in the area "in a very long time."

"Tyler has the most unique set of skills I've seen for a player her size," added Chambers, the former Highlands star who played professionally overseas. "Great hands, feet and instincts. She has an extremely high-level basketball IQ."

Ellis, a two-time All-Capital Valley Conference selection, is the twin of Antelope boys star Isaiah Ellis, the CVC Player of the Year.

He has yet to announce where he will play college basketball.

Three area teams - Oak Ridge, Florin and Bradshaw Christian - have advanced to the CIF Northern California Regional girls basketball semifinals on Tuesday after wins Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Christian Brothers, Bear River and Capital Christian saw their seasons come to an end with quarterfinal defeats.

Here are highlights:

DIVISION I
• No. 10 Oak Ridge knocked off its second higher seeded team in NorCals with a 52-40 win over No. 2 Wilcox in Santa Clara. Oak Ridge opened the playoffs with a 57-48 win over No. 7 Amador Valley in Pleasanton. Oak Ridge will play Tuesday at No. 3 Heritage of Brentwood, a 67-45 winner over No. 6 Lowell of San Francisco. Heritage handed the Trojans (28-4) their only Northern California loss -- other than to Kennedy in the D-I section semifinals -- in the Campolindo Shootout Jan. 26.

The Florin High girls basketball players are a resilient bunch.

Just hours after attending a memorial service for a former teammate, the Panthers dug down deep Saturday night and held off Montgomery of Santa Rosa 41-37 in the school's first home CIF Northern California Regional girls basketball playoff game.

Zakiya Richmond, who graduated from Florin last year and was a popular player for the Panthers, was found dead in her bed Feb. 25 by her mother, Kelly.

It seemed only appropriate that Sacramento and St. Mary's of Berkeley meet in the historic inaugural CIF Northern California Open Division Regional girls basketball game on Friday night in Berkeley.

No. 4 seeded St. Mary's is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and No. 5 seeded Sacramento is 156 years old, though it's been an independent charter school since 2003.

Despite that neither has much history with one another because they normally play in different divisions - Sacramento in D-II and St. Mary's in D-IV.

But this season, the CIF put what it viewed as the eight best teams in Northern California in the much-debated private-school dominated Open Division.

Sacramento's first foray did not go well. The Dragons fell 43-31 to the Panthers.
It was just two much Mikayla Cowling and Gabby Green for St. Mary's (29-4).

Three of seven area girls teams and two of six area boys teams won in tonight's opening round of the CIF Northern California Regional basketball playoffs.

Advancing to Saturday's second round in girls were Oak Ridge in Division I, Christian Brothers in D-III and Capital Christian in D-V.

Moving on for the boys were Sacramento in D-II and Liberty Ranch in D-IV.

Eliminated girls teams were Kennedy in D-I at home and Del Oro in D-II, Placer in D-III and Colfax in D-IV on the road. Boys teams losing on the road were Bella Vista in D-I, Rocklin in D-II, Casa Roble in D-III and Colfax in D-IV.

.

Kennedy has history with Berkeley, one of the state's historic girls high school basketball programs.

Entering Wednesday night's CIF Northern California Regional Division I playoffs, the Cougars had played Berkeley four times in the last six years and lost each time - twice in NorCal championship games, including last season at Sleep Train Arena, once in the semifinals and another time in the quarterfinals.

But the No. 5 seeded Cougars figured their chances were better this time.

No. 12 Berkeley had to play in Greenhaven after a rare "down" season by its standards. The Yellowjackets lost in the North Coast Section semifinals and, with no player taller than 5-foot-11, struggled against teams with a dominant post player.

Kennedy was the last hope of the night Saturday for public school girls basketball in the Sac-Joaquin Section championships at Sleep Train Arena.

And for nearly three quarters the defending Division I champions from Greenhaven matched perennial section power St. Mary's of Stockton basket for basket.

But there is a reason why the Rams are ranked No. 17 nationally by USA Today and No. 4 in California by Cal-Hi Sports.

They wear teams down with their combination of talent, depth and versatility, which the top-seeded Rams eventually did in beating the No. 3 Cougars 63-47 to capture their first D-I banner and their section-leading 14th overall.

Junior guard Chaya Durr scored a career high 27 points and grabbed six rebounds and 6-foot-4 junior center Ayanna "Shaq" Edwards had 11 rebounds and seven blocks to lead top-seeded Sacramento to a 48-37 win over No. 6 Florin in today's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls basketball championship game at Sleep Train Arena.

Junior guard Zonyia Cormier added nine points and two steals and senior center Breanna Garrett seven rebounds as the Dragons won their third consecutive section title. The two previous came in D-III.

Daijah Joe-Smith led Florin with 17 points and nine rebounds and Dalayna Sampton added seven points and 10 rebounds in a matchup of Metro Conference rivals. The Dragons also beat Florin twice in league.

Making 13 of 15 free throws in the final quarter, No. 3 Bradshaw Christian defeated top-seeded Bear River 50-40 in today's Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV girls basketball championship game at Sleep Train Arena in a matchup of two of the section's most successful programs.

Sophomore Erika Bean had 19 points and three steals; senior Ashlee Jones 18 points and seven rebounds; and sophomore Jordyn Bell nine points and 10 rebounds for Bradshaw Christian (27-2), a South Sacramento private school, playing its second season in D-IV.

Junior Kaitlyn Reina topped Bear River (26-4) with 19 points and nine rebounds, despite missing nearly six minutes in the second half with a right ankle injury.

Niel Valmores and Ana Burch have been through a lot together.

They've played basketball on the same team since the sixth grade, and the have been four-year players and senior leaders this season for the Christian Brothers girls varsity.

For the first three years, they saw their seasons end in disappointment in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoff semifinals.

But this year, when they made it to Friday's D-III championship game at Sleep Train Arena, they were not going to be denied.

Capital Christian sent its two basketball teams to Sleep Train Arena on Friday night to win Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championships.

One lost a crusher, the other won a thriller.

The girls fell to Brookside Chrisitan 72-28 in their second trip to the NBA arena in wearing a collective look of shell shock, but thrilled for the opportunity nonetheless.

Some two hours later, the Capital Christian boys celebrated a 40-39 victory over Brookside Christian ro repeat as small-school champions.

The boys expect to earn a high D-V seed when the Northern California Regional field is announced Sunday. The girls will also advance, albeit as a lower seed on the road. Nicole Colbert led Cougars (20-10) with seven points and seven rebounds. Guard Tiara Tucker scored 24 points for Brookside (26-4), which repeated as section champions.

"We're really happy to just get here, and we fought to the end," said Suzanne Baker, in her 17th season coaching the Capital Christian girls. "This is new for us. I'm proud of how the girls played. We've overcome so much - serious injuries, the flu. It's a big stage here. Our guys team is used to it."

Tyler Jennings made a free throw with .07 left to account for the final score. .

"I was nervous," Jennings confessed. "I knew I couldn't let my team down."

Capital Christian (24-4) prevailed despite going cold in the second half and not having the services of explosive 6-foot-8 wing D.J. Wilson. The junior prospect is out with a back injury, suffered Thursday. Forward Trey Belton and guard Uchenna Iroebgu had nine
points each, guard Justice Shelton-Mosley had eight and post Nifae Lealao had seven to go with six rebounds. Belton had 11 rebounds and keyed a defense that stalled the Knights, who lead all D-V teams in scoring at 86 points a game.

Capital now seeks the school's first state championship in any sport and just the area's fifth state basketball title.

"We've been through everything - flu, broken bones, torn ACL's, bad backs - and we keep with it," Jones said. "We've gone through all of that and I like our chances. These guys want more. They have great character.

Read Saturday's Bee for more...

Bee photo by Jose Luis Villegas: Capital Christian's Trey Belton spins on Knights Nick Payne before hitting a jumpshot in there second quarter in Friday nights D-V championship game between Capital Christian and Brookside Christian on March 1, 2013 at the Sleep Train Arena, in Sacramento, California.

- Follow on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD
- Joe Davidson joins Mike Finnerty on the SureWest Sports Radio Show to break down the season with season honors for all girls and boys basketball divisions on Saturday from 8-9 a.m. on ESPN1320. Show is linked later to ESPN1320.net

A young Valley Christian of Roseville provided a glimpse of the future but it was the experience of Victory Christian and a strong performance by senior Emily Potts that won out in tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI girls basketball championship game at Galt High School.

Seniors Molly Huffman and Angela Frentzen each had 12 points as top-seeded Victory Christian (22-5) won 47-42 over the Lions (16-10) to capture its second consecutive D-VI title.

The division was created last year for schools of 150 or fewer students who don't opt to play up at D-V.

Valley Christian trailed 30-13 at halftime but despite relying heavily on four sophomores (Lily Hagerty, Erika Lyon, Cassidy Bowen, Jenny Frank) and a freshman (Seraiah Tyller), the Lions came back to take the lead 41-40 late in the fourth quarter.

"The girls played a little tentatively in the first half," said Valley Christian coach Kim Contreras. "They came out strong in the second half."

But Hagerty, who finished with 16 points and had tied a section playoff scoring record with 49 points earlier, fouled out late, and Victory Christian outscored the Lions 7-1 at the end.

"Senior wing Emily Potts was a game breaker," said Victory Christian coach Tim Smithers. "She's my vote for player of the game. She finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds. She played strong on both sides of the ball. She held (Hagerty) to 10 points below her average while playing the fourth quarter with four fouls."

STOCKTON - It'll be a Metropolitan Conference party of sorts on Saturday at Sleep Train Arena.

Following the footsteps of rivals Kennedy in Division I and Sacramento in D-II, the Florin Panthers earned a title shot at the NBA arena with a gritty 44-41 triumph of McNair of Stockton in a Sac-Joaquin Section D-II semifinals Thursday night at the University of the Pacific.

The Panthers will take on Metro champion and Bee-ranked No. 1 Sacramento for the D-II title, a few hours before Kennedy takes on St. Mary's of Stoctkton in the large-school showcase.

Sacramento won the Metro by sweeping Florin and Kennedy. Per the good will among the Metro teams, players were pulling for each other in semifinal games.

Florin prevailed despite losing leading scorer Daijah Joe-Smtih with 5:45 left in the game. But as Florin coach Larry Price has maintained all season, his star doesn't make up the entire roster.

Florin won it with a free throw by Deja Conger with 13.2 seconds to play for a 42-41 lead and then sealed it with two free throws by Dalayna Sampton to return to a title game for the first time since the 1996 and '97 seasons in D-I under then coach Shannon Gasper.

Jikara Sellers and Conger led Florin with 12 points each and Sampton had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Brittany Butler had 18 points for McNair and Mandy Coleman had 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Both teams advance to the NorCal regional tournament that starts next week.

- Joe Davidson
- Follow on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

STOCKTON - It wasn't a frantic fight to the finish like last season's showdown of Sac-Joaquin Section girls basketball powers, and that was just fine with a relieved Lynette Johnson.

The Kennedy High School standout senior leader talked this week that for as much dramatics and ecstasy as the 2012 Division I championship game against Oak Ridge, won by her Cougars in double overtime, it was a stress-case affair right to the final horn.

Not the rematch.

A combo guard/forward, Johnson scored 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting, yanked down nine rebounds, had six assists and was a factor as a ball handler and with leadership to key a 65-42 triumph of Oak Ridge in a semifinal at University of the Pacific.

Emerging post Dalayna Tyler-Scott had 16 inside points for the Cougars, ranked third by The Bee most of the season. Oak Ridge was ranked second entering the postseason. Both advance to the NorCal Regional playoffs that start next week.

First, Kennedy targets its sixth section championship in nine title appearances, all since 2001.

"Ok, so this wasn't (ITAL) as (ITAL) fun as last year, but it was a great win and we played well," said the charismatic Johnson, headed to Utah State on scholarship. "This was by far our best game. We did everything we practiced on. We're a family, and our chemistry has definitely evolved."

It's a staple for Dave Parsh-coached teams to share the ball, to hustle on defense and to make longp-range shots, and that played out for Kennedy, which now takes on national power St. Mary's of Stockton on Saturday for the title at Sleep Train Arena. The Rams ripped Armijo 94-61 in the other semifinal and now seek their 13th championship at
various levels since 1999.

Jessica Lauderdale scored eight points and had six assists for Kennedy (24-5). Jenn Hoffman led Oak Ridge (25-4) with 10 points. The Trojans shot 34 percent and were outrebounded 33-19.

With Johnson leading the charge, Parsh likes his chances against St. Mary's. The support crew for Johnson has been superb all season, particularly in the playoffs. They include Lauderdale, Arica Ng, Katie Lee and Sidney Owen.

"She's a dynamite player," Parsh said of Johnson. "She's very poised and skilled."

Johnson said confidence is key against the Rams.

"We have to give them a challenge," she said. "A lot of teams go in intimidated against them. Can't do that."

Bee photo by Jose Luis Villegas: Kennedy's Lynette Johnson drives to the basket in the fourth quarter Kennedy's 65 to 42 victory over Oak Ridge in Thursday nights D-I semifinals between Kennedy and Oak Ridge High School on February 28, 2013 at the Spanos Center in Stockton, California.

Junior Chaya Durr had 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine steals; senior Allie Green 15 points and seven rebounds; and 6-foot-4 junior post Ayanna Edwards seven points and 16 rebounds to lead top-seeded Sacramento to a 52-31 win over No. 5 Del Oro in tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls semifinals at UOP in Stockton.

Freshman Aliceah Hernandez added 10 points as the Dragons will advance to a section championship game for the ninth consecutive time, but the first at D-II.

The Dragons (26-4), who won back-to-back D-III section titles the last two years, will play tonight's McNair/Florin late game winner 1 p.m. Saturday at Sleep Train Arena.

Sophomore Lauren Heyn topped Del Oro (19-11) with seven points and 11 rebounds. The Golden Eagles shot just 23 percent from the field and 36 percent from the foul line.

This information was supplied to us by Brian VanderBeek, our colleague at the Modesto Bee.

The Capital Christian girls and boys teams have advanced to Friday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship games at Sleep Train Arena after winning semifinal games Wednesday at Galt High School.

In the girls semifinal, reserve guard Ashley Jones hit two 3-pointers and had eight points during the 23-2 third quarter run that turned a 26-24 Turlock Christian lead into a 45-28 Capital Christian advantage en route to a 60-40 Cougars' win.

Haleigh Filer had 17 points and Monique Colbert had 21 rebounds to go with her 14 points for No. 3 Capital Christian (20-9), which will play defending section and CIF state champion Brookside Christian of Stockton 4 p.m. Friday.

Senior guard Halie Bergman, headed to UOP on a basketball scholarship, was held to 16 points, 13 below her average for Turlock Christian (24-5).

Boys: Capital Christian 41, Ripon Christian 31 - Nifae Lealao had 14 points and Justice Shelton-Mosely added eight as the No. 2 Cougars won a defensive slugfest from the No. 3 Knights. They will defend their D-V title 5:30 p.m. Friday against No. 4 Brookside Christian of Stockton, which upset top-seeded Central Catholic of Modesto 69-54.

Capital Christian's active defense gave Ripon Christian Ripon fits on offense, and the Knights' sagging man-to-man did the same to a Cap Christian, team that couldn't buy an outside shot.

Capital Christian (23-4) didn't score for final 7:04 of second quarter, resulting in bizarre 17-11 halftime lead over the Knights (23-5).

Lealao had six points in a 10-3 run that gave the Cougars a commanding 29-20 lead after three quarters.

Even coach Jeff Bickmore seems a little baffled by Bear River's success in girls basketball.

The Lake of the Pines school of 850 students, which has won 10 Sac-Joaquin Section girls championships through the years, will make its 14th trip to the finals after beating previously unbeaten Argonaut 42-39 in overtime Wednesday in the Division IV semifinals at Tokay High School in Lodi.

"It's kind of funny because we get our kids from one tiny junior high (Magnolia) just down the street," Bickmore said. "We don't get the tallest kids or the super stars. But we do get good, smart kids who have always worked hard and put the time in."

The top-seeded Bruins showed all those attributes in outbattling an Argonaut team that entered 29-0 and with a collective chip on their shoulders for a paltry No. 4 seed.

But the Bruins compete in a strong Pioneer Valley League that saw fellow tri-champions Colfax and Placer also reach semifinals in D-IV and D-III, respectively.

So despite being held to 10 second-half points and losing their best player, junior forward Kaitlyn Reina, to fouls midway in the fourth quarter, Bear River prevailed in typical fashion.

Unsung Maddi Dunn and Cindy Solomon, who had combined for three points in regulation, combined for five to open the overtime and that would prove enough.

Sarah Hagar led Bear River (26-3) with 12 points and Savannah Welz added 11 as the Bruins celebrated their 65th section playoff win and will play No. 3 Bradshaw Christian 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at Sleep Train Arena.

"I'm really happy for our three seniors (Solomon, Welz and Hagar)," said Bickmore, who won D-IV section titles in 2006 and 2007 after Duwaine Ganskie, now the boys coach, won a total of eight in two divisions from 1990 to 1998.

In other Division IV games at Tokay:

Bradshaw Christian 51, Colfax 46 (girls) - Baskets by Erika Bean and Jordyn Bell enabled the third-seeded Pride to hold off the second-seeded Falcons after Taylor Avila's all-net three-pointer closed Colfax to 47-46 with 2:06. Kaila Tremoureaux led Colfax (20-10) with 19 points; Bean topped the Pride (26-3) with 17. It also was Bradshaw Christian's 20th consecutive win, many of them coming by large victory margins in the Sierra Delta League. "I'd much rather be in a close game and that was a great game," said Bradshaw coach Mike Ruble. "Colfax did an awesome job, hit big shots and we got a chance to learn from it." It will be Bradshaw Christian's fifth section title appearance in six seasons. The Pride won four consecutive D-V section titles from 2007-2011.

Liberty Ranch 64, Colfax 59 overtime (boys) - Michael Meserole scored seven of his game-high 30 points in overtime and DeAndre Stallings had 22 points, including six three-pointers, as the No. 4 Hawks (22-8), in their third varsity season, defeated the top-seeded Falcons (24-6). Will Buell and Matt Larson combined for 34 Colfax points. Liberty Ranch will play Summerville 3 p.m. Saturday at Sleep Train Areana for the championship.

Four-year standout Lynette Johnson, who leads Kennedy against Oak Ridge in Thursday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I girls basketball semifinals at UOP, has totaled 192 points in her playoff career, according to section media director Will DeBoard.

Among other players seeking individual section milestones:

• D'Erryl Williams of Sheldon also is closing in on 200 points. The senior has now totaled 176 points with one or two games remaining. Sheldon plays Bethel of Vallejo in Wednesday's D-I semifinals at Sleep Train Arena

• Brookside Christian of Stockton junior Tiara Tucker of Brookside Christian had scored 242 points in eight playoff games for a 30.3 scoring average. The section career scoring average leader is Del Campo's Danielle Viglione with a 27.4 mark over nine games.

• Valley Christian of Roseville sophomore Lily Hagerty tied a 20-year old-record when she scored 49 points in her team's win over Trinity of Napa. Viglione scored 49 in a game against Wood in 1993.

With appearances at Sleep Train Arena on the horizon for many Sac-Joaquin Section boys and girls basketball teams, here are some highlights, as provided by section media director Will DeBoard.

• Nine of last year's 12 champions remain alive in the tournament. On the boys' side, Sheldon (D-1), Antelope (D-2), Modesto Christian (D-4. Moved to D-3 this year) and Capital Christian (D-5) are still alive. On the girls' side, St. Mary's (D-2. Moved to D-1 this year), Kennedy (D-1), Sacramento (D-3. Moved to D-2 this year), Brookside Christian (D-5) and Victory Christian (D-6) are still playing.

• There are two possible repeat finals matchup. Boys: D-5 - Capital Christian-Central Catholic. Girls: D-5 - Brookside Christian-Turlock Christian. NOTE: There is a finals rematch, except it will be played in the semifinals on Thursday at UOP - Oak Ridge vs. Kennedy in D-I girls.

• Six schools have both their boys and girls teams still playing. They are Sacramento, Modesto Christian, Colfax, Brookside Christian, Ripon Christian and Capital Christian. Eighteen times boys and girls teams from the same school have won titles in the same year, last accomplished by Victory Christian last year.

• Sixteen of the 44 remaining teams have never won a section title in basketball. They are: Boys - Bethel, Pleasant Grove, Weston Ranch, Casa Roble, Sierra, Liberty Ranch, Faith Christian and Stockton Christian; Girls - Armijo, Florin, McNair, Vanden, Argonaut, Capital Christian, Turlock Christian and Valley Christian.

• Three of the top six boys teams with the most championships won are still alive in the tournament, and all four of the top championship winning teams are alive among the girls. For the boys, it is Modesto Christian (14 titles), Ripon Christian (nine) and Sacramento (six). For the girls, it is St. Mary's (13), Ripon Christian (11), Bear River (10) and Colfax (nine).

Valley Christian sophomore girls basketball player Lily Hagarty, already one of the Sac-Joaquin Section's top scorers, ramped up her game even more in the postseason with a section-tying playoff scoring performance.

The 5-foot-8 guard tied a 20-year-old mark when she scored 49 points in an 82-35 win against Trinity Prep of Napa last Tuesday in Roseville. Del Campo's Danielle Viglione scored 49 points in a game against Wood in 1993.

Hagarty, averaging 21.8 points a game, followed that up with 27 points in the Lions' 55-26 win Thursday over New Life Christian of Marysville.

On Thursday she will lead No. 2 Valley Christian (16-9) against top-seeded Victory Christian (21-5) in the 6 p.m. D-VI girls championship game at Galt High School.

Victory Christian won last year's inaugural event (45-37 over Wilton Christian) for schools with enrollments of 150 students or less who opt not to play up in D-V.

Jordyn Bell, Erika Bean and Briana Barnes combined for 41 points to lead No. 3 Bradshaw Christian to a 51-22 win over No. 6 West Campus in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV girls basketball game tonight in South Sacramento.

The win advances Bradshaw Christian, now 25-2 and with a 19-game winning streak, to Wednesday's semifinals at Tokay High School in Lodi against No. 2 Colfax. The Falcons defeated No. 10 Liberty Ranch 63-53 tonight in Colfax.

In another quarterfinal, top-seeded Bear River defeated No. 9 Dixon 57-44 in Lake of the Pines. Kaitlyn Reina led Bear River with 24 points.

Bear River will play No. 4 Argounat on Wednesday at Tokay. Argonaut ran its record to 29-0 with a 47-40 win over Ripon.

Niel Valmores had 19 points, Alicia Gonzalez 17 and Kira McKechnie 13 as top-seeded Christian Brothers defeated No. 8 River Valley 78-41 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III girls basketball quarterfinal tonight in Oak Park.

The Falcons advance to Tuesday's semifinals at Cosumnes River College against No. 4 Placer, a 58-44 winner over Patterson tonight in Auburn.

No. 3 Rio Americano saw its 18-game winning streak end tonight with elimination against visiting Modesto Christian. The No. 6 Crusaders prevailed 55-44, despite 18 points by Elizabeth Moulton and 12 by Daizy Wilson, who also had eight steals.

Modesto Christian will play No. 2 Vanden, a 59-48 winner over No. 7 Manteca, in the other semifinal.

Ayanna Edwards had 21 points and Chaya Durr 12 to lead top-seeded Sacramento to a 52-27 win over No. 9 Grant in tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls basketball quarterfinals in Oak Park.

The win moves the Dragons into next Thursday's semifinals against No. 5 Del Oro, a 54-40 winner in Loomis over Antelope. Senior Stephanie Geyer had 22 points and five rebounds and sophomore Lauren Heyn 16 points and 14 rebounds for Del Oro.

Also advancing to the semifinals is No. 6 Florin, a 68-56 winner over No. 3 Gregori in Modesto. Deja Conger had 24 points, Dalayna Sampton 14 and Daijah Joe-Smith 13 for Florin.

The Panthers will play No. 2 McNair on Thursday at UOP. McNair advanced by defeating No. 7 Rocklin 59-49 in Stockton.

No. 2-seeded Oak Ridge and No. 3 Kennedy, last year's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finalists, will meet again, but this time in the girls basketball semifinals next Thursday at UOP.

Kennedy defeated No. 6 Davis 71-56 in Greenhaven behind Lynette Johnson's 25 points and Jessica Lauderdale's 20 and Oak Ridge topped No. 7 Monterey Trail 52-37 as Haley Anderson had 23 points for the Trojans.

Last year at Sleep Train Arena, Kennedy beat Oak Ridge in overtime for the title.

In other games tonight, top-seeded St. Mary's of Stockton beat No. 8 Pleasant Grove 94-54 in Stockton and No. 5 Armijo defeated No. 13 St. Francis 76-54 in Fairfield.

The defeat comes one day after St. Francis knocked No. 4 Nevada Union out of the tournament with a 50-42 win in Grass Valley. The game had been postponed a day because of weather concerns in the foothills.

Del Oro senior star Brianna Ruiz gave the Golden Eagles an emotional lift when she rejoined the team late in the season.

The four-year varsity player and Washington scholarship signee rehabbed her heart out to get back to her team after suffering a summer knee injury.

But Del Oro's go-to player remains fellow senior Stephanie Geyer, as she demonstrated again on Thursday night against Antelope in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls quarterfinals in Loomis.

Even playing against one of the area's top big girls, Antelope's 6-foot-1 Tyler Ellis, the 6-1 Geyer dominated, allowing No. 5 Del Oro to coast to a 54-40 victory. The win moves the Golden Eagles into Thursday's semifinals against top-seeded Sacramento at UOP.

Sarah Hagar had 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals and Teryn Rath 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead top-seeded Bear River to a 63-31 win over Hilmar in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV girls basketball playoff opener Tuesday night in the Lake of the Pines.

Bear River will play host to No. 9 Dixon in Thursday's quarterfinals.

In other Division IV games reported to The Bee:

NO. 2 COLFAX 47, NO. 15 LOS BANOS 34 - Amber Tobiasz led a balanced scoring attack with 11 points in leading the Falcons to victory in Colfax.

NO. 3 BRADSHAW CHRISTIAN 62, UNION MINE 28 - Erika Bean had 23 points and Ashlee Jones added 12 as the Pride defeated the Diamondbacks in South Sacramento.

NO. 4 ARGONAUT 60, NO. 13 RIVERBANK 43
NO. 6 WEST CAMPUS 51, NO. 11 ENCINA 29
NO. 9 DIXON 60, NO. 8 SONORA 43
NO. 10 LIBERTY RANCH 39, NO. 7 CALAVERAS 35

Quarterfinals/Thursday (home sites)
#9 Dixon at #1 Bear River
Bret Harte/Ripon at #4 Argonaut
#6 West Campus at #3 Bradshaw Christian
#10 Liberty Ranch at #2 Colfax

Tyler Ellis scored 24 points and grabbed 26 rebounds - giving her 1,000 for her career - in leading No. 13-seeded Antelope to a 57-52 win over No. 4 River City in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls basketball playoff opening win tonight in West Sacramento.

Ellis, a 6-foot senior, also blocked five shots and was 11 of 14 shooting from the floor.

Maria Zavala and Alyssa Walker each added 12 points for the Titans.

Aliyah Brantley had 15 points and Tori Torres 14 for River City, which had a 16-game winning streak snapped.

In other Division II games reported to The Bee.

Ali Bettencourt's 22 points led 13 players in the scoring column as No. 2 Oak Ridge defeated No. 15 Bella Vista 68-29 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I girls basketball opener tonight in El Dorado Hills.

In other D-I games reported to The Bee:

NO. 3 KENNEDY 51, NO. 14 ENOCHS 33 - Dalayna Tyler-Scott had 15 points and Lynette Johnson 11 to lead the Cougars over the Modesto visitors.

Avonna Lee and Dejza James have played basketball together since elementary school.

They have been Day One impact players at Pleasant Grove High School, which they have helped turn into an area Top 10 girls basketball program.

The close friends have combined for more than 2,600 points and innumerable highlight-reel plays during their four-year varsity careers.

So on Tuesday night, in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs at Pleasant Grove, the two Eagles captains and lone seniors weren't about to see their high school careers come to an end against an up-and-coming, underclass-dominated McClatchy team.

Here's a closer look at the Sac-Joaquin Section girls basketball playoffs, by division, with schedules, outlook and projections....

Check for more in Friday's Bee, including a profile of senior post standouts Megan Roberson of Del Campo and Stephanie Geyer of Del Oro, who will play at the next level at the Air Force Academy and West Point....

DIVISION I

Top seeds: No. 1 St. Mary's (25-2), No. 2 Oak Ridge (23-3), No. 3 Kennedy (21-5), No. 4 Nevada Union (21-4)

Defending champion: Kennedy

Outlook: St. Mary's of Stockton, elevated to Division I after winning the last two D-II section titles, is the overwhelming favorite. The Rams' only two losses were to a Dillard, a Florida power, and state No. 3 Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland, but they may have suffered a hit when senior point gaurd Onome Jemerigbe rolled an ankle in a win over St. Francis on Monday. No. 3 Kennedy, which beat Oak Ridge in the section final in overtime last season, is the same side of the bracket as the No. 2 Trojans, which could lead to a semifinal matchup Feb. 28 at Pacific. Among the intrigue teams are Nevada Union, trying to return to its D-I glory days; No. 8 Pleasant Grove, with the inside-outside combination of Dejza James and Avonna Lee; and No. 6 Davis, which went 22-4 and won the Delta Valley Conference title.

Early matchups of note: No. 9 McClatchy at Pleasant Grove will be fun to watch as the Lions' underclass bigs Gigi Garcia and Destiney Lee challenge James and 6-foot-1 Aaliyah Pena. No. 4 Nevada Union gets a challenge at home with always dangerous St. Francis, a No. 13 seed.

Projected final: St. Mary's vs. Oak Ridge.

First round gamesTuesday, home sites, 7 p.m.
No. 16 Bear Creek at No. 1 St. Mary's-Stockton
Stagg-Stockton/Bella Vista at No. 2 Oak Ridge
No. 14 Enochs-Modesto at No. 3 Kennedy
No. 13 St. Francis at No. 4 Nevada Union
No. 12 Merced at No. 5 Armijo
No. 11 Napa at No. 6 Davis
No. 10 Lincoln-Stockton at No. 7 Monterey Trail
No. 9 McClatchy at No. 8 Pleasant Grove

Oak Ridge jumped to a 21-6 first-quarter lead then coasted to a 68-31 win over Ponderosa in a Delta River League girls basketball finale tonight in El Dorado Hills.

With the win, the Trojans (23-3, 10-0) finish unbeaten in league.

Celeste Vitolas had 14 points and Shelby Peters 12 for Oak Ridge. Ponderosa finishes 14-13 overall and 3-7 in league.

In other girls games involving top 20 teams reported to The Bee:

Chaya Durr had 16 points and Allie Green 14 to lead top-ranked Sacramento past No. 4 McClatchy 50-38 in the Metro Conference girls basketball season finale tonight in Land Park.

Freshman Gigi Garcia topped McClatchy (21-5, 9-5) with 12 points.

Sacramento (23-4, 14-0) led 21-19 at the half and 32-28 after three quarters to extend its unbeaten league winning streak to 91 games.

In other girls top 20 games reported to The Bee:

Allie Green had 18 points, Aliceah Hernandez 15 and Chaya Durr 12 to lead top-ranked Sacramento to a 54-38 Metro Conference girls basketball win Friday in Oak Park.

Lynette Johnson had 21 points for Kennedy (20-5, 11-2), 17 in the first half.

With the win the Dragons (22-4, 13-0) secure the Metro Conference title and extend their league winning streak to 90 games.

In other girls Top 20 games reported to The Bee:

NO. 2 OAK RIDGE 48, SHELDON 38 - Trailing 22-18 at the half, the Trojans (22-3, 9-0) rallied to beat the Huskies (11-14, 5-4) in a Delta River League game in South Sacramento. Jenn Hoffman had 13 points and Haley Anderson 11 for the Trojans.

No. 15 Del Oro's seven-year reign as Sierra Foothill League girls basketball champions came to an end tonight with a 70-67 loss at No. 6 Nevada Union, but the Golden Eagles' outlook for the postseason may have been boosted by the return of senior Brianna Ruiz.

Ruiz, who suffered an ACL tear during the summer, and returned to action for the first time on Tuesday, scored 19 points. But even with Ruiz' teammate Stephanie Geyer going for 20, the Golden Eagles (16-10, 6-3) couldn't overcome the Miners' depth.

Nicole Lierly had 20 points, Sydney Porter 17, Emma Peterson 14 and Kaylin Martin 11 for the Miners (20-4, 8-1), who end their season on Tuesday against winless in league Roseville.

Del Oro trailed 40-30 at the half and 57-53 entering the fourth quarter.

Two free throws by Ruiz, who will play on scholarship next fall at Washington, put Del Oro within one, 68-67, late before Lierly and Martin each hit free throws for the final margin of victory.

In other girls Top 20 games reported to The Bee:

Dalayna Sampton had 19 points, Deja Conger 17 and Daijah Joe-Smith 12 to lead No. 10 Florin over No. 4 McClatchy in a Metro Conference girls basketball game Wednesday in Land Park.

Florin (17-8, 7-5) led 18-13 after one quarter, 30-22 at the half and 40-36 after three quarters before breaking the game open in the final quarter.
Lauren Nubla led the Lions (21-4, 8-4) with 15 points.

In other girls games involving top 20 teams reported to The Bee.

No. 3 KENNEDY 68, HIRAM JOHNSON 28 - Dalayna Tyler-Scott had 12 points to help lead the Cougars (20-4, 11-1) past the Warriors (0-17, 0-12) in a Metro Conference game in Greenhaven.

NO. 11 RIO AMERICANO 56, WHITNEY 48 - Elizabeth Moulton had 21 points and two assists, Daizy Wilson 13 points and seven steals and Sierra Martinez 11 points, four rebounds and three steals to lead the Raiders (22-3, 8-0) past the Wildcats (9-16, 3-5) in the Capital Athletic League game at Rio Americano.

Haley Anderson had 20 points and Ali Bettencourt added 15 as No. 2 Oak Ridge defeated No. 8 St. Francis 50-38 in a Delta River League girls basketball game tonight in East Sacramento.

Najah Queenland topped St. Francis with 15 points.

St. Francis (13-10, 4-4) led 20-17 at halftime, but the Trojans (21-3, 8-0) outscored the Troubadours 17-4 in the third quarter.

In other games involving girls Top 20 teams reported to The BEE:

Five Del Campo athletes will participate in a signing reception 2 p.m. Wednesday at the school.

They are:

• A.J. Samatua, San Jose State, football
• Kyle Evanski, Sacramento State, football
• Megan Roberson, Air Force, basketball
• Cam Purcell, Western New England, lacrosse
• Derek Rodigo, Westmont, baseball

Five Christian Brothers athletes will sign NCAA letters of intent during a a ceremony at the school 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

They are:
• Anna Burch, Cal State Stanislaus, basketball
• Vincent Johnson, Cal, football
• Andrej Bevins, New Mexico, golf
• Hunter Rappleye, St. Mary's College, golf
• Omari Gray, Butler, football

The Sac-Joaquin Section released its second and final (for public view) girls basketball power ratings this morning.

Sixteen teams qualify in Divisions I through IV; 12 in D-V and eight in D-VI.

Under a new section rule, if a team wins at least 15 games and does not qualify for the tournament by the power rating system, that team will be added to the tournament.

The section will release the playoff brackets on Feb. 13.

Here's a brief look at each division:

No. 8 St. Francis got defensive Friday night to defeat host Sheldon 39-33 in a Delta River League girls basketball game at Sheldon High.

Margaret Chavez led St. Francis (13-9, 4-3) with nine points. Alyna Kanae and Janae Hair topped Sheldon (10-13, 4-3) with eight points each.

In other girls top 20 games reported to The Bee:

Trailing 36-25 at halftime, No. 6 Nevada Union rallied to defeat No. 16 Rocklin 63-58 tonight in a Sierra Foothill League girls basketball game in Rocklin.

Sammy DeHart's 20 points led Nevada Union while Sydney Porter added 16, including eight in the fourth quarter, and Nicole Lierly 11. Lydia Summers topped Rocklin with 25 points.

In other games involving girls Top 20 teams:

NO. 1 SACRAMENTO 76, HIRAM JOHNSON 30 - Breanna Garrett had 22 points and Allie Green added 20 to lead the Dragons over the Warriors (0-15, 0-10) in a Metro Conference game at Johnson High. Chaya Durr added 12 points and freshman Andrea Butler eight as the Dragons (19-4, 10-0) remain unbeaten in Metro Conference play.

Elizabeth Moulton scored 19 of her game-high 22 points in the second half to help No. 12 Rio Americano rally to beat El Camino in a Capital Athletic League girls basketball game tonight at Rio Americano.

El Camino held a 21-17 lead at the half.

Daizy Wilson added eight points, five assists and three steals and Emily Hansen also had eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds for coach Jeff Hart's Raiders (20-3, 6-0).
Michelle Tafoya led El Camino (11-11, 4-2) with 10 points.

In another game involving a Bee Top 20 girls team tonight, No. 5 Bradshaw Christian rolled past host Rio Vista 60-14 in a Sierra Delta League game.

Jordyn Bell had 17 points, Ashlee Jones 15 and Erica Bean and Briana Barnes 14 each for the Pride (20-2, 9-0).

No. 9 Pleasant Grove has found Delta River League rival Oak Ridge to be a tough matchup in girls basketball this season.

It didn't get any better for the Eagles on Tuesday night in El Dorado Hills as Oak Ridge handed the defending DRL champions a 66-40 defeat to go 3-0 in head-to-head meetings this season.

Ali Bettencourt led Oak Ridge (19-3, 6-0) with 21 points and Haley Anderson added 11. Dejza James topped Pleasant Grove (15-7, 3-3) with 16.

On Dec. 8 Oak Ridge defeated Pleasant Grove 75-31 in the championship game of the Oak Ridge Shootout, then beat the Eagles again in league, 66-54, Jan. 8 in Elk Grove.

Last year, Pleasant Grove beat the Trojans in both league meetings to finish 9-1 and atop the DRL.

In other games involving Top 20 teams reported to The Bee:

The Sac-Joaquin Section released its first girls basketball power ratings this morning.

Sixteen teams qualify in Divisions I through IV; 12 in D-V and eight in D-VI. Under a new section rule, if a team wins at least 15 games and does not qualify for the tournament by the power rating system, that team will be added to the tournament.

Here's a brief look at each division:

Division I - Top four: 1. Oak Ridge, 2. St. Mary's-Stockton; 3. Kennedy; 4. Armijo-Fairfield. Outside looking in: Franklin, No. 22.

St. Francis started strong and finished gritty in upsetting visiting Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco 46-38 in a girls nonleague basketball game late this afternoon.

The Troubadours (12-8) jumped to a 22-9 first-quarter lead, making 9 of 13 shots and not committing a turnover while forcing the Fightin' Irish (15-4) into 10 missed shots and four turnovers.

Then it was time for the St. Francis faithful to grab the rail and ride the Troubadours' frantic rollar-coaster performance the rest of the way against a team ranked No. 11 in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com.

With the score tied 24-24 in the third quarter, top-ranked Sacramento went on an 11-0 run en route to a 54-38 Metro Conference girls basketball win over No. 11 Florin tonight in Oak Park.

Chaya Durr led the Dragons with 14 points and Aliceah Hernandez and Allie Green added 12 apiece as the Dragons won their 85th consecutive league game.

Dalayna Sampton led Florin with 17 points.

In other girls Top 20 games reported to The Bee:

West Point-bound Stephanie Geyer had 25 points and Mia Maglinte added 12 as No. 8 Del Oro (14-7, 4-0) defeated No. 4 Nevada Union 58-53 in a Sierra Foothill League girls basketball game tonight in Loomis.

Kaylin Martin had 11 points and Sammy DeHart, Emma Peterson and Sydney Porter 10 apiece for the Miners (15-4, 3-1), who last season snapped Del Oro's 63-game league winning streak in Loomis.

Del Oro's latest win streak is now nine games.

In other top 20 games reported to The Bee:

Sacramento High is one of the area's most feared and respected girls basketball programs. The Dragons are ranked No. 1 by The Bee and No. 10 in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com.

But before Wednesday's Metro Conference game against No. 5 McClatchy, Sac coach Michelle Massari still was looking for a little more grit from her Dragons.

She got what she was looking for as Sacramento put on a show of dominance in beating the young Lions 52-36 in Oak Park.

Other than the opening minutes, the Dragons never trailed and by halftime had built a 26-15 lead.

No. 10 Placer withstood an 18-point, 17-rebound performance by Foothill's Elisha Anderson to hold on for a 49-48 Pioneer Valley League girls basketball win tonight in Foothill Farms.

Elena Daniel led Placer with 10 points. Freshman Baylee Vanderdoes added nine points and grabbed four rebounds for Placer (19-3, 4-1) just a few days after being offered a scholarship by USC women's coach Michael Cooper, according to her father.

Vanderdoes' older brother, Eddie, a Placer football standout, is being recruited by USC and took an official visit to the school this past weekend.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder is considered the fourth best defensive lineman recruit in the country by Rivals.com.

Vanderdoes already has visited UCLA and he's scheduled to take a trip to Notre Dame this weekend and Alabama the next. National signing day is Feb. 6.
- Trevor Horn

In other girls top 20 games reported to The Bee.

These players were named their respective team's True North Project Players of the Game at the Common Good Classic showcase fund-raiser on Saturday at Antelope High School.

Game 1: Antelope 48, Center 37 (girls) - Antelope: Rae Rae Terlaje-Taitano (16 points, three rebounds, two steals); Center: Danielle Robbins (eight points).

Game 2: Davis 134, Valley Christian 55 (boys) - Davis: Kevin Sorensen (25 points); Valley Christian: Hunter Fenn (11 points, three assists, two steals).

Game 3: Del Oro 47, St. Francis 43 (girls) - Del Oro: Stephanie Geyer (22 points on 10 of 13 shooting, eight rebounds); St. Francis: Susie Rogers (12 points).

Game 4: Foothill 51, Franklin 36 - Foothill: Douglas James (20 points); Franklin: Benson Osayande (11 points).

Game 5: Whitney 54, Center 47 (boys) - Whitney: Nolan Eger (19 points); Center: Lane Andrews (six points, three steals).

Game 6: Antelope 60, Bella Vista 50 (boys) - Antelope: Isaiah Ellis (16 points); Bella Vista: Tyler Berkness (17 points, eight rebounds).

Proceeds from the event help benefit teens who are emancipating from the foster care system.

Susie Rogers had 18 points and Marisa Boras added 10 as No. 13 St. Francis (9-7, 2-2) upset No. 4 Pleasant Grove 57-37 in a Delta River League girls basketball game Friday night in East Sacramento.

Avonna Lee led Pleasant Grove (12-5, 2-2) with 11 points.

In other girls Top 20 games reported to The Bee:

NO. 2 OAK RIDGE 56, SHELDON 37 - Ali Bettencourt's 15 points led the way for the Trojans (17-2, 4-0) in their DRL win over the Huskies (9-10, 3-1) in El Dorado Hills.

If Sacramento High girls basketball coach Michele Massari knows how many consecutive league games her team has won, she won't say.

The streak precedes her five years at the Oak Park charter school.

But the players are well aware of it. And none want to be members of the team that sees "The Streak", as it's called, come to an end.

So Thursday's showdown at No. 3 Kennedy was more than a battle of Metro Conference unbeatens and defending Sac-Joaquin Section champions, Sacramento at D-III and Kennedy at D-I.

No. 6 Nevada Union outscored No. 17 Rocklin 19-5 in the third quarter to break open a close game and go on to post a 57-36 Sierra Foothill League girls basketball win tonight in Grass Valley.

Nicole Lierly led Nevada Union (14-3, 2-0) with 16 points. Jaimie Curtis led Rocklin (12-7, 0-2) with nine points.

The Miners will play host to Granite Bay on Friday, then play a nonleague game 5 p.m. Monday at No. 2 Oak Ridge before traveling to Loomis 7 p.m. Wednesday to face perennial SFL champion Del Oro.

In other games involving Top 20 girls teams reported to The Bee:

Senior wing Allie Green led 10 players in the scoring column with 15 points as top-ranked Sacramento coasted to a 72-24 win over Valley in a Metro Conference girls basketball game tonight in South Sacramento.

Junior point guard Zonyia Cormier added 13 points and freshman guard Alana Myers 12 for the Dragons (14-2, 5-0), who will play at No. 3 Kennedy on Thursday in a battle of league unbeatens. Valley falls to 3-15, 0-5.

In other games involving Top 20 girls teams reported to The Bee:

Lynette Johnson scored 25 points, including 11 of 12 from the foul line, in leading No. 3 Kennedy past No. 5 Florin 55-44 in a Metro Conference girls basketball game tonight in Greenhaven.

Kennedy, which remains undefeated and in a tie for first in the Metro with top-ranked
Sacramento, led by 18 points, 47-29, with a little more than five minutes to play when a pressing Florin went on a 10-0 run, cutting the lead to 47-39 with 2:40 remaining.

But Kennedy's Alicia Ng hit a jumper from near the foul line and Jessica Lauderdale made two free throws (13-3, 4-0) to end any hopes of a Florin (10-4, 2-2) win.

Sophomore Rhianna Jackson led Florin with 14 points and Deja Conger and Dalayna Sampton each had eight. Katie Lee had nine points for Kennedy, all three-pointers.

Kennedy will play host to Sacramento on Thursday.

In other games reported to The Bee involving girls top 20 teams:

In the only two girls basketball Top 20 games reported to The Bee tonight, No. 2 Oak Ridge defeated Folsom 62-26 in a Delta River League game and No. 19 River City beat Galt 59-12 in a Sierra Valley Conference contest.

Jenn Hoffman had 12 points and Ali Bettencourt 11 to lead the balanced Trojans (14-2, 2-0) past the Bulldogs (5-14, 0-2) while Aliyah Brantley had 15 points and Tori Torres, Katie King and Marrissa Tyler 10 each for the Raiders (10-8, 3-0) in their win over Galt (3-14, 0-3).

Top-ranked Sacramento's Metro Conference girls basketball game tonight against Hiram Johnson in Oak Park abruptly ended at halftime when the overmatched Warriors forfeited after a player injured her ankle, then had to be taken to the hospital when she started hyperventilating, according to Dragons coach Michele Massari.

Sacramento was ahead 55-1.

"A couple of others were throwing up," Massari said in a text message of Johnson's players. "It was sad. I felt bad for them....They really played hard in the first half. My thoughts and prayers go to the players that were affected."

Chaya Durr and Allie Green each had 10 points for the 12-2 Dragons, who are 3-0 in the Metro Conference. Hiram Johnson, which has won just one game in five years, falls to 0-3.

In other games reported to The Bee involving Top 20 girls teams:

By Joe Davidson
Bee Staff Writer
The ingredients to success for the Oak Ridge girls basketball success isn't rooted in 6-footers or national recruits who fly up and down the floor. The Trojans, in fact, have none of this on their roster.

But cohesion, effort, fundamentals and just enough athletic grit? They boast plenty of that.

Using those elements and waves of depth, Bee No. 2 Oak Ridge downed No. 4 Pleasant Grove 66-54 tonight in a Delta River League opener in Elk Grove.

Ali Bettencourt, a 5-10 junior guard, scored 21 points for Oak Ridge (12-2), and Haley Anderson, a 5-8 guard/forward, contributed 13 points.

With senior Lynette Johnson making key plays late and scoring a game-high 20 points, No. 3 Kennedy held off No. 8 McClatchy 51-43 in a Metro Conference girls basketball game tonight in Greenhaven.

McClatchy, which trailed Kennedy 42-24 entering the final quarter, suffered its first loss of the season after 13 wins.

For Kennedy (11-3, 2-0), the win keeps the Cougars in a tie for first place in the Metro with top-ranked Sacramento High (11-2, 2-0), a 78-27 winner over Luther Burbank. Allie Green led the Dragons' balanced scoring with 15 points.

Chaya Durr scored 14 points and Allie Green added 13 to lead top-ranked Sacramento High to a 63-54 win over No. 6 Florin in tonight's Metro Conference girls basketball opener at Florin High School.

Florin's Daijah Joe-Smith led all scorers with 28 points.

In other games reported to The Bee involving girls Top 20 teams:

Jasmine Redmon scored 24 points to lead No. 12 Monterey Trail to a 58-55 girls basketball win over Ponderosa tonight in Elk Grove.

In other results reported to The Bee involving Top 20 girls teams:

• Tyler Ellis had 22 points to lead No. 17 Antelope to a 54-17 win over Chavez of Stockton.

Jenn Hoffman and Hayley Anderson each scored 15 points to lead No. 2 Oak Ridge to a 58-47 win over No. 4 Christian Brothers in the championship game of the Trojan Toss-Up girls basketball tournament tonight in El Dorado Hills.

Kira McKechnie had 14 points and Alicia Gonzalez 13 for Christian Brothers.

In the third-place game, Lynette Johnson had 20 points and Jessica Lauderdale 17 as No. 3 Kennedy topped River City 60-41.

In other results reported to us involving The Bee's top 20 girls teams:

No. 2 Oak Ridge will play No. 4 Christian Brothers for the Trojan Toss-Up girls basketball tournament championship 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Oak Ridge High School.

Behind Hayley Anderson's 16 points, Oak Ridge defeated River City 54-43, and Ann Burch's 26 points lifted Christian Brothers over No. 3 Kennedy 55-50 in tonight's semifinals.

In other results reported to us involving The Bee's top 20 teams:

No. 2 Oak Ridge, No. 3 Kennedy and No. 4 Christian Brothers all won in tonight's opening round of the Trojan Toss-Up girls basketball tournament at Oak Ridge High School.

Shelby Peters' 14 points helped lead Oak Ridge to a 57-33 win over Will C. Wood; Jessica Lauderdale had 19 points and Lynette Johnson 18 in Kennedy's 69-33 triumph over Vista del Lago; and Alicia Gonzalez had 19 points and Ann Burch 13 in Christian Brothers' 64-54 win over Clovis.

In Friday's match-ups, Vista del Lago plays Clovis at 3:30 p.m.; Inderkum faces Will C. Wood at 5 p.m.; Oak Ridge plays River City at 6:30 p.m.; and Kennedy faces Christian Brothers at 8 p.m.

In other results reported to us involving Bee top 20 teams:

Ali Bettencourt had 14 points and Hayley Anderson added 12 as Oak Ridge walloped Pleasant Grove 75-31 in the championship game of the Trojan Shootout Saturday in El Dorado Hills.

Nevada Union beat El Camino 64-43 for third place; Lincoln of Stockton topped West Campus 49-43 for fifth; and El Dorado beat Winters 41-23 for seventh.

In other girls highlights:

• Chaya Durr had 14 points and Allie Green and Aliceah Hernandez 11 each as Sacramento topped Brookside Christian of Stockton 58-41 in the St. Hope Classic title game at Sac High. Inderkum beat Sheldon 47-40 for third place; St. Francis topped Benicia 67-30 for fifth place; and Cosumnes Oaks edged Rosemont 42-41 for seventh.

Allie Green had 18 points and Chaya Durr added 15 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Sacramento High to a 64-28 win over Inderkum in the St. Hope Classic girls basketball tournament Friday at Sacramento High.Sac High will play Brookside Christian of tonight at 7 o'clock for the championship.

Avonna Lee had 24 points to lead Pleasant Grove over Nevada Union 60-44 and 10 players scored in Oak Ridge's 63-24 win over El Camino in the Trojan Shootout in El Dorado Hills. Pleasant Grove will play Oak Ridge 4 p.m. today for the tournament title.

Dejza James had 23 points, Kim Schmelz 14 and Avonna Lee 13 to lead Pleasant Grove over Lincoln of Stockton 59-52 in tonight's opening round of the Trojan Shootout girls basketball tournament in El Dorado Hills.

In other Shootout games, Sydney Porter's 13 points led Nevada Union past El Dorado 48-20; Shelby Peters' 13 points helped Oak Ridge top Winters 54-16 (Baylee Opperman scored all 16 points for Winters); and Alexis Price had a team-high 19 points in El Camino' 55-44 win over West Campus. Haley Shaner scored 30 points for West Campus.

In other girls highlights:

Kira McKechnie, a 6-foot sophomore post, scored 19 points Tuesday to lead Christian Brothers to a 74-54 nonleague girls basketball win at Rocklin.

McKechnie also scored 30 points in the Falcons' 88-71 loss to state power St. Mary's of Stockton in the Christian Brothers Holiday Classic championship game on Saturday.

In other girls games of note tonight:

The field is set for Saturday's Bill Cartwright Classic boys and girls and basketball tournament final rounds.

Boys
11 a.m. - 7th Place Game - Florin vs. Nevada Union
12:30 p.m. - Consolation Game - Fairfield vs. Lodi
3:30 p.m. - 3rd Place Game - Folsom vs. Lincoln of Stockton
7 p.m. - Championship Game - McClatchy vs. Elk Grove

Girls Schedule
2 p.m. - 7th Place Game - Elk Grove vs. Beyer-Modesto
12:30 p.m. - Consolation Game - Inderkum vs. Franklin
2 p.m. - 3rd Place Game - Napa vs. Rocklin
5 p.m. - Championship Game - Brookside Christian-Stockton vs. Florin

Daijah Joe-Smith had 16 points, Dalayna Sampton 13 and Kynnidi Ricardo 12 to lead Florin past Inderkum 54-29 in tonight's opening round of the Bill Cartwright Classic girls basketball tournament at Elk Grove High School.

Lydia and Kelsey Summers combined for 24 points in Rocklin's 59-35 win over Elk Grove in another Cartwright game.

In other highlights:

Pioneer's Marcus Vidales, in signing with Fullerton State, becomes the fourth Patriots' baseball player to sign a National Letter of Intent, joining Robert Daugherty (Washington), Zack Aukes (Oregon) and Thomas Galart (Nevada).

Here are 10 additional area athletes who have announced signing National Letters of Intent.

• Jenna Bassler, softball, Dixon, Notre Dame De Namur
• Justin Beskeen, volleyball, Bear River, CSU Northridge
• Trevor Bryant, volleyball, Nevada Union, CSU Northridge
• Giana Bilotta, softball, Ponderosa, St. Mary's
• Maddy Gedeon, golf, Oakmont, Rutgers
• Ashlee Jones, basketball, Bradshaw Christian, Nevada
• Paige Lee, golf, Granite Bay, UC Davis golf
• Matthew Poulin, baseball, Ponderosa, Sonoma State
• Haley Shaner, basketball, West Campus, Eastern Washington
•Jimmy Shaw, baseball, Valley Christian, San Diego Christian

Dominican University Associate Director of Public Relations's Dave Albee has a nice story on former Kennedy High player Kimi Nakamura, now a senior captain at the San Rafael school.

For the start of the conditioning drills this season, Dominican University of California head women's basketball coach Brianna Chambers passed out bricks to all her players.

They were symbols of stability, inscribed with either "Past," "Pride," or "Fight" -- words Chambers believes are vital to building a solid foundation for this year's rebuilt team, which plays its home opener in San Rafael Saturday against Stanislaus State.

Chambers for two weeks instructed her players to carry the bricks with them where ever they went as a team-bonding reminder to themselves and a statement to their teammates and classmates that they were united in commitment.

"The bricks were actually Coach (Cornell) Littlejohn's idea. When he suggested it, I fell in love with the idea," says Chambers. "It just fit into everything we are trying to build as a program by combining the things we hold important."

Four Pleasant Grove athletes signed letters of intent during a school ceremony today.

They are:

• Josh Adams, UC Santa Barbara, baseball
• Amber Murray, Eastern Kentucky, softball
• Morgan Carter, Utah State, softball
• Dejza James, Arizona, basketball

Oak Ridge had another big haul of NCAA letter-of-intent signees today, all recognized during a ceremony at the school.
Those signing are:
• Cypress Lampe, UC San Diego, swimming
• Dylan Kubick, UC Santa Barbara, swimming
• Brandon Mills, Arizona State, swimming
• Jordan Gotro, South Carolina, diving
• Tori Trylovich, Sacramento State, tennis
• Alec de Watteville, San Jose State, baseball
• Lauren Bertoy, Stanford, softball
• Jackie Schmaeling, St. Martin's University, softball
• Keaton Subjeck, Stanford, wrestling
• Haley Anderson, UC San Diego, basketball
• Sarah Meltz, Creighton University, rowing
• Maggie Drysch, Oklahoma State University, equestrian

Del Campo senior post Megan Roberson has announced her commitment to play basketball at the Air Force Academy.

The 6-foot-4 Roberson averaged 8.6 rebounds, 8.3 points and 2.9 blocks as a junior last season for the 16-12 Cougars.

Oak Ridge senior forward Haley Anderson, who helped the Trojans to a 25-9 record last season, signed an NCAA letter of intent today with UC San Diego.

The 5-foot-9 Anderson was an All-Delta River League and Bee All-Metro honorable mention selection last season.

At UC San Diego, Anderson will play for new Tritons coach Heidi VanDerveer, the former Sacramento Monarchs assistant.

Several area high schools will hold NCAA letter of intent signing ceremonies Wednesday on their respective campuses.

Here's a list of schools received by The Bee:

•: St. Francis athletes Meagan Bennett, lacrosse, St. Mary's College; Lauren Bryan, lacrosse, Fresno State; Alexey Chandler, water polo, Wagner; Kaitlyn Cozens, water polo, Michigan; Marisa Kolokotronis, water polo, Brown; Hannah Lissera, volleyball, Seattle; Bailey O'Mara, softball, Pacific; Gabriella Palmeri, volleyball, Pepperdine; Maile Seto, crew, Tulsa; and Dana Vestman, volleyball, Montana State, will sign jointly at 8:30 a.m. Kolokotronis will sign a "likely" letter with Brown, an Ivy League school that does not give athletic scholarships.

The Sac-Joaquin Section will induct 43 new members, including 19 athletes and 10 coaches, into its 2012 Hall of Fame on Sunday at Power Balance Pavilion.

Among the former area pro athletes to be honored will be Delta's Tony Eason, who quarterbacked the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1985; Marshall's (now River City) Steve Sax, the five-time all-star who played on two World Series championship teams; 1928 Sac High graduate Stan Hack, an all-star third baseman for 16 seasons with the Chicago Cubs; and Del Campo basketball three-point scoring standout Danielle Viglione, who played for the Sacramento Monarchs and still holds the state record for points in a season with 1,300.

Other area athletes to be inducted include Nevada Union's Kellie Cook, the the 1991 Gatorade California girls basketball player of the year; Rio Americano's John Ferris, an NCAA swim champion and 1968 Olympic bronze medalist; and Rio Americano's Sue Pederson, who won four Olympic medals at age 14 at the 1968 Olympics.

Nine area athletes are among 50 Northern California high school students that are finalists for the Positive Coaching Alliance's character in sports and beyond awards.

They are Brian Payne and Bailey Xaychaleun of Grant; Carlos Quezada and Alvin Chand of Florin; Corinne Tank of Ponderosa; Alicia Rizo of Burbank; Mikie Schlosser of Davis; Catlyn Cavender of El Camino; and Nancy Nguyen of Monterey Trail.

Ten student-athletes will receive $2,000 scholarships as those who best show personal mastery, leadership and honoring the game.

Girls participation in California high school sports continues to grow but boys participation has declined for the first time since 2003 in the latest California Interscholastic Federation Sports Participation Survey released today.

Girls participation climbed by 1.4 percent from 304,696 in 2011 to 308,879 in 2012. Boys participation decreased by 0.9 percent from 453,037 in 2011 to 448,971 in 2012.

Eleven-man football remains the most popular boys sport with 103,088 participants but has seen a steady decline since reaching its high-point of 107,916 in 2007.

For Bee All-Metro first team girls basketball selectee Marissa Wimbley, it's never too late to land a scholarship.

Wimbley, who graduated from Pleasant Grove High in May, recently signed an NCAA letter of intent with Hawaii.

The 5-foot-6 point guard's steady play - 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game - helped the Eagles to win the Delta River League title and finish 22-10 overall.
Wimbley also was Pleasant Grove's Female Athlete of the Year for 2011-2012 and one of the school's top 15 senior class students.

"Marissa is going to give us added depth at point guard," said new head coach Laura Beeman in a press release announcing her signing. "She has the ability to defend 94 feet, and she can get to the basket when the opportunity presents itself. Marissa has a great work ethic and will push her teammates on a daily basis."

Antelope High School senior Ashley Hawkins has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball and basketball at Vincennes University, a junior college program in Indiana.

Hawkins will join her older sister Taylor, a former Antelope standout who played basketball as a freshmen this past season for the Trailblazers.

Whitney's Alexandra Rodriguez and Ponderosa's Olivia Nelson have signed to play women's basketball at William Jessup University.

Rodriguez, a 5-foot-9 shooting guard, was a three-time All-Capital Athletic League first team player and led the league in scoring as a senior, averaging 18.5 points per game.

Nelson, a 5-4 point guard, played four varsity seasons at Ponderosa and was twice named to the All-Delta River League team. As a senior, she averaged 13 points, 3.3 steals and two assists.

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.

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.

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.

-By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

The Capital Christian girls basketball team has been selected as the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section's winter Community Service Award recipient.

This is the first year for the award, which is given three times during the school year - once per season.

Capital Christian will receive a banner and $500 and the players and coaches will be honored April 25 at the section's Board of Mangers meeting.

These are the area all-league girls basketball teams that have been submitted to The Bee.

CAPITAL ATHLETIC LEAGUE
MVP: Courtney Brignac, El Camino
All-league: Jade Sowell-Hundon and Simone Sheppard, El Camino; Alex Rodriguez and Kristin Ladas, Whitney; Ashley Hawkins, Tyler Ellis, Michelle Okoroike, Antelope; Jaime Dixon and Elizabeth Moulton, Rio Americano; Monae Newton, Cordova.

CAPITAL VALLEY CONFERENCE
MVP: Ishana Burch, Christian Brothers
All-league: Jazmine Bemby, Alicia Gonzalez and Neil Valmores, Christian Brothes; Amber Felicio and Jasmine Vogt, Casa Roble; Olivia Francis and Brittany Martin, Oakmont; Amora Harding and Kayla Josephson, Del Campo; Amber Huffhines, Rio Linda; Shelby Stepper, Bella Vista.

CENTRAL VALLEY CALIFORNIA LEAGUE
MVP: Cara Pittman, Sacramento Waldorf
Coach of the Year: Tim Smithers, Victory Christian
All-League: Molly Huffman and Laura Neville, Victory Christian; Ella Haberman, Sacramento Waldorf; Sadie Stroup, Foresthill; Selina Landberg, Delta.

DELTA VALLEY CONFERENCE
MVP: Summayyah Wiggins, Monterey Trail
Coach of the Year: David Kendrick, Grant
All-league: Qiana Levy, Monterey Trail; Ashleigh Vanderbrink, Davis; Carley Grey and Amy Schuman, Elk Grove; Ashley Marterelli and Sandy Perez, Franklin; Adrianna Joaquin and Raynell Lynn, Grant; Lindsey Kikumoto and Jasmine Yee, Laguna Creek.

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
Nirra Fields scored 24 points and nine rebounds and Jordan Adams added 13 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three steals to lead Mater Dei of Santa Ana to a 57-40 win over Berkeley in the CIF State Division I girls championship game tonight at Power Balance Pavilion.

It was the second consecutive state girls title and fourth in five appearances for Mater Dei (34-3).

Rachel Howard led Berkeley (27-3) with 12 points and seven rebounds and Elisha Davis added 10 points for the Yellowjackets, making their 11th state finals appearance. They have won two championships.

DIVISION I (girls)
MATER DEI-SANTA ANA 57, BERKELEY 40
Mater Dei 15 14 12 16 - 57
Berkeley 16 2 8 14 - 40
MD - Adams 13, Williamson 16, Fields 24, Powell 2, Miki-Han 2.
B - Finnie 4, Howard 12, Guinn 7, Davis 10, Youngblood 4, Gooden 2, Welch-Coleman 1.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
The Laguna Hills girls basketball team has lived and died by the three-point shot this season.

The Hawks made seven in beating favored Mission Bay of San Diego 75-69 in the CIF Southern California Division III regional championship game last Saturday.

But this afternoon against an incomparably big and athletic Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland, the shooting well was dry for Laguna Hills.

The Hawks missed all 11 of their three-point attempts and were blown off the floor by the Dragons, 62-24. It was O'Dowd's first state title after losing 53-42 to St. Joseph-Santa Maria in last season's state final.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
The Brookside Christian of Stockton girls basketball team may have one of the youngest rosters in the state. The Knights also may have one of the best.

Behind sophomore guard Tiara Tucker's 28 points and freshman center Ra'kyra Gabriel's 18 points and seven rebounds, Brookside Christian defeated Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo 70-64 to win the CIF State Division V girls championship this morning at Power Balance Pavilion.

Brookside Christian (30-4), making its first state finals appearance, has a roster of one senior, one junior, two sophomores and seven freshmen.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

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

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Emily Dinger and Kalyn Simon each had 16 points and Pepperdine-bound Amanda Lovely added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds to lead Archbishop Mitty of San Jose to a 56-54 defeat of J.W. North of Riverside in tonight's CIF State Division II girls basketball championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.

It was the 557th win and fifth state title for Mitty coach Sue Phillips.

Kelli Hayes added 13 points for Mitty (28-5), which put on a great late-season run. In the CIF NorCal playoffs, the Monarchs upset state ranked Carondelet of Concord in the semifinals and nationally ranked St. Mary's of Stockton in the championship game.

Tonight's win was Mitty's 13th in a row.

Simone DeCoud had 14 points and nine rebounds and Akilah Martin and Pricalla Brooks 11 points apiece for the Huskies (30-6), making their first state title appearance.

Division II girls
ARCHBISHOP MITTY-SAN JOSE 56, JW NORTH-RIVERSIDE 54
JW North 12 7 15 20 - 54
Mitty 13 9 14 20 - 56
N - Calhoun 6, Martin 11, DeCoud 14, Crain 5, Brooks 11, Diaz 5, McDonald 2.
M - Dinger 16, Lovely 8, Hayes 13, Simon 16, Galipeau 1, Lisowski 2.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Junior guard Kelsey Plum scored 32 points, including a record-tying five three-pointers, to lead La Jolla Country Day to a 72-41 win over Salesian of Richmond in today's CIF State Division IV girls basketball championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.

The 5-foot-9 Plum's five three-pointers tied the state D-IV record of five held by former La Jolla Country Day star Candice Wiggins (2004).

Plum, averaging 22.2 points per game, made 10 of 24 attempts from the field - 5 of 11 in three-pointers - and 7 of 8 from the foul line. She also had six rebounds.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

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.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

During the CIF Northern California Regional boys and girls basketball championship games on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion, a player from each team received a sportsmanship award after the six D-III through D-I contests
.
Kennedy star Lynette Johnson was the Cougars' recipient, and it was easy to see why it went beyond her 19-point, 11-rebound, four-assist performance in a 56-38 loss to Berkeley in the D-I girls final.

Whenever the hard-charging junior collided with a Berkeley player during their physical, full-throttle tussle, the junior 5-foot-10 forward was quick to lend a helping hand to her fallen rival.

Johnson even did it when a could-have-gone-either-way offensive foul call near the Kennedy basket in the fourth quarter went against her - her fourth.

"I know people look up to me, so I need to show sportsmanship at all times," Johnson said. "I don't want to see basketball get out of hand. Basketball is supposed to be a fun game, and that's what I want younger kids to see when I play."

By John Parker
Special to the Bee

Mariya Moore hit three free throws and stole and inbounds pass with seven seconds remaining to lead Salesian of Richmond to a 47-44 win over St. Mary's of Berkeley in the girls basketball CIF Northern California Regional championship game today at Folsom High School.

St. Mary's, a league rival of Salesian's, was the two-time defending champion.

SALESIAN 47, ST. MARY'S-BERKELEY 44
St. Mary's (26-8) 9 8 14 13 - 44
Salesian (31-4) 14 7 13 13 - 47
SMB: Cowling 13, Serrell 9, Mauldin 8, Green 6, Goodwin 5, Negrin 3. S: Moore 13, Mosely 12, Horton 7, Stallworth 6, Mi. Williams 5, Brown 2, McNair 2.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Winning never gets old for Mitty High School of San Jose, regardless of decade, division or gender.

The Monarchs of the South Bay rallied to beat nationally ranked No. 11 St. Mary's of Stockton 53-51 in a girls Division II Northern California championship thriller today at Power Balance Pavilion to crown veteran coach Sue Phillips' program with their ninth title in 17 appearances, dating back to the mid 1990s.

St. Mary's of the Sac-Joaquin Section was seeking its 10th title and third in a row in different divisions. Remarkably, the power programs had never faced off for a regional championship until here.

St. Mary's (30-4) had its 30-game playoff winning streak snapped and had its 29-game streak this season halted.

Kelli Hayes scored the game winner on a fastbreak bucket with 25.9 seconds left for Mitty (23-5) and the Rams turned it over twice down the stretch. Hayes, a skilled 6-foot-1 national recruit sophomore wing, had 23 points and seven rebounds. Amanda Lovel had 12 and 12 for the Rams, who return a wealth of talent for another title run next season.

Charise Holloway, another national recruit sophomore wing, had 11 points for St. Mary's, which shot 30 percent, made 6 of 22 three-pointers and could not capitalize on 27 Mitty turnovers.

Phillips was remarkably composed and relaxed down the stretch, and grinned after the game when she said, "We got-r done!"

* Mitty-San Jose 63, Newark Memorial 58 - The Monarch boys won their fourth title in since 2007 by using a late 12-1 run to defend their title. National 6-7 junior recruit Aaron Gordon had 21 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots for Mitty, which beat Newark earlier this season by 20 and now seeks to defend its state championship.
Thomas Peters had 15 points for Mitty (30-3). Casey Norris had 17 for Newark Memorial (27-6), which had its 21-game winning streak stopped. Mitty has won 19 consecutive games.

ARCHBISHOP MITTY-SAN JOSE girls 53, ST. MARY'S-STOCKTON 51
Mitty 8 21 10 14 - 53
St. Mary's 11 21 11 8 - 51
M - Dinger 6, Lovely 12, Hayes 23, Simon 6, Galipeau 4, Lisowski 2.
SM - Camera 7, Jemerigbe 7, Range 8, Coleman 3, Holloway 11, Viss 3,
Fisher 3, Moore 9.
ARCHBISHOP MITTY-SAN JOSE boys 63, NEWARK MEMORIAL 58
Newark Memorial 10 13 19 16 - 58
Archbishop Mitty 13 12 12 26 - 63
NM - Norris 17, Frenchwood 14, Jones 4, Singh 4, Roger 8, Siddig 11.
M - Biebel 2, Vranicar 14, White 3, Peters 15, Gordon 21, Peterson 4, Farrell 4.
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

In the 30-year history of the Northern California basketball playoffs, Sheldon and Jesuit represent the only boys teams to play for a title in a larger-division title bout.

For the girls: it's happened three times with area clubs facing off for NorCal honors.

A closer look:
1983: Grant 61, Cordova 40, D-I Finals - Norte Del Rio consolidated with Grant in the same Del Paso Heights neighborhood to form a super power, with the Pacers improving to 36-0 under coach Don Boyce and all-time regional greats Teri Hunt and Jackie Rogers.
1986: Grant 55, Bella Vista 46, D-I Finals - Coach Felix Duncan lost the season series to Capital Athletic League rival Bella Vista 3-2, but the CAL and NorCal titles went to the Pacers. Grant was led by Tasha Irby, Debra Anderson, LaTonya Wilson and Tamela Green. Bella Vista was anchored by Michelle Wooten.
1996: El Camino 67, Del Campo 55, D-II Finals - The Eagles and Cougars were fierce Capital Athletic League rivals, taking turns snapping each other's lengthy winning streaks. El Camino and coach Bill Baxter was led by twins Elisha and Antoinette Polk and Del Campo was powered by senior Anne Marie Guzman and underclassmen twins in Jerkisa and Jermisha Dosty. Del Campo and coach Paul Roming made it back to the NorCal D-II finals the following two seasons.
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Junior center Oderah Chidom had 24 points and 15 rebounds, freshman guard Asha Thomas 13 points and junior post Breanna Brown 10 points and nine rebounds to lead top-seeded Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland to a 70-51 win over No. 6 Miramonte of Orinda in today's CIF Northern California Regional Division III girls basketball championship at Power Balance Pavilion.

O'Dowd (29-3) shot a sizzling 56 percent from the field (32 of 57) and its 70 points tied a Division III NorCal girls record. The Dragons outrebounded Miramonte 50-24.

It was the Dragons' second consecutive D-III NorCal title and they will play Southern California champion Laguna Hills, a 75-69 winner over Mission Bay-San Diego, for the state championship 1 p.m. on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion.

Devon McDonald led Miramonte (31-2) with 13 points. Miramonte, which upset second-seeded Sacramento High in the semifinals, suffered both its losses to the North Coast Section rival Dragons.

Division III (girls)
BISHOP O'DOWD-OAKLAND 70, MIRAMONTE-ORINDA 51
Bishop O'Dowd 17 20 19 14 - 70
Miramonte 8 14 20 9 - 51
BO - Thomas 13, Bostick 9, Robertson 2, Kalmbach 2, Huntington 2, Chidom 24, Brown 10, Waters 8.
M - Kizzie 8, Reid 8, McDonald 13, Miller 1, Fenn 3, Sorenson 2, Gill 8, Loutzenhiser 8.

Former Del Oro girls basketball standouts Emilie Johnson and Madeline Campbell are members of the UC Santa Barbara women's team that will face national No. 1 Baylor in the first round of NCAA Des Moines Regional Sunday in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Top-seeded Baylor is 34-0 and is led by 6-foot-8 junior Brittney Griner, one of four finalists for the 2012 Naismith Trophy for Women's College Player of the Year. Griner averages 23.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocks.

Johnson, a 5-6 senior guard, leads the No. 16-seeded Gauchos (17-15) in scoring (9.5 points per game), assists and steals while averaging 32.1 minutes per game.

By John Parker

Special to The Bee

Lynette Johnson finally got to finish a game in the CIF Northern California Regional playoffs, but she was not the closer.

Kennedy's prolific do-it-all junior had fouled out of the Cougars' previous two regional playoff contests, leaving a gritty corps of teammates to finish. During Tuesday night's 44-40 Division I semifinal win over visiting Gunn of Palo Alto, she committed just two fouls.

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.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Second-seeded Sacramento's collision course with top-seeded and defending CIF Northern California Division III champion Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland continued Saturday night in Oak Park.

Behind Briana Womack's long-range shooting, Jasmine Ware's relentlessness at both ends of the floor and the heart-tugging return of Allie Green, Sacramento rolled to a 72-34 win over San Marin of Novato (25-7) in the D-III quarterfinals.

The win moves Sacramento (26-6) into Tuesday's semifinals at home against Miramonte of Orinda, the North Coast Section runners-up. Miramonte defeated Sacrad Heart Cathedral of San Francisco 76-61.

While it's still too early to know if Sacramento City Unified School District trustees are serious about eliminating sports as part of the $28 million in budget cuts they recently approved, West Campus girls basketball coach John Langston would hate to see that happen.

"Sports is another way of raising a child," said Langston, who also coaches boys golf at Kennedy. "You teach them discipline, you teach them competitiveness and you teach them how to be a good person through winning and losing.

"I really think that if you cut out sports, you cut out an important part of people's lives. Idle time is such a tremendous failure to kids."

Langston's West Campus girls, despite starting only one junior and four sophomores, have reached the CIF Northern California Regional Division IV quarterfinals.

The Warriors (24-6) play top-seeded Salesian of Richmond on Saturday at Pinole Valley High School.

Despite having only 29 students in the high school, Wilton Christian has consistently had one of the area's top small-school girls basketball programs.

Credit coach Kirt Duncan for squeezing every ounce of talent out of his 10-player squad that included two sophomores and four freshmen.

On March 1, Wilton Christian lost 45-37 to Victory Christian in the inaugural girls D-VI championship game at Galt High School. It was the school's third appearance in a section final (the other two at D-V) in five seasons.

Victory Christian was coached by Tim Smithers, the man who got Duncan into girls coaching 17 years ago.

"Before he moved to Victory Christian, Tim was the athletic director at Wilton and I was coaching the JV boys," Duncan said. "He came to me and asked if I would be interested in coaching the girls program. I didn't know anything about coaching girls.

"That was 17 years ago. This was going to be my last season, but I'm coming back because it's a lot of fun."

He'll do it without one of the program's greats.

Six-foot-one senior Kendra Jeffcott, who had 24 points, 18 rebounds and eight blocks against Victory Christian, will graduate.

She finishes a four-year career with 1,871 points and 1,105 rebounds. The Patriots went 85-21 during that span.

BOYS BASKETBALL

CIF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

DIVISION I

PLEASANT GROVE 64,

CASTLEMONT-OAKLAND 57

Pleasant Grove 20 14 16 14 - 64

Castlemont 20 6 16 15 - 57

PG-Hayes 16, Nordquist 13, Nguyen 7, Smrekar 2, Jackson 2, Dunn 4, Demps 20. C-Evans 7, Oliver 18, Martinez 12, Corbino 9, Armstrong 11.

CASTRO VALLEY 54, BELLARMINE 48

DEER VALLEY 92, BETHEL 89 (OT)

PIEDMONT HILLS 56, FREEDOM 47

DIVISION II

BELLA VISTA 65, SHASTA 51

Bella Vista 12 17 22 14 - 65

Shasta 12 13 15 11 - 51

BV-Hennen 10, D'Alesandro 11, Logue 9, Smith 14, Salhani 17, Berkness 4. S-Crane 9, Romac 6, Eboigboden 2, Graham 12, Lauritzen 10, Ajamien 12.

WINDSOR 57, McNAIR 49

LAS LOMAS 76, LODI 64

CHICO 74, COLLEGE PARK 64

DIVISION III

CENTER 88, MISSION 76

Center 25 18 22 23 - 88

Mission 21 15 18 22 - 76

C-Hunter 17, Horton 4, Parker 18, David 8, Arrington 14, Smith 27. M-Murray 8, Porter 17, McFarland 10, Edwards 15, Fisher 10, Prescott 16.

FOOTHILL-PALO CEDRO 75, CAMPOLINDO 55

EL CERRITO 51, EL CAMINO-S.F. 50

LINDHURST 54, ENTERPRISE 50

MIRAMONTE 73, SIERRA-MANTECA 68

DIVISION IV

Half Moon Bay 67, Calaveras 28

Arcata 66, Central Valley 36

Ripon 56, Gridley 45

Cardinal Newman 53, Marshall 51

St. Patrick/St. Vincent 50, Riverbank 48

DIVISION V

CAPITAL CHRISTIAN 79, TULELAKE 27

Capital Christian 16 30 26 7 - 79

Tulelake 14 0 7 6 - 27

CC-Belton 19, Iroegbu 2, Wilson 6, Perry 8, Aibuedefe 8, Donlan 11, Garza 3, Ware 4, Nissen 6, Lealao 12. T-Fensler 1, J. Burrier 5, Crawford 8, Idrogo 8, Reyes 3, Herman 2.

SACRAMENTO WALDORF 73,

LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 65 (OT)

Sac.ramento Waldorf 9 19 19 16 10 - 73

Liberty Christian 17 15 20 11 2 - 65

SW-Dean 11, Schwartz-Edmisten 49, Rose 3, Petersonwood 8, C. McElligott 2. LC-Dankson 18, Pkhakadze 20, Papashvilli 14, Lynch 4, Dunken 9.

BRANSON 68, FALL RIVER 34

ST. FRANCIS-WATSONVILLE 58, DURHAM 46

CENTRAL CATHOLIC 68, BENTLEY 44

UNIVERSITY-S.F. 79, RIPON CHRISTIAN 77

GIRLS BASKETBALL

CIF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

DIVISION I

OAK RIDGE 51,

WASHINGTON-SAN FRANCISCO 24

Oak Ridge 12 11 15 13 - 51

Washington 10 4 6 4 - 24

OR-Bateman 4, Barkley 5, Hoffman 9, Honaker 3, Liebert 4, Dow 5, Klein 9, Sende 5, Anderson 5, Zagyi 2. W-Chang-Sulton 10, Luy 2, Vutac 6, Arunlung 6.

PLEASANT GROVE 66, PALO ALTO 56

Pleasant Grove 15 15 12 24 - 66

Palo Alto 21 10 9 16 - 56

PG-Lee 18, Pena 5, Villaruz 2, Beebe 7, James 15, Grays 10, Williams 9. PA-Allen 10, Osagiede 25, Alipate 2, Black 11, Palmer 3, Butler 5.

KENNEDY 52, CASTLEMONT-OAKLAND 49

Castlemont (16-12) 13 9 13 14 - 49

Kennedy (24-8) 14 8 14 13 - 52

C-Johnson 17, Hall 14, Anderson 5, Watson 5, Adams 4, Jelinek 4. K-Johnson 18, Wong 12, Lauderdale 7, Greer 5, Kolokihakaufisi 4, Lee 4,

Foster 2.

DEER VALLEY 54, ARMIJO 49

HERITAGE 53, OAKLAND TECH 46

GUNN-PALO ALTO 35, MISSION SAN JOSE 33

DIVISION II

Dougherty Valley 72, Chico 40

Casa Grande 55, Florin 52

Pleasant Valley 49, River City 47

McNair 65, Alameda 49

DIVISION III

CHRISTIAN BORTHERS 71, PARADISE 39

Christian Brothers 6 31 15 19 - 71

Paradise 13 7 11 8 - 39

CB-Valmores 11, Burch 14, Munoz 4, Kellison 13, Gonzalez 11, Tillman 2, Bembry 4, Garrett 8, McKechnie 4. P-Hansen 6, Burnett 9, Horner 15, Echeberry 2, Mundt 7.

MODESTO CHRISTIAN 60, ACALANES 48

MIRAMONTE 64, VANDEN 45

SAN MARIN 53, OROVILLE 30

DIVISION IV

WEST CAMPUS 58, ANDERSON 42

West Campus 22 11 10 15 - 58

Anderson 4 15 17 6 - 42

WC-Nelson 5, Keomany 9, Collins 2, Datu 4, Paongo 1, Williams 14, Shaner 23. A-Greenhaw 15, Lange 2, English 6, Sidhu 2, Flesuras 3, Nunnelley 14.

McKINLEYVILLE 55, COLFAX 43

MARIN CATHOLIC 45, MERCY 44 (OT)

BEAR RIVER 39, WEST VALLEY 36

DIVISION V

Hamilton 60, Capital Christian 56

International 71, Portola 25

St. Joseph's-Notre Dame 67, Colusa 45

Pinewood 61, San Domenico 37

Turlock Christian 68, Durham 61

Ripon Christian 50, University-San Francisco 41

Despite playing without ace point guard Marissa Wimbley, Pleasant Grove scored the game's last 10 points to beat host Palo Alto 66-56 in the CIF Northern California Regional Division I girls basketball playoffs tonight.

Avonna Lee had 18 points and Dejza James 15 for the Eagles (22-9), who lost a heartbreaker to eventual Sac-Joaquin Section D-I champion Kennedy in the semifinals.

Palo Alto, the Central Coast Section runners-up, finish 19-6.

Pleasant Grove will travel to top-seeded Berkeley on Saturday.

In other games involving area girls teams tonight:

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Breaking down the Northern California Regional girls basketball playoffs that start Wednesday (top seeds have first-round byes):

Division I
1. Berkeley (NCS) 26-2
2. Lowell, San Francisco (SFS) 25-4
3. Kennedy, Sacramento (SJS) 23-8
4. Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills (SJS) 23-8
5. Oakland Tech, Oakland (OS) 18-11
6. Deer Valley, Antioch (NCS) 21-8
7. Gunn, Palo Alto (CCS) 19-6
8. Palo Alto (CCS) 19-5
9. Pleasant Grove, Elk Grove (SJS) 21-9
10. Mission San Jose, Fremont (NCS) 27-3
11. Armijo, Fairfield (SJS) 23-7
12. Heritage, Brentwood (NCS) 24-5

Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:
Pleasant Grove (21-9) at Palo Alto (19-5)
Heritage (24-5) at Oakland Tech (18-11)
Washington (11-12) at Oak Ridge (23-8)
Castlemont (11-12) at Kennedy (23-8)
Armijo (23-7) at Deer Valley (21-8)
Mission San Jose (27-3) at Gunn (19-6)

Translation: No surprise here that Berkeley is the top seed as the Yellowjackets have been dominant this season - and seemingly for 30 years in the NorCal field. There are no 6-foot towers like seasons past, but there is a skilled player in Arizona State-bound Elisha Davis. Kennedy, a double-overtime winner over Oak Ridge in the Sac-Joaquin Section title game, could host three NorCal games if it keeps playing well. Oak Ridge got a No. 4 seed, with Berkeley looming if the wins continue. Pleasant Grove, which fell to Kennedy in a section semifinal, is a real darkhorse here.

Division II
1. St. Mary's, Stockton (SJS) 28-3
2. Carondelet, Concord (NCS) 26-3
3. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose (CCS) 24-5
4. St. Ignatius, San Francisco (CCS) 25-5
5. Casa Grande, Petaluma (NCS) 30-2
6. Pleasant Valley, Chico (NS) 35-3
7. McNair, Stockton (SJS) 27-4
8. Dougherty Valley, San Ramon (NCS) 20-9
9. Chico (NS) 17-5
10. Alameda (NCS) 22-7
11. River City, West Sacramento (SJS) 27-3
12. Florin, Sacramento (SJS) 24-5

Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:
Chico (17-5) at Dougherty Valley (20-9)
Florin (24-5) at Casa Grande (30-2)
River City (27-3) at Pleasant Valley (35-3)
Alameda (22-7) at McNair (27-4)

Translation: St. Mary's of the Sac-Joaquin Section is the clear favorite here to win a fourth consecutive NorCal title, second in D-II, as it aims to become just the second team to win four consecutive state titles. Two local teams are Florin, which opens at Casa Grande, and River City, which travels to Pleasant Valley. The Panthers and Raiders fear no obstacle, of course. Those who could derail St. Mary's are Carondelete with Notre Dame-bound Hannah Huffman, though St. Mary's rolled in an earlier meeting this season.

Division III
1. Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland (NCS) 26-3
2.Sacramento (SJS) 25-6
3. Sacred Heart Cath., San Francisco (CCS)
4. Terra Nova, Pacifica (CCS) 23-6
5. Modesto Christian, Modesto (SJS) 25-6
6. Miramonte, Orinda (NCS) 28-1
7. San Marin, Novato (NCS) 24-6
8. Paradise (NS) 17-11
9. Christian Brothers, Sacramento (SJS) 23-7
10. Oroville (NS) 13-15
11. Vanden, Fairfield (SJS) 22-8
12. Acalanes, Lafayette (NCS) 15-13

Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:
Christian Brothers (23-7) at Paradise (17-11)
Acalanes (15-13) at Modesto Christian (25-6)
Vanden (22-8) At Miramonte (28-1)
Oroville (13-15) at San Marin (24-6)

Translation: Sacramento got its desired No. 2 seed and targets a rematch with Bishop O'Dowd in the finals at Power Balance on March 17. O'Dowd, big and skilled, lost just one starter off its team last season and is quick - much like Sacramento, led by Jasmine Ware, Briana Womack, Jehiah Cook and a host of others. Sacramento is superbly coached and conditioned, and eager for more. When clicking, it's hard to imagine Sacramento losing. Christian Brothers opens against a Paradise team that hasn't won as many games or faced as strong a schedule, either, so a favorable draw.

Division IV
1. Salesian, Richmond (NCS) 28-3
2. St. Mary's, Berkeley (NCS) 24-7
3. Calaveras, San Andreas (SJS) 28-3
4. Soquel (CCS) 25-4
5. McKinleyville (NCS) 22-7
6. Mercy, San Francisco (CCS) 26-3
7. West Valley, Cottonwood (NS) 21-6
8. West Campus, Sacramento (SJS) 23-6
9. Anderson (NS) 20-9
10. Bear River, Grass Valley (SJS) 20-9
11. Marin Catholic, Kentfield (NCS) 22-8
12. Colfax (SJS) 18-9

Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:
Anderson (20-9) at West Campus (23-6)
Colfax (18-9) at McKinleyville (22-7)
Marin Catholic (22-8) at Mercy (26-3)
Bear River (20-9) at West Valley (21-6)

Translation: It's loaded at the top with Salesian and St. Mary's with both targeting each other for a showdown in the NorCal finals at Folsom High. The teams are league rivals and have played three tight games, with St. Mary's winning two of them behind Gabby Green. Of local note, West Campus, Bear River and Colfax are long shots, though West will host its first-ever NorCal game. St. Mary's is the defending champion and has a win over D-I Berkeley, if that's any indication of power.

Division V
1. Brookside Christian, Stockton (SJS) 26-4
2. Eastside College Prep, East Palo Alto (CCS) 15-13
3. St. Joseph Notre Dame, Alameda (NCS) 20-10
4. Hamilton, Hamilton City (NS) 29-0
5. Pinewood, Los Altos Hills (CCS) 18-12
6. Turlock Christian, Turlock (SJS) 26-4
7. Ripon Christian, Ripon (SJS) 21-5
8. International, San Francisco (NCS) 21-10
9. Portola (NS) 25-5
10. San Francisco University (NCS) 26-5
11. Durham (NS) 11-16
12. San Domenico, San Anselmo (NCS) 22-7
13. Capital Christian (SJS) 17-12
14 Colusa (NS) 20-7

Opening-round games, Wednesday, 7 p.m.:
Portola (25-5) at International (21-10)
San Domenico (22-7) at Pinewood (18-12)
Capital Christian (17-12) at Hamilton (29-0)
Colusa (20-7) at St. Joseph (20-10)
Durham (11-16) vs. Turlock Christian (26-4) at Calvary Christian
SF University (26-5) at Ripon Chrisitian (21-5)

Translation: Brookside and scoring guard Tiara Tucker got the top seed in a field long dominated by the Bay Area, with East Side Prep and St. Joseph still factors. The real darkhorse is the lone unbeaten team in the field in Hamilton City.
* Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
West Campus girls basketball coach John Langston affectionately calls his players "my babies."

He's amazed and pleased at how far his underclass-dominated team has come in such a short time.

So on Saturday, Langston was more father figure than task master in a 30-minute post-game locker room pow wow after the third-seeded Warriors lost 56-45 to No. 1 Calaveras in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV girls championship game at Power Balance Pavilion.

He wanted them to consider the positives:

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

In a meeting of old school against a much newer place of learning, tradition won out in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV girls championship Saturday afternoon.

Calaveras High School of San Andreas held off a spirited charge from West Campus of the Sacramento City Unified School District, winning 56-45 with a late surge in an otherwise entertaining contest of skill and speed.

It is the first section title for the decades-old Redskins since taking the very first D-II girls title in 1975. Calaveras reached three more title games before enduring a stretch in the 1990s in which it missed the postseason eight consecutive seasons.

West, meanwhole, was in a title game Saturday for the first time. The school broke off from being Johnson High West Campus in 2002 and has quickly established itself as an academic/athletic program of note, particularly in girls basketball under coach John Langston, who won a section title for the Sacramento High Dragons in 2007.

Langston raved about his young Warriors, who will return in tact next season with so many underclassmen.

Haley Shaner, a skilled forward who can shoot, rebound and run, had a game-high 23 points for West. She had 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Erianna Williams had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who will still advance to their first NorCal Regional playoff tournament that starts next week.
* For a more detailed game story, check Bill Paterson's Bee report in tomorrow's Bee or on Sacbee.com after midnight.Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

It's always an fun-to-observe transformation with the Sacramento Dragons, the girls basketball juggernaut from Oak Park.

Giddy, giggling and general goofballs outside any arena, they suddenly and collectively morph into grim-faced defensive tyrants when it counts - especially big games.

On Saturday night at Power Balance Pavilion, the top-seeded Division III Dragons put the pedal to the championship medal and blasted No. 2 Modesto Christian 73-36 in the Sac-Joaquin Section championship game in impressive display of speed, defense and offensive balance.

Sacramento has won 22 consecutive games since a six-game skid - all agonizingly close games - to state and national competition. The Dragons (26-6) are unbeaten in the section and walloped a Crusaders team that they beat by four earlier this season.

Before Friday's rematch, the Dragons had a sing-song cheerful demeanor, then were stoic in pouncing on loose balls, trapping with purpose and bolting down court on outlets in gassing the Crusaders (25-6). Afterward? Shrieks of joy, of course, so much so that Sacramento principal Will Jarrell couldn't resist getting into the group high-five act.

"I really feel this team has something special happening here," Dragons coach Michele cq Massari said. "They play so hard. We play incredible defense. They like each other. They hang out with each other. Unbelievable team chemistry."

Unbelievable, team, too.

Senior leaders Jasmine Ware, Jehiah Cook and Briana Womack led an otherwise young team with typical complete-game efforts. Ware, the 5-foot-10 wing headed for UC Santa Barbara, had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and her bloodied lip spoke of her relentless nature. She swarmed on defense, crashed the boards, initiated the break, attacked the lane and hit jumpers.

Cook, a blur point guard headed to UNLV had 18 points, scoring off steals or on breaks and hitting mid-range jumpers. Womackm, a shooting forward had seven points. The support crew included junior Casey Williams, who had 10 points, sophomore Zonyia Cormier 10 and sophomore post Ayanna Edwards had six points with five rebounds and two blocked shots.

Massari heaped praise on her team and her coaches, including strength and conditioning guru Alex Van Dyke, the former Burbank High and Nevada All-American receiver who had a stint in the NFL.

"We're in shape," Massari said of Van Dyke's impact. "Every day we run like it's track practice - and we're fast."

Ware wore the look of relief and pride. Earlier this season, she crumpled to the floor with what she initially feared was a season-ending knee injury. It was just a deep bruise, and Ware has played with purpose ever since, with no hesitation.

"I'm glad I was OK, and I thank Coach Van Dyke for the rehab," Ware said, the net around her neck. "I'm going to miss my team when it's over."

It may not be over for a good while as the Dragons expect to land at least a No. 2 NorCal D-III playoff seed when brackets are announced on Sunday.

It was also a proud moment for assistant coach Darnell Hillman, who 20 years ago this week was the All-Metro point guard for Johnson's gritty team that pushed state-ranked Jesuit to overtime in the D-I large-school championship on this very floor. He didn't win that title but he now has two title patches for the Dragons repeat efforts.

Photo: Dragons' #21 Jasmine Ware reaches to steal the ball from the Crusaders' #31 Elizabeth Flores during the Girls DIII Sac Joaquin Section championship game between the Sacramento High School Dragons and the Modesto Christian High School Crusaders at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento on Friday, March 2, 2012. Randall Benton rbenton@sacbee.com

Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidsonCheck the SureWest Sports Radio Show link on ESPN1320.net for news and notes on today's games, tomorrow's title tilts and discussion on the greatest prep scorers in Sacramento-area history.

Top-seeded Victory Christian went on a 9-0 run to open the fourth quarter and rallied to defeat No. 2 Wilton Christian 45-37 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI girls basketball championship game tonight at Galt High School.

Wilton Christian entered the final quarter with a 33-31 lead but scored only four points in the final quarter against Victory Christian's relentless man-to-man defense.

Junior guard Molly Huffman led Victory Christian with 18 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, as the Vikings won their first girls section basketball title.

Senior post Kendra Jeffcott topped Wilton Christian with a game-high 24 points, 18 rebounds and blocks.

This is the first year for a D-VI girls and boys (Victory Christian is playing Sacramento Adventist now), a division created for schools with 150 or fewer students.

Unlike the upper divisions, D-VI champions do not advance to the CIF Northern California Regional playoffs.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

STOCKTON - St. Mary's High School mows all comers, methodically stretching close games into bruising routes with defense, size, skill, offensive balance and a tradition impossible to match.

The Rams of Stockton beat Florin 74-33 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal Tuesday night at the University of the Pacific and now inch closer to the program's 13th section championship, and beyond that, a 10th state title.

Seeded No. 1 in the field, the nationally ranked Rams were paced by steady stars Charise Holloway (18 points), Courtney Range (15) and Unique Coleman (13).

Florin was led by Daijah Joe-Smith (10 points, 15 rebounds) and Deja Conger 10 points. The Panthers, enjoying their best season since the section finalist teams of 1996 and '97, had 38 turnovers and shot 34 percent against the Rams' smothering defense that includes quickness, size and depth.

All told, St. Mary's has blasted area teams this season in Bradshaw Christian (110-46), Pleasant Grove (84-44), St. Francis (94-59), Vacaville (111-54) and Inderkum (82-40).
It was 44-26 at one point against Florin before St. Mary's hit the jets, outscoring the Panthers 21-4 in the fourth.

St. Mary's will play Tri-City League member McNair of Stockton on Saturday in the section finals at Power Balance Pavilion. St. Mary's blasted McNair, a talented, tall team, 82-45 and 87-45.

Florin will still advance to next week's NorCal Regional tournament, as a low seed on the road. The Panthers were winless at 0-24 just three seasons ago but have made a rapid rise under coach Larry Price, who will return the bulk of his roster next season.
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

STOCKTON - Size and power doomed River City High School on Tuesday night in the biggest playoff game and setting in the program's 35-year history.

Though the effort was there, the Raiders were undone by the long arms and bodies of McNair of Stockton, who prevailed 58-43 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal at the University of the Pacific.

Both teams advance to the NorCal Regional tournament that starts next week, a milestone in itself for the Raiders of West Sacramento. But make no mistake. River City coach Jamie King wanted to reach a section final for the first time for a school he graduated from more than 20 years ago and has coached the past eight seasons. All section semifinalists advance, but the road will be steep with a road game at the likely No. 1 seed of a Bay Area section.

Carmen Garcia led River City with 11 points against McNair, with team leaders Jordan Ligons and Katie King going for nine each. King hit two late free throws to beat longtime section power El Camino last week, the program's greatest win to date. Before this season, the Raiders had never won or shared a league title or won a playoff game.

The Raiders do not boast of size but they do compete, and every loose ball calls for an all-out scramble and scrum.

McNair, with three starters 6-foot-2, outrebounded the plucky Raiders 58-43. Asiana Scott had 14 points and 13 rebounds for McNair, and Mandy Coleman had 11 and 12 and four blocked shots.
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Jasmine Hampton and Lexi Tubbs each had 19 points to lead third-seeded Modesto Christian to an 86-62 win over second-seeded Christian Brothers in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III girls basketball semifinal tonight at Cosumnes River College.

Niel Valmores led four Christian Brothers players in double figures with 15 points.

Modesto Christian, the three-time defending Division IV section champs, will play Sacramento in the D-III final on Friday at Power Balance Pavilion.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

STOCKTON - Lynette Johnson has suffered three concussions in her basketball career, but good luck convincing the Kennedy High School junior dynamo that a safer place is on the bench, in warmups, or to ease up on her game.

Basketball is her life, she says with an assured grin, and such is the rough-and-tumble nature of her craft, one also graced with skill and polish. With Johnson scoring 19 points to go with eight rebounds and start-to-finish poised leadership, Kennedy stunned top-seeded Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove 52-48 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal at the University of the Pacific on Tuesday night.

The No. 4-seeded Cougars of Greenhaven now seek the program's fifth large-school title since 2001 and ninth NorCal tournament bid in that span.

"I suffered my first concussion last year against Pleasant Grove - hit my head on the floor - and then a second one and had my third earlier this year, but I'm OK, and I can't change how I play," said Johnson, whose shy post-game demeanor doesn't relate to her game intensity. "This is who I am."

Johnson praised her teammates for their efforts against a terrifically talented Pleasant Grove team, saying the team collectively is "100 percent better" than they were earlier this season. Johnson credited defense for the improvement, and defense was the key against Pleasant Grove, ranked second by The Bee all season. Kennedy used a 16-0 run in the second half to take charge then held off the Eagles, who still advance to the NorCal tournament for the first time.

During that 16-0 run, Pleasant Grove went scoreless for seven minutes. The Eagles climbed to within 50-48 on a Wilmbley bucket with 38 seconds remaining and had a chance to tie or win it on a final possession that started after a time out with nine seconds to go. Kennedy came up with a steal and Johnson sealed it with two free throws with .3 seconds to go.

"We went cold," Pleasant Grove coach James McKeever said. "Lynette took care of business and we couldn't get any rhythm."

Jessica Lauderdale scored 10 for Kennedy, which made 20 of 22 free throws and withstood the 1-2 punch of Pleasant Grove's Dejza James (15 points, 14 rebounds) and Marissa Wimbley (13 and seven).

In the finals on Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion, Kennedy will take on a familiar foe in Oak Ridge, another program steeped in tradition. The sixth-seeded Trojans beat No. 2 Armijo 63-52 in the other semifinal. Oak Ridge denied Kennedy a D-I section title three-peat in 2010, en route to a state championship behind all-time program great Sara James, now at Stanford. Oak Ridge beat Kennedy 61-49 earlier this season.

Kennedy coach Dave Parsh said he has been intrigued with the potential of his bunch all season. The Cougars were battled tested in the Metro Conference by Bee No. 1 Sacramento and by Bee-ranked Florin and then bounced defending D-I champion St. Francis in a second-round game with Johnson going for a career-high tying 37 points. St. Francis had beaten Kennedy twice this season in nonleague games.

"It's a great win," Parsh said. "We saw Oak Ridge win and we want the rematch!"

Parsh said that amid laughter, understanding that the bulk of both rosters were not around in 2010 for that playoff showdown. Still, Parsh said the D-I field was ripe for the picking this season, and he's right as the top three seeds have been defeated.

"We thought D-I was wide open and we didn't think anyone was unbeatable," Parsh said. He said of Johnson, "This is great for her. She keeps fighting, playing well."

Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson