The "Purple Reign" offered a spirited singsong "Happy Birthday" for the mayor on Friday night, and Kevin Johnson could only stand, wave and wink in acknowledging the love. He muttered under his breath that hoops can still be a pretty good outlet in this building.

Top-seeded Sacramento High School had just rejoiced in a girls Division III basketball triumph, pulling away from No. 3 Vanden 63-50 at Power Balance Pavilion behind star guard Fantasia Hilliard. The unflappable senior scored 26 points, had seven rebounds and four steals in performing much larger than her 5-foot frame. And she never seemed to tire.

The Dragons, as a group, offered Mayor Johnson, Sac High class of 1983, a happy 45th and followed with hugs and high-fives.

"Wow," Johnson said after waving to the rooting section, "makes you feel great when the students connect with an old guy like me."

Johnson said the celebration after Sac High suffered so many agonizing title losses to St. Mary's on the same floor and a seventh consecutive appearance in the title game later in the evening by the boys helped soften the blow of a tiring week wondering whether the Kings will stay or go to Anaheim – and he said that high school basketball might be the only sport in town to really embrace come next fall.

Johnson, the state scoring leader at Sac High who enjoyed an All-Star NBA career, raved about the work of Sac High coaches Michele Massari with the girls and Derek Swafford with boys. He embraced Massari after her team prevailed and he hammed it up with a relaxed Swafford before the boys' showdown with Center.

"They've done such a great job," Johnson said of the coaches. "Swafford has been challenged by others, but he's about character, and Massari, she's done it the right way."

Massari was ecstatic. With her parents and brothers in the stands, converging from across the state in support, Massari implored her girls to compete on every possession. Fiery and proud, she scolded players with conviction, "If you don't want to sacrifice out there, you can sit next to me!"

They listened. The Dragons avenged a buzzer-beating loss to Vanden in December, when Massari vowed her team would grow and flourish. They did, roaring through the section playoffs and winning a title after so many agonizingly bad title losses to national power St. Mary's in recent seasons.

"It took us a while to grow, to trust each other as a team but we've become a really good team now," Massari said, surrounded by jubilant Dragons. "I'm very proud." Allie Green scored 13, Jasmine Ware 10 and Najah Queenland nine for the Dragons, who very well may land the No. 1 seed in next week's NorCals.

Sacramento 53, Center 48 – Playing beyond their years with underclassmen dotting the lineup, the Dragons three-peated as champions and won their fifth title in seven seasons under Swafford. Senior center Robert Garrett, seemingly improving by the hour, scored 15 points inside with 14 rebounds. Sophomore guards Aaron Cameron and Devon Boyd had 13 and nine respectively, prompting an ecstatic Swafford to beam, "those are our sophomores growing up. What a great experience for these young kids."

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