Prep basketball rankings: Girls hoops is family affair for Fosters at Christian Brothers
It’s a family affair at Christian Brothers this girls basketball season.
Coach Shandyn Foster is an alum of the school and was a key cog to a CB playoff team in 2000. Her daughter, Kaia Foster, has been instrumental in the Falcons’ 7-0 start this season, earning MVP honors Saturday after Christian Brothers won its own Lasallian Classic with a 61-34 rout of Laguna Creek.
The Falcons moved up to No. 5 in The Bee’s rankings.
And there’s more: Coach Foster’s brother, Nick Hicks, is an assistant coach. He was the CB boys varsity team MVP his junior season in 1997. The Falcons’ stat keeper and proud pop is Larry Hicks, who is big on boxing out, big on making the extra pass and big on nicknames. He calls Kaia Foster and fellow All-Tournament selections Aleyah Harmon and Jada Hunter “The Big 3.”
A 5-foot-8 junior guard/forward, Kaia Foster is averaging 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 steals and 2.3 assists per game.
Titans stand tall
No. 2 Antelope is 6-0 and savoring a 58-50 win over powerhouse Vanden in a nonleague game.
Mary Carter had 25 points while Michelle Rice added 14 points and 12 rebounds to overcome 26 points from Vanden’s Alyssa Jackson.
The Titans also have a 63-39 win over No. 3 McClatchy and a 63-35 victory over No. 9 Whitney. They will play No. 17 Monterey Trail on Wednesday in the opening round of the Oak Ridge Trojan Toss-Up Tournament.
In other Wednesday tournament openers, No. 5 St. Francis plays Nevada Union at 4 p.m.; No. 4 Oak Ridge plays Franklin at 5:30; and No. 11 Rocklin takes on Heritage of Brentwood at 7 p.m. before the 8:30 p.m. night cap featuring Antelope and Monterey Trail.
Falcons soaring
No. 7 Colfax is 8-1 under coach Rexanne Simpton, the only loss coming to Northern Section powerhouse Pleasant Valley of Chico, which is 12-2 and has a 53-46 loss to No. 4 Oak Ridge.
Colfax has a 43-31 win over No. 9 Whitney, a 60-54 win over No. 10 Vista del Lago and a 59-41 victory over No. 11 Rocklin, thanks to balanced scoring. Maycee Heimann is averaging 11.3 points, Juliette James 11.0, Kai Diederichs 10.3 and Jade Bitner 10.1. Colfax has been a regional power for decades, including winning the area’s first two CIF state basketball championships — boys or girls — in taking Division III honors in 1983 and 1984.
Dragon roar
Sacramento High is 6-6 and has a star in the making in 5-10 sophomore guard La’Ne Dunn, a prolific scorer with a penchant for rebounding.
In three games last week at the Bella Vista Lady Bronco Tournament, she averaged 26.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 6.3 steals, 3.0 blocked shots and 6.6 deflections. She had rebound totals of 16, 17 and 16, and she went for 37 points in the finals, a 50-45 loss to Rio Americano.
Coach Michele Massari is six wins shy of 300, all of them with the Dragons over 15 seasons.
Stan Harms Classic
For the boys, No. 2 Folsom is the lead attraction at its own Stan Harms Classic. The tournament, which runs Wednesday through Friday, is named after the classy coach who led the school to the 1985 CIF state Division III championship.
Harms was a fixture at regional games and a fan of Folsom to the end. He died in 2020 at the age of 83.
In Wednesday’s tournament openers, Pleasant Grove plays St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo at 4 p.m.; Rio Americano faces McClatchy at 5:30; Folsom plays 3-0 Foothill at 7; and Ponderosa plays Cosumnes Oaks at 8:30.
Folsom opened the season with a 72-34 rout of Grant and also owns an 82-60 win over No. 3 Inderkum. Coach Mike Wall’s team is deep with guards Micah Johnson, CJ Willenborg, forwards David Young, Mitchell Rawlins and Cade Petersen and sixth man Justin Ard.
Rolling in Auburn
Placer has stormed to an 11-1 start and moved up to No. 6 in the rankings, losing only to longtime Bay Area power Dublin 63-47 in the finals of the Don Nelson Classic.
Earlier big wins for longtime coach Mark Lee included 57-55 over No. 16 Del Campo and 61-53 over No. 10 Del Oro behind the efforts of Garrett Dutro, Sam Herlehy and Ben Manley.
Placer will host the 80th Kendall Arnett Tournament in its famed Earl Crabbe Gym on Dec. 28-30. The event was renamed after Arnett in 1955 to honor the Hillmen’s beloved old coach, who died that season.
When rivals meet
No. 10 Del Oro beat Sierra Foothill League rival and No. 11 Whitney 61-60 to win the Les Curry Tournament, named after the famed Davis High coach.
Del Oro also beat El Camino 77-37 and Davis 74-69 in the event to move to 9-4. Brandon Hill earned MVP honors and Caden Pinnick made the All-Tournament team.
Rematch rewards
Christian Brothers on Tuesday beat storied St. Mary’s of Stockton 58-52 in nonleague play, avenging a 46-31 to the same club from 10 days earlier. Exander Irving-Romero scored 14 points. Shawn Underwood had 10. Jake Westman had nine rebounds and five steals.
In the Les Curry Tournament, Christian Brothers beat Roseville 72-47 while losing to Whitney 57-53 and Davis 63-57.
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Girls
1. Folsom (5-1)
2. Antelope (6-0)
3. McClatchy (7-2)
4. Oak Ridge (5-5)
5. Christian Brothers (7-0)
6. St. Francis (8-2)
7. Colfax (8-1)
8. Laguna Creek (10-3)
9. Whitney (7-3)
10. Vista del Lago (8-4)
11. Rocklin (4-4)
12. Woodcreek (7-2)
13. Ponderosa (11-1)
14. Lincoln (8-2)
15. Del Oro (3-5)
16. Liberty Ranch (11-1)
17. Monterey Trail (4-1)
18. Grant (3-4)
19. Cosumnes Oaks (7-3)
20. Kennedy (3-3)
Bubble: Bear River (4-3); Foothill (7-2); Inderkum (7-3); Marysville (8-2); Rio Linda (3-0); Sacramento Adventist (6-1); Sheldon (4-2); Valley Christian (10-2); West Campus (3-2); Woodland Christian (6-2).
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Boys
1. Jesuit (6-1)
2. Folsom (7-0)
3. Inderkum (5-1)
4. Monterey Trail (3-2)
5. Capital Christian (5-3)
6. Placer (11-1)
7. Rio Americano (6-1)
8. Woodcreek (8-3)
9. Sacramento (8-3)
10. Del Oro (9-4)
11. Whitney (9-3)
12. Laguna Creek (9-2)
13. Grant (2-4)
14. Sheldon (1-4)
15. Rocklin (7-6)
16. Del Campo (7-5)
17. Lincoln (10-2)
18. Vacaville (8-3)
19. Bella Vista (7-3)
20. Antelope (9-3)
Bubble: Christian Brothers (7-4); Cordova (6-2); Cosumnes Oaks (3-1); Davis (5-4); El Dorado (8-2); Foothill (3-0); Franklin (4-6); Granite Bay (6-5); Marysville (7-3); McClatchy (6-3); Oak Ridge (5-5); Pleasant Grove (4-5); Ponderosa (6-3); Twelve Bridges (8-3); Union Mine (11-2); West Park (9-3).
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 6:00 AM.