Prep news, notes and rankings: Inderkum Tigers rolling after win over state-ranked power
Fred Wilson was handing out dollar bills the other day with all the joy of a proud pop handing out gifts on Christmas morning.
Wilson is Inderkum High School’s fiery basketball coach, beloved if not a bit feared by his players. He is leading the way for The Bee’s No. 2-ranked boys program with another monstrous nonleague game looming and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs just around the corner.
Made 3-point shots don’t excite Wilson, but one of his Tigers drawing a charge? The coach gets giddy with those.
“I go crazy!” Wilson said with a laugh. “The cash isn’t much, but it’s the principle of the thing, getting rewarded, and I talk about momentum with our guys all the time. If it’s something you see, it’s something you can control, and taking a charge is a huge momentum thing. You can get that player who had the charge in foul trouble. That coach may get frustrated. The crowd can get fired up — all in one action.”
The man leading the action in player-control calls for Inderkum has been Taylen Goodman, an athletic, wiry and determined 6-foot-7 sophomore. His coach owed him some currency for past charges drawn, and Goodman was never better than on Saturday night, including drawing a charge, coming up with two steals and then delivering the game-sealing block to hold off state-ranked power St. Joseph of Santa Maria 79-76 in a nonleague showcase game at Los Positas College in Livermore.
That effort moved the Tigers to 23-2 on the season and up a spot to No. 2 in The Bee’s rankings. They will take their 16-game winning streak into another nonleague showdown on Wednesday when they host No. 6 Monterey Trail in a meeting of contenders in the D1 playoff scramble.
Inderkum went a school-record 28-3 a year ago and returned a lot of players for another run at the program’s first section championship. The Tigers have big guards and tough guys in the post, and they all defend with purpose. Jermaine Haliburton is Inderkum’s leading player and a team captain. The 6-2 senior guard leads the team beyond his 15-point average, and he is flanked by 6-5 guard Jalen Glenn, another captain and go-to player, 6-4 senior guard Isaiah Chandavong and defensive ace Zach Chan, a 6-2 senior.
Jermaine Butler, a 6-2 junior guard, provides energy and depth; 6-6 senior guard Rohan Singh Sheemar is one of the state’s top catch-and-shoot scorers; and post Logan Steuben has manned the inside.
Inderkum was able to beat St. Joseph without Haliburton, who was nursing a sore ankle but is expected back against Monterey Trail. Jalen Glenn had 24 points, 19 rebounds and six assists against St Joseph. Haliburton was off his game in Inderkum’s only loss within the section this season. That was an 82-60 setback to Bee No. 1 Folsom on Dec. 9. The other loss was to state-ranked Etiwanda of San Bernardino County on Dec. 27.
Inderkum locked up the Capital Valley Conference, outdistancing Bee-ranked Woodcreek, Bella Vista and Antelope — and it all starts with effort and conditioning.
“We will press the heck out of you,” Wilson said of his team’s defensive concept. “If you get water, we will trap you all the way to the water fountain. A big key to our success is how fresh our legs are in the third quarter. We condition hard. At practice, we warm up, and it’s fast. It’s fast layup drills, and we’re fast with trap and defensive drills.”
Wilson enjoyed section championship success while coaching West Campus of the Sacramento City Unified School District with the same effort mantra. The coach also likes his team’s experience and drive. There’s a sense of unfinished business with this group, but there is more work to be done.
“I expect us to be in the section finals and to compete for a NorCal championship,” Wilson said. “We’re a good team right now but not a great team. We can get there. We have to get better on things like rotations and free throws. I think we’ll get there.”
POW winners
Kate Noa of Grant and Taye Hollins of Woodcreek won The Bee’s weekly Prep of the Week voting poll by fans and followers.
Noa, a senior guard, has Grant poised for a playoff run. She averages 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the 18-9 Pacers, who will be in the Division II or III playoffs.
Hollins, a senior forward, averages 13.6 points for the 18-8 Timberwolves, who will be in the Division II playoffs.
Hill the hoops hero
Any game between Del Oro and Oak Ridge is a rumble, be it football or basketball.
Brandon Hill knows. He was a Bee All-Metro lineman who battled the Trojans in the trenches, and on Friday in a key Sierra Foothill League game, Hill muscled inside some more.
His scoop-shot with a second to go lifted No. 12 Del Oro past No. 16 Oak Ridge 61-59. The 6-3, 230-pound Hill had 19 points against the Trojans and is averaging 13.4 points and nearly seven rebounds for the playoff-bound Golden Eagles.
Massari wins 300th
Michele Massari won her 300th career game, all in 16 seasons as the Sacramento Dragons girls head coach.
Sac High defeated Del Campo 53-49 on Feb. 1 at Dave Hotell Pavilion for the milestone victory. Massari was moved to tears at the outpouring of support from former players and one-time faculty faces. Massari has led the Dragons to five section championships.
Sweet revenge
Christian Brothers spent weeks stewing about its 34-29 loss at Vista del Lago in a key Capital Athletic League game on Jan. 13 in Folsom. The rematch was more like it for the upstart Falcons.
On Friday, CB rolled Vista 48-30, leading 13-3 after the first quarter and 34-6 at the half as the Falcons defended well and shot well in moving to 23-2 on the season and back up to No. 4 in The Bee’s rankings under coach Shandyn Foster.
Jada Hunter led the Falcons in scoring against Vista with 16 points, and Kaia Foster and Aleyah Harmon combined for 18 points and 14 rebounds. CB and Vista likely will finish as co-CAL champions.
Kennedy forfeit
It was a mixed week for the Kennedy girls, the storied program from the Sac City Unified School District.
The No. 18 Cougars defeated No. 5 Monterey Trail 55-42 in Metro League play but forfeited against decades-long rival and No. 3-ranked McClatchy on Friday. Several Kennedy players went on a trip and the program elected not to elevate junior varsity players. McClatchy won the first meeting 77-40.
Kline winner
El Dorado upset No. 16 Liberty Ranch 48-47 on Friday in Placerville on a last-second bucket by Morgan Kline. The 5-4 senior guard and team captain had 14 points and leads the Cougars in scoring with a 14.4 average.
The game winner moved El Dorado to 8-1 in the Sierra Valley Conference, tied with Liberty Ranch, with one game left to play.
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Girls
Records entering the week
1. Folsom (20-2)
2. Antelope (21-3)
3. McClatchy (21-5)
4. Christian Brothers (23-2)
5. Monterey Trail (18-7)
6. Vista del Lago (19-6)
7. Oak Ridge (17-9)
8. Colfax (23-2)
9. St. Francis (19-4)
10. Ponderosa (24-2)
11. Lincoln (22-3)
12. Woodcreek (21-4)
13. Cosumnes Oaks (18-7)
14. Whitney (14-10)
15. Grant (18-9)
16. Liberty Ranch (20-3)
17. Marysville (21-4)
18. Kennedy (13-9)
19. Bear River (15-8)
20. West Campus (13-3)
Bonus: Inderkum (16-10); El Dorado (13-12); Faith Christian (18-5); Foresthill (20-5); Forest Lake Christian (16-4); Laguna Creek (17-9); Pioneer (17-9); Valley Christian (21-2).
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Boys
Records entering the week
1. Folsom (23-2)
2. Inderkum (23-2)
3. Jesuit (20-4)
4. Rio Americano (22-4)
5. Laguna Creek (21-5)
6. Monterey Trail (14-12)
7. Grant (17-8)
8. Sacramento (20-6)
9. Capital Christian (17-8)
10. Sheldon (12-12)
11. Woodcreek (18-8)
12. Del Oro (17-9)
13. Vacaville (19-6)
14. Bella Vista (19-8)
15. Ponderosa (18-8)
16. Oak Ridge (13-13)
17. Marysville (22-3)
18. Placer (21-5)
19. Union Mine (22-5)
20. Antelope (18-8)
Bonus: Casa Roble (20-7); Cordova (17-6); El Dorado (19-7); Lincoln (19-7); Natomas (16-10); Pleasant Grove (13-13); Vacaville Christian (19-3); West Park (18-6); Western Sierra (12-7); Woodland Christian (21-5).
This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.