Prep news, notes, rankings: Breaking down playoff brackets, teams, trends, top players
The season started with early fall tryouts, and then morphed into holiday tournaments. League play included races right down to the wire, and now the real fun starts.
The Sac-Joaquin Section basketball playoffs tip off this week, six divisions for the girls, who get underway Tuesday, and six divisions for the boys, starting Wednesday. It figures to be a tournament worth watching, and we have already reported that the boys Division I race may be the deepest in decades. Well, no maybe about it now. It is.
The section finals for all divisions will be Feb. 24-25 at Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA’s Kings.
Here’s a breakdown of what to expect.
Modesto Christian a 3-seed?
In what world does powerhouse Modesto Christian with its pedigree, results and staying power land as a No. 3 seed? Well, this one.
Despite its No. 1 Northern California ranking by Cal-Hi Sports and NorCalPreps, Modesto Christian landed the No. 3 seed in the D-I bracket behind Sacramento Bee No. 1 Folsom and Bee No. 2 Inderkum.
Odd? Not really, says the section office, which reminds that Modesto Christian hasn’t been a top seed in D-I, and that never stopped the Crusaders from winning out before. The section uses a mountain of criteria, including MaxPreps computer rankings, which oddly has Modesto Christian ranked fourth in the section. Regardless, the Crusaders not only aim to repeat as champions, but also as CIF NorCal Open Division winners.
Who’s hot?
Momentum is on the side of several area teams, but a stumble here or there ends all of that in a hurry.
The Atwater boys are the only unbeaten team in the section — boys or girls — and the Falcons of Merced County bound into the D-II field under leading scorer Colton Dukes with a 28-0 record, aiming for a championship showdown against top-seeded Rio Americano, winners of nine consecutive games under coach Chris Jones and star players Luke Mason and Miles Lake.
Inderkum (25-2) has won 18 consecutive games, including a 12-0 showing in the Capital Valley Conference under coach Fred Wilson, who demands defense and gets it. And good luck containing 6-foot-4 guards Jermaine Haliburton and Jalen Glenn. Inderkum has a 79-76 win over state-power St. Joseph of Santa Maria, a team that Modesto Christian beat by one. That bit of information was enough for Inderkum to be the No. 2 seed in D-I, Wilson argued last week.
Jesuit (22-4), a big-time contender in D-I, has won 10 consecutive games and went 12-0 in the Delta League, thanks to team play, depth and defense under coach Tim Kelly. This is not just an Andrej Stojakovic one-man gang.
Casa Roble (21-7) has won 12 in a row and went unbeaten in the Golden Empire League behind balanced scoring (Moses Oginni leads the way with 10.6 points per game). The Rams are a dark horse in the D-III race.
Marysville (25-3) has won 20 consecutive games and went 14-0 in the Pioneer Valley League behind leading scorers Amrin Mann (18.5 ppg) and Joshua Brown (17.5 ppg). The Indians are the No. 3 seed in D-IV with a backcourt that is as prolific as any.
Woodland Christian (23-5) has won 20 in a row and went 16-0 in the Central Valley California League behind freshman Romello Bruhn (21.9 points), and senior Wyatt Rumfelt (16.4). The Cardinals are the No. 5 seed in Division V.
Girls on a roll
Folsom (22-2) has been top ranked by The Bee all season and is the No. 1 seed in D-I, winners of 14 consecutive games, thanks to defense and the 1-2 punch of post Kamryn Mufua and shooting forward Charlotte Climenhage.
The Bulldogs seek their first section girls championship.
Antelope (24-3) is in the D-I race for the first time after years of success at other levels. The Titans have won 10 consecutive games behind defense and the sterling play of Mary Carter, who averages 21.3 points and 8.0 rebounds. Antelope is the No. 3 seed in D-I.
Winners of nine straight and 13 of 14, McClatchy (23-5) is the No. 4 seed in D-I behind senior floor leader Tamaria Rumph and sophomore forward Nina Cain.
Colfax (26-2) will take its 14-game winning streak into the D-IV field as the top seed, seeking its 11th section banner. The team is led by Maycee Heimann, Juliette James and Gabriella Bittner.
Homegrown Trojans
Steve White took over as girls coach at Oak Ridge in 1995, and he’s still going strong, having won the D-I section championship over rival Folsom last season and piecing together another tough, fundamentally sound group this season.
White has carved out a stellar career with homegrown players, meaning they attended middle schools in El Dorado Hills. This has not been the norm for other regional powers, some of which include players coming and going.
“I always coach our kids, and I love our kids,” White said.
The Trojans are a dark-horse No. 6 seed in D-I.
The Dean seeks his first
Dean Stark this season became the winningest coach in section history, boys or girls, when the Sacramento Waldorf boys boss won his 660th game, but the one thing that has eluded him is a section championship.
The Waves (22-6) are the No. 4 seed in D-VI, playing better by the week, a Stark staple.
The Swafford way
Derek Swafford coached the Sacramento boys to six section championships, sending scores of players to the Division I ranks via scholarship. He craved a new challenge and found it at Fortune Early College High in Sacramento, a program that isn’t even 4 years old.
At 18-7, the Panthers are no small-school pushover, having defeated El Camino 87-71, Burbank 67-52, Cosumnes Oaks 68-49 and losing to Grant 61-55. Tyrece Rose leads the team in scoring at nearly 18 points per game.
Fortune is the No. 1 seed in D-V.
Lee legend
Mark Lee is in his final playoff, the longtime Placer coach leading the No. 3-seeded Hillmen in D-III. Lee will step down from coaching when the season ends after 36 years in the grind, the last 26 with Placer.
On Friday in a regular-season finale, Lee was moved that the Earl Crabbe Gym on the Auburn campus was an overflow, including some 200 friends and former players. There was a long standing ovation as Lee hugged players past and present.
Lee won his first section championship in 1993 when coaching San Juan.
How good is D-I, again?
The boys D-I field is, how do we say, loaded? Stacked? Heavy duty? All of that and more.
It’s so deep that Jesuit drew in an opener against Metro League tri-champion Monterey Trail and 6-4 Long Beach State-bound guard Varick Lewis. Might we see Lewis guard Stojakovic, the Stanford-bound 6-7 scoring marvel?
Stojakovic may also draw 6-3 Damarion Vann-Kelly. Or the entire team, for that matter. Reid Jones, Cole Epperson, Ahjani Lewis, Owen Ubaldo and Kevin Haupt make for a terrific shooting team that can run the break and defend. The Mustangs are a misleading 15-13, having split with fellow D-I contenders Grant and Laguna Creek.
Grant (18-9) opens D-I play at Weston Ranch (19-9), a rematch of last week’s nonleague game in Stockton, won by Weston Ranch 81-73. Grant star guard Kiku Parker vows to extend the season.
If the seedings hold up, No. 5 Capital Christian would visit Jesuit on Friday and No. 7 Laguna Creek would visit No. 2 Inderkum, also on Friday. A Grant/Weston Ranch at No. 1 Folsom matchup on Friday also registers as a wow game.
Meanwhile, what about the top-seeded Folsom boys? Under coach Mike Wall, fast closing in on his 500th career victory, the Bulldogs can score inside and out. They can defend and they can win this bracket if senior floor leader Micah Johnston and friends play like they did in beating Grant 72-34, Inderkum 82-60, Capital Christian 66-54 and Jesuit 68-47 in nonleague showdowns. In tireless sophomore forward Taniela Tupou, the Bulldogs receive relentless effort, and it’ll take every bit of that to survive this bracket.
Scorers to ponder
For the boys, Bella Vista will go as far as the versatile Dylan Harms can take them. The grandson of beloved 1980s Folsom basketball coach Stan Harms, who won a D-III state championship in 1985, the 6-4 senior Harms is averaging 26.2 points and 9.7 rebounds.
He’s one of the top players in program history, dating back to when the school opened in Fair Oaks in 1960. Seeded ninth in D-II, Bella Vista opens at No. 8 Manteca, and the winner likely gets top-seeded Rio Americano.
For the girls, there are two scorers to ponder at tiny Faith Christian of Yuba City, the top seed in D-VI. Senior Audrey Harris led the country in scoring last season at 46.5 points a game, but her average is down to 19.6 this season, and she couldn’t be happier. That’s because her freshman sister Lauren Harris is averaging 23.5 for the Lions (21-5).
Also beaming: coach Geoff Harris, father of the prolific sisters.
For complete brackets, check the section site here.
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Girls final regular season
1. Folsom (22-2)
2. Antelope (24-3)
3. McClatchy (23-5)
4. Christian Brothers (26-2)
5. Monterey Trail (18-7)
6. Vista del Lago (22-6)
7. Oak Ridge (18-10)
8. Colfax (26-2)
9. St. Francis (22-4)
10. Lincoln (24-3)
11. Woodcreek (23-4)
12. Cosumnes Oaks (20-8)
13. Whitney (15-11)
14. Ponderosa (25-3)
15. Grant (19-9)
16. Liberty Ranch (21-3)
17. Marysville (24-4)
18. Kennedy (14-10)
19. Bear River (16-10)
20. West Campus (16-4)
Bonus: Inderkum (17-10); El Dorado (14-12); Faith Christian (21-5); Foresthill (22-5); Forest Lake Christian (17-5); Laguna Creek (17-11); Pioneer (19-9); Valley Christian (22-3).
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Boys final regular season
1. Folsom (25-2)
2. Inderkum (25-2)
3. Jesuit (23-4)
4. Rio Americano (24-4)
5. Laguna Creek (23-5)
6. Monterey Trail (15-13)
7. Grant (18-9)
8. Sacramento (20-8)
9. Capital Christian (19-8)
10. Sheldon (12-12)
11. Woodcreek (20-8)
12. Del Oro (19-9)
13. Vacaville (20-7)
14. Bella Vista (20-8)
15. Ponderosa (20-8)
16. Whitney (17-10)
17. Marysville (25-3)
18. Placer (23-5)
19. Union Mine (23-5)
20. Antelope (19-9)
Bonus: Casa Roble (21-7); Cordova (20-6); El Dorado (21-7); Lincoln (20-8); Natomas (18-10); Oak Ridge (12-15); Vacaville Christian (20-3); Western Sierra (14-7); Woodland Christian (23-5).
This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM.