Girls basketball Top 20 rankings: Sacramento Dragons have record-setting star: ‘We love Ne!’
One of the Sacramento region’s all-time girls basketball greats will have to step aside in the record books.
Vicki Baugh was a Bee Player of the Year, a tall talent with a variety of skills and a national recruit who went on to win a national championship at Tennessee before spending three seasons in the WNBA. She held the Sacramento Dragons’ scoring record since graduating from the Oak Park school in 2007.
That was until Dec. 30, when current Sac High senior guard La Ne Dunn scored 24 points against McDermitt of Nevada to become the Dragons’ new record holder, breaking Baugh’s previous mark of 1,437 career points.
Baugh, one of only a handful of Sacramento-area McDonald’s All-Americans, had her No. 22 Dragons jersey retired inside the famed Dave Hotell Pavilion during Dunn’s sophomore year in 2023. Baugh elevated the Sac High girls program to prominence with the program’s first CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship during her senior year.
The Dragons have since won five more, including four straight from 2011 to 2014 and another in 2019 under coach Michele Massari, who now coaches the Inderkum High Tigers.
This season, Sacramento has rebounded from four consecutive losing seasons, entering the week at 12-5 overall and 3-0 in the Monticello Empire League. Dunn remains one of the program’s most dependable players, never missing a single game for her four-year varsity career to date.
“La Ne has been the face of our program,” Sac High coach Kevin Brown said. “She has been business-like in her approach every game since she first stepped on the floor for Sac High back in 2021.”
The 5-foot-11 Dunn entered the week with 1,526 career points and counting. She has also grabbed close to 1,200 career rebounds and is closing in on 500 career steals. She leads the Dragons in scoring (19.4 points per game), rebounding (12.3), assists (3.5) and steals (6.1)
“She is an awesome leader and example for her promising freshmen teammates who she has also taken under her wing and has been mentoring all season long,” Brown added. “Simply put, we love Ne!”
More join 1K club
Woodland Christian’s Teagan Hayes scored her 1,000th career point on Jan. 6 in a 52-39 win over Pioneer. The multisport Cardinal star is committed to playing softball at the University of Tennessee-Martin.
While Hayes provides some serious pop in the Cardinals’ softball lineup — she’ll carry a career .507 average with 18 home runs and 130 RBIs into her senior year this spring — she can also fill it up for the Woodland Christian hoops team. Hayes is averaging 12.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 6.1 steals for the 9-5 Cardinals who, after starting 2-5, have rallied seven wins in a row and look to contend for a Sierra Delta League crown.
▪ Inderkum junior Breahn Flood sank five 3-pointers, including three in the first quarter of a 70-53 win over Sheldon on Jan 7. Her 19 points pushed her past the 1,000-point plateau for her four-year varsity career. Flood began her prep career as a freshman on Highlands High’s varsity team, averaging 19.8 points for the Scots before transferring to Inderkum for her sophomore season.
▪ Oakmont junior Kaitlyn Fayter eclipsed the 1,000-point mark amid a hot start for the Vikings. A Bee All-Metro Honorable Mention pick last season, Fayter has picked up right where she left off, averaging near 19 points and 10 rebounds during a 12-4 start to the season. Oakmont has already matched or surpassed win totals from any of the past 12 seasons.
“As she goes, we go,” Oakmont coach Tyson Garcia said. “I can honestly say she is one of the best-kept secrets in Sac.”
▪ Others to reach the 1,000-point milestone include: Presley Berry of Faith Christian, Demi Boykin of Marysville, Kaia Diederichs of Colfax, Janet Donkor of Valley Christian, Kendall Dykstra of Whitney, Torrence Harter of Sutter, Calonni Holloway of Vanden, Sophia Mindermann of Folsom and Sydney Teoh of St. Francis.
Juliette James of Colfax recently surpassed 1,000 career rebounds for the Falcons.
Rivalry games, championship rematches
No. 4 Christian Brothers has its annual “Holy Hoops” game with No. 14 St. Francis on Saturday, set for 6 p.m. at Christian Brothers. The annual rivalry game has been played every year since 2011 with the Falcons owning a 10-4 advantage, including an active six-game win streak against the Troubadours under coach Shandyn Foster.
Sydney Teoh, Tayli Paeu-Lindgren and Lexi London lead the charge for St. Francis while Aleyah Harmon, Joy Omishakin and Olivia Novi lead Christian Brothers, which has another tough task Monday against Lincoln of Stockton in the Martin Luther King Day St. Mary’s Showcase in Stockton.
Other intriguing matchups this week include:
▪ Valley Christian at Faith Christian, 6 p.m. Tuesday. A small school battle for first place in the Sacramento Metro Athletic League.
▪ No. 16 Monterey Trail at Laguna Creek, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in a battle for first place in the Delta League. MT is back in the Delta League via realignment.
▪ No. 5 Vanden at Sacramento, 6 p.m. Wednesday for first place in the Monticello Empire League. Vanden has dominated the league over the years, having won: 53 consecutive league games and posting undefeated MEL seasons 15 times in the last 20 seasons under co-coaches Allison and Jake Johnson, who recently won their 500th game with the school.
▪ No. 20 Marysville at No. 7 Colfax, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Marysville just beat a reigning section champ in Bear River. Can the Indians beat another in Colfax? Marysville stunned Colfax 38-37 last season, then used a 12-game winning streak to win another section and Northern California championship.
▪ No. 13 Grant at No. 2 McClatchy, 7 p.m. Friday in a marquee Metro League meeting that will include last season’s Bee Player of the Year Nina Cain battling inside against returning Bee All-Metro forward Asia Washington.
▪ Faith Christian at Sacramento Adventist, 6 p.m. Saturday in a rematch of last season’s Division VI Sac-Joaquin Section championship game at UC Davis, won by Sac Adventist.
THE BEE’S TOP 20
(Records entering Monday)
1. Folsom (12-2)
2. McClatchy (11-5)
3. Ponderosa (18-0)
4. Christian Brothers (10-5)
5. Vanden (10-7)
6. Antelope (11-5)
7. Colfax (10-6)
8. Oak Ridge (11-6)
9. Whitney (11-6)
10. Del Oro (11-6)
11. Inderkum (11-5)
12. Kennedy (12-2)
13. Grant (12-5)
14. St. Francis (8-8)
15. Liberty Ranch (12-2)
16. Monterey Trail (8-5)
17. Davis (9-8)
18. Rocklin (8-8)
19. Pleasant Grove (10-5)
20. Marysville (11-4)
Bubble: Bear River (8-6); Cosumnes Oaks (8-6); Faith Christian (12-2); Laguna Creek (10-6); Lincoln (12-4); Oakmont (12-4); Placer (13-4); Rio Linda (13-3); Sac Adventist (11-2); Sacramento (12-5); Sheldon (10-6); Sutter (10-7); Twelve Bridges (10-4); Valley Christian (11-3); West Campus (9-4); West Park (12-7); Woodcreek (8-9)