Sacramento girls Top 20: Liberty Ranch’s star an achiever on the court and in the classroom

Haley Smith is not shy about posting her accolades on social media.

Her posts aren’t meant to be braggadocious, rather it is reflective of Smith enjoying the fruits of her labor as a record-setting basketball star for the Liberty Ranch Hawks of Galt. It’s not just the athletic achievements by the junior that turns heads, which are lofty enough on their own, but Smith likes to also post her academic prowess as well. And with a 4.5 grade-point average, why not?

Inspired by her mother Janet’s days as a student-athlete at Cal, Smith strives to be the best version of a student-athlete that she can be. Janet earned the Golden Bear award for having the highest GPA of all of the university’s student-athletes.

“That really inspired me to do well in my school,” Haley Smith said. “She’s always pushed me my hardest to do well in school and put the student first ahead of the athlete because I think that being a student is really important.”

Haley Smith is a bundle of positive energy and good vibes. Engaging, upbeat and unafraid of a good challenge.

The athletic portion of Smith’s resume has been remarkable as well. A multi-sport athlete at Liberty Ranch, she helped the Hawks girls volleyball team shatter the previous program record for wins in a season this past fall. Liberty Ranch went 35-6, reached its first CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship match and advanced to the Northern California semifinal. Smith has 823 career varsity kills in that sport.

In the spring, Smith swims the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. But it’s on the basketball court where she shines brightest as a 5-foot-10 shooting guard who can score and rebound. Entering this week, Smith is 14 points away from becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer. The previous leader, Selina Moore, had 1,399 points from 2010–13. Smith broke the school’s career rebounding record last year as a sophomore in earning first team Sacramento Bee All-Metro honors and keeps adding to her own total with nearly 700 and counting.

Smith is averaging 20.1 points and 8.1 rebounds.

“Haley has been relentless this year on both ends of the floor,” Liberty Ranch coach Josh Williams said. “Her freshman year, she wasn’t asked to do a lot. Last year, she had to play out of position as (point guard). This year, she has been able to thrive as our shooter. Her hustle and toughness haven’t gone unnoticed this year.”

Smith knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers en route to 26 points in a 61-39 win at Union Mine last week and followed up with 19 points in a 46-37 win against Amador to give Liberty Ranch 18 straight wins and counting.

“I’ve really been working on (the 3-point shot),” Smith said. “My mom and I have been tweaking it every single game. If I can do better, I’m always open to criticism when we get our shots in practice.”

Division I athletics runs in the family. Both of her parents played sports at Cal. Her mother played basketball and her father, Corey, played football for the Golden Bears of Berkeley. Her older brother, Cody, who starred on Liberty Ranch football and basketball teams, currently plays football at Ball State in Indiana. And her younger sister, Lacey, is going to be a freshman at Liberty Ranch next year, hoping to share varsity minutes with Haley as a senior.

Smith said she has received basketball scholarship recruiting interest from schools in the Big 10, Pac-12, Mountain West and West Coast conferences.

Liberty Ranch is four wins shy of breaking the school’s single-season win total, set last year when the Hawks went 23-6. The Hawks have not made it past the second round of the section playoffs since opening in 2009, but they aim to break down that barrier this season.

Smith’s teammates include junior center Madisyn Robbins (13.2 points, 6.9 rebounds), sophomore guard Kamrynn Blevins (11.3 points, 4.3 assists), senior guard Summer McCoy (6.6 rebounds and senior forward Kendall Duryee (2.7 assists).

Smith, the leader, also regularly acknowledges her teammates on social media.

“This team is very coachable,” Williams said. “We are a close group – like a family. Our team chemistry among players and coaches allows us to thrive.”

Del Oro heating up

At the end of 2024, Del Oro senior Bella Von Seipler had a declaration of how the Golden Eagles would perform in 2025.

“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people in league,” Von Seipler said after her team won the West Park Winter Classic in December. “I think we’re going to be dangerous come league.”

In an ultra-competitive Sierra Foothill League, which features Bee-ranked Folsom, Whitney, Oak Ridge and Davis, No. 6 Del Oro is catching fire at the right time. The Golden Eagles entered this week having won five straight SFL games, including wins over previously higher-ranked Oak Ridge and Whitney.

Del Oro’s average margin of victory during that span is 24 points. On Jan. 21, Del Oro beat Oak Ridge in El Dorado Hills, 54-42, followed by a 31-point win against Granite Bay, back-to-back 25-point wins against St. Francis and Whitney, and a 27-point win against Rocklin.

“They’ve got such an incredibly strong team bond with each other and they show up every single day for each other, play hard for each other and give 110%,” said Del Oro head coach MJ Masys. “My girls play hard and never quit.”

Von Seipler, who is committed to the University of San Diego, and senior Payton Hyde, who is committed to play soccer at Eastern Washington, lead the charge for Del Oro, which travels to Folsom on Tuesday.

Chambers earns 500th career win

With a 57-33 Metro League win at West Park in Roseville last week, Antelope coach Sean Chambers reached a new milestone: He earned his 500th career high school girls varsity basketball victory. The latest win adds to a stellar basketball resume that stemmed from graduating from Highlands in 1983, when he was a star on a 33-1 team that stormed to a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship as a rim-attacking marvel.

After playing at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Chambers played professionally in the Philippines and is considered one of the greatest players in the country’s history after winning more championships than any other American. He is so beloved in that country that people sometimes recognize Chambers in California, and stop him to talk shop. Chambers is an assistant coach on the Filipino national team, finding time to travel to coach when his Antelope girls are out of season.

Chambers coached the Highlands girls, jump-starting a program that was in decline, before founding the Antelope program in 2008. He’s approaching 350 with the Titans, who won section titles in 2018 and 2020. Antelope enters this week as the Bee’s No. 4 team.

200 wins for coach Grant’s Coach M

Grant’s greatness over the decades in sports has often been rooted in players who were the next in a long line of family to wear Pacers colors, and that includes players who become coaches.

Meshal McCauley on Friday night during a home Metro League game in Del Paso Heights against Kennedy acknowledged the 1990 Grant graduate for winning her 200th career game, and, really, for injecting new life into a program that was once one of the state’s best.

McCauley’s father, Merlin McCauley, lettered in four sports at Grant, graduating in 1963, and her sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles are all Grant graduates. McCauley played four years of varsity basketball for the Pacers, appearing in three CIF state championship games, winning Division II crowns for coach Connie Zuercher in 1988 and 1989.

Before McCauley arrived at Grant, following a successful stint at nearby Foothill High, the Pacers had won two, four and two games, and they were riding a 46-game league losing streak. She is in her seventh season with Grant, where she is a teacher, and the Pacer are a talented and active team with a 16-7 record entering this week following a 53-49 victory over Kennedy.

Big matchups this week

▪ No. 3 Christian Brothers at No. 10 Ponderosa, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Falcons handed the Bruins their first loss of the season on Jan. 13. Ponderosa will be eager to return the favor at home in Shingle Springs. The Falcons and Bruins are the top-ranked Division II and III teams, respectively, according to the latest MaxPreps computer rankings.

▪ No. 6 Del Oro at No. 1 Folsom, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Golden Eagles look to keep their current hot streak going against the top team in The Bee rankings. Bella Von Seipler leads Del Oro against Ava Rawlins, Sophia Mindermann and the rest of the Bulldogs.

▪ Sacramento at No. 5 Vanden, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Vanden, featuring Calonni Holloway and LaMiracle Lebon, holds a two-game lead in the Monticello Empire League standings. But La Ne Dunn and the Dragons are a team who could shake things up in the MEL.

▪ Fairfield at No. 20 West Campus, 6 p.m. Wednesday. This matchup could determine the Greater Sacramento League championship. The Warriors are led by Naomi Johnson, Loismary Justice and Esabel Otsuji while the Falcons are anchored by Natalie Chavez and Alaisha Mathis.

▪ No. 8 Colfax at No. 18 Marysville, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Kaia Diederichs and Juliette James lead the Falcons into Marysville to take on Demi Boykin, Abigail Pietz and the Indians in a Pioneer Valley League contest. Marysville edged Colfax last season as the teams split the league series.

▪ Sacramento Adventist Academy at Faith Christian, 6 p.m. Thursday. The Capitals, under newly appointed interim head coach Scott Tedmon head north to take on the section’s leading scorer, Lauren Harris, and the Lions. Sac Adventist beat Faith in last year’s Division VI section championship, but the Lions bounced back to beat the Capitals by 17 on Jan. 18.

▪ Placer at Twelve Bridges, 7:30 p.m. Thursday. There are big implications in the Foothill Valley League. Only one game separates the Hillgals, the Rhinos and the Roseville Tigers.

▪ No. 11 Grant at No. 4 Antelope, 7 p.m. Friday. There’s no shortage of strong matchups in the Metro League. McDonald’s All-American nominee Jalaysia Clements and the Pacers look to topple freshman phenom Londyn Odom and the Titans in a battle between head coaches who have more than 700 career coaching wins between them.

▪ No. 19 Rio Linda at Sutter, 7 p.m. Friday. This could be for the Golden Empire League title. The Knights feature junior scorer Laray Mitchell and the Huskies have Torrence Harter, who recently posted a quintuple-double.

The Bee’S Top 20

(Records entering Monday)

1. Folsom (19-3)

2. McClatchy (18-5)

3. Christian Brothers (19-6)

4. Antelope (16-7)

5. Vanden (16-8)

6. Del Oro (16-8)

7. Oak Ridge (16-8)

8. Colfax (16-6)

9. Inderkum (17-7)

10. Ponderosa (22-2)

11. Grant (16-7)

12. Kennedy (14-5)

13. Liberty Ranch (20-2)

14. Davis (14-10)

15. Monterey Trail (14-5)

16. St. Francis (10-14)

17. Whitney (13-11)

18. Marysville (17-6)

19. Rio Linda (20-3)

20. West Campus (16-4)

Bubble: Bear River (15-7); Fairfield (15-7); Faith Christian (20-2); Laguna Creek (15-8); Placer (18-5); Pleasant Grove (14-7); Sac Adventist (17-4); Sacramento (17-7); Sutter (15-8); Twelve Bridges (15-6); Valley Christian (15-5); Woodcreek (12-12); Woodland Christian (18-5)