Bee’s Top 20 high school basketball teams: Final week underway before boys, girls playoffs
The regular season ends for high school basketball in the Sacramento region this week with some league races coming down to the wire and an army of teams capable of making a deep postseason run.
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for Divisions I through VI start Feb. 17 for girls and Feb. 18 for boys at home sites.
Golden 1 Center will host the championship games Feb. 27-28. The CIF Northern California playoffs start March 4 with home teams hosting title games on March 11.
The CIF State finals are March 14-15 at Golden 1.
The Division I section race for boys is as wide open and deep as the area has seen in years. Modesto Christian is the two-time defending large-school section champion, but the Crusaders have some serious challengers from several teams.
▪ Sacramento Bee-ranked No. 1 Inderkum, winner of 18 consecutive games with strong guard and big-man play that remains unbeaten in section play and 24-1 overall. The Tigers are led by guard Siincere Hudson and a lineup of leapers and defenders.
▪ No. 2 Sheldon has won 10 straight entering the week, thanks to superb defense and balance, headed by seniors Sebastian James, Chadwick Johnson and Zion Johnson. The Huskies are battling Monterey Trail for the Delta League crown.
▪ No. 3 Monterey Trail, which seeks its first Delta crown after winning the Metro League last season behind strong guard play from seniors Rashawn Inglemon and Derron White and freshman big Devaughn Dorrough.
▪ No. 4 Folsom, led by senior guard Chase Rawlins and junior forward Joven Dulay and a team that plays stout defense in battling Jesuit and Rocklin for the Sierra Foothill League crown.
▪ Also in the mix: Franklin of Elk Grove and star junior guard Aiden Rollins; and Vanden, a powerhouse in Division II and III and now elevated to D-I under coach Michael Holloway.
Division II scramble
The D-II playoff bracket also figures to be deep and stout with games this week sure to decide a seeding or two.
▪ Rocklin and Jesuit of the SFL, Destiny Christian of the Metro League and Woodcreek of the Capital Valley Conference are all contenders, all superbly coached and all led by a star player.
▪ No. 5 Rocklin is powered by Sacramento State-bound forward Mark Lavrenov and a lineup of guards that helped split league games with Folsom and is riding an eight-game winning streak.
▪ No. 7 Destiny is powered by senior guard Jaylen Valdez and forwards Myles Wiggins, Jephte Tambala and Mohamed Kamara in running away with the Metro League.
▪ No. 6 Jesuit is paced by 6-foot-5 senior guard Asher Schroeder and 6-6 forward Amaury McKinney, whose driving scoop-shot layup late beat Oak Ridge on Friday, 52-50. Jesuit hosts Folsom on Wednesday with league implications on the line.
▪ No. 14 Sacramento won the last two section D-III crowns and moves up to D-II as part of the section’s “sustained-success” model, and remains dangerous with 2024 Bee Medium School Player of the Year Sir Marius Jones back for more. Vanden has clinched at least a share of the Monticello Empire League with Sacramento two games back.
Division III race
Placer had its 16-game winning streak halted by Twelve Bridges of Lincoln on Monday night, deepening this bracket a bit, though the Foothill Valley League champions are still a favorite at 23-3 overall in aiming to become the program’s winningest team since the D-I powerhouse Hillmen of 1972. Placer guards Emmett Rose and Kannon Rector lead the way in scoring, combining for nearly 40 points a game.
Christian Brothers reached the D-III section finals last season and returns a wealth of talent, headed by senior wing Stephan Hewitt. Twelve Bridges impressed against Placer with perhaps the program’s biggest regular-season victory as a newer school. The Raging Rhinos have size and skill in the 6-foot-7 Jonah Gilchrist, the 6-foot-5 Jaden High and the 6-foot-3 Connor Flaherty, who quarterbacked the school’s football team to a CIF state final.
Roseville uprising
A dark horse in the D-III playoffs could well be the Roseville Tigers, a team with a cast of contributors and fine students who also dabble in academic decathlons under coach Bobby Ritter. The team sports a 3.73 GPA.
Roseville entering this week is in third place in the Foothill Valley League at 17-10 overall and 8-3 in league, trailing front-runners Placer and Twelve Bridges. Football receiver star Oreste Yong leads Roseville in scoring at 16.8 points and in rebounding at 9.7. Ren Marsh is averaging 14.6 points, and ever steady Mathias Howard is contributing 13.4 points to go with 5.4 rebounds.
Tyler Ritter, the coach’s son, is pulling down 5.3 rebounds and leads the club with 3.8 assists a game. Another football player of note adding some punch in hoops is D’Marcis Gresham.
Roseville is big on multi-sporting with 12 players on the roster competing in other sports, including Howard, a junior who has played varsity volleyball, water polo and three years of basketball. He is a team captain. He and teammates Preston Bick, Quincy Anderson and Gabe Jesudasan are all on the academic decathlon team.
“I definitely think we have a good shot at making a strong playoff run,” Coach Ritter said. “Our theme has been focus on improving, rather than worrying about individual games or trying to prove ourselves to others. Our players are mentally tough and generally show strong composure and confidence in close games.”
He added, “Yong has been exceptional for us. Mathias Howard is a three-level scorer and is really hitting his stride. Ren Marsh is by far our best perimeter threat and one of the best shooters in the region. Tyler Ritter leads us in steals and assist and is second in rebounding despite being only 6-1, and he’s our best all around defender.”
Girls league races
No. 13 Monterey Trail has secured at least a share of the Delta League at 10-0 with two games remaining. At 8-2, Pleasant Grove has an outside shot of sharing the league crown.
It would take an Eagles win on Wednesday at Monterey Trail and a Mustangs loss in the season finale for that to happen. Pleasant Grove junior Kate Myers is one of the top scorers in the section at 20.6 points per game. Monterey Trail is senior heavy with Aniya Whipper, Sydney and Alia Wilson leading the charge.
Sierra Foothill League
Bee No. 1 Folsom is unbeaten at 12-0 and appears ready to clinch another league crown. However, a Folsom loss against St. Francis and an Oak Ridge win at Del Oro on Wednesday could set up a regular-season finale between the Bulldogs and Trojans for a share of the SFL banner on Friday in Folsom.
Foothill Valley League
This race is still open. Placer leads the charge at 9-1 with games against Yuba City and River Valley remaining. If the Hillgals lose out, it opens the door for River Valley of Yuba City and Roseville to claim a three-way tie for the FVL title.
Sierra Valley Conference
With 21 straight wins, the streaking No. 12 Liberty Ranch Hawks of Galt have the inside track on the SVC crown. Two wins this week would assure the Hawks the outright title, but Union Mine has kept pace at 10-2 entering Monday. The Diamondbacks finish with Galt on Tuesday and El Dorado on Thursday.
Central Valley California League
In a D-VI league, Sacramento Waldorf enters the week at 10-0 and has a Tuesday night matchup at Futures before a season finale showdown Thursday at 10-1 Forest Lake Christian in Lake of the Pines.
The Waves of Fair Oaks are led by seniors Aubrey Payne and Zoe Malena, while the Falcons feature junior Jordan Bell and sophomore Kenzie Harrington, who averages a double-double.
▪ Selection show: Joe Davidson of The Sacramento Bee and Quinton Hamilton of The Modesto Bee will join Will DeBoard of the section office on Saturday to release and breakdown the girls and boys basketball playoff brackets, starting at 1:30 p.m.
It is free to view the show on the NFHS Network, which can be found on the section site at cifsjs.org
The Bee’s Top 20: Boys basketball
(Records entering Tuesday)
1. Inderkum (24-1)
2. Sheldon (16-9)
3. Monterey Trail (21-5)
4. Folsom (22-3)
5. Rocklin (18-8)
6. Jesuit (18-7)
7. Destiny Christian (15-11)
8. Franklin (21-5)
9. Woodcreek (21-6)
10. Christian Bros (21-6)
11. Vanden (19-8)
12. Natomas (20-6)
13. Placer (23-3)
14. Sacramento (15-11)
15. Rio Americano (17-9)
16. Oak Ridge (16-8)
17. Grant (17-9)
18. Antelope (18-8)
19. Casa Roble (22-4)
20. Twelve Bridges (20-6)
Bubble: Burbank (18-8), Elk Grove (17-9), Fairfield (17-6), Fortune (17-7), Futures (17-10), Lincoln (20-6), Marysville (19-7), Roseville (16-10), Sacramento Waldorf (23-2), Union Mine (13-13), West Campus (15-9), Western Sierra (16-8), Whitney (16-10), Woodland Christian (20-5).
The Bee’s Top 20 girls basketball
(Records entering Tuesday)
1. Folsom (21-3)
2. McClatchy (19-6)
3. Christian Brothers (21-6)
4. Antelope (18-8)
5. Vanden (18-9)
6. Oak Ridge (18-8)
7. Del Oro (17-9)
8. Colfax (20-6)
9. Inderkum (19-7)
10. Ponderosa (23-3)
11. Grant (17-8)
12. Liberty Ranch (23-2)
13. Monterey Trail (17-5)
14. Kennedy (14-5)
15. Rio Linda (23-3)
16. Davis (15-11)
17. St. Francis (11-15)
18. Whitney (13-13)
19. Marysville (19-7)
20. West Campus (20-4)
Bubble: Bear River (17-8); Faith Christian (22-2); Laguna Creek (16-10); Placer (19-5); Pleasant Grove (17-7); Sac Adventist (18-5); Sacramento (18-8); Twelve Bridges (15-8); Valley Christian (16-5); Woodland Christian (21-5).
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 12:47 PM.