The Bee’s Top 20: No. 1-ranked Sheldon hosts No. 2 Franklin on night of showdowns
What a week to fire up the high school boys basketball league races across the greater Sacramento region.
The headliner on the menu will be Wednesday’s showdown between rivals within the Elk Grove Unified School District. The Sacramento Bee top-ranked Sheldon Huskies host the No. 2 Franklin Wildcats in a meeting of clubs who are a combined 35-4 with no losses within the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.
Sheldon is riding a nine-game winning streak under longtime coach Joey Rollings, and Franklin is rolling with a 13-game winning streak under longtime coach Ken Manfredi. Something has to give, since ties are not allowed in this sport.
Sheldon is paced by 6-foot-5 junior guard Baron Sabir, who is averaging 24.3 points and scorched Monterey Trail for a season-high 41 last week in an 80-59 victory. Franklin is led by 6-2 senior guard Aiden Rollins, who is averaging better than 20 points and is the program’s all-time career scorer (the school opened in 2002).
“Franklin is really, really good, and it should be a great game,” Rollings said.
Said Sabir, “We’re excited about it. Rollins is a great player.”
Said Manfredi, “We are looking forward to the opportinity to compete. Our guys have worked hard - summer, fall, winter - to prepare for big games, and we expect nothing less than a fiercely competitive Delta League game. Should be must-watch high school action.”
Sheldon and Franklin will have a rematch Feb. 6 at Franklin. There could be another meeting in the section Division I playoffs that start next month. These two programs are D-I section title contenders along with defending champion Folsom, Modesto Christian, Lincoln of Stockton, Vanden, McClatchy and Inderkum, among others.
Other Wednesday showdowns
Folsom vs. Jesuit: This Sierra Foothill League clash pits the visiting No. 3-ranked Bulldogs and the No. 4 Marauders, who are unbeaten against section competition in what should be a nifty chess match among two of the section’s top coaches in Folsom’s Mike Wall and Jesuit’s Tim Kelly.
Folsom is paced by Idaho State-bound senior guard/wing Joven Dulay, senior grinder guard Jack Shull and sophomore guard star Parks Weaver. Jesuit is paced by guards Brandon Williams and Maison Phillips, forward Sahib Randawa and senior wing Jack Walker.
Grant at McClatchy: The Metro League race may go down to the wire with these two programs in the thick of it. No. 16 Grant has section championship pedigree, including blue banners from 2020 and 2022 under coach Deonard Wilson, who still leads the Pacers, while McClatchy is working itself back into any championship conversation.
Grant is 12-6 amid a brutal early schedule that includes a victory over Folsom. The Pacers are led by guards Cobe James (20.4 points per game) and Andre Gomez, a fourth-year varsity starter who is averaging 18.1 points.
McClatchy of the Sacramento City Unified School District last won a section crown in 1993 under famed coach Harvey Tahara, whose name is painted on the Lions gym floor. McClatchy, ranked fifth by The Bee, is off to its best start since 1993 at 16-3 with a 10-game winning streak under spirited coach Tony Vaughn and leading scorers Kai Bradford, Jordan Boyce and PJ Parker.
Destiny Christian at Antelope: This is another Metro League banger in one of the deepest leagues in the section. No. 11 DCA’s lone Sacramento-area loss is 74-56 to Sheldon in a holiday tournament. The Lions of Sacramento are 13-6 and are paced by senior team captains Frederick Blue III, Mohamed Kamara and Myles Wiggins and coach Rich Sondhi.
No. 12 Antelope is 16-4 with local losses to Inderkum (54-53), Placer (67-54) and Grant (66-59). Coach Mike Dresser’s team is paced by 3-point shooting ace Malichai Brown, averaging just under 21 points. He had 10 3-pointers in a game this season, a school record.
Natomas at Casa Roble: A year ago, these teams tied for the Golden Empire League championship, and it may happen again if the teams split in their showdowns. Casa Roble of Orangevale last season won its first section crown in school history, dating back to when it opened in the San Juan Unified School District in 1966.
The Rams are led by senior guard and captain Tariq Lofton and fellow captains Mateo Velasquez and Ace Villegas. Natomas has a dynamic guard lineup with Manno Jenkins, who leads the team in scoring at 18.5 points, with Aeron Wallace and Alfred Wilkins also playing well. Freshman forward Marcus Harris is averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Colfax at Oakmont: The Pioneer Valley League includes these title contenders as the Colfax Falcons take their 16-3 record into Roseville to face the 18-1 Oakmont Vikings. Colfax last lost to Rio Americano (76-65) and Placer (79-57) in the Kendall Arnett Tournament in Auburn, and alumni coach Devin Ginty has the Falcons riding a 5-game winning streak.
Oakmont is paced by Aldin Bubic, who is averaging 20.0 points, Jayden Washington (14.9), Daiveon Parker (9.9) and top rebounder Jayden Washington.
Oakmont’s unbeaten start ends
The Pioneer Valley League last Friday included a storied program knocking off a team that was off to its best start in nearly 30 years.
The Marysville Indians rallied to topple Oakmont, 59-54, to seize first place in the PVL and to knock the Vikings from the ranks of the unbeatens. Oakmont came in at 18-0, the program’s best start since winning the 1994 CIF Northern California Division II championship under coach Gary Donnell.
Jordan Witt scored 17 points, Steven Martin 15 and Davi Perez 13 for Marysville, which moved to 14-4 overall and 5-0 in league play under coach Stan Easter. Aldin Bubic scored a game-high 19 points for Oakmont, which is 18-1 and 4-1 under Nathan Stephens, who knows the Marysville campus well as a former assistant coach at junior college state powerhouse Yuba College.
Mathias eclipses 1,000 for Roseville
Mathias Howard is a 6-foot-5 team captain for the Roseville Tigers, a 4.16 GPA student with the aim to study engineering at a University of California school. He hails from a family of engineers, only this Mathias is the best athlete of the lot.
Last week, he eclipsed the 1,000-point career mark, the first for Roseville in more than 20 years. It’s likely that teammates JJ Yong and Tyler Ritter will also hit the 1,000-point plateau for the Tigers. Howard was on the Roseville water polo team that won a CIF section crown in the fall, and he also plays volleyball.
The Bee’s Top 20
(Records entering Tuesday)
1. Sheldon (17-3)
2. Franklin (18-1)
3. Folsom (14-5)
4. Jesuit (12-6)
5. McClatchy (16-3)
6. Inderkum (13-5)
7. Sacramento (11-7)
8. Woodcreek (13-7)
9. Placer (18-2)
10. Vanden (12-5)
11. Destiny Christian (13-6)
12. Antelope (16-4)
13. Christian Brothers (12-7)
14. Monterey Trail (9-9)
15. Natomas (10-8)
16. Grant (12-5)
17. Whitney (14-5)
18.Casa Roble (14-4)
19. Del Oro (10-8)
20. Colfax (16-3)
Bubble: Oak Ridge (12-7); Rio Americano (12-6); Twelve Bridges (16-4); Marysville (14-4); Oakmont (18-1); Granite Bay (8-11); Rocklin (10-9).
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 1:31 PM.