The Bee’s Top 20: Del Oro girls basketball undeterred despite district drama
The Del Oro High School girls basketball program has dealt with its share of adversity off the court this season in Placer County.
As reported by Jordan Georgeson of Gold Mountain California News Media, the Del Oro coaches who started this season on the bench claim that they were forced to resign from their positions in December, alleging overreach from Placer Unified High School District board trustee Tom Duncan, who has a daughter on the varsity team and is the president of the Junior Lady Eagles Basketball Club, Del Oro’s junior development program in Loomis.
During the school board meeting on Jan. 20, multiple Del Oro parents called for an independent investigation on whether Duncan abused his power as an elected official to influence coaching decisions and basketball operations at Del Oro, a decades-long powerhouse program.
Del Oro has had three different head coaches since the start of the 2022-23 season after having long-term stability with beloved leader Mike Takayama from 1987 to 2016 and Shawn Huckaby from 2016-22. Takayama won more than 600 games for the Golden Eagles before suffering a fatal heart attack in 2016. Huckaby then took over and posted a 119-50 record over six seasons.
The Golden Eagles have since employed Jennifer Judge, MJ Masys and Amir Farooq as head coaches. Judge and Masys led the Golden Eagles to playoff victories during their tenures.
Farooq was hired as the program’s new coach before the 2025–26 season but was forced to resign after a 7-1 start this season, according to Georgeson’s report. Tristan York has filled in as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.
Despite the outside noise, the Golden Eagles have steadily compiled a solid season: they’re 18-3 overall, 7-1 in the SFL, ranked fourth by The Sacramento Bee and hovering near the top of the uber-competitive Sierra Foothill League.
Juniors Madeline Poe, Frankie Steffes and Ellie Rivera are the team’s top scorers while seniors Aubrey Romani and Alyena Estrada round out the starting five. The Golden Eagles are 17-3 and 6-1 in the SFL entering the week with victories over Folsom, Chico, Inderkum and Granite Bay.
Around the SFL
No. 3 Oak Ridge continues to roll after big league victories last week against Del Oro and Folsom and then beating Granite Bay on Monday, 51-32.
The Trojans are 8-0 in the SFL behind the versatile play of senior Leah Harris and the leadership of first-year varsity coach Briana Dulgar. An Oak Ridge graduate, Dulgar was the longtime Oak Ridge junior varsity coach who has taken over the varsity program in place of 700-game winning coach Steve White, who remains with the program as an assistant coach.
Oak Ridge beat Folsom 54-44 on Friday night, and players celebrated the conquest of their rivals. Harris scored 15 of her 20 points in the third quarter.
Folsom, which reached the previous four consecutive CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship games with a stellar senior class, has remained competitive in the SFL. The Bulldogs are 14-5 overall and 6-2 in league play behind the leadership of seniors Racquel Mauch and Belle Marshall. Bulldog freshmen Jayden Hill and Mallory Goldsby also start for head coach Lynn Wolking.
Davis is 13-9 overall and 3-5 in the SFL behind skilled 5-foot-5 sophomore Lorelei Nachman, who averages more than 20 points per game. Seniors Sonia Clayton and Riley MacDonald add leadership for the Blue Devils.
Cardinals on the rise in the Delta League
Laguna Creek of the Elk Grove Unified School District has surged to the top of the Delta League after five straight wins over Elk Grove, Cosumnes Oaks, Monterey Trail, Pleasant Grove and Sheldon.
The Cardinals and coach Cody Norman seek their first league championship since 2022 behind scoring leader and sophomore Alyson Aguirre-Hernandez, who averages 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. Senior Jestine Tofi scores 11.4 points with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Challengers for the Delta League include Sheldon, which features a pair of sophomore leading scorers in Saniah Wiley (18.9 points and 6.1 rebounds) and Brooklin Kimmons (14.9 points and 6.8 rebounds); Cosumnes Oaks, with senior sharpshooter Caitlyn Subejano (17.5 points); Monterey Trail, with seniors Keilani Heringer, Alaziah Akinmurele and Dalis Blackshire; and Elk Grove, which features freshman sensation Mackenzie McEntee, who goes for 19.1 points and 7.0 steals per game.
Friedrich back for Sac Adventist
After what was initially feared to be a season-ending hip injury on Jan. 8, Sacramento Adventist’s leading scorer, junior Kyla Friedrich, returned to action during the team’s trip to Napa for the PUC Invitational.
With the Capitals down 25-17 in the semifinals against Hawaiian Mission Academy, Friedrich told head coach Scott Tedmon that she was ready to go. After not playing in the first half, Friedrich scored 18 points in the second and helped spur a 10-point victory to boost the Capitals into the championship game.
Friedrich started in the tournament final against Escondido Adventist and led the team with 17 points in a 57-51 defeat.
Senior Gwen Rosich held down the fort for Sac Adventist in her best friend Friedrich’s absence, notching three triple-doubles and surpassing the 1,000-point mark for her career. Rosich is closing in on 1,000 career rebounds.
The Bee’s Top 20
(Records entering Tuesday)
1. Christian Brothers (18-4)
2. Antelope (18-2)
3. Oak Ridge (14-6)
4. Del Oro (17-3)
5. Folsom (14-5)
6. Woodcreek (18-5)
7. Vanden (16-5)
8. Cosumnes Oaks (15-5)
9. Faith Christian (17-1)
10. Placer (21-2)
11. McClatchy (15-7)
12. Inderkum (14-9)
13. Grant (14-6)
14. Laguna Creek (16-6)
15. Sheldon (14-7)
16. Colfax (14-7)
17. Liberty Ranch (16-5)
18. Davis (13-8)
19. Granite Bay (11-10)
20. Woodland Christian (18-2)
Bubble teams: Elk Grove (13-8); John Adams (18-3); Lincoln (14-7); Monterey Trail (10-9); Sutter (14-7); Twelve Bridges (15-6); Union Mine (14-7); Valley Christian (16-4); West Campus (12-3), Whitney (11-10).
Nick Pecoraro is a longtime area high school sports journalist who has contributed to the Bee since 2021. He is a staff writer for MaxPreps.