St. Mary’s of Stockton tops McClatchy, earning record 23rd CIF section title
The McClatchy Lions came in as the defending champion, battle-tested and prepared, so this stage and moment were not too big for them.
But the opponent was too good, too tall, too fierce and too storied, and there were the girls of St. Mary’s celebrating another achievement on Saturday night. Leading by 5 at the half, the Rams of Stockton pulled away in the final two quarters with stout defense and balanced scoring to post a 65-47 victory on Saturday night to win the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I banner at Golden 1 Center.
This is old hat for the Rams. They now have a remarkable 23 section championships, far and away the most for a girls program in this section, the second-largest of the 10 dotted across the state. The trophy case includes 10 Division I titles to go with a number of Division II and III crowns.
This run of success includes eight consecutive D-I banners from 2013-20. The last before this one was in 2024. McClatchy beat St. Mary’s a year ago in a D-I semifinal and then topped Folsom for the banner in the program’s fifth title appearance. St. Mary’s this season remains unbeaten in section play and is 25-2 overall with a 14-game winning streak.
McClatchy gave St. Mary’s a game in the first half, because of course the Lions did. They compete, a reflection on coach Jessica Kunisaki and right-hand assistants Jeff Ota, Jackie Wada and Angela DaPrato. St. Mary’s coach Alle Moreno and Kunisaki embraced after the game, both one-time star hoopers at the schools they now coach.
“Hat’s off to McClatchy — they gave us a heck of a run,” said Moreno, the sixth-year Rams coach who set 3-point and steals records at Sacramento State in 2012 and 2013. “Jessica does a great job. Here’s a stat: When’s the last time two female coaches were coaching in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I section championship?”
The answer: This was the first time that has happened in the 51-year history of the section tournament. Moreno said she didn’t expect to coach high school ball when she was winning championships as a Rams player under coach Tom Gonsalves, who as a prep coach went 579-69 with 13 consecutive section banners and seven CIF State crowns.
“I had a great college coaching staff at Sac State, and they inspired me to coach,” Moreno said. “They were very endearing. These girls here know I’m hard on how they present themselves at school — everything. It’s more than just basketball, and that’s why I got into this.”
Moreno said the theme hasn’t changed over the decades at St. Mary’s, and that’s to “chase greatness.” The Rams have reserves who started for Division I Northern California playoff teams before their move to Stockton. But no one complains.
The Rams have a senior post force in Evelini Smith, who had 7 points, and they have two freshman stars who expect to keep the program rolling in the coming seasons. Aynya Hardy, a 5-foot-7 guard, had 21 points, eight steals and five rebounds; and 6-1 freshman guard Dylan Horton had 18 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Kori Rogers, a 5-9 junior guard, also impressed, and she beamed with pride afterward in soaking in her return to action. She missed all of last season with a knee injury and had 12 points, six rebounds and four steals.
“It’s so good to be back,” she said.
McClatchy got here on the strength of playoff wins over Sierra Foothill League titans Folsom and Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills.
St. Mary’s came in having rolled playoff opponents by an average of 60 points, but McClatchy gave the Rams their toughest tussle since the team lost its only games amid a national schedule, falling 67-58 to Cal-Hi Sports No. 5-ranked Sage Hill of Newport Beach and 61-54 to Etiwanda of San Bernardino County. The latter is 30-2, ranked fourth by Cal-Hi and is the two-time defending CIF State Open Division champion. St. Mary’s is ranked sixth by Cal-Hi in the state.
St. Mary’s will be in the NorCal Open playoffs, and McClatchy will either be back in the Open like last season or in Division I as a high seed.
Freshman guard London Lee scored 17 points for McClatchy, and senior guard/forward Daisy Throckmorton had 19 points and eight rebounds.
This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 9:25 PM.