One of state's winningest girls hoop coaches resigns at Sacred Heart Cathedral, which in 2008 had the No. 1 team in the nation. He leaves just three wins shy of 600th milestone victory.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

After 28 years, the last 19 at San Francisco's Sacred Heart Cathedral, California girls basketball coaching legend Brian Harrigan has decided to change gears. He announced on Tuesday he would be resigning his post at Sacred Heart Cathedral, but told CalHiSports.com on Wednesday that he could return to coaching at a later date.

"A lot of people don't realize or forget how long it's been,” said Harrigan, who began his career in 1981 as a 23-year-old girls coach at the old St. Rose Academy in San Francisco.

What a lot of people also don't realize is if St. Rose had not been forced to close after suffering irreparable damage in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake that also halted the Bay Bridge World Series, the affable Harrigan may never have landed a mile west at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

He did, and the rest is history.

Harrigan leaves behind a legacy of four CIF state championship teams, six Northern Regional titles, 10 consecutive Central Coast Section crowns, and a 597-174 record for the 2006 State Coach of the Year, and the 2009 National High School Coaches Association Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. His 2008 team was also named State Team of the Year.

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Last prep basketball outings for Will Cherry and Tierra Rogers in Battle of the Best Showdowns on Saturday are sensational. Numerous top underclass players also shine in event that pitted North vs. South and Sac vs. Bay in boys & girls all-star games.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

There was both a men's Big Sky and women's Pac-10 coach whose incoming freshmen shone brightly last weekend at Laney College in Oakland.

The event was the Battle of the Best Showdown North vs. South and Sac vs. Bay put on by affable Piedmont girls coach Bryan Gardere.

Standing next to his car prior to the event, dressed neatly but casually, wearing a backpack and talking on his cell phone, Will Cherry looked like just another student arriving for a weekend class at Laney.

The difference between the former ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Boys State Athlete of the Week and other young men at Laney that day was Cherry wasn't there to take classes, he was there to give lessons.

In his last high school game, and on what is almost his home away from home, having played on four straight OAL (Oakland Section) teams that won championships on the floor, Cherry soared and the crowd roared, as he led the North and the Bay to 115-99 and 109-103 victories over the South and Sac teams, respectively.

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The top statewide honor for football-basketball dual-sport prowess goes to L.A. Jordan's James Boyd, but it wasn't an easy selection and he should get to know the runner-up very well in college. We have a first team of five athletes, then a second team, a third team and 18 who made the cut for fourth team special mention.

Note: All selections based on performances during 2008 football season and 2008-09 basketball season. For the ESPN RISE Grid-Hoop All-Americans, please follow the links on the ESPN RISE main index. Each of our previous Grid-Hoop all-state teams also are included in the latest printed edition of the CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac. Get your copy today by calling 1-800-660-1334, ext. 4431 or click here. if you love the content on our site, you'll love the book, so order your copy today.

First Team

James Boyd (Jordan, Los Angeles)
In a close call over Kevin Greene of S.F. Sacred Heart Cathedral, Boyd would be the 2009 Grid-Hoop State Player of the Year. Last week, he was the only Californian to be named an ESPN RISE Grid-Hoop First-Team All-American after dominating on both sides of the football field and averaging over 20 points and 20 rebounds per game on the court. Boyd had a season high 575 yards passing with eight touchdowns in a win over South Gate as he passed for 4,266 yards and 44 touchdowns on the year. Not taking time off while on defense, the 6-5, 225-pounder also led the team in sacks with 14. Boyd averaged 26 points and reportedly led the state in rebounding with 22 per game. He was an all-state selection in both sports and will head to play football at USC where he will team up with fellow grid-hooper Kevin Greene to make a fierce defensive end tandem.

Jamaal Franklin (Serrano, Phelan)
He's out there in the desert, but Jamaal's accomplishments in both sports have not gone unnoticed. In basketball, he easily earned Division II All-State honors in as he averaged 31.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, and three assists per game and will head to San Diego State to continue his basketball career. In football, Franklin, a 6-5, 180-pounder, shined on defense with over 100 tackles and was known for his hard hits from the safety position. He also had 30 receptions and eight touchdowns on offense. At San Diego State, Franklin will be joined by Cal Hi Sports Mr. Basketball Kawhi Leonard and Chase Tapley from Sacramento, which makes the Aztecs an interesting team to see how they develop in the years to come.

Kevin Greene (Sacred Heart Cathedral, S.F.)
Despite looking like he's played football all his life, he finished a two-year reign of terror against opposition quarterbacks with a reported 28-sack senior season after 22 sacks his junior season, which was his first. In basketball, Greene set a Division III state championship game record with 20 rebounds as the Irish picked up a 62-55 victory over Ocean View for their first state title, wrapping up a four-year varsity run with Division III all-state honors. The 6-4, 235-pounder is headed to play football for Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans but would like to play basketball for the Trojans if they allow him. He was named last week to the ESPN RISE Grid-Hoop Second-Team All-American.

Allan Huddleston (Merced)
On the court or football field, Huddleston was someone who wanted the ball in his hands, as he played quarterback and was second in the state in scoring on the basketball court. He passed for 1,391 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 423 yards and six touchdowns as the Bears won nine in a row before losing to St. Mary's of Stockton in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals. In basketball, the 6-1, 175-pounder averaged 31.5 points per game and almost single-handedly carried the Bears through the playoffs despite being double and triple-teamed at times. He scored a season-high 50 points against UCLA-bound Reeves Nelson and Modesto Christian and will be staying somewhat local for college as he heads to the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

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California six help McDonald's All-American West team to an upset 69-68 victory in Miami on Wednesday night. On the boys side, Golden State contingent doesn't fare as well with the East club pulling out a 113-110 victory.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

The state of California had six representatives in the eighth annual McDonald's All-American girls team and they proved on Wednesday night that they all belonged, and then some, as each helped the West unit pull out an exciting 69-68 victory over the East club.

The game could have went to overtime after Kelly Faris (Heritage Christian/Plainfield, Ind.) was fouled on a three-point attempt with her team trailing, 69-66, with two seconds remaining. She canned her first two attempts only to miss the third one.

The West club was the underdog, as it didn't have much size because of the absence YouTube dunking sensation Brittney Griner (Nimitz/Houston), but they competed hard and won the battle of the boards, 64-54.

The performance of Tierra Rogers (Sacred Heart Cathedral/San Francisco) typified the determined attitude of the West club. Despite her slender 5-foot-11 frame, the Fightin' Irish standout grabbed eight rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and finished with four points.

When she was selected for the game, it truly was a blessing for Rogers, not only because of the family tragedy she's had to endure over the last year, but because SHC teammate Ki-Shawna "KiKi" Moore easily could have been chosen to the team in her place. In fact, at least two other California girls players could have been selected, especially Layshia Clarendon (Cajon/San Bernardino), who might have been the nation's biggest snub on the girls side.

Gennifer Brandon (Chatsworth) displayed her toughness on the boards all week long and actually scored the game's clinching points on a lay-up. She finished with 10 points, one of five players in double figures for the West team. Danesha Stallworth (Pinole Valley/Pinole) showed a national audience why she might be one of the nation's most under appreciated recruits. She was one of
three players to score a team-high 11 points. She will join Brandon, Clarendon, Rogers and Eliza Pierre (Muir/Pasadena) at the University of California in the fall.

Pierre also showed she belonged by dishing out a game-high five assists and coming up with a game-high four steals. Not to be outdone, USC recruit Christina Marinacci (Foothill/Tustin) displayed a great all-around game, also scoring team-high 11 points and canning three of five three-pointers.

Monique Oliver (Poly/Long Beach) contributed four points and six rebounds, but made only two of 13 field goal attempts.

On the boys side, the California four in Coral Gables for the McDonalds festivities didn't fare as well. To make matters worse, the West boys lost the game 113-110 after a last-ditch three-point attempt by Mason Plumlee (Christ School/Winona Lake, Ind.) was off-target.

EA SPORTS National Player of the Year candidate Derrick Favors (South Atlanta, Ga.) scored the last four points of the game as his team trailed 110-109 following a three-pointer by the West's Xavier Henry (Putnam City/Oklahoma City). Both of Favor' baskets were thunderous two-handed dunks.

The California Class of 2009 on the boys side is considered average in comparison to recent classes and it showed on Wednesday night.

Twin brothers David and Travis Wear (Mater Dei/Santa Ana) combined for six points, all of them scored by Travis. Renardo Sidney (Fairfax/Los Angeles), who was considered the best national prospect in this class as a 10th-grader at Artesia of Lakewood, floated on the perimeter most of the time and finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Michael Snaer (Rancho Verde/Moreno Valley) played with passion all week long and it paid off during the game. He scored 13 points, on six of nine shooting, including a few acrobatic moves around the rim. Florida State looks like they went out West and found itself a gem.

For more in-depth coverage of the 2009 boys and girls McDonalds All-American game, please visit the ESPNRISE.com home page.

On-site wrapups, comments, instant analysis from the CIF boys championship games on Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Editor's Note: Stories written by Executive Editor Mark Tennis (Division I) and Senior Editor Ronnie Flores (Division III & Division IV).

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Will Mack make it two in a row or will Westchester go to 5-0 in this week's CIF Division I title game? Others with a chance to win for at least the second time include Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bishop Montgomery and St. Joseph of Alameda.

Editor's Note: Senior editor Ronnie Flores wrote the Division I preview, executive editor Mark Tennis wrote Division II and Division III, correspondent Steve Brand wrote Division IV and correspondent Harold Abend wrote Division V.

Division I Boys

McClymonds (Oakland) 29-1 vs. Westchester (Los Angeles) 34-2, Saturday, 8 p.m.

It comes down to the final seconds again for Stockton team and Sacred Heart Cathedral. This time, though, game-winning shot falls. Other NorCal winners include McClymonds boys (third straight D1 title), Monte Vista of Danville girls, Rocklin boys, Carondelet girls and Sacred Heart Cathedral boys.

By Harold Abend & Mark Tennis

The score was tied 60-60 with 18 seconds left in a battle between nationally-ranked rivals that once again lived up to pregame  hype.

The play was designed for St. Mary's of Stockton's Chelsea Gray to go one-on-one with Sacred Heart Cathedral's KiKi Moore, and if she couldn't penetrate she would kick it out to one of the shooters on the perimeter.

Gray waited until there were about six seconds remaining before she made her move.

First, she faked left, then right, then turned back left again, and with a spinning move she got past Moore and with Kamilah Jackson's hand in her face she flipped the ball up and after bouncing twice on the rim it dropped in with 2.5 seconds left for the winning basket.

Before the Irish could call a timeout, the horn sounded and St. Mary's avenged last year's last-second loss on missed layup by Afure Jemerigbe with a heart-stopping 62-60 victory and will return to ARCO next weekend to play in the Division III state championship.

"I dreamt about making the game-winning shot many times,” said Gray, who is generally regarded as one of the top junior guards in the country.

"When it left my hand I was saying to myself, just go in, please,” said the 5-11 Gray, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
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"My heart almost stopped when Chelsea took the shot,” said Jemerigbe, who despite still showing the effects of a preseason injury finished with 20 points, seven steals, five rebounds, three assists and played excellent defense.(Read full post)

Colony of Ontario girls post the upset of the night during Thursday's regional semifinals in Northern and Southern California. Check here for more highlights from Thursday, including game of the night and best performance by a road team. We also have picks of which team is going to win the major showdowns on Saturday, such as Westchester vs. King in boys, Mater Dei vs. Brea Olinda in girls and Sacred Heart Cathedral vs. St. Mary's in girls.

By Harold Abend, Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

There were a few surprises in the regional girls' semifinals on Thursday night, but none was bigger than the 59-56 road victory by CalHiSports.com state No. 18 and fourth-seeded Colony (Ontario) over state No. 5 ranked and top-seed Cajon of San Bernardino.

"We did it – ran them to death,” said a jubilant Titans' Coach Ed Taylor, reached by phone by CalHiSports.com after the victory.

"They shot about 60 percent in the first quarter so we made some defensive changes and went to a 1-3-1 zone in the second quarter that caused them to have to handle the ball a lot,” Taylor continued.

"They didn't make the adjustments at halftime so we continued with the same defense. In fact, we used it the rest of the game,” Taylor remarked. "With them only having 5-6 girls and only two that really scored, it wore them down.”

Reached early in the morning prior to the game, State Girls Athlete of the Week Camille Buckley of Colony was confident.

"We just need to execute and play good defense as a team and we can win this game,” said Buckley.

The Titans did just that, but surprisingly Buckley was not a big factor.

"It was one of her worst games,” Taylor said. ”They were blocking a lot of her shots but the other girls picked her up.”(Read full post)

Westchester and M.L. King move up to the No. 1 and No. 2 slots with Mater Dei dropping down to No. 3. Monte Vista of Danville is another team on a rapid rise.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

(Contributing: Mark Tennis, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend; through games of Saturday, March 7; previous rating in parentheses)

1. Westchester (Los Angeles) 30-2 (3)
The Comets are now the top-ranked team in California in the aftermath of Mater Dei's loss in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, De La Salle's stunning loss in the CIF North Coast Section semifinals and their own 60-55 victory over Taft of Woodland Hills in the L.A. City Section finals. In a seesaw battle, Westchester survived by out hustling the Toreadors to loose balls and making more free throws down the stretch. Although sparkplug point guard Dominique O'Connor didn't have his best game offensively (eight points, six turnovers), other guards such as Jordin Mayes and Kareem Jamar stepped up and made big shots. Although the Comets naturally slide into the state's top ranking, they drew the No. 2 seed in the SoCal Div. I Regional playoffs behind the Martin Luther King team that downed Mater Dei. The Comets will open on Monday against 22-8 CIF Central Section Div. I runner-up Central of Fresno.

2. Martin Luther King (Riverside) 27-2 (5)
A few media scribes at the Honda Center commented on how "everyone" thought the Wolves had no chance against the nation's top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA finals. King, however, is well-coached, has played and beaten tough competition all season long, moved into the state top five last week and have been nationally-ranked in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 virtually the entire season, so the outcome shouldn't be that surprising. How the Wolves defeated Mater Dei, with a 15-0 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter without a point from Kawhi Leonard, was surprising but not King's 71-56 victory. With the win, coach Tim Sweeney Jr.'s club was awarded the top seed in the SoCal Div. I regional playoffs and will open against 20-8 L.A. City Section semifinalist Cleveland of Reseda.

3. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 30-1 (1)
In the loaded CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA playoffs, the Monarchs actually found some trouble even before succumbing to a highly-motivated King of Riverside squad, as Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley gave them all they could handle and even San Clemente gave the Monarchs fits in the first half of that opening round game. Not having glue man Andy Brown finally caught up to the Monarchs as fifth starter Connor Hughes and the rest of the Monarchs' role players were only able to muster six points in the 71-56 loss to King. The Monarchs, with Brown, were unquestionably one of the best teams in the nation and can't drop too far since they still deserve credit for their overall resume, which includes a tournament victory at the City of Palms Tournament in Florida where Westchester suffered one of its two defeats against a team Mater Dei defeated in the title game. Mater Dei grabbed the No. 3 seed in the SoCal Div. I regional playoffs and will open against 25-7 CIFSS Div. I-A semifinalist Chino Hills.

4. McClymonds (Oakland) 26-1 (4)
The defending CIF Div. I state champions secured the top seed in the NorCal Div, I regional playoffs by defeating Skyline of Oakland, 73-56, in the Oakland Section title game. The Warriors led the entire way and received a combined 42 points from perimeter gem Will Cherry and inside dynamo Damon Powell. Mack doesn't move up in these ratings and still is behind Mater Dei because of its January loss to De La Salle of Concord. And with DLS out of the NorCal playoffs, Mack also won't have the chance to avenge that defeat this week. The Warriors open the regionals on Tuesday against the winner of the Elk Grove Franklin vs. San Francisco Lincoln play-in game that takes place Monday night.

5. Taft (Woodland Hills) 25-4 (6)
Taft coach Derrick Taylor was adamant about a perceived slight to his team's credentials after its five-point loss to Westchester in the L.A. City Section title game. "Westchester didn't play their best because we had something to do with that," Taylor remarked. "We're not an after thought...Every game we lost this year was to a very good team." Taft's losses to Leuzinger of Lawndale and Bishop Montgomery of Torrance don't help them right now, but splitting with Etiwanda, dominating Fairfax in its section semifinal victory and losing to Westchester by five points drives Taylor's point home. The Toreadors' seeding in the SoCal Div I regional also coincides with its current rating as the No. 4 seed from Woodland Hills opens against 26-5 CIFSS Div. I-A runner-up Ventura on Monday.

6. De La Salle (Concord) 26-2 (2)
Season complete. The Spartans were stunned in the CIF North Coast Section semifinals, 39-33, against Newark Memorial and will not participate in the NorCal Div I regional playoffs. The Spartans could have dropped further, but will still give credit this week for their overall resume, which includes a win over McClymonds, a rout of Dominguez and two wins over NCS Div. I champion Monte Vista. If Monte Vista were to advance to the state finals, then it can go ahead of DLS in the rankings, but not yet.

7. Dominguez (Compton) 25-6 (7)
The Dons' six-point loss to King in the CIFSS Div. I-AA semifinals is not looking too shabby right now. Still, coach Duane Cooper's club was throttled by De La Salle in a showcase game and this ranking coincides with the seeding in the SoCal Div. I regional and the result of that game. Dominguez, which owns wins over both No. 8 Etiwanda and No. 9 Fairfax, has had a week to recover from its loss to King and with a possible four games in six days the Dons have to like their chances this week because of their overall depth on the bench.

8. Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 25-5 (8)
This is one of those situations where the rest of the state acknowledges the powerful Eagles yet hates that the Southern Section gives a second chance to a semifinal loser. Too bad De La Salle doesn't get the same opportunity in the north. It will be a well-rested, focused and anxious to avenge a 70-60 loss to Mater Dei (Santa Ana) Etiwanda team that travels down the I-15 to Oceanside to face El Camino in Monday night's game. The Eagles will actually be the heavy favorite against the No. 16 Wildcats. In the overall picture, it would be ludicrous not to have a team like the Eagles in the SoCal Regional as they have split with Taft (Woodland Hills) and only lost to Dominguez by two points. How do you argue with that? Dave Kleckner's club certainly played a much tougher schedule than almost any of their opponents. Etiwanda's balance, with Perris Blackwell, Deronn Scott and Christian Katuala is tough to match.

9. Fairfax (Los Angeles) 25-4 (9)
Head coach Harvey Kitani's team had the week off after losing to Taft of Woodland Hills in the L.A. City Section semifinals. Before that loss, Fairfax won postseason games against West Adams and Washington. Despite the loss to Taft, the Lions were seeded sixth in the Southern Regional Division I playoffs and will open at home on Monday against Edison of Fresno from the Central Section. The big win that helps the Lions in the rankings is the one against Westchester in Western League play. This week also is huge for 6-10 senior Renardo Sidney, who struggled in the loss to Taft. He's still a leading candidate to be Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year, but needs some big outings to further cement his status.

10. Folsom 30-1 (10)
In the second half of their CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title game against Franklin of Elk Grove, the Bulldogs looked like an elite squad as they came from behind to post a 52-50 triumph. Franklin was at full strength in the playoffs and won in its semifinal game 74-47 over Golden Valley of Merced, so it was a quality win. Folsom has been the Sacramento Bee's No. 1 team for most of the season and against Franklin was led by guard Tony Johnson's 19 points. In the NorCal Div. I pairings, the Bulldogs were behind McClymonds and Monte Vista of Danville. Monte Vista being seeded higher wasn't surprising since the Mustangs are the only team to beat Folsom all year. In these rankings, Folsom has eventually moved higher since that game was so long ago and Monte Vista has three overall losses. Two of those were to De La Salle, but the blowout loss to St. Mary's of Berkeley is what put Folsom higher. We moved up Monte Vista significantly in this week's rankings, but did not drop Folsom behind. The bad news for the Bulldogs is that they will likely have to travel to play Monte Vista on the road in the semifinals due to that earlier loss. First, head coach Mike Wall's team meets Skyline of Oakland at home in a first-round game on Tuesday.

11. Rocklin 30-2 (12)
Head coach Steve Taylor sounded like he expected his team to get a No. 1 seed for this week's NorCal Div. II playoffs after the Thunder downed Fairfield, 60-56, in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals. That didn't happen as Central Coast Section champ St. Francis of Mountain View got the nod, but Rocklin fans shouldn't get upset. Their team still has an easier first-round opponent (Pleasant Valley of Chico) than St. Francis and if the two teams play in the finals on Saturday the game will still be in the familiar confines of Arco Arena. St. Francis players have never taken a shot in that arena in their lives.

12. Eisenhower (Rialto) 28-3 (14)
There is old adage: Let shooters shoot. Despite missing his first seven three-pointers, Nicholas Carter was encouraged to keep shooting and because he did, the Eagles managed to pull out a tough 79-73 victory over upset-minded Loyola (Los Angeles) in the CIFSS II-A championships. Carter buried back-to-back threes in the game's final 90 seconds and Creighton-bound Andrew Bock stepped up with 27 of his 29 points in the second half as Eisenhower captured its 12th straight win and earned the No. 2 seed in the Division II SoCal Regionals. The Eagles get to play at home on Tuesday against the winner of the outbracket game between Oceanside and University (Los Angeles) as No. 17 Thousand Oaks got the No. 1 seed. For Carter, who scored 14 points, burying a pair of threes at the end was just business as usual. "It felt like a layup to me,” he said after the game. Bernard Ireland added 15 points for the Eagles. If Ike wins the SoCal title, it could be a rematch in the state final since the Eagles already have played and beaten Rocklin.

13. Monte Vista (Danville) 26-3 (19)
The fastest riser this week moves up six spots for a variety of reasons. First, the Mustangs won the NCS Div. I title 52-43 over a Newark Memorial (Newark) team that beat De La Salle and also beat previous No. 11 San Leandro in the semifinals. The Mustangs also own a head-to-head win over No. 10 Folsom. With a good showing in the NorCals or possible trip to Arco, they'll hop DLS despite the two league losses to the Spartans. Not yet, though. In the victory over Newark Memorial in front of a packed house at St. Mary's College, it was Brian Barbour taking over down the stretch to lead the Mustangs to their second D1 title in the last three years. Barbour finished with a game-high 25 points and scored 14-consecutive Monte Vista points in a stretch from the end of the first half until early in the fourth quarter. He then scored seven points over the final 1:04, two of which came on a steal and circus layup off the glass with two defenders smothering him. As expected, Coach Bill Powers' squad snagged the second seed in Div. I behind McClymonds and await the winner of the Lincoln (San Francisco) at Franklin (Elk Grove) Mar. 9 outbracket winner at home on Tuesday.    

14. St. Francis (Mountain View) 28-2 (15)
The top-ranked team in the CIF Central Coast Section got hopped by another Bay Area team, Monte Vista, but still moves up one spot following a CCS Div. II title game 68-55 win over Mitty of San Jose. The Lancers are the No. 1 seed in the Div. II Northern Regionals so the CIF must be giving them credit for playing in a tough league, plus they avenged a league loss to Mitty. In the CCS title tilt in front of a raucous standing-room only Santa Clara University Leavey Center crowd, the Lancers pulled away in the fourth quarter, running off 10 straight points at the midway mark after leading 53-48. Spencer Britschgi led the way with 15 points and Shawn Grant and Lasjohn Johnson each added 14 points. The Lancers open at home on Tuesday against NCS D2 runner-up Northgate of Walnut Creek.

15. Sacramento 24-6 (16)
It's not their home gym but nearby Arco Arena is turning into the Dragons' home away from home as they defeated Del Oro of Loomis, 71-44, to capture the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship last Friday night. Chase Tapley led the way with 24 points in the win. Tapley also had 23 points when Sacramento defeated Whitney of Rocklin, 62-47, in the semifinals. Due primarily to being in West Catholic Athletic League, Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco is the top seed for this week's Div. III NorCal playoffs. Like Rocklin in D2, though, Sac looks like it has a better draw than the No. 1 seed. The Dragons host West Valley of Cottonwood and would then host either Analy of Sebastopol or Burlingame. Unlike St. Francis in D2, though, SHC players and fans are almost as familiar with Arco as the Dragons.

16. El Camino (Oceanside) 28-3 (17)
Coach Ray Johnson isn't one to complain and he'll take the home court advantage, but the Wildcats' 15-game winning streak will be tested by No. 8 Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga), a team that exited the Southern Section playoffs in the semifinals but gets a second chance. If El Camino plays defense like it did against Torrey Pines in the CIFSDS title game, the Wildcats could beat anyone. Torrey Pines was limited to three free throws and didn't get a field goal in the first 9:13 as El Camino rolled to a 37-16 halftime lead behind the torrid shooting of Alan Cox, who scored 14 of his 15 points before the break. Cox, who was sick on Friday and not expected to play, hit all three of his first quarter three-point attempts. El Camino's Luke Evans scored all 17 of his game-high points in the final three quarters. Although the Wildcats were listed as the No. 10 seed in Division I by the state CIF, they were actually No. 7 as the brackets reflected.

17. Thousand Oaks 29-2 (18)
There are flashy teams and then there are those that drive those flashy teams crazy by steadily playing their game, refusing to get rattled and then doing all the right things when the game is on the line. The Lancers ran their victory string to 19 by making hard-charging Leuzinger (Lawndale) play their game, 59-55, in the CIFSS II-AA finals and were rewarded – some would say too handsomely – with the No. 1 seed in the Southern California Regionals. Coach Richard Endres' club looked to 6-7 junior forward Alex Tiffen and he came through with 24 points in the victory. Detractors will look at the Lancers' losses, especially a 62-46 thumping by unranked Santa Monica, or even the 54-51 loss to Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) way back when fans still had plenty of time to buy Christmas presents, and wonder how they get that top seed and get to scout today's Bakersfield Liberty at Reseda play-in game before tomorrow's debut at home. That win over Leuzinger is a good answer.

18. Tesoro (Las Flores) 27-4 (20)
For the first time in school history, the Titans captured a boys basketball championship as they defeated Ventura 63-57 in the Southern Section Division I-A finals. Senior Chris Manresa once again was the mightiest of the Titans as he scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked six shots. Orange County offensive football player of the year Robbie Picazo chipped in with 13 points. Tesoro opens the Southern Regional Division I playoffs at home on Monday against San Diego Section Div. I runnerup Torrey Pines of San Diego. With a win, the Titans would likely be headed to Riverside the next day to take on top-seeded M.L. King of Riverside.

19. Newark Memorial (Newark) 26-5 (NR)
The Cougars lost in the NCS D1 final to Monte Vista but still get credit for their win over De La Salle. They are also still in action and could make some noise in the NorCal Division I regional despite being the sixth seed. The result is Coach Craig Ashmore's squad is one of two Bay Area newcomers to this week's rankings. In the loss to Monte Vista, Khion Sankey scored 14 points and senior forward Ifeanyi Ezeofor added 12 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cougars, who lost in the championship game for the fourth time in six years. Next up is a home date against the winner of the Salinas at Lowell (San Francisco) outbracket game at Kezar Pavilion on Monday.

20. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 24-4 (NR)
The CCS Division III champions are the other Bay Area newcomer and get the nod for the final spot for a variety of reasons. In Division I, you'd probably have to bring in a team whose season is over ahead of those lower seeded teams. In Div. II, Loyola of Los Angeles and Hoover of San Diego are not quite yet the teams to move in. In Div. IV, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) loses to Inglewood and then Ocean View of Huntington Beach absolutely destroys Inglewood. Windward (Los Angeles) also lost to Bishop Montgomery so that Xs those teams out. The logical choice is the Irish over Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood and Ocean View. In the top-seed's CCS D3 title game 48-35 victory over second-seeded Burlingame, the Irish were sloppy and actually trailed 17-16 at halftime. They ratcheted it up to open the second half by starting with an 8-0 run and never looked back. USC-bound football defensive end Kevin Greene led the scoring with 12 points and Jerry Brown added 11 points and 12 rebounds. SHC got the top seed over Sacramento in the NorCal Division III regionals but that has more to do with the CIF not wanting teams from the same sections playing each other in early rounds as any other factor. The Irish open at home on Tuesday with Del Oro of Loomis.

Dropped Out: Previous No. 11 San Leandro; No. 13 Leuzinger (Lawndale).

On the Bubble: Edison (Fresno) 24-6, Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) 25-6, Hoover (San Diego) 28-7, Leuzinger (Lawndale) 25-6, Loyola (Los Angeles) 24-6, Ocean View (Huntington Beach) 24-7, Salesian (Richmond) 27-4, San Leandro 25-4, Windward (Los Angeles) 25-6.

Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.

Should losses by Monte Vista of Danville boys and girls cause changes? S.F. Chronicle said no, but we said yes. For highlights and more, watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays are throughout the week on Northern California Comcast SportsNet.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Last week was one of the busiest for the CalHiSports.com Bay Area Top 20 caravan this school year.

First stop was a Branson at Marin Catholic doubleheader on Feb. 10 with both the visiting defending Division V state champion Bulls boys and girls squads earning victories.

The next night we were in Oakland to watch the Mack Warriors boys at Oakland Tech and to find out about that debacle you'll have to read on.

We took one night off but on Feb. 13 the location was Cardinal Newman in Santa Rosa, where we witnessed Newman complete its first undefeated regular season in the 45-year history of the school.

Saturday night the spot was San Marin in Novato, where in a "play-in” game the host Mustangs knocked Marin Catholic out of the MCAL playoffs for the first time since 1992.

Boys Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 14)
(Not including forfeits)

1. De La Salle (Concord) 23-1 (1)
Coming off the big win against Dominguez two weeks ago, the Spartans toyed with Amador Valley of Pleasanton, with a 58-27 victory that tuned them up for the re-match with Monte Vista. It was physical all the way, but in the end it was a nice homecoming for Danville resident John McArthur. The 6-foot-8 junior returned to his hometown and provided a strong defensive presence in the paint and a little more point production than usual in a 60-52 victory over the Mustangs. McArthur finished with 17 points and six rebounds, Jefferson Powers added 14 points, Jordan Estrada had nine points and Brandon Smith had six assists and played lockdown defense Monte Vista's Brian Barbour. Against Amador Valley, Beau Levesque led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds. Smith added 11 points and seven assists. On tap for the final week of EBAL play is San Ramon Valley at home and California (San Ramon) on the road.

2. McClymonds (Oakland) 22-1 (2)
The CalHiSports.com caravan was in the house at Oakland Tech on Feb. 11, but we're still having a hard time believing what we saw. First-year Warriors Coach Brandon Brooks put it all on the line when he made one of the boldest moves we've ever witnessed in 27 years of covering high school basketball. On the road across town, the Warriors came out looking sparkling. Faster then the blink-of-an-eye, the full court press Brooks employed had built an 11-0 lead and Tech was reeling after less than two minutes had elapsed in the contest. After Will Cherry (team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, six steals, five assists) hit a long trey to make it 14-2, the team somehow got sidetracked. Mack started playing to the crowd on offense, and not moving the feet on defense. The result was Tech got back in the game, and even though Mack led by 47-40 lead going into the final period, Brooks, who was fuming the whole time about his team's lack of execution of what he wanted, had seen enough. He pulled all five starters. When the hosts closed to 49-48 with 5:54 left and Brooks didn't motion to the starters, you knew he was serious. And because of some sparkling play down the stretch by the reserves, particularly Maceo and Barry Bell and 6-9 freshman Jamaree Strickland, who had a key block in the closing moments, Mack escaped 56-54, with its 55th victory in the last 56 games. Cherry cheered on the subs but others sat stunned. "He did what he had to do. I'm just glad he got the W,” said a smiling ex-Mack coach Dwight Nathaniel, who was also in attendance. We'll see the results of the benchings this week in games at Fremont and home against Skyline.

3. San Leandro 21-3 (3)
On Friday night against the Hayward Farmers Oregon-State bound Jared Cunningham stole all their fruits and vegetables, finishing with 25 points including 12 of 12 from the free-throw line. He even added another highlight-reel play when he threw down an emphatic, one-handed jam in the fourth quarter, which brought the fans to their feet and sealed the Pirates' 81-65 victory over the neighboring visitors. Earlier in the week, the 6-4 Cunningham had a season-high 35 points (8 of 10 from beyond the arc, eight rebounds) and the team went for 90 or more points for the fourth time in a 97-59 blowout of San Lorenzo. Friday night the Pirates complete league play in Hayward at Moreau Catholic, then move on to next week's NCS Division I playoffs.

4) Berkeley 21-3 (5)
As was the case in the overall state rankings released on Feb. 16, the CalHiSports.com No. 17 state ranked Yellowjackets get a one-spot bump in these rankings. Last week they exploded offensively in 91-32 and 109-42 wins against De Anza of Richmond and Richmond respectively. It was the second time they went for 109 this season, both against Richmond. All 12 players in uniform scored in the win over Richmond led by sophomore Jalil Eppenger with 16 points. Before the NCS D1 playoffs begin, a final Alameda Contra Costa League game remains at home on Friday against Hercules.

5. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 20-3 (6)
Likewise, the No. 19 state ranked Irish move up a notch in both rankings after Coach Darrell Barbour's team won its first West Catholic Athletic League title since 2002 with a 68-57 victory over Mitty of San Jose last Saturday. USC-bound football defensive end Kevin Greene and Jerry Brown, both four-year varsity players, led the Irish on senior night in San Francisco with double-doubles. Greene finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Brown had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Next up is the WCAL playoffs where the top-seeded Irish host Valley Christian (San Jose) on Tuesday.

6. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-3 (4)
The San Francisco Chronicle chose not to drop the Mustangs in its Top 20 but in these rankings this is where they have to pay for the split with St. Mary's of Berkeley, who beat a Sacred Heart Cathedral team that beat a Salesian team that beat St. Mary's. We'd have needed an abacus and slide rule to figure it out, so we left the decision up to ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Managing Editor Ronnie Flores who coordinates the boys overall state rankings. Even though the Mustangs scored 17 more points in the 60-52 loss to Sparta than DLS gives up on average, nothing came easy against their new league nemesis, as the team shot 2-of-10 from the field in the final quarter while De La Salle made eight of 10 foul shots down the stretch to seal the win. Senior guard Brian Barbour led the scoring with 18 points and Mark Appel chipped in for 12. Earlier in the week Coach Bill Powers' boys won 58-37 at Livermore.

7. St. Francis (Mountain View) 22-2 (7)
The Lancers rebounded from the loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral by picking up two wins in the final week of league action to secure second place in the WCAL. First they took out Bellarmine 65-49 on the road before an 86-47 blowout of Riordan at home. They earned the second seed in the league playoffs and opened on Feb. 17 at home against Serra.

8. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 23-3 (8)
9. Salesian (Richmond) 22-4 (9)
10. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 19-5 (11)
11. Newark Memorial (Newark) 22-4 (12)
12. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 26-0 (13)
13. Castro Valley 20-4 (10)
14. Miramonte (Orinda) 20-4 (14)
15. Castlemont (Oakland) 15-5 (16)
16. Bellarmine (San Jose) 17-7 (15) 1-1
17. Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 24-1 (17)
18. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 17-7 (18)
19. Burlingame 21-4 (19)
20. Branson (Ross) 23-3 (20)

Boys On the Bubble
Analy (Sebastopol) 20-6, Aptos 23-3, Carlmont (Belmont) 16-3, Drake (San Anselmo) 20-6, Dublin 17-7, Gunn (Palo Alto) 19-5, Hayward 17-7, Head-Royce (Oakland) 23-2, Heritage (Brentwood) 17-7, Leigh 16-7, Menlo (Atherton) 15-3, Mitty (San Jose) 14-8, Monterey 19-4, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 20-4, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 10-8, Piner (Santa Rosa) 19-7, Pittsburg 18-6, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-7, Skyline (Oakland) 11-8, Terra Linda (San Rafael) 17-9.

Girls Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 14)
(Not including forfeits but)

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 21-1 (1)
The Irish girls only had one game last week and it was against league rival Mitty.  Just like she's done so many times this season Washington State-bound KiKi Moore took over and stamped herself as a legitimate contender for Ms. Basketball this season in California. Friday night on the road in San Jose the former ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week took control in a 64-51 defeat of host and defending D2 state champ Mitty. Against the Monarchs, who stayed close for a half, she had 25 points and five steals and in the second half helped ignite a rally that "blew the doors off the gym,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In a five-minute stretch, the Irish forced six turnovers (part of 20 for the game), Kamilah Jackson (13 points) scored six points inside and Moore led the fast break with three hoops of her own. By then it was 45-27 and got to 61-40 before Mitty made a late run after the fact. Mind you, the Irish only have eight girls and rarely play more than six except in blowouts, so Moore goes all the way every game against top-notch competition. After a bye, the Irish take on the team with the worst seed remaining in the semifinals Feb. 19 at Riordan in San Francisco.

2. Carondelet (Concord) 21-3 (3)
After going 1-19 combined in the first half of the 53-42 loss to Monte Vista in Danville last month, Ricki Radanovich and Erica Payne did what they couldn't do in that game in the rematch, knock down shots. Radanovich, a 5-10 Santa Clara committed junior guard, had a team-high 19 points with five three-pointers as Coach Margaret Gartner's girls got revenge in a 60-50 home victory. After being forced to the bench with three fouls midway through the first quarter, sophomore star Payne came back strong in the second half, finishing the game with nine points and 11 rebounds, with eight of her points in the fourth quarter. Hannah Huffman chipped in with 11 points and Hilary Rosette, who played in place of Payne for much of the first half and finished with nine points, scored eight of them and grabbed eight rebounds before halftime.

3. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-2 (2)
As was the case on the Mustang boys' side, the San Francisco Chronicle chose not to drop the team in its rankings despite a loss. However, in these rankings, based on strength of schedule, and personal observation, a switch is in order. Coach Ron Hirschman's girls are a sound fundamental team that could make some noise in the upcoming NCS Division I playoffs, but Carondelet is a better all-around team. According to the Contra Costa Times, Niveen Rasheed almost single-handedly kept the Mustangs in the 60-50 loss to Carondelet, scoring 14 of her team-high 24 points after halftime. Foul trouble was a problem, though, as Rasheed had to sub in and out throughout the final two quarters because she picked up three fouls in the first half. Dani Rabago chipped in with 11 points but the girls couldn't overcome 25 turnovers coupled with cold shooting. Before the NCS Division I playoffs begin next week, there are games on tap this week at home against Amador Valley of Pleasanton and at San Ramon Valley in Danville.

4. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 22-2 (5)
Just like they did in the overall state rankings, Coach Kevin Cushing's No. 15 ranked Dragon girls get a one-spot bump as a result of Mitty's two losses last week. The big tests for O'Dowd would seem to be even beyond the NCS Division III playoffs. Last week was rather ho-hum with two lopsided victories, 66-41 and 59-24 over Castro Valley and Mt. Eden of Hayward, respectively. The Dragons are still without 6-2 post Brieanna Ashley, out with a bad ankle, but they didn't need her last week. Against Castro Valley, junior star Robie Mayberry led the way with 24 points and sophomore Lariel Powell added 14.

5. Mitty (San Jose) 17-5 (4)
Coach Sue Phillips Monarchs took a four spot drop to No. 19 in the CalHiSports.com overall state girls rankings released earlier this week, but only drop one spot here despite losing to both the Irish and Valley Christian (55-47) last week. They still have wins over Monte Vista and Mater Dei of Chula Vista, as well as two wins over St. Ignatius (San Francisco) and an earlier win over Valley Christian. Mitty has opened the WCAL playoffs with a 56-33 win Feb. 17 not included in the listed record and move into the semifinals on Feb. 19 at Riordan.

6. Berkeley 20-5 (6)
After making a meteoric rise last week in these rankings, and cracking the state top 20 by snagging the final spot, there's no room to move up in either, despite two total blowout wins, 60-16 and 63-6 over De Anza of Richmond and Richmond respectively. Interim un-retired Coach Gene Nakamura's team finishes up league with a road game at Hercules, where there might be some jeers for sophomore transfer Brittany Boyd from the home crowd of the 6-17 Titans.

7. Deer Valley (Antioch) 18-6 (7)
A couple of emails did roll in from disgruntled Wolverine fans out in East Contra Costa County after Deer Valley dropped below Berkeley in the rankings despite not having lost a game since its New Year's Eve defeat by Sacramento in the West Coast Jamboree. Last week Coach Lindsay Wisely's girls barely broke a sweat in 62-22 and 78-34 wins over Freedom of Oakley and Pittsburg respectively. They finish up Bay Valley League action this week with Antioch and Liberty of Brentwood. Then comes the NCS Division I playoffs where Wisely's squad has a very good chance of snagging the title.

8. Valley Christian (San Jose) 19-5 (7)
There's just nowhere to go despite a two-win week, including one against Mitty. With Mitty winning the first time and still owning more quality wins against ranked opponents than the Warriors, it will take another similar win to really shake things up.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 22-4 (9)
10. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 19-5 (10)
11. Pinole Valley (Pinole) 17-5 (11)
12. Northgate (Walnut Creek) 20-3 (12)
13. Branson (Ross) 22-3 (13)
14. Gunn (Palo Alto) 25-0 (14)
15. Dublin 19-5 (17)
16. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 21-5 (15)
17. Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 22-4 (16)
18. Wilcox (Santa Clara) 14-5 (18)
19. McClymonds (Oakland) 19-4 (19)
20. Campolindo (Moraga) 19-5 (20)
 
Girls On the Bubble
Aragon (San Mateo) 16-4, Convent of the Sacred Heart (San Francisco) 17-4, Encinal (Alameda) 18-8, Granada (Livermore) 17-7, Miramonte (Orinda) 17-8, Moreau Catholic 19-5 (Hayward), North Salinas (Salinas) 20-3, Notre Dame (Belmont) 10-14, Petaluma 21-5, Piedmont 16-8, Presentation (San Jose) 14-11, St. Joseph-Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-6, San Benito (Hollister) 19-4, Santa Cruz 22-2.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.

De La Salle nips Fairfax for the No. 2 spot behind Mater Dei in this week's rankings. Dominguez slides back to No. 7 while this week there are two newcomers, including one school that is joining its girls as a top 20 state-ranked squad.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

(Contributing: Mark Tennis, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend; Through games of Saturday, February 7; previous rating in parentheses)

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 24-0 (1)
The Monarchs proved they'll still be formidable without Stanford-bound Andy Brown, as they defeated defending Div. III state champion Santa Margarita for the second time this season, 73-46, behind a combined 24 points from twin towers David and Travis Wear. Late Saturday night on ESPNU, the Monarchs sent a message that they shouldn't be counted out of the race for the ESPN RISE FAB 50 mythical national title as well without their glue player, as they received a strong performance from new starter Connor Hughes, a6-foot-6 senior better known for his volleyball exploits, in a 73-61 victory over previous FAB 50 No. 3 St. Benedict's (New Jersey). Hughes finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Mater Dei also won against St. Benedict's even though starting point guard Gary Franklin was saddled with foul trouble. Saturday night's win was impressive, but keep in mind the Monarchs, despite winning the last two CIF Div. II state titles, did not won a CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA crown in 2007 or 2008 and this year will face a deeper pool of teams in Division I at the state level.

2. De La Salle (Concord) 21-1 (3)
The Spartans' incredible zone defense limited three opponents to 86 points last week, including a 64-38 shutout of previous No. 4 Dominguez Saturday night at the Nike Extravaganza. The Dons finished the game with the exact same point total as McClymonds when the Spartans took them out of their game last month. In Saturday's ESPNU matchup, Frank Allocco's charges were also hitting shots from the perimeter and that makes them awfully difficult to  beat. Senior point guard Brandon Smith was the catalyst with 10 points and 11 assists. Earlier in the week, Granada of Livermore (65-26) and Foothill of Pleasanton (59-22) were similarly taken out of their game by a De La Salle team that hopes to win its second Div. I state title in four years.

3. Fairfax (Los Angeles) 21-3 (5)
Even if Dominguez hadn't been routed by De La Salle, with four victories last week, including a 49-42 win over previous No. 2 Westchester, the Lions would have done enough to hop the Dons in the ratings as they move up two spots this week. Renardo Sidney came to play as he put up 26 points and 20 rebounds in Friday night's big road win over the Comets. Sidney came through with a big dunk and made five clutch free throws to put the game on ice and tie up the Western League standings. To open the week, the Lions routed (89-54) a Palisades team they had beaten by only one point earlier in the season as Sidney scored 28 points. L.A.C.E.S. (99-53) was no match for Sidney and company in their next game and Fairfax closed out the week with a 64-57 victory over Whitney Young of Chicago at the Nike Extravaganza. Sidney scored 19 points and USC commit Solomon Hill added 12 points and 17 rebounds in the win over the Windy City club.

4. Westchester (Los Angeles) 23-2 (2)
The Comets fall two spots following their 49-42 loss on Friday to Western League foe and FAB 50 ranked Fairfax, which is now tied with Westchester for first place in league with an identical 9-1 mark. The Comets took their only lead on a dribble drive by junior forward Dwayne Polee with just under two and a half minutes remaining, but could not seal the deal. Westchester coach Ed Azzam was not pleased with his team's 14 turnovers and felt his stellar group of guards were impatient and missed open shots from the perimeter they normally knock down. Sandwiched in between that loss was a 69-52 victory over Venice and a 75-65 victory over Rainier Beach of Seattle on Saturday at the Nike Extravaganza. Junior Jordin Mayes scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds against the Gondos and did a good job of bouncing back from the Fairfax game. Against the road-weary visitors from the Pacific Northwest, Mayes finished with four three-pointers and 19 points.

5. McClymonds (Oakland) 21-1 (6)
If any of Mack's players or coaching staff were watching the ESPNU game between De La Salle and Dominguez, it must have been a case of déjà vu, as Dominguez was taken out of its element similar to the way McClymonds was last month. First-year coaching staffs against a well-schooled veteran club equaled 38 points apiece for two clubs that like to get up the floor quickly. For the Warriors, they hope to get another crack at the Spartans in the Div. I NorCal regional playoffs. They kept on pace last week with two OAL victories over Castlemont (55-44) and Oakland High (54-31). In the victory over Castlemont, Justin Standley led the way with 15 points, including 12 in the pivotal third quarter of a game that was tied at halftime.

6. Martin Luther King (Riverside) 20-2 (7)
It now makes sense to rank the Wolves higher than Dominguez in these ratings. Both clubs have lost to Wheeler of Georgia, with the Dons losing by six points and King losing by five points in out-of-state games. Dominguez, however, has three more losses plus King avenged its other loss with a 79-65 over win Centennial of Corona. Last week, coach Tim Sweeney Jr's club rolled to easy Big VIII wins over Santiago of Corona (80-51) and Corona (73-40). The next day after beating the Panthers, the Wolves recorded a quality 78-72 victory over Ocean View of Huntington Beach as Kawhi Leonard came up big with 38 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.

7. Dominguez (Compton) 20-5 (4)
Similar to McClymonds, the Dons would love another crack at De La Salle, but it would have to come in the CIF Div. I state title game and they have a lot of work to do before they can think about that. Before running into the Spartans' buzz saw, coach Duane Cooper's club won two San Gabriel Valley League games last week, beating Downey (75-37) and Paramount (69-57) the night before the Nike Extravaganza. Keala King and Robert Mandingo nearly outscored Downey by themselves as the duo finished with 32 points. The Dons stay in front of Los Alamitos in these rankings because they have played a tougher overall schedule and also beat Etiwanda in similar fashion as the Griffins did.

8. Los Alamitos 24-1 (8)
The Griffins picked up a pair of wins in Sunset League play before adding a third win on the week against Servite. Knowing they'd have a busy week, the Griffins jumped to an early 21-8 lead after a quarter of play at Esperanza on the way to the 69-47 win that saw them empty their bench. They once again started fast at Fountain Valley with a 25-5 start to the game which they would comfortably hold on for a 79-59 final. James Walker led the way on offense with 16 points. At the Nike Extravaganza, Los Al Servite 26-20 at halftime before rallying to tie it at 34 entering the final quarter and then behind Walker's 22 points and 13 rebounds outscored the Friars 19-13 in the final quarter for the 53-47 win. Los Al finishes the regular season with home games against Marina and Edison of Huntington Beach.

9. Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 20-4 (9)
If four losses seem like a large number, consider this one: 2.5. That's the average number of points by which the Eagles have lost those four games. One of those setbacks, to Taft (Woodland Hills), was recently reversed. Etiwanda ran its current winning streak to eight games with victories over Alta Loma (94-45) and Claremont (74-30), clinching no worse than a tie for the Baseline League title. Although 6-9 Perris Blackwell, at 15-points a game, usually leads the way, the USF-bound senior took a back seat to 6-5 Deronn Scott (25 points) against Alta Loma. Three players scored in double figures against Claremont. This team can play defense, too, as it held Alta Loma under five points in  two of the four quarters.

10. Taft (Woodland Hills) 20-3 (10)
Nothing like some good old West Valley League opponents to take the sting off a 50-44 loss to Etiwanda that snapped a 13-game winning streak. The Toreadors beat Cleveland of Reseda, 62-54, behind a 24-11 second quarter spree and Birmingham of Lake Balboa, 71-58. Taft expects to have two strong arguments as it tries to wrest the highest seed it can land entering the Los Angeles City playoffs: 1. League champions and 2. Wins over Dominguez (Compton) and Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga). Either way, it figures the Toreadors will have to battle state powers Fairfax and Westchester, neither of which can claim to be unbeaten in league. Taft's Michael Williams, Justin Hawkins and Terran Carter will need to use the last week of the regular season and early playoff games to sharpen their attack.

11. Folsom 22-1 (11)
The Bulldogs have won an impressive 20 in a row after winning two Delta River League road games last week against Jesuit of Carmichael and Monterey Trail of Elk Grove. The trio of Kori Babineaux, Tony Johnson and Patrick Akins were more than the Marauders could handle as the trio combined for 53 of the Bulldogs' 66 points. Babineaux led the victors with 21 points in the 66-55 win. Babineaux once again led the way on offense with 19 points as they led by 37 entering the final quarter of the 67-43 win at Monterey Trail. This week, Folsom hosts Pleasant Grove on Wednesday in a rematch of the closest league win as the Bulldogs were victorious by a narrow 61-60 final just weeks ago.

12. San Leandro 19-3 (12)
Coach Sean MacKay's squad made quick work of two Hayward Area Athletic League visitors with 80-42 and 90-52 victories over Hayward's Mt. Eden and Tennyson, respectively. In the win against Tennyson, best buddies Oregon State-bound Jared Cunningham and 6-6 power forward Travis Sims each had 12 points to highlight six Pirates in double-figure scoring, as MacKay emptied the bench early. Junior Nick Armas had a team-high 15 points, Lenny Jones had 12 points, Pierre Davis had 11 points and Shaheed Young rounded it out with 10 points. There's only one game on tap this week and it's on the road in San Lorenzo. The only real tough game left in league is a Feb. 18 rematch on the road in Oakland at Bishop O'Dowd.

13. Diamond Ranch (Pomona) 20-4 (14)
It's a small step up for the Panthers, who should wrap up the Miramonte League title early this week and start preparing for the Southern Section Division III 1-A playoffs. How about these numbers: six consecutive wins, 15-2 in the last 17 games, two Division I signees? Coach Loren Grover can throw in the fact the last two losses were to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 6 Martin Luther King (Riverside). Santa Clara-bound 6-10 center Chris Cunningham had his normal double-double with 17 points and 11 boards in last week's win over Bonita and again teamed with 6-5 Fresno State signee Garrett Jackson to beat Los Altos (Hacienda Heights).

14. Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 22-1 (15)
Talk about a balanced attack – six players scored in double figures as the Nighthawks topped Temecula Valley, 81-63, in Southwestern League play after crushing Great Oak (Temecula) 80-36. In that one, Bryce Lenhart pitched in 21 points and collected 10 rebounds before an early exit. But the Nighthawks are this far down the list because although they avenged their only loss (to Chaparral), they really haven't been tested by any of the Top 20 teams. And, at 6-foot-6, Dylan Bohanan is the tallest player on the roster. He collected 13 points and a like number of rebounds against Temecula Valley. The Nighthawks have won seven straight.    

15. Rocklin 23-2 (16)
A perfect league record continued for the Thunder after they  scored more than 80 points in both of their games last week. They led 61-13 at halftime in the first game of the week against Oakmont and the game finished with a running clock and a 83-35 victory. Anthony Romero led the offense with 15 points while Brendan Lane and Tony Williams also scored in double figures. In a battle of the first place team in the Sierra Foothill League against the last place team it came with not much surprise that the Thunder then defeated Roseville 84-28. Lane scored 19 points while Pat Stover and Cody Kale also scored in double figures for the victors. Rocklin plays two of its final three league games this week at Nevada Union and returns home to face Granite Bay.

16. Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 21-3 (18)
The Knights move up two places after they defeated Bishop Amat  of La Puente and St. Bernard of Playa del Rey in games last week. Trailing by three after the opening quarter, the Knights took control of the game with a 18-6 second quarter that proved to be the decisive quarter in getting a 57-49 victory. Brandon Bibbins then did his part in making sure St. Bernard stayed winless in league action as he scored 20 points while Justin Cobbs scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the 85-69 win. Coach Doug Mitchell's team will host Serra on Tuesday as it looks to avenge a 58-55 loss in Gardena a few weeks ago before ending the regular season with a road game in Los Angeles against Cathedral.

17. Monte Vista (Danville) 20-2 (19)
After getting back into the rankings last week, the Mustangs climb the ladder another couple of spots after two lopsided wins in East Bay Athletic League action. First it was a 61-29 drubbing of Foothill of Pleasanton at home. At least the Mustangs got to hit full stride in the next game on the road against California (San Ramon) in a 72-54 victory. In that game, leading scorer Brian Barbour had 19 points and Stanford-bound tight end turned 6-6 power forward Zack Ertz had 12 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. Taylor Brewster also found double-digit scoring with 12 points. The stay in the rankings may be another short one for Coach Bill Powers' charges. Livermore on the road is first up this week and that won't be much of a problem but on Friday night Sparta comes to town, and we all know how they're playing right now, plus they already beat the Mustangs by 11 three weeks ago in Concord. Even a respectable loss, though, might be enough to keep MV in the top 20.

18. Berkeley 21-3 (20)
After making their first appearance this year in the top 20, the Yellowjackets get a two-spot bump with 87-52 and 71-48 victories over Alameda on the road and Pinole Valley at home, respectively. In the Pinole Valley game, Coach Brian Guinn's squad led only by 31-26 at the half. The Yellowjackets had yet to make an outside shot when back-to-back three-pointers to start the third quarter by Josh Duncan and Raheem Leaks ignited them. They then proceeded to go on a 26-7 run in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Darron Thompson gave Berkeley a spark off the bench, scoring seven of his game-high 11 points in the final period. In the Alameda win, senior guard and leading scorer Mark Samuels led the way with 22 points. Next up is a road game against Richmond and a home date with Hercules as the Yellowjackets try to continue a 12-game winning streak.

19. Leuzinger (Lawndale) 19-5 (NR)
The Olympians continued to look gold-medal worthy this week as they easily defeated Palos Verdes and then avenged an earlier loss to West of Torrance. Delon Wright was the lone Olympian in double figures finishing with 11 points as they picked up a 69-31 home win over winless in league Palos Verdes. Looking for revenge for an earlier loss on top of senior night proved to be more than enough motivation for the Olympians to come out strong as they blew open a close contest by outscoring West, 46-28, in the middle two quarters of play and went on to post a 78-68 victory. Senior Donley Minor was one of five Olympians in double figure scoring as he led the way with 19 points.

20. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 18-3 (NR)
The Irish girls are no strangers to these rankings but the boys have been absent since making it to the 2006 Division IV state championship game where they lost 60-52 to Horizon of San Diego. This past week, they took over sole possession of first place in the West Catholic Athletic League at 11-1 after three solid victories. First it was a 48-41 victory in a defensive battle across town at arch-rival St. Ignatius. Then, with the score tied 50-50 against Valley Christian, Jerry Brown (20 points) and USC-bound football player turned power forward Kevin Greene (10 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks) took over in the final four minutes to turn back the Warriors, 66-57, on the road in San Jose. Finally, back at home on Saturday against St. Francis of Mountain View, which had lost its first game of the season earlier in the week to Mitty of San Jose, the Irish avenged one of their losses with a 74-64 victory. Jerry Brown led the way with a double-double 19 points and 11 rebounds but the Irish led by only four points with 2:30 left. At that point Greene (12 points, 11 rebounds), who missed the 88-77 loss to St. Francis last month, and Kenny Caveness (also of football fame) scored two baskets apiece over the next 90 seconds to seal the win.  

Dropped Out: Previous No. 13 St. Francis (Mountain View); No. 17 Sonora (La Habra).

On the Bubble: Centennial (Corona) 21-3; Colony (Ontario) 20-6; Jordan (Long Beach) 20-5; Loyola (Los Angeles) 18-5; Lutheran (Orange) 21-4; Ocean View (Huntington Beach) 19-7; St. Francis (Mountain View) 21-2; St. Mary's (Berkeley) 21-3; Windward (Los Angeles) 18-6.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
   
 

Top six teams from Divisions I and Division III are of the overall top 20 variety. Newcomers include Edison of Huntington Beach in D2 and Bradshaw Christian of Sacramento in D5.

By Steve Brand & Mark Tennis

These early divisional state rankings in the last two years have pushed athletic director Ben Ramos from Pacific Hills of Los Angeles and the school's girls head coach, Tony Jiminez, into a state of confusion.

Last year, Ramos, formerly the head coach of the girls team, found out that Pacific Hills, which played in the Division V state final in 2007, had been placed in Division IV by the CIF Southern Section. That turned out to be true.

This season, when we did our first divisional rankings last week, we had Pacific Hills back in Division V. After further checking by Rainer Wulf of the CIFSS administrative team, however, that turned out to be incorrect. Pacific Hills is still in Division IV. Those first rankings also had Windward of Los Angeles in Division V instead of Division IV.

With those two teams now gone from Division V, that opened the door for several newcomers. Going in the highest among that bunch is Bradshaw Christian of Sacramento.

The two opponents of the Pride last week were probably not feeling very proud as the Pride dominated in the opening quarter of both games versus Lutheran of Elk Grove and Sacramento Adventist. They won by lopsided scores of 83-13 and 55-14. Cheyenne Williams was one of five Pride players to score in double figures with 30 points to go along with 22 rebounds, nine assists, seven blocks, and six steals.

This also is the time of year when teams might lose in a Saturday event and not drop at all in the rankings. La Jolla Country Day is one such team.

At 6-4, Gillian Howard is already showing she can be a leader on the floor for the Torreys and she's only a sophomore as she nearly outscored Parker on her own with 20 points in their 63-21 win to start their three game schedule last week. LJCD then took off to Las Vegas to take on Desert Pines the next day and then Bishop Gorman the day after. Despite their offense not being in top form, they beat Desert Pines, 34-21. Unfortunately for the Torreys, they next lost in the final 20 seconds by a 51-49 final against the Gaels. Ariana Elegado led the scoring for the Torreys with 16 points while Chemayne Shipley chipped in with 15 points. Bishop Gorman is ranked No. 2 in Nevada so that close loss combined with the 47-41 loss to Mater Dei shows that this is still a young team on the rise.

Read on for this week's complete list of ranked teams.

(After games of January 31)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
(*indicates forfeit wins or losses not included)

Division I
1.    (1)    Poly (Long Beach)            19-2    
2.    (2)    Cajon (San Bernardino)      21-1    
3.    (3)    Clovis West (Fresno)         15-4    
4.    (4)    Troy (Fullerton)                20-1
5.    (5)    Monte Vista (Danville)        18-1
6.    (6)    Millikan (Long Beach)        18-4*    
7.    (7)    Colony (Ontario)               19-2    
8.    (8)    Deer Valley (Antioch)         14-6    
9.    (10)   Berkeley                         16-5    
10.    (9)   Ventura                           17-5    
Others:  Ayala (Chino Hills)                15-7    
       Canyon Springs (Moreno Val)       16-6    
       Chatsworth                              14-8
       Etiwanda (Rancho Cucam.)          15-7    
       Poway                                    20-2    
       Santa Monica                           16-6

Division II
1.    (1)    Mater Dei (Santa Ana)            23-0    
2.    (2)    Brea Olinda (Brea)                19-2    
3.    (3)    Hanford                              17-3    
4.    (4)    Oak Ridge (El Dor.Hills)         19-3    
5.    (5)    Carondelet (Concord)             17-3    
6.    (6)    Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)     15-5    
7.    (7)    Summit (Fontana)                 19-4    
8.    (8)    Pinole Valley                        16-4    
9.    (9)    Vista Del Lago (Moreno Val)    18-3*    
10.  (nr)    Edison (Huntington Beach)      16-4
Others:   Beverly Hills                          16-8*    
        Buena (Ventura)                          18-6    
        Garces (Bakersfield)                     21-1
        Gunn (Palo Alto)                          20-0
        Mira Costa (Manh. Beach)              15-6    
        Mt. Miguel (Spring Valley)              14-5    
        Norco                                        19-3    

Division III
1.    (1)    Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF)    17-1
2.    (2)    St. Mary's (Stockton)             18-3    
3.    (3)    Foothill (Tustin)                    20-1    
4.    (4)    Inglewood                            20-2*    
5.    (5)    Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland)        18-2    
6.    (6)    Valley Christian (San Jose)      15-3
7.    (7)    Woodbridge (Irvine)               20-2
8.    (8)    Muir (Pasadena)                    16-3    
9.    (9)    St. Ignatius (San Francisco)     14-3
10.  (10)   Sacramento                          14-8    
Others:   Agoura (Agoura Hills)               19-3    
        Del Oro (Loomis)                         18-1    
        East Union (Manteca)                    20-1    
        Las Plumas (Oroville)                    19-2    
        Northgate (Walnut Creek)               16-3    
        Roosevelt (Fresno)                        18-2    
        Vanden (Travis AFB)                      19-2    

Division IV
1.    (1)    Bishop's (La Jolla)            20-2    
2.    (2)    Mater Dei (Chula Vista)      18-2
3.    (3)    St. Mary's (Berkeley)         17-4
4.    (4)    La Jolla Country Day          13-8
5.    (5)    Lutheran (Orange)             18-2
6.    (7)    Marin Catholic (Kentfield)    17-4
7.   (nr)    Windward (Los Angeles)      15-7
8.   (nr)    Pacific Hills (Los Angeles)    14-9
9.    (6)    Modesto Christian               14-7    
10.   (8)    St. Joseph (Santa Maria)     20-2
9.    (10)   Harvard-Westlake (N. Holly) 16-6
Others:   Bishop Montgomery (Torr.)      15-8
        Campbell Hall (N. Hollyw.)          17-1
        Christian Bros. (Sacto)                16-5
        Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollyw.)      16-6    
        LACES (Los Angeles)                   15-7*    
        Linden                                      17-3    
        Moreau Catholic (Hayward)            15-5
        Santa Cruz                                 19-1
        Serra (Gardena)                         13-11    
        St. Paul (SF Springs)                   14-7    

Division V
1.    (1)    Bellarmine-Jefferson (Burb.)    22-2     
2.    (2)    Branson (Ross)                     17-3    
3.    (5)    Montclair Prep (Van Nuys)       16-4    
4.    (6)    Pinewood (Los Altos Hills)       16-4    
5.    (7)    Santa Clara (Oxnard)             17-3    
6.    (nr)   Bradshaw Christian (Sacto)      17-4    
7.    (nr)   Head-Royce (Oakland)           17-4    
8.    (nr)   Fresno Christian                    14-5    
9.    (9)    St. Joseph (Alameda)            17-4
10.  (nr)    Bentley (Lafayette)              15-4
Others:  Castilleja (Palo Alto)                14-5
        Convent of Sacred Heart (SF)        14-3
        Urban (San Francisco)                  16-6
        Vincent Memorial (Calexico)          10-4    

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.

Different lineup than last year is due mainly to CIF Southern  Section schools being in different divisions, including national No. 1 Mater Dei boys, who are in Division I this year instead of Division II.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

(After games of Saturday, Jan. 24)
(First rankings of 2008-09 regular season)

Notes: These are the rankings based on each CIF state enrollment division.
This year, the sections have more wiggle room than ever before in determining which teams are placed into each division.
In the San Diego, Central, Central Coast, North Coast and Sac-Joaquin Sections, all teams in the playoffs will be competing in the same divisions in which they will be advancing into the state playoffs. There are very little changes, except for a handful of schools that have dropped or added enrollment.
In the Southern Section, teams will be advancing into the CIF regional and state playoffs according to the same section playoffs in Division I, Division II and Division III. This means that all Southern Section schools in its Division I-AA and Division I-A playoffs would be eligible for the Division I state rankings. The same is true for Division II-AA and Division II-A and Division III-AA and Division III-A.
CIF Southern Section teams in its section playoffs in Division IV and lower, however, will be placed into the CIF state playoffs according to the specified enrollment divisions. A CIFSS Division IV school with an enrollment above 1250, for example, would be Division III for the state playoffs. One that has an enrollment below the cutoff would be Division IV.
This is going to create confusion, such as Mater Dei's boys being Division I while Mater Dei's girls are Division II. We also noticed that in this system, because the sections have more leeway to put teams in whatever divisions they like, a school like Garces of Bakersfield is Division II (because that's where the Rams are in the Central Section) but a school like Bishop Montgomery of Torrance is Division IV. Bishop Montgomery has an enrollment nearly twice the size of Garces.
This year's Southern Section system is still much better than last year, but there could be an outcry when people see a school like Golden Valley of Santa Clarita (with more than 2,000 enrollment) is in Division III when many other sections have no schools even close to 2,000 enrollment in Division III.
We've never believed enrollment was that important in determining school success, but the state and its sections should come up with a uniform standard so the playoff system isn't so confusing. If it's confusing to us, with 30 years of experience in doing rankings, it's going to be confusing to many more potential ticket buyers.
It's late in the week to be doing these divisional rankings, but now that they are started we can bring more resources into the fold so they will be done much sooner during the rest of the season.

Division I Boys
1.  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 20-0
2.  Westchester (Los Angeles) 19-1
3.  De La Salle (Concord) 16-1
4.  Dominguez (Compton) 16-4
5.  Taft (Woodland Hills) 16-2
6.  Fairfax (Los Angeles) 16-2
7.  McClymonds (Oakland) 17-1
8.  Centennial (Corona) 18-1
9.  M.L. King (Riverside) 14-2
10. Los Alamitos 19-1
11. Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 15-4
12. Folsom 18-1
13. Poly (Long Beach) 17-2
14. San Leandro 15-3
15. Castro Valley 19-1

Division II Boys
1.  St. Francis (Mountain View) 17-0
2.  Rocklin 18-2
3.  La Mirada 19-2
4.  Leuzinger (Lawndale) 15-5
5.  Eisenhower (Rialto) 17-3
6.  Thousand Oaks 18-2
7.  Fairfield 14-5
8.  Liberty (Bakersfield) 17-3
9.  Hoover (San Diego) 18-4
10. Marina (Huntington Beach) 17-3
Bubble: Garces (Bakersfield) 12-6, Loyola (Los Angeles) 13-5, Oceanside 15-3, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 15-3.

Division III Boys
1.  Diamond Ranch (Pomona) 14-4
2.  Sonora (La Habra) 19-1
3.  Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF) 13-3
4.  Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 15-5
5.  Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 15-5
6.  Sacramento 13-6
7.  Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 13-5
8.  Campbell Hall (N. Hollywood) 13-5
9.  Miramonte (Orinda) 14-4
10. Golden Valley (Santa Clarita) 19-1
Bubble: Burlingame 14-4, Del Oro (Loomis) 11-4, Morningside (Inglewood) 15-6, Ocean View (Huntington Beach) 16-6, Ridgeview (Bakersfield) 13-5, University City (San Diego) 15-4.

Division IV Boys
1.  Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 18-3
2.  Salesian (Richmond) 16-3
3.  St. Mary's (Berkeley) 17-3
4.  Serra (Gardena) 16-6
5.  Lutheran (Orange) 18-4
6.  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 19-0
7.  Bishop's (La Jolla) 16-3
8.  Modesto Christian 10-7
9.  Christian Brothers (Sacramento) 15-4
10. Calvary Chapel (Downey) 16-6
Bubble: Bakersfield Christian 9-7, Crespi (Encino) 14-6, Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 11-5, San Juan (Fair Oaks) 16-3.

Division V Boys
1.  Windward (Los Angeles) 13-6
2.  Foothills Christian (Escondido) 17-4
3.  Price (Los Angeles) 17-4
4.  Branson (Ross) 17-2
5.  Pacific Hills (Los Angeles) 16-5
6.  St. Joseph (Alameda) 15-5
7.  Maranatha Christian (San Diego) 16-3
8.  Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 18-4
9.  Head-Royce (Oakland) 16-2
10. Lutheran (La Verne) 14-6
Bubble: Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 14-5, Brethren Christian (Huntington Beach) 15-5, Cloverdale 18-2, Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) 13-9, Redding Christian 15-4, View Park Prep (Los Angeles) 11-14.

Division I Girls
1.  Poly (Long Beach) 17-2
2.  Cajon (San Bernardino) 18-1
3.  Clovis West (Fresno) 13-4
4.  Troy (Fullerton) 17-1
5.  Monte Vista (Danville) 16-1
6.  Millikan (Long Beach) 17-2
7.  Colony (Ontario) 13-2
8.  Deer Valley (Antioch) 12-6
9.  Ventura 15-5
10. Berkeley 13-5
Bubble: Ayala (Chino Hills) 13-7, Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) 13-6, Chatsworth 13-8, Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 13-6, Poway 18-2, Santa Monica 12-5.

Division II Girls
1.  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 21-0
2.  Brea Olinda (Brea) 18-2
3.  Hanford 15-3
4.  Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 17-3
5.  Carondelet (Concord) 15-3
6.  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 13-5
7.  Summit (Fontana) 16-4
8.  Pinole Valley (Pinole) 14-4
9.  Vista del Lago (Moreno Valley) 17-2
10. Beverly Hills 16-6
Bubble: Buena (Ventura) 17-6, Edison (Huntington Beach) 15-4, Garces (Bakersfield) 19-1, Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 13-6, Mt. Miguel (Spring Valley) 14-5, Norco 16-3, Pleasant Valley (Chico) 13-4.

Division III Girls
1.  Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF) 15-1
2.  St. Mary's (Stockton) 15-3
3.  Foothill (Tustin) 17-1
4.  Inglewood 17-2*
5.  Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 14-2
6.  Valley Christian (San Jose) 14-3
7.  Woodbridge (Irvine) 18-2
8.  Muir (Pasadena) 13-3
9.  St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 14-2
10. Sacramento 12-8
Bubble: Agoura (Agoura Hills) 18-2, Del Oro (Loomis) 17-1, East Union (Manteca) 18-1, Gunn (Palo Alto) 18-0, Las Plumas (Oroville) 17-2, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 14-3, Roosevelt (Fresno) 17-2, Rosary (Fullerton) 14-7, Vanden (Travis AFB) 17-2.

Division IV Girls
1.  Bishop's (La Jolla) 20-2
2.  Mater Dei (Chula Vista) 16-2
3.  St. Mary's (Berkeley) 15-4
4.  La Jolla Country Day 11-7
5.  Lutheran (Orange) 15-2
6.  Modesto Christian 12-6
7.  Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 15-4
8.  St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 17-1
9.  Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 14-7
10. Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 14-6
Bubble: Campbell Hall (N. Hollywood) 15-1, Christian Brothers (Sacramento) 15-5, LACES (Los Angeles) 15-6, Linden 15-3, Moreau Catholic (Hayward) 14-4, Santa Cruz 17-1, Serra (Gardena) 12-10, St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 12-5.

Division V Girls
1.  Bellarmine-Jefferson (Burbank) 20-2*
2.  Branson (Ross) 15-3
3.  Windward (Los Angeles) 13-6
4.  Pacific Hills (Los Angeles) 12-8
5.  Montclair Prep (Van Nuys) 15-3
6.  Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 14-4
7.  Santa Clara (Oxnard) 15-3
8.  Convent of the Sacred Heart (SF) 13-2
9.  St. Joseph (Alameda) 15-3
10. Eastside Prep (E. Palo Alto) 11-8
Bubble: Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 16-4,  Fresno Christian 12-5, Head-Royce (Oakland) 15-4, St. Francis (Watsonville) 13-6, Vincent Memorial (Calexico) 10-3.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.

Our girls' basketball honoree this week was once a multi-sport star. You'll be surprised to find out what sports they were and who she played against.

By Harold  Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.

When Lynne Gray, the mother of twins Courtney and Ashley Paris, told us three summers ago that Ki-Ki Moore might end up being the best player to ever come out of Sacred Heart Cathedral, we respected her opinion.

	Sacred Heart Cathedral
	Ki-Ki Moore

However, even after seeing Moore as a freshman, we were still skeptical of Gray's assessment of the incoming sophomore.

First it was Crissy DeLuzio, who led the Irish to their first state championship in 1998.

Then, there was current Irish assistant coach Toni Russell, an aggressive defender who made all-state and was also on the Division III state runner-up Irish squad of 2001.

Another was 2004 graduate Georgia Onyemem, who led the Irish to a WCAL title hours after being hit by a car – and who also played some college ball.

More recently there was Jazmine Jackson and Lauren Bell, both of whom were instrumental in leading the Irish to three straight state titles. Each is now a freshman at Pepperdine.

However, it wasn't until this year that longtime Irish Coach Brian Harrigan had a player that made it to a Pac-10 school.

In fact, he has two.

One is much heralded Cal-bound Tierra Rogers, whose story of overcoming the murder of her father during halftime of a game in January 2008 has been chronicled and hashed and re-hashed more than enough for everyone's liking, including Rogers.

The other plays like a tigress on the court, striking fear into opponents who are matched up against her either on offense or whom she stalks on defense.

"Ki-Ki's court vision is better than anyone I've ever coached, even Toni Russell,” Harrigan told CalHiSports.com during afternoon practice earlier this week. "And if you watch her dribble, it's a compact and controlled dribble. The ball never comes above the knee. That's what enables her to make the kind of no-look passes with both hands you see her do,” said the 20-year Irish coach, a preschool teacher in his day job and who on nights and weekends has managed to win four state titles with two runner-ups and 10 straight CCS championships.

"It's a strength factor,” Harrigan continued. "She'll bait you. Then, once she gets you on her shoulder going to the hole, you're pretty much done.”

Offensively, she's the leading scorer at 15 PPG on an Irish team that doesn't really keep stats.

When Harrigan gave us the stat sheet we requested, it was on blue-line paper and looked like he used an abacus to add up the numbers.

"I've told you before, we don't keep stats,” he chuckled.

Between Will McCulloch of the San Francisco Chronicle, who nominated Moore and also made her the Chronicle's Girls' Bay Area Metro Athlete of the Week, and CalHiSports.com, we compiled additional statistics based on games covered.

Besides the 15 points, she's averaging nine rebounds, seven steals and six assists per game.

Last week and through Martin Luther King Day, Ki-Ki had a phenomenal seven-day stretch, leading the Irish to four triumphs, three of which required second-half comebacks.

In each of the three come-from-behind wins, Moore took charge in the second half to help her team pull out wins

On Jan. 13, in a 57-46 win over St. Ignatius of San Francisco, Moore scored 16 of her game-high 22 points after halftime, adding 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists.

On Friday, she helped erase a late third quarter deficit in a 72-63 victory against highly regarded Valley Christian of San Jose, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and six steals.

Her no-look passes set up teammate Rogers for a game-high 24 points, but her biggest contribution came in a 22 second span just before the end of the third period.

First, Ki-Ki stole a pass, went the length of the court to score, was fouled and made the free throw.

Then, on the ensuing Valley Christian possession, Moore got a rebound, and faster than the blink of an eye, she was coast-to-coast again for another bucket.

"Ki-Ki has really stepped up her game,” said McCulloch, who has seen her as much or more than any prep journalist in her career. "It's phenomenal the way she knows where everyone is or is going to be on the court, especially Tierra.”

On Monday, with CalHiSports.com in the house at the Marin Catholic Martin Luther King Classic in Kentfield, teammate Kamilah Jackson had a game-high 18 points (nine rebounds) but it was Ki-Ki who ignited a big Irish second half, and delighted the packed house with her lockdown defense and no look passes using both hands, in a win over state-ranked Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland.

The end result was a 70-45 victory in a game the Irish trailed 33-31 at the half.

Keyed by Moore's air-tight defense on Dragon junior stars Alexis Bostick and Robie Mayberry, or anyone else who dared come anywhere near her, the Irish held O'Dowd to 12 second-half points.

The 5-foot-8 solidly-built guard finished with a double-double 15 points and 10 rebounds, plus seven steals and six assists.

Close friend Rogers also had a solid outing with 13 points and seven rebounds.

"What makes Ki-Ki a complete player is she defends so well,” said Harrigan, while Moore and Kamilah Jackson worked on shooting nearby.

"She's shooting the ball better now too,” he continued. "A little unorthodox with a kind of flick, but she gets it done.”

"Also, even at her size you can post her up on offense,” explained Harrigan. "People don't man us because I'll take her to the post where very few girls, regardless of size, can handle her.”

Not surprisingly, as with many talented, aggressive athletes on the court, off the court, Ki-shawna "Ki-Ki” Moore is a quiet, soft-spoken and humble young woman.

She has totally bought into Harrigan's team concept of no big-headed stars and no stats.

It took some prodding to get the Washington State-bound Moore to admit she enjoys the spotlight.

"Every time a reporter comes here it's been for T or Brian,” said Ki-Ki in a tone that showed some weariness over the amount of attention the past circumstances have garnered.

"It feels good to know someone else is getting a little recognition,” she continued, still reluctant to acknowledge being deserving of an individual honor.

"Around here with Brian we never talk about stats,” said Moore matter-of-factly. "It's not about how much you score, its about how hard you play and defend.”

Moore only plays basketball now but in 5th through 7th grade she played Pop Warner football with the boys and baseball with the boys at the San Francisco Boys and Girls Club.

In football, she was a wide receiver and on the diamond Ki-Ki was the shortstop.

She kidded that she never hit any home runs but in football she found the end zone quite often.

"I never hit one out, but in football I had 4-5 catches in a game once, and sometimes I was the only one to score,” Moore said, with something between a chuckle and a giggle.

Education is important to this student-athlete who carries a 3.6 GPA that she'll take to the Palouse this fall when she becomes a Cougar.

"My advice to young boys and girls coming up is to focus on your grades if you love basketball,” Moore told CalHiSports.com. "You're a student before an athlete. Study hard and let your love of basketball take care of itself.”

Maybe there are no stars on Coach Harrigan's teams but Ki-Ki is undoubtedly the linchpin, both on and off the court.

"With our success sometimes people don't realize we can get down,” said Moore softly. "I never show it or show emotion but I feel like I'm the leader. When everyone gets down or we make a mistake, I'll pick them up and try to make up for the mistake.”

Nowhere has it been more important for Ki-Ki to help pick someone up than when it comes to Rogers.

Part of the reason she knows where Tierra is on the court all the time is that they have been together for a long time.

"Me and T are pretty close. Played together since elementary school and at Mission Rec,” Moore said, then gazed downward as she continued.

"It hit her hard (the death of Rogers' father), and me and my family have been there to support her. Her dad isn't there to cook for her like he used to so my mom told her to come to our house to eat.”

Moore's family is her biggest fans.

Her mother, Kennita Chambers, who has guided Moore's career, owns a daycare business. She never misses a game and usually sits quietly in the stands.

Her father, Gary Moore, who played basketball at Portland State and works in an adult counseling center, is the opposite. He sits right at courtside and can be heard above the crowd, rooting Ki-Ki on.

One brother, Dominic Johnson, was an Irish basketball star who is now a sophomore playing at Santa Clara.

Another brother, Gary Moore Jr., is a sophomore at Sacred Heart Cathedral. He plays basketball and runs track.

Ki-Ki isn't quite sure what she'll major in at Washington State but sees herself in a career in sports medicine or doing something with kids.

College and a career are a long way off, however.

What's on tap is a matchup on Saturday in San Francisco pitting the three-time defending (D4 and D3 combined) state champions against two-time Division II titlist and state-ranked Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

"We'll practice hard this week and work on their stuff. We'll be ready,” said Moore, for the first time almost raising her voice.

"We went to Hawaii with eight girls and made it to the championship against Poly. We lost and that's over,” Moore said with conviction and in a little higher tone.

"The ultimate goal is ARCO and another state championship but before then it's WCAL and CCS so we're taking it one game at a time.”

Mitty has five girls over 6-2 waiting on Saturday while the Irish's biggest player is 5-10 Jackson.

Coach Harrigan may have to post up Ki-Ki or just let her do whatever needs to be done to get a win, just as she's done against the rival Monarchs in the past

The Mitty girls better not let Ki-Ki get them on her shoulder going to the hole, otherwise, they might be in big trouble.

De La Salle's win over Mack on Monday will be reflected in next week's boys rankings. Deer Valley on the rise for the girls. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area every Sunday night at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20 in San Francisco. Replays during the week on Comcast SportsNet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Due to the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend, we have combined rankings this week.

Combined, meaning the boys rankings will not reflect results from Monday's MLK Day action but the girls rankings will.

Look for big changes next week in the boys' pecking order with both McClymonds and Monte Vista losing to De La Salle and St. Mary's respectively at Cal's Haas Arena in De La Salle's 12th Annual Martin Luther King Classic.

Not only that, but each of the other matchup results will affect the order as well, with Salesian beating Newark Memorial and Sacred Heart Cathedral topping Skyline.

Even so, we still had two newcomers and one returnee to this week's rankings.

For Mack, the defeat means an end to a 49-game winning streak since earlier in the week the Warriors had little trouble in their first two OAL games with 51-36 and 74-40 respective home wins over Oakland and Oakland Tech.

With De La Salle's 43-38 defeat of the Warriors, Spartan Coach Frank Allocco probably is scratching his head trying to figure out how his team gave up 50 points for the only time this season, in a 54-50 loss to the Oakland Tech team that Mack pummeled last week.

Something has changed out in Concord, because since then, in 10 games, Sparta has marched past all of its opponents by a combined 600-289 margin, including a 41-20 drubbing of defending Div. IV state champion Campbell Hall at the Merv Lopes Holiday Classic in Hawaii.

This week, Allocco's boys will be tested again by a smarting Monte Vista squad on Jan. 21, looking to bounce back from the 61-42 defeat at the hands of the Panthers.

On the girls' side, the Irish showed everyone who is still boss with a convincing 70-45 defeat of previous No. 2 Bishop O'Dowd in the Marin Catholic MLK event.

The victory ended a 4-0 run over a seven-day stretch for Coach Brian Harrigan's Irish girls, who last week had WCAL wins over St. Ignatius, Valley Christian and St. Francis of Mountain View.

This week, SHC has only one game, on Saturday in another big test against Mitty.

Mr. Kibosh also made a visit to Berkeley last week for the Pinole Valley game against the Yellowjackets.

The Kibosh was put on Pinole Valley as the Spartans lost to Berkeley, 44-39, but it rubbed off on the Yellowjackets as well.

Berkeley then went on to lose to new No. 2 Carondelet, 62-53, at Haas on MLK Day.

Denesha Stallworth, under the weather against Berkeley, still finished with a triple-double 13 points and 10 blocks, but the double and triple teaming of the Yellowjackets held her to 12 points and only four free throws in the second half of the loss.

Stallworth, the state's leading scorer with a 30-plus point per game average, came back strong in a 67-37 defeat of Alhambra of Martinez in the Spartan's game at Haas, finishing with 36 points and 14 rebounds.

Look for the CalHiSports.com Bay Area Top 20 to return to its normal form with team write-ups next week.

Boys Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Saturday, Jan. 17)
(Not including forfeits or MLK Day games)

1. McClymonds (Oakland) 17-0 (1)
2. De La Salle (Concord) 13-1 (2)
3. Monte Vista (Danville) 15-0 (3)
4. San Leandro 13-3 (4)
5. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 15-2 (5)
6. Castro Valley 15-1 (6)
7. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 12-4 (7)
8. Newark Memorial (Newark) 13-3 (8)
9. Berkeley 14-4 (9)
10. St. Francis (Mountain View) 15-0 (11)
11. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 11-3 (10)
12. Castlemont (Oakland) 14-3 (12)
13. Bellarmine (San Jose) 11-4 (13)
14. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 16-0 (14)
15. Salesian (Richmond) 12-3 (15)
16. Pittsburg 12-4 (20)
17. Piner (Santa Rosa) 12-4 (16)
18. Miramonte (Orinda) 13-4 (nr)
19. Branson (Ross) 14-2 (nr)
20. Burlingame 11-4 (nr)

On the Bubble
Aptos 18-2, Carlmont (Belmont) 13-2, Drake (San Anselmo) 13-4, Dublin 14-3, Gunn (Palo Alto) 14-4, Heritage (Brentwood) 12-4, Hillsdale (San Mateo) 16-1, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 11-6, Mitty (San Jose) 8-6, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 10-8, Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 16-1, San Ramon Valley (Danville) 11-5, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 14-4, Serra (San Mateo) 8-7, Skyline (Oakland) 11-7, Terra Linda (San Rafael) 12-5

Girls Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Monday, Jan. 19)
(Not including forfeits but including MLK Day games)

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 14-1 (1)
2. Carondelet (Concord) 14-2 (3)
3. Mitty (San Jose) 12-4 (6)
4. Monte Vista (Danville) 12-1 (9)
5. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 14-2 (2)
6. Deer Valley (Antioch) 9-6 (8)
7. Valley Christian (San Jose) 13-2 (6)
8. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 14-2 (7)
9. Pinole Valley (Pinole) 11-3 (5)
10. Northgate (Walnut Creek) 13-3 (10)
11. Branson (Ross) 13-3 (12)
12. Gunn (Palo Alto) 16-0 (13)
13. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 11-4 (14)
14. Berkeley 11-5 (15)
15. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 12-4 (11)
16. Wilcox (Santa Clara) 10-4 (16)
17. Dublin 12-4 (18)
18. Moreau Catholic 11-4 (Hayward) (19)
19. Encinal (Alameda) 10-6 (20)
20. Campolindo (Moraga) 13-3 (nr)

On the Bubble
Granada (Livermore) 11-5, Justin-Siena (Napa) 11-5, McClymonds (Oakland) 12-4, Miramonte (Orinda) 11-5, North Salinas (Salinas) 13-3, Notre Dame (Belmont) 10-7, Petaluma 12-3, Piedmont 9-5, Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 13-4, Presentation (San Jose) 11-5, St. Joseph-Notre Dame (Alameda) 13-3, San Benito (Hollister) 13-3, Santa Cruz 16-1, Sonoma Valley (Sonoma) 11-6.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
 

Mater Dei of Chula Vista, Sacred Heart Cathedral and others are big winners in two events covered more than 400 miles apart.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

The caravan hit the road for the three-day MLK weekend, making stops in San Diego for the La Jolla Country Day Elite Classic, and then returning to the Bay Area for the Marin Catholic Martin Luther King Classic in Kentfield, where three defending state champions were in action.

It was a total of 1,600 miles of windshield viewing and 11 games on the hardwood.

Both hosts got wins and one team showed who is still the boss in Northern California.

Eight teams, including two state runner-ups from last year, gathered under sunny skies and 85-degree temperatures in San Diego on Jan. 17 for former two-time state champion coach Teri Bamford's La Jolla Country Day Elite Classic.

In fact, the weather was so good, it's almost a shame they don't have a retractable roof at the Country Day gym since the state-of-the-art facility has just about everything else.

The featured game pitted the host and state Div. IV runner-up Torreys against local rival Mt. Miguel from 10 miles east in Spring Valley.

Country Day has a young squad with no seniors, while Mt. Miguel features University of San Diego-bound point guard Danesia Williamson, its lone senior on the roster.

The game was a see-saw affair with the hosts building an 18-10 lead early in the second quarter behind the solid play of a pair of twin freshmen 5-10 guards, Maya and Malina Hood, who each had six points during that span.

From there, the hosts went cold and Mt. Miguel put together a 19-2 run to take a 29-20 lead on Danielle Miller's three-point play to begin the third quarter.

A young team quite often might fold under those circumstances, but not the Torreys.

Instead, Bamford's girls became aggressive, especially on defense, scratching and clawing their way back.

The trio of junior point guard Ariana Elegado, junior forward Chemayne Shipley, and 6-foot-4 sophomore post Gillian Howard took control when it counted.

The hosts forced 11 third quarter turnovers and when Shipley hit one of two free throws in the period's final seconds, Country Day took a 36-35 lead it never relinquished.

Elegado was particularly effective. Before she fouled out when the game was pretty much decided, she hit a trey that ended a 17-0 run, and played lockdown defense on Williamson, holding her to a team-high 10 points, with only two coming after the first quarter.

Shipley tossed in a game-high 15 points (seven rebounds three steals), with 11 coming in the second half.

Howard was solid in the block. She finished with a double-double 11 points and 11 rebounds with five blocks.

The 5-6 speedy, ball-handler Elegado, chipped in for 10 points and four assists.

Maya Hood only scored one more point after her six in the first quarter, but defensively and on the glass, she played like a senior instead of a freshman.

She rarely came out, and finished with seven points, 14 rebounds, five steals and four assists.

	Harold Abend
	Maya Hood

	Harold Abend
	Danielle Mauldin

Posted By Deputy Editor Mark Tennis 

We've still got a few more honors to hand out before being completely done with the 2007-08 school year such as all-state baseball, state schools of the year and state athletes of the year but before that we wanted to uphold the journalistic tradition of ranking the top stories within that same time frame.

These stories were ranked on their emotional impact, how prominent they became on a statewide and national level, how important they were to their local communities and their impact on future rules and regulations in high school sports.

	Willie Eashman
	Sisters Kamilah and Jazmine Jackson were both key starters for the national No. 1 Sacred Heart Cathedral girls basketball team.

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral Girls Basketball
The Irish overcame some incredible difficulties in winning their third straight CIF state championship, this one in Division III. They also finished with an unbeaten record and were the No. 1 team in the nation according to just about all media outlets that compile such rankings. Of course, and unfortunately, the tragic aspects of what head coach Brian Harrigan's team accomplished is what made the story about it so compelling. In January, the father of top player Tierra Rodgers was murdered during halftime of a game in San Francisco. The way everyone connected to this story handled themselves, from Tierra's teammates, her coaches and even the media, who adhered to requests from the family and did not ask Tierra any of those uncomfortable questions during the team's drive to a state title, was heart-warming and inspirational.

 2. Franklin High of Stockton Football Recruiting Scandal

CIF Sac-Joaquin Section commissioner Pete Saco was front and center in controversial Franklin High football recruiting scandal.