With MLK Day games counted in last week’s rankings it was a short week but nonetheless not lacking in action for many of the top-ranked teams.
Two teams that made big moves were a Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco team that also cracked the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings, and a McClatchy-Sacramento squad that is the top team from the Sacramento Metro area.
Northern California Girls Basketball Rankings
(Includes results for games through January 24)
(Previous ranking in parenthesis)
1. (1) St. Mary’s-Stockton 19-1
As each week passes it’s looking more and more like if the Rams remain healthy it’s going to be very hard for any Northern California team to match their depth on the court. Other than teams they’ve already played an upcoming potential formidable opponent will be cross-town No. rr Lincoln on Tuesday night at home. Last week it was two Tri-City League blowouts at Tracy and Lodi, and then an 85-64 win over visiting Piedmont.
2. (2) St. Ignatius-San Francisco 14-3
A West Catholic Athletic League win over Notre Dame-Belmont for the top team from the Bay Area was their only action last week. The San Francisco Chronicle dropped SI behind Miramonte in its Bay Area Metro rankings but in our way of looking at their overall body of work and the wins they’ve posted still has them a notch above the Mats. This week its Saint Francis-Mountain View on the road on Tuesday and then Presentation-San Jose.
3. (3) Miramonte-Orinda 17-2
The unfortunate thing for Miramonte about the Corner Bakery Showdown last Saturday at Lafayette Bentley is the Mats got lost in the shuffle of the Berkeley debacle, but after all was said and done it was an 18-point win that followed an earlier blowout of Yellowjackets. It probably would have been more than 18-points had the game not been halted since the girls would have shot the four free-throws coming and then gotten possession as well. The bottom line is the Miramonte girls deserve some recognition. Their resume shows only a loss to Cal-Hi Sports No. 1 Mater Dei and a 1-point loss to a Konawaena team whose lone loss is 68-59 to NorCal No. 1 St. Mary’s. They also have a 13-point win over a Pinewood team that only lost by seven to St. Ignatius.
4. (4) Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 13-2
Head Coach Doc Scheppler’s girls are the real deal after the way they responded in a 69-55 victory at the Corner Bakery Showdown over Concord-Carondelet, but they still have to stay behind the two teams that have beaten them, St. Ignatius and Miramonte. One thing is for sure and that’s the Panthers showed they may very well have what it takes to compete in the Open Division playoffs they are destined for. University of Buffalo-bound Gabi Bade had 22 points plus seven rebounds and six steals against Carondelet, while UC San Diego-commit Marissa Hing added 12 points, with eight coming in the fourth quarter including 6-of-6 on free throws in the final moments when the Panthers scored the game’s final eight points, but it was freshman Stella Kailahi that turned some heads. The 5-foot-10 starting center had a double-double 15 points and 10 rebounds. “Stella gives us a post presence and that really helps,” Scheppler remarked. For Pinewood to make noise in the Open Division having a girl that can work the paint will be a must. In fact, so far this season Kailahi is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder at 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
5. (6) Vanden-Fairfield 17-2
This team has taken its lumps for the loss to St. Mary’s-Berkeley with its only other loss by six to Pennsylvania’s No. 3 team Archbishop Wood. They didn’t blow out a Clovis West-Fresno team that then lost to the same St. Mary’s, but they also have a lot of other solid wins against teams like Cal-Hi Sports No. 18 Brea-Olinda-Brea and Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas. As a result the No. 1 team from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section is rewarded with a one-spot bump and gets to jump Carondelet in the NorCal pecking order. Solano County League action continues this week with two games on the road at American Canyon and Fairfield. With other Division III teams above them in the state rankings looking to be ticketed for the CIF NorCal Open Division, the Vikings would look to be a team that will have to be reckoned with in the D3 NorCals.
6. (5) Carondelet-Concord 15-2
Prior to the Pinewood loss the Cougars had a 67-50 win at Danville Monte Vista and escaped with a 60-57 win at Danville San Ramon Valley. East Bay Athletic League action continues this week with California-San Ramon at home and Livermore on the road. Loyola Marymount-bound Marcella Hughes had a 22-point outing against Pinewood.
7. (7) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 13-3
There was nowhere to move up here for the second week in a row for a Monarchs team with close losses to Mission Hills-San Marco and Highlands Ranch (Colorado) to open the season. Since then however, the only loss was to St. Ignatius. There were two West Catholic Athletic League wins last week over San Jose’s Presentation and Valley Christian. This week it’s a huge Tuesday match-up at home with No. ee Sacred Heart Cathedral.
8. (8) Salesian-Richmond 19-2
A close win over Piedmont was followed by blowouts of Kennedy-Richmond and Pinole Valley-Pinole. The Pride continue to fall in behind the Mitty team that beat them both here and in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings where Mitty is No. 12 and Salesian thirteenth.
9. (9) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 11-7
The Dragons broke into the state ranking last week and moved up six spots here but this week there’s no place to move up despite an eight-game winning streak. Last week they had a 69-52 home win over Piedmont team that also lost by four on the road at Salesian. This week its San Leandro and Alameda in West Alameda County – Foothill League action.
10. (15T) Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco 9-8
We almost moved the Irish way up last week based on who they’ve beaten recently in one of the state’s most rigorous schedules. Since a loss to an O’Dowd team they beat at the West Coast Jamboree SHC has won four-straight including St. Ignatius and previously state-ranked Vista Murrieta-Murrieta. This week they moved into the state top 20 by snagging the final spot.
11. (10) St. Mary’s-Berkeley 16-6
The Panthers followed up the solid MLK weekend win over previously state-ranked Clovis West-Fresno with blowouts of St. Joseph Notre Dame and St. Patrick St. Vincent in Tri-County – Rock League action and then on Saturday they hung on for a 39-35 victory over Heritage-Brentwood at the Corner Bakery Showcase with Cal-bound Ma’Ane Mosley out for college testing.
12. (11) Eastside Prep-East Palo Alto 13-3
The Panthers losses are to Pinewood, Archbishop Mitty and the St. Mary’s team they continue to fall in behind. For the second-straight week they only had one game, a 50-38 win at Notre Dame-San Jose. This week they’re on the road at Mercy-San Francisco and Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton.
13. (18) McClatchy-Sacramento 13-6
The top team in the Sacramento Bee rankings done by Joe Davidson has three wins since the last rankings including a 58-48 win on Monday we’re going to include to give the Lady Lions a boost. Gigi Garcia led the way against Sacramento with 18 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.
14. (12) Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 17-3
The No. 2 team in the Sacramento Bee rankings continues to roll with six-straight wins, all in Sierra Foothill League action, since a loss to a solid Bishop’s-La Jolla at the end of December. Despite the streak the Trojans lose two spots to make room for Sacred Heart Cathedral and McClatchy.
15. (13) Brookside Christian-Stockton 16-2
After the close 55-53 loss to Berkeley two weeks ago the Lady Knights won two games last week, including a 54-35 victory over a decent Presentation-San Jose. Flashy left-handed point guard Aarion McDonald filled the stat sheet against Presentation after posting a double-double 23 points and 12 steals with seven rebounds and five assists. Like Oak Ridge, Brookside drops though due to no fault of its own.
The rest
16. (14) Lincoln-Stockton 16-2
17. (15T) Berkeley 12-7
18. (19) Sacramento 11-7
19. (20) Antelope 16-1
20. (21) Dublin 16-2
21. (22) James Logan-Union City 15-3
22. (23) Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa 14-5
23. (24) Modesto Christian-Modesto 15-4
24. (25T) Kimball-Tracy 19-0
25. (25T) Scotts Valley 15-2
Dropped out: Previous No. 15T Saint Francis-Mountain View
On the Bubble
Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento 11-8, Clayton Valley-Concord 15-5, Davis 14-2, Del Oro-Loomis 16-4, Enterprise-Redding 15-4, Inderkum-Sacramento 18-2, Napa 17-2, Oakland 13-5, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 12-6, Palo Alto 15-2, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 14-5, Pleasant Valley-Chico 15-4, Saint Francis-Mountain View 9-8, Saint Francis-Sacramento 13-5, Shasta-Redding 13-4, Valley Christian-Dublin 18-3
