These three local teams look to hang blue banners during basketball championship weekend
An eventful week of high school basketball ends with the biggest game of the season thus far for three Stanislaus District teams this weekend at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
The Sac-Joaquin Section boys and girls basketball championships are Friday and Saturday at the home of the Sacramento Kings, and this year’s field of local teams features a first-timer and a pair of boys mainstays.
Riverbank (Division IV), Ripon Christian (D-5) and Modesto Christian (D-1) will play for blue banners on the section’s biggest stage. Here is a look at what to expect from each team and their opponent:
Girls Division IV: No. 3 Riverbank (26-3) vs. No. 1 Colfax (29-2)
2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24
Riverbank is in the midst of its best season in recent program history with the most wins in a season. and it will play for its first Division IV section title. It is the school’s second-ever championship game appearance – the first was a 1985 Division III loss to Justin-Siena.
Colfax is historically good, with 11 section titles in 14 championship game appearances. The 11 championships are the third most in section history. It won its last blue banner in 2020 in dominant fashion, beating Golden Sierra 66-23.
Friday will be a battle of two 25-plus-win teams. Colfax’s 29 wins already are the second most in the past 18 recorded seasons, while the 26-win Bruins continue to make history.
The Falcons finished Pioneer Valley League play undefeated for the third time in the past four full seasons, winning 14 league games en route to their fourth straight league title.
The key for Riverbank is to stay out of foul trouble. If guards Livi Vernandez and Taylor Macias and post player Rayne Tago can remain on the court for as many minutes as possible, the Bruins could make it interesting.
“It’s about not letting the moment get too big,” said Riverbank coach Janelle Luu. “We always say emotions are good when used in the right way. Colfax is a really battle-tested team … they know what it takes. So we’re just ready for the challenge and to give our all out there. That’s all I can ask them.”
Boys Division I: No. 3 Modesto Christian (25-6) vs. No. 4 Jesuit (26-4)
8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25
Welcome to the party, Kodey Weary.
The 6-foot-7 forward, returning to the Central Valley after playing at Coronado High School in Las Vegas last year, finally was cleared by the Sac-Joaquin Section on Sunday and suited up for his first game Wednesday on the road in the Division I semifinals against No. 2 Inderkum. The team had basically given up hope that the versatile senior would be cleared this season but he was inserted into the starting lineup Wednesday and will play at least two more postseason games for the third-seeded Crusaders.
“He was rusty, but he did some good things.” coach Brice Fantazia said.
The Crusaders’ big 3 of Jalen Brown (28 points), San Diego State-bound Bj Davis (26 points, six rebounds, six assists) and Prince Oseya (16 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks) were dominant in the blowout of the Tigers but will face a tough test in fourth-seeded Jesuit.
Modesto Christian advances to its 23rd section finals appearance. In the previous 22, the Crusaders have won a section-best 20, from Division V to D-I.
The Marauders are led by 6-foot-7, recently crowned McDonald’s All-American guard Andrej Stojakovic, who put up 21 points and 14 rebounds in the semifinals against scrappy eight seed Weston Ranch.
Stojakovic, a Stanford University signee, and fellow senior Reid Jones are looking to bring the 10th blue banner to Carmichael.
“They’re a well-coached team,” Fantazia said. “When you have a McDonald’s All-American, you are capable of beating anybody.”
Boys Division V: No. 3 Ripon Christian (22-7) vs. No. 1 Fortune Early College (20-7)
Noon, Saturday, Feb. 25
You won’t find many front courts bigger than Ripon Christian’s.
Jace Beidleman (6-foot-7) starts, while 6-foot-8 center Thys Van Der Hoek comes off the bench. They have size and length at the guard spots as well, with 6-foot-3 guard Eli Terpsma, and a trio of 6-foot guards.
“People don’t want to drive against us because of those guys,” said Terpsma, the team’s leading scorer. “Now that we have Thys back, we have two guys, so when Jace goes out, we have another guy just as big. Offensively, we can run a few plays for them and they can just catch it and put it in. It’s extremely helpful.”
They aren’t just big, they’re skilled. The Knights had their best shooting performance of the postseason, knocking down 10 first-half three-pointers in a 77-23 semifinals victory over Vacaville Christian. The guards did all the outside shooting — and any shots they missed, Beidleman and Van Der Hoek cleaned up with ease.
Their length is a big reason why the Knights won the Trans-Valley League title for the second straight season, going 12-0, and earned a first-round bye in the Division V playoffs.
Fortune Early College of Sacramento earned the top seed in Division V after winning the Northern Pacific Athletic Conference. Tyrece and Tyree Rose average 17.6 and 16.1 points, respectively, to lead the Panthers.
The two have a common opponent in Leroy Greene Academy. The Panthers played the Lions twice in league play, beating them by an average of 20 points, while the Knights won in overtime in the Division V quarterfinals by nine points.
Section Championship Matchups
Friday
Division VI
Girls: No. 1 Faith Christian vs. No. 2 Foresthill, 10 a.m.
Boys: No. 3 Valley Christian vs. No. 4 Sacramento Waldorf, noon
Division IV
Girls: No. 1 Colfax vs. No. 3 Riverbank, 2 p.m.
Boys: No. 3 Marysville vs. No. 4 Calaveras, 4 p.m.
Division II
Girls: No. 1 Christian Brothers vs. No. 3 Whitney, 6 p.m.
Boys: No. 7 Whitney vs. No. 13 Granite Bay, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Division V
Girls: No. 1 Bret Harte vs. No. 2 Valley Christian, 10 a.m.
Boys: No. 1 Fortune Early College vs. No. 2 Ripon Christian, noon
Division III
Girls: No. 1 Vanden vs. No. 2 Lincoln, 2 p.m.
Boys: No. 1 Vanden vs. No. 2 Sacramento, 4 p.m.
Division I
Girls: No. 1 Folsom vs. No. 2 St. Mary’s, 6 p.m.
Boys: No. 3 Modesto Christian vs. No. 4 Jesuit, 8 p.m.
