By Damien Barling
MaxPreps.com
The El Camino Eagles continued to stake their claim as the top girls basketball team in the area by defeating Loretto 78-62 Saturday night. With the win, El Camino, who is 13th in the MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin section rankings, moves to 11-3 and 1-0 in league play.
This coming week will be a tough test for the Eagles as they do battle with league rivals Belle Vista (10-5) Jan. 11 and then head into a rematch with tenth-ranked St. Francis, who beat them 71-59 two days before Christmas.
Senior Lisa Peterson continues to lead the Eagles with 18.2 points per game as El Camino looks to return to the state tournament that left them just shy of the championship game last year.
Baugh Expected to Play in League Opener
Sac High standout and future Tennessee Lady Vol Vicki Baugh is expected to play in the Dragons' Metro Conference opener against 12-2 McClatchy Tuesday after suffering a "regular" right ankle sprain in a tournament game against Berkeley Dec. 28.
"She went to the doctor on Tuesday and all he gave her was a regular wrap to put on it," Sacramento coach John Langston told the Sacramento Bee last Thursday. "If it were more serious, the doctor would have given her something more."
Baugh, who signed to play at the University of Tennessee next year, missed 11 games last season with a high right ankle sprain and sat, with the exception of a few plays, for the final two games of the tournament, both of which the fourth-ranked Red Dragons lost.
Boy's basketball: Jesuit Claims Third in State Rankings
This may be a fun week for Jesuit fans and students.
The Marauders, who jumped to No. 3 in the MaxPreps California state rankings after claiming the prestigious Torrey Pines Holiday Prep Classic, claimed two more victories this week and improved their record to 14-1. There's a strong chance the boys of Jesuit may find themselves in the national rankings for the first time in 16 years.
Saturday night, Jesuit destroyed Castlemont, 76-38, behind Chris Blees' 18 points and James Edwards' 14 points.
Last weekend, Jesuit edged national powerhouse Dominguez of Compton, 63-56, on the strength of senior Jay Flores' three-pointer with 38 seconds left that put the Marauders up by five.
The top-ranked team in the San Joaquin section also defeated Washington's top ranked Class 4A team Franklin of Seattle, 86-79, Southern California's top-ranked Compton, 84-78, and Canada's Eastern Commerce of Toronto, 64-49, on their way to winning the Torrey Pines Holiday Prep Classic.
6-3 senior guard James Edwards was named tournament MVP while leading the very dangerous Delta League in scoring with 20.3 points per game.
Take a peek at the USA Today Tuesday when its national rankings are updated. You may see Jesuit on that list for the first time since posting a 35-1 mark during the 1992-93 season.
Either way, expect a fun week of basketball as Jesuit heads to Pleasant Grove on Wednesday, then enters the house of 13th ranked Folsom before going home and doing battle with 21st ranked Sheldon.
More Basketball News: Sheldon Falls, Sac High, Union Mine Win
No. 21 Sheldon dropped its fifth game of the season losing to the 7-6 Newark Memorial Cougars, 63-53.
The Sacramento High Red Dragons improved their record 8-4 by beating Salesian (Richmond), 53-45. The Dragons are going to have a tough time holding on to their No. 6 ranking after losing sophomore sensation Chase Tapley to a dislocated knee in the third quarter of their win. The Sacramento Bee reports Tapley will have surgery today (Jan. 7).
