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Los Angeles Times
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Daily Pilot Girls' Basketball Dream Team: Amalia Holguin shepherded Sage Hill back to state finals
Amalia Holguin arrived at Sage Hill two years after her peers and was soon after being considered the most talented of them all. She was the last of the players coached by Kobe Bryant in the Mamba Sports Academy to reach high school. Emily Eadie, Kat Righeimer, Annabelle Spotts and Zoie Lamkin were her club teammates, and in two years together at Sage Hill, Holguin completed a group that took the Lightning to new heights. Sage Hill has never looked back, the program having now qualified for the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs in three consecutive years. For the first time, Holguin had to march on without the girls she called 'sisters,' charged with leading the next version of the Lightning. It took time to materialize, but Sage Hill got to the promised land again. 'Sacramento' was thrown around like a sacred geography by Holguin, who had watched the Lightning win the CIF State Division II title at the Golden 1 Center in 2022. Sage Hill (23-12) stomped on the competition for much of the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I playoffs, winning its first three games in the bracket by an average of 25 points. When it needed its fearless leader most, Holguin canned a dagger three in the regional final against Los Angeles Windward. The Lightning claimed a second regional championship and returned to Sacramento, where it very nearly won a second state title in four seasons. The Lightning held a lead in the final minute, but Concord Carondelet pulled out a 51-48 win in the Division I title game. 'Going to Sacramento is a blessing,' Holguin said. 'Not everyone gets to go up there. Eve [Fowler], Addi[son Uphoff] and all the freshmen are really easy to lead because they take advice, and they actually input it into the game. Not a lot of people will probably listen to somebody just two years older than them, especially in high school. … I think they're very coachable and understanding.' Holguin, the Pacific Coast League MVP and an All-CIF Open Division selection, averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds, four assists and 2.3 steals per game. The junior point guard made 32% of her three-point attempts. She made four shots from beyond the arc in the state final, which she finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. 'When the big sisters left, I think she identified with the position of being a leader,' Sage Hill coach Kerwin Walters said of Holguin. 'I think the light started clicking for her in the most positive way. Yes, we have whatever hiccups we'll have, but her growth has been outstanding. She has developed into a person that people just gravitate to, want to follow, want to be around. 'She has a light personality that is funny, giggly, and then she has this real serious personality when it comes to trying to win, which is a tremendous attribute from a leader. You know you have to be a little more cordial, a little more welcoming to everyone and try to bring them along, but then when the lights come on and you're on the floor, you've got that laser focus.' Holguin, the Daily Pilot Girls' Basketball Player of the Year, said she wants to play at the collegiate level. If she can extend her career, she hopes to play overseas or in the WNBA. 'Since I started playing, I've always loved basketball,' Holguin said. 'I want to play for as long as I can. I guess Kobe has influenced the mentality of me working harder than others and having a goal to do it. I love this sport, so why not play it for as long as I can?' Exposure for the women's game is on the rise, and Holguin said she can contact a couple of WNBA stars for advice in Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx and A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. 'If I could pick their brains, they're like top people in the W,' Holguin said. 'I don't think you get much better advice.' The mental nugget that she takes with her out onto the court in pressure situations? 'Trust the work you've put in,' Holguin said. 'When you go into big games, I've trained for this for countless hours, so I don't have to be scared of anything because I'm meant to be there.' Sage Hill continues to shoot for the sky as a program. 'Our goal has been to get a ring, to be in the state championship game and to win the state championship game,' Walters said. '... There's no superstition about us trying to go get a ring and trying to be the best team that we can be, but really, the best team in the state of California. It's a big thing that this group is driving towards.' Rus Soobzokov Laguna Beach Laguna Beach moved out of the Sunset Conference this season, and the Breakers capitalized by going undefeated in winning the Pacific Hills League championship, the program's first league title since 2016 and third overall. After the Breakers closed the previous season on a nine-game losing streak, Soobzokov guided Laguna Beach (20-10) to a 13-game improvement in the win column and the second round of the Division 4AA playoffs. Senior guard Kate Cheng was named the Pacific Hills League MVP, and freshman center Fiona McCormick nearly averaged a double-double with 16 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Emily Hoang F / C | Huntington Beach | So. Hoang impacted the game at all three levels on the offensive end of the floor. The Sunset League first-team selection paced the Oilers in scoring at 13 points per game, adding six rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.5 assists per contest. Huntington Beach (17-14) drew an at-large berth into the Division 3AA playoffs. Hoang scored 24 points to go with nine rebounds in the Oilers' postseason ouster against second-seeded El Segundo. Kayly Honig C | Corona del Mar | Sr. Corona del Mar coach Brason Alexander described Honig as a 'do-everything point-center' who anchored a defense that limited opponents to 40.4 points per game. Honig averaged 10 points, 7.1 rebounds and a team-best 2.7 assists. Corona del Mar (18-11) shared the Sunset League championship with Fountain Valley and Los Alamitos. Honig was joined by teammates Sienna Knodegah, a senior guard, and Sawyer Blumenkranz, a sophomore guard, on the Sunset League first team. Kamdyn Klamberg G / F | Sage Hill | So. Klamberg's role grew exponentially from a rotational player as a freshman to a go-to scorer in her second year with the Lightning. The sophomore was equally dangerous as an outside shooter or underneath the basket. She averaged 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and her physicality was felt throughout the playoffs. Klamberg had a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds in the regional semifinals against Los Angeles Brentwood. Victoria Om G | Fountain Valley | Sr. As often as Om filled the stat sheet, it's not hard to see why she earned a share of the Sunset League MVP award. The senior point guard split the honor with Tamlyn Yoshida of Los Alamitos, which was among the three teams tied atop the league standings. The backcourt duo of Om and junior Sophie Hsieh led Fountain Valley (19-10) to a share of its first league championship since 2022, when the Barons won the Surf League title outright. Om averaged 15 points, 6.5 assists, five steals and four rebounds per game. Vivian Villagrana G | Pacifica Christian | Jr. Villagrana tickled the twine with regularity for the Tritons, who needed all the scoring they could get against a tough schedule. Pacifica Christian (13-15) played five games against Division 1 playoff teams, as well as two games against Open Division qualifier Fairmont Prep in the San Joaquin League. Villagrana scored 19.2 points per game to go with averages of 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals. The All-CIF Division 3AA honoree was one of three first-team all-league selections for the Tritons, joined by senior guard Caylie Villagrana and junior forward Angie Martinez. Position, Name, School, Year G / F Angelina Bado, Ocean View, Sr. G Rylee Bradley, Marina, Jr. G Kate Cheng, Laguna Beach, Sr. C Eve Fowler, Sage Hill, Fr. G Sienna Knodegah, Sr. F Leilani Quero, Costa Mesa, Jr. C Fiona McCormick, Laguna Beach, Fr. G Maria Tejeda, Marina, Sr. G / F Addison Uphoff, Sage Hill, Fr.
Los Angeles Times
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill girls' basketball falls in final minute of Division I state final
The Sage Hill girls' basketball team was on the precipice Friday evening of bringing home the program's second state championship. But four free throws in the final minute quelled a late rally by Sage Hill, which fell to Concord Carondelet 51-48 in the CIF State Division I final at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Sophomore guard Kamdyn Klamberg's layup, the product of a steal and assist from junior guard Amalia Holguin, with 64 seconds remaining lifted the Lightning to a 48-47 advantage. It marked Sage Hill's first lead since late in the third quarter, when freshman wing Addison Uphoff drove left to give the Lightning a 34-31 edge. Carondelet took a 42-34 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter on a basket by sophomore wing Janel Nevares, as the Cougars capitalized on multiple offensive rebounds on the possession. Junior forward Layla Dixon sunk a pair of free throws with 45 seconds left in the game to retake the lead for Carondelet (30-6). Junior forward Olivia Smith also made two free throws with 13 seconds to go, leaving the Lightning in need of a three-pointer on the last possession. Leah O'Toner received the ball on a dribble hand-off from Uphoff. The freshman point guard took the shot from the top of the arc with three seconds left. The potential game-tying three went long. Carondelet claimed its second state title in five appearances. The Cougars won their initial state championship game appearance against Troy in 2004, before dropping the next three - to Troy (2006), Brea Olinda (2009) and Mater Dei (2010). Carondelet competed in Division II in its previous four state finals. 'It's been a long time since this school's been back,' Carondelet coach Kelly Sopak said in an on-court interview after the game. 'I told them eight minutes for the rest of their life. It's just really fun.' Holguin had a game-high 21 points to go with five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Klamberg added 13 points and five rebounds. The backcourt duo, which accounted for all of the Lightning's scoring in the first half, also combined to make six of 12 attempts from the three-point line. Sage Hill (23-12) struggled from the free-throw stripe, however, making an abysmal four of 14 foul shots (28.6%). When the Lightning made runs, the Cougars had the answers, particularly as sharpshooters. Junior guard Sophia Ross, sophomore wing Phoebe Weaver and senior forward Ryan Rodriguez each made two three-point shots, part of a nine-for-24 shooting performance (37.5%) for Carondelet from distance. Notably, the Cougars also closed quarters. They scored the last four points of the first quarter, the final five points before halftime, and eight unanswered points to end the third quarter. Clutch free throws in the final 45 seconds swung the result in Carondelet's favor. 'This is what I put my energy towards, this is what I really put my life towards,' said sophomore forward Celeste Alvarez, who had a team-leading 11 points and 14 rebounds for Carondelet. 'This means everything to me. … We couldn't ask for a better end to the season. This is our last game. I came on this court, I wasn't going to lose.' Freshman center Eve Fowler had four points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals for Sage Hill. Uphoff chipped in with eight points, six rebounds and a block. Junior forward Alyssa Cuff provided two points, four rebounds and three assists. Sage Hill, the Pacific Coast League champion and a CIF Southern Section Open Division qualifier, was seeking its second state title in four years. The Lightning beat Fresno San Joaquin Memorial to capture the Division II crown in 2022. Carondelet 51, Sage Hill 48 SCORE BY QUARTERS Sage Hill 12 - 6 - 16 - 14 — 48 Carondelet 14 - 10 - 15 - 12 — 51 SH — Holguin 21, Klamberg 13, Uphoff 8, Fowler 4, Cuff 2. 3-pt. goals — Holguin 4, Klamberg 2. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None. C — Alvarez 11, Ross 8, Dixon 6, Rodriguez 6, Weaver 6, Nevares 5, Smith 5, Christopher 4. 3-pt. goals — Rodriguez 2, Ross 2, Weaver 2, Alvarez 1, Christopher 1, Nevares 1. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
