St. Mary’s Defeats McClatchy for Section Title

Mar 11, 2026 05:16PM ● By Tony Chen, photos by Tony Chen

The Lady Lions stand for the national anthem prior to the game against the Lady Rams.

St. Mary’s Defeats McClatchy [5 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The Saturday, Feb. 28 matchup between the Lady Lions of McClatchy High School and the Lady Rams of St. Mary’s High School at the Golden 1 Center was a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals, where the Lady Lions claimed a 67-59 victory on its way to a championship win over the Lady Bulldogs of Folsom High School.

McClatchy is led by former Lady Lion Jessica Kunisaki and St. Mary’s is led by former Lady Ram Alle Moreno.

The defending champion Lady Lions entered the Feb. 28 contest ranked at No. 6 with a 22-9 record, while their opponent, the Lady Rams, came in ranked No. 1 at 25-2. The two powerhouse schools battled in front of a packed Golden 1 Center crowd.

Head Coach Jessica Kunisaki of the McClatchy Lions coaches during the game against the St. Mary’s Rams.

The game was tight early. The Lady Rams led just by 3 points (33-30) at the end of the first half.

The second half told a different story. The Lady Rams came out of the break with a much more aggressive defensive presence that disrupted the Lady Lions’ rhythm. St. Mary’s forced key turnovers that converted into points, sparking a 16-5 third quarter run. The run quickly turned a one-possession game into a double-digit advantage.

The Lady Rams scored 35 points off of turnovers and controlled the paint scoring, outscoring the Lions 36-12. St. Mary’s junior Aymira Hardy led all scorers with 21 points, while teammates Dylan Horton added 18 and Kori Rogers contributed 12.

No. 24 Daisy Throckmorton of the Lady Lions shoots the ball during the game against the Lady Rams.

McClatchy struggled to find consistent offense in the second half, shooting only 38.9% (7-18) from the floor and 30% (3-10) from beyond the arc. The Lady Lions were led by Daisy Throckmorton with 19 points. Freshman guard London Lee added 17 points and junior guard Mikayla Reyes added 6 points.

St. Mary’s adds another section championship banner, bringing its total to 23, with a 65-47 victory over McClatchy. McClatchy will now shift its focus to the Division II CIF State Championship. The ranked No. 1 Lady Lions were scheduled to play the No. 16 Lady Vikings of Pleasant Valley (Chico) on Tuesday, March 3.