Magnolia is decided underdog in Division III girls’ final

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The girls’ Division III state championship game is considered, by many, to be the mismatch of the weekend in Sacramento. San Francisco Sacred Heart is ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps.com, StudentSports.com and USA Today. Magnolia is nowhere to be seen in those national rankings.

The Sentinels do have Arizona-bound guard Jhakia McDonald and a pretty stingy defense, but I’m afraid this setting might be a little too much for the little school from Anaheim.

Sacred Heart returns virtually everyone from last season’s state championship team. Tierra Rogers is one of the top juniors in the country. She hit the tying three-pointer late in regulation against Bishop Amat in last season’s title game and the Fightin’ Irish won in overtime.

The team is also inpired by Rogers, whose father, Terrell, was shot and killed earlier this year while in the parking lot during halftime of his daughter’s game.

--Dan Arritt