Amalia Holguin shepherded Sage Hill back to state finals

Amalia Holguin, the Daily Pilot Girls' Basketball Dream Team Player of the Year, poses holding a ball.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

April 4, 2025 6:45 PM PT

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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.

Sage Hill point guard Amalia Holguin was an All-CIF Southern Section Open Division honoree.

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.

Sage Hill's Amalia Holguin (10) drives past Moreno Valley's Bella Medina for a layup.

“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.”

Sage Hill's Amalia Holguin was the Most Valuable Player of the Pacific Coast League.

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.”

Amalia Holguin has helped the Lightning qualify for the CIF Open Division bracket in three consecutive seasons.

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.”

COACH OF THE YEAR

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.

FIRST TEAM

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.