The Natomas Nighthawks celebrate after winning the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys basketball championship at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday.
HANNAH RUHOFF
hruhoff@sacbee.com
This one was a long time coming, and it was no wonder that the coaches embraced and clutched the coveted blue championship banner for a moment after the final buzzer on Friday night.
Pained by agonizingly close CIF Sac-Joaquin Section finals losses in each of the past two seasons and motivated to flip the script, the top-seeded Natomas Nighthawks rejoiced in their hard-earned 60-48 victory over No. 2 Venture Academy of Stockton to take the Division IV boys basketball crown at Golden 1 Center.
Manno Jenkins endured those hard losses and returned this season as a fourth-year starting guard with a ton to play for and a lot to prove. The senior guard scored 20 points, eclipsed the 2,000-point scoring plateau in the process as the program’s all-time career scorer, and never lost sight of perspective. Jenkins said that he and his equally giddy mates took none of this journey for granted. They appreciate every hurdle and detour to get here and to celebrate what they earned.
Guards Jaylen Russell, Aeron Wallace and Alfred Wilkins scored 13, 8 and 7 points, respectively, while combining for 12 assists for Natomas, which extended its winning streak to 12 in moving to 23-9 this season with more season to go. All section finalists advance to CIF Northern California Regional rounds that start next week.
“Nerves got to us early,” Natomas coach Brian McKenzie said. “It was a little sloppy for what we were expecting and the standard that we try to hold the team to, but we fought through the nerves like we have the entire season. The resilience these kids showed throughout the year is exactly why we’re standing here now.”
The New York-raised coach added, “They’ve been through a lot of adversity, ups and downs, a roller coaster, but the strength, resilience, the mental toughness is why we made it. We have a great group, and I pride myself on giving the opportunity to young guys to learn from these older guys.”
Of Jenkins and his 2,000-point milestone, McKenzie said, “To do that on this stage is huge. Very huge.”
What made it all the more joyous for Jenkins is he is a Sacramento Kings fan who dreamed of playing at this very venue.
“It’s just been hard the last two years, losing in the last seconds in those (championship) games,” Jenkins said. “This year, we all came together and actually bought into really wanting to win a ring. We came together, turned the season around and started winning.”
Natomas Nighthawks’ Diego Villanueva faces off with Venture Academy’s Delonnie Bague during the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys basketball championship at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
Amid a brutal schedule against regional and Bay Area powerhouse teams, Natomas started this season 2-7. The last two losses on the schedule were nail-biters, 66-64 to Lincoln of Stockton in nonleague play and a 68-66 setback to Golden Empire League rival Casa Roble, the team that edged the Nighthawks in last season’s section final at Golden 1 Center.
Natomas avenged the loss to Casa Roble. In the playoffs, Natomas found a new gear with point totals of 117, 108 and 85 before the 60 it needed against Venture Academy.
Natomas is deep on guard play with shooters and ball handlers, but the Nighthawks have some interior muscle too, and it comes in the youth that is Marcus Harris. A 6-foot-5 freshman, Harris scored 13 points and had nine rebounds and five blocked shots in playing like he belongs.
And there’s more work to be done, more achievements to chase down.
“We set goals,” McKenzie said. “We had numerous team meetings. We had numerous family meetings, and we put this team together with intention. We wanted to win the league. We wanted to win section, and we’re not stopping. We’re going to give it our best shot to win state.”
When the game ended, Natomas players sprinted to each other for hugs. They raced over to the side of the court to applaud the fans that were applauding them. Natomas players waved to their spirited bandmates who were loud and proud on the drums and more.
McKenzie called Natomas “a special place” and he called his players “a special team.” This is their special season.
The Natomas Nighthawks celebrate after winning the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys basketball championship at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Friday. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
Natomas played in its seventh section final and was in the D-IV final for the third consecutive season. The Nighthawks made a deep run in the NorCal playoffs two years ago, capped by McKenzie being named The Sacramento Bee’s Coach of the Year.
Natomas last won a section crown in this sport in 2014 under coach Brian Hamilton, and the Nighthawks produced back-to-back section title seasons in 1999 and 2000 under coach Marc Q. Jones. The school opened in 1997.
Josiah Johnson scored 17 points and had 7 rebounds for Venture Academy, which beat Natomas in a thrilling section final two seasons at UC Davis. Jeston Barnett had 11 for the Mustangs (25-7).
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 6:42 PM.
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Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.