Rivalry reignited: Del Oro pulls away from Placer on electric night in Auburn

The Placer Hillmen and Del Oro Golden Eagles met at Placer's Earl Crabbe Gymnasium on Tuesday night to rekindle a rivalry that is more than a half-century old. These schools no longer compete with one another for Sierra Foothill League titles or Sac-Joaquin Section championships but make no mistake, there is still a healthy disdain between the two. The band was jamming and the student sections were electric, as two squads battled back and forth all night. Each side responded to big runs from the opposition with one of their own. In the end, Del Oro had the last laugh, making crucial shots down the stretch to pull away with a 74-57 victory. Del Oro used a 22-4 run at the end of the first quarter and start of the second to jump out to a 30-12 lead, it's biggest of the night. Placer would not go quietly, however, ending the half on an 18-8 run to cut the deficit to single digits. The Hillmen lingered in the third, but the Golden Eagles outscored their rivals 20-12 in the fourth to secure the win. "Our kids played so hard. Both teams played really hard. Placer's a really, really good basketball team and they present a lot of problems on both ends of the court," Del Oro coach Geoff Broyles said. "I'm really happy with our kids' performance tonight. We turned it over a little bit too much but, you know, we did hit big shots when we needed to. I thought we got some key stops." Said Placer coach Mark Lee, "We struggled to make shots and Del Oro moved the ball and made big shots to answer our runs. I'm proud of the way our kids competed and loved the atmosphere in the gym. It's fun to be back playing in front of fans again." Del Oro spread out its attack, with four players in double figures. Brandon Hill led the Golden Eagles with 18 points, while Collin Fenner and Jaylen Hawkins each had 12. Alex Manley scored 17 and Garret Dutro 15 for the Hillmen. The Golden Eagles improved to 7-3 this season. Placer tasted its first defeat, falling to 8-1. The schools may meet again, as they are on opposite ends of the bracket in Placer's Kendall Arnett Tournament at the end of the month.