If last season’s 17-65 finish was the bottom for the Sacramento Kings, the NBA draft today had better be the start of the climb back up. With three of the first 31 picks and a chasm of needs to fill with them, the Kings are positioned to have their biggest impact on the draft in more than a decade. Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ top basketball executive, knows a big night could get Sacramento’s fans excited about a franchise with a slim roster, another new coach and an uncertain future in California’s capital.

J’Quan Martin, a 6-4 senior forward, scored 35 points to lead No. 6 the homestanding L.C. Bird Skyhawks to a Dominion District win over the No. 5 Huguenot Falcons.

When the Huguenot Falcons sit down to view the film of their long-awaited battle with L.C. Bird last night, no doubt they’ll see more than their fair share of J’Quan Martin. Scoring from the perimeter, in transition and off stick-backs, the silk-smooth 6-4 senior forward lit up the visitors for 35 points in the Skyhawks’ 92-81 victory that thrust them to the top of the Dominion District standings.

Thomas Dale built a double-digit lead in the first half, fell behind in the face of an L.C. Bird rally, then took control again to record a 69-61 nondistrict victory in a battle of Top 10 girls teams last night.