State Stat Stars of the Week

Lynette Johnson led Kennedy of Sacramento to last year's CIF Division I Northern California championship game. She was named all-tourney last week at the West Coast Jamboree. Photo by Harold Abend.

Lynette Johnson led Kennedy of Sacramento to last year’s CIF Division I Northern California championship game. She was named all-tourney last week at the West Coast Jamboree. Photo by Harold Abend.

Ashley Kelsick from Highland of Palmdale is making opponents ill and had 56-point outing last week. We have 75 boys and girls players on the honor roll this week. By Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens with contribution by Bob Barnett.

We collect these highlights in support of the Cal-Hi Sports state record book, which is the exclusive home for state records and has been published seven times since 1980.
These highlights are for games played mostly from Dec. 20 to Dec. 31.
To send in a stat star of your own, email highlights to markjtennis@gmail.com.
For game reports, please go to our twitter page @CalHiSports and for other updates please visit our Facebook page.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Sedrick Barefield (Centennial, Corona)
Late Wednesday at the Holiday Hardwood Invitational, he scored a game-high 30 points for the Huskies as they defeated Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove 71-65.

Justin Beskeen (Bear River, Grass Valley)
This player had a keen eye for the basket as he scored a game-high 32 points in the Bruins’ 66-58 loss to Woodcreek at the Kendall Arnett Tournament.

Jabari Bird (Salesian, Richmond)
At the Catholic School Winter Classic, and in a battle of two of the top players in California and the two top players in Northern California, it was Cal-bound Bird and his Pride flying past San Jose Archbishop Mitty and Aaron Gordon, in a surprising 72-51 victory. Bird got the better in the personal dual, finishing with a double-double 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Gordon was just behind after he tallied a double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds. Bird also had 23 points in a win over Woodland Hills Taft in the Torrey Pines tournament.

Jason Braden (Berean Christian, Walnut Creek)
Coach Jason Braden must have been proud of son Jason Braden but unfortunately the junior Braden’s 32 points wasn’t enough in a 65-64 loss to San Rafael.

Henry Caruso (Serra, San Mateo)
The Princeton-bound senior has been rock steady for the 9-2 Padres. One of his better efforts was in the Tim Cole Tournament title game 70-63 win over Dublin. He finished with a double-double 27 points and 10 rebounds, and was named most valuable player.

James Chevious (Golden Valley, Santa Clarita)
In the consolation finals of the Chaminade Christmas Classic, he scored a game-high 35 points but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 69-62 loss for the Grizzlies to Burroughs of Burbank.

Patrick Conroy & Nick Calcaterra (Marin Catholic, Kentfield)
Playing for the hosts in the Don Bambauer Classic, Conroy, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, had 33 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a 68-58 win over Arcata. Calcaterra scored a career-high 32 points in a 59-49 win over Santa Maria Righetti in the Mission Prep tourney.

Ali Faruqbey (San Lorenzo)
He had a solid double-double 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the Rebels needed it all in a 73-72 win over Foothill of Pleasanton.

Brian Fineanganofo (Paramount)
More than just fine was his performance against Pacifica of Oxnard as he came up a point shy of a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 11 blocked shots to go with his nine points as the Pirates won 71-46.

Justin Gammage (Ontario)
It may have been the third-place game of the Whittier Tournament but Justin made sure the Jaguars would end the tournament on a high note as he scored 41 points during their 80-68 win over La Quinta.

Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose)
Gordon’s 18 points and 10 rebounds weren’t enough in the Catholic School Winter Classic 72-51 loss to Salesian, but in his next outing in a 80-70 win over Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.) at the Les Schwab Invitational, a game that saw 16 lead changes, the 6-foot-8 Monarchs’ star left doubt, finishing with a career-high 43 points with 15 rebounds. He only had 17 points and missed a ton of free-throws in a 76-72 loss to Portland Jesuit, but came back strong the next day. After winning the slam dunk title earlier in the day, he finished with 32 points, 24 rebounds and five blocks in Mitty’s 85-70 third-place semifinal win over Century of Hillsboro, Oregon. Gordon completed his four games in the Pacific Northwest with a double-double 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 59-55 victory over West Linn, Oregon.

Adam Gotelli (Elliot Christian, Lodi)
Making five shots from behind the 3-point arc, this junior guard finished with 37 points as the Eagles defeated Faith Christian of Yuba City 80-75.

Justin Haro (Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences, Granada Hills)
Making sure the Vipers would win their own tournament he scored 36 points in their 72-56 championship game win over Foshay of Los Angeles.

Kendrick Jackson (Granite Bay)
Leading the Grizzlies with 32 points, they defeated Fountain Valley 80-71 at the San Diego Surf and Slam Tournament.

George Johnson (Heritage, Brentwood)
He lit up the scoreboard for 30 points and the Patriots needed them all in a 69-68 victory over Castro Valley.

T.J. Leaf (Foothills Christian, El Cajon)
Just a freshman, the 6-foot-7 Leaf led the way for the Knights in their 73-59 triumph against Valhalla of El Cajon. He had 28 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and five blocks.

Marcus Lee (Deer Valley, Antioch)
The 6-foot-10 Kentucky-bound Lee put in a Wilt Chamberlain type of performance after scoring 31 points with 29 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in a 70-66 win over McClymonds.

Cole Lockwood (Santa Clara)
The Bruins’ junior guard had two big double-doubles last week, scoring 39 points with 14 rebounds in a 76-57 win over Gilroy and 29 points with 13 rebounds in a 69-62 win over San Jose Lincoln.

Marcus Lovett Jr. (Providence, Burbank)
While this talented sophomore was out sick, the Pioneers lost nine games in a row but he is back and he scored 38 points in a 69-60 consolation championship game loss to Kentridge at the Orange Holiday Classic. He also scored 31 points earlier in the tournament during a 66-47 win over Westminster.

Jaron Martin & Jack Williams (Chaminade, West Hills)
With their tournament title on the line, Jaron scored 30 points and was named tournament MVP as the Eagles defeated Westlake 85-73. Jack added 20 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in the win.

Mamadou Ndiaye (Brethren Christian, Huntington Beach)
The 7-foot-5 big man scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Warriors’ 71-66 win over Viewpoint of Calabasas and then the next day he scored 40 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in their 77-70 win over Canyon Crest Academy of San Diego in a divisional championship game of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic.

Derrick Newton (Harvard-Westlake, Westlake Village)
Scoring a game-high 31 points, the Wolverines defeated Rainer Beach of Washington 75-70 at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic.

Andre Nikita (El Cajon Valley, El Cajon)
The senior standout has been among the early reported state scoring leaders with 28.5 ppg. He closed the calendar year with 42 points as the Braves beat Mar Vista of Imperial Beach 85-53 and had 31 in a 63-57 loss to Monte Vista of Spring Valley.

Khleem Perkins (San Bernardino)
He scored 33 points in a loss to national power Mater Dei of Santa Ana while also scoring 30 points and seven rebounds during a 66-55 win over San Juan Hills. He was named to the Orange Holiday Classic all-tournament team.

London Perrantes (Crespi, Encino)
Ending the 2012 calendar year in Illinois at the Proviso East Tournament, Perrantes scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds during a 72-60 win over Hillcrest in the consolation semifinals.

Isaiah Pineiro (Placer, Auburn)
Despite scoring 31 points, the Hillmen fell short against fellow state stat star Vasilije Saraba and Del Campo as they lost to the Cougars by a 78-66 score in the championship game of the Kendall Arnett Tournament. Earlier in the tournament, he scored 36 points during a 69-61 win over El Camino.

Ivan Rabb (Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland)
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore turned some heads at the Tarkanian Classic at Bishop Gorman and the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic. His best game was a 30-point and 15-rebound performance in a 66-62 win over local team San Diego Parker at the Torrey Pines affair.

Julian Richardson (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills)
Battling his way to Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic MVP honors, this son of former NBA player Pooh Richardson scored 30 points as the Conquistadors defeated Modesto Christian 90-65 in the finals. He also scored 35 points earlier in the tournament against University of San Francisco.

Jed Sailsbery (Orland)
He had his top outing of the year so far with 32 points, eight assists and five rebounds when the Trojans beat American Canyon last week 71-62. Sailsbery, a 6-foot senior guard, is averaging nearly 22 ppg.

Vasilije Saraba (Del Campo, Fair Oaks)
Opening the Kendall Arnett Tournament with 33 points in a 70-67 win over Colfax, this talented junior ended the tournament with 35 points in their 78-66 win over Placer in the championship game. Saraba earned tournament MVP honors.

Blake Shannon (Mission Oak, Tulare)
He set a school record by scoring a career high of 43 points, including a 13-of-15 effort from the free-throw line, as the Hawks beat Redwood of Visalia 85-72 in the semifinals of the Polly Wilhelmsen Tournament. Blake came back in the finals to score 35 points, which included six 3-pointers, as Mission Oak won 77-73 over Tulare. Blake was chosen MVP of the tournament and led the tournament in scoring with 118 points.

Kushbir Thind (Caruthers)
Junior sharp-shooter scored a game high of 27 points as the Blue Raiders beat Liberty of Madera Ranchos 77-35 in the Frank Ainley Classic. Kushbir did have his streak of making 30 consecutive three throws come to an end. The streak ties him for third best in CIF Central Section history, according to section historian Bob Barnett.

Derryck Thornton (Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth)
On his way to being named to the all-tournament team at Torrey Pines, this talented freshman scored 31 points in a 71-57 win over Escondido.

Jeff Van Dyke (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad)
A top returnee from last year’s team that lost in the CIF Division II state final, Van Dyke connected for 29 points to lead the Mavericks past previously unbeaten Mission Viejo in the title game of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Palm Desert. Van Dyke, who averaged 21.5 ppg over four games, was named the tourney MVP.

Grant Vermeer (Bellarmine, San Jose)
The Bells’ 6-foot-2 senior guard earned MVP honors at the D.J. Frandsen Tournament Blue Division after scoring 35 points in a title-game 81-73 overtime victory over South San Francisco El Camino. The Bells were 10-0 heading into this week’s first slate of games in the West Catholic Athletic League.

Izzy Wagner (Mount Miguel, Spring Valley)
Leading the state in scoring at more than 40 points per game, he had three games of at least 40 points in a four-day span as he scored 40 points in a 71-61 win over Valhalla of El Cajon, 42 points in a 73-71 loss to Foothills Christian of El Cajon and 43 points in a 71-47 win over Southwest of El Centro at the Aztec Holiday Classic.

Nick Wang (Mountain View)
Wang surprised the hosts of the St. Francis Holiday Tournament by burning his crosstown rivals for a double-double 29 points and 13 rebounds in a 57-50 victory.

Devin Ward (Lindhurst, Olivehurst)
Despite scoring a game-high 34 points, the Blazers came up just short as they lost 71-69 in the third-place game at the Lindhurst Tournament.

Terrance White (Inderkum, Sacramento)
In a game that came down to the final seconds, White’s game-high 41 points came in a losing effort at the Tigers suffered a 77-76 loss to McClatchy of Sacramento at the Cordova Tournament.

Josh Wilson-Murry (Paso Robles)
Leading the offense during his team’s 59-52 win over Roseville at the Atascadero Tournament, he scored a game-high 30 points.

Adam Wuebbens (Piedmont)
He went 7-for-10 from outside the arc and finished with 28 points in the Highlanders’ 77-73 victory over Xavier (New York City) in the San Diego Surf ‘N Slam tournament.

Kris Yanku (Taft, Woodland Hills)
Despite the Toreadors going just 1-3 at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, he had some big performances as he scored 38 points in a 58-46 loss to Salesian of Richmond and had 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 65-62 win over St. Anthony of Long Beach.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Ashley Allen (Clayton Valley, Concord)
First, she Dropped in an even 30 points with nine rebounds and four assists in a 53-50 win over San Jose Presentation. The senior guard came back with 27 points and seven rebounds in a West Coast Jamboree 58-51 Coral Division semifinal victory over Fresno Bullard, and a double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds, but the Eagles fell 62-51 to Bishop Manogue (Reno, Nev.) in the title game.

Irene Aranda (Vincent Memorial, Calexico)
She was a regular in this honor roll feature last season and looks like she’s at it again. In a 69-37 win last week over Mission Vista, the new school in Oceanside, Aranda netted 36 points and had eight assists, eight rebounds and eight steals.

Nicholle Aston (Louisville, Woodland Hills)
Nearly outscoring Pasadena on her own, she scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Royals picked up a 60-31 win at the Cantwell Sacred Heart tournament. She also scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds during a 60-43 loss to Millikan of Long Beach.

Priscilla Brooks (J.W. North, Riverside)
Tournament MVP honors went to teammate Kamille Diaz but she did score a game-high 29 points while grabbing 11 rebounds as the Huskies defeated Gahr of Cerritos 73-39 in the championship game of the Gladiators’ Holiday Classic.

Imari Brown (Duarte)
With back-to-back season-best performances, she scored 36 points in a 56-38 win over Schurr of Montebello and then scored 38 points the next day in a 63-49 win over South Hills of West Covina at the Glendora Christmas Tournament.

Cora Chan (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills)
Leading a come-from-behind effort, she scored 31 points as the Conquistadors defeated Roosevelt of Los Angeles 63-57 in the championship game of their own tournament.

Courtney Danna (Presentation, San Jose)
The senior guard poured in 31 points in a West Coast Jamboree Gold Division opening round 53-53 victory over Pleasanton Amador Valley.

Ashley Ewing & Lauren Hickey (Campolindo, Moraga)
The Cougars are off to an 11-1 start and the last three games were wins to capture the Emerald Division of the West Coast Jamboree. Ewing, a junior that can play any position but post, had a game-high 24 points in a 54-47 title game victory over Burlingame. She had 20 and 27 points in the first two games to garner MVP of the division. Hickey, a senior that plays down low, was the model of consistency, finishing with 19, 19 and 18 points in the three games, respectively.

Joeseta Fatuesi (Wilcox, Santa Clara)
The powerful 6-foot-2 junior is the main reason Wilcox is currently 13-0 to start the season. In the championship game of the Del Mar Tournament, she had 29 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks in a 57-48 victory over Campbell Westmont.

Reana Hardin (Wood, Vacaville)
Wins have been tough to come by this season for the Wildcats but they did pick up a 63-59 win over Leland of San Jose before 2012 came to an end and she led the way with 35 points.

Briana Harris (St. Monica, Santa Monica)
Playing at the West Coast Holiday Festival, she set a tournament record for points in a game with 40 but it came in a losing effort as the Mariners lost in the Gold Division finals 64-55 to Burroughs of Burbank.

Alisha Henderson (Reseda)
Dominating in the paint, she scored 41 points and grabbed 32 rebounds as the Regents defeated Immaculate Heart 67-25. Through 12 games, she is listed with averages of 33 points and 31 rebounds per game.

Mercedes Jeflo (Centennial, Compton)
Just missing out on a triple-double, she scored 30 points while collecting 10 assists and nine steals in a 57-33 win over Paramount in the semifinals of the El Segundo Tournament.

Lynette Johnson (Kennedy, Sacramento)
The 5-foot-10 Utah State-bound guard/forward and one of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section’s top players was at her best in a 55-41 West Coast Jamboree Diamond Division third-place victory over cross-town Christian Brothers, finishing with a double-double 25 points and 11 rebounds, with four assists and three steals.

Sabrina Johnson (Ocean View Christian, San Diego)
Every one of this junior’s rebounds and points was key as she scored 19 points and grabbed 23 rebounds as the Patriots defeated Tri-City Christian of Visalia 37-34.

Ashley Kelsick (Highland, Palmdale)
Climbing her way to the top of the state’s leading scorer list this season, this junior scored 56 points in a 96-52 win over Alta Loma and then the next day she scored 42 points in a 70-43 win over Kaiser of Fontana as the Bulldogs captured the Serrano Tournament championship.

Cyndee Kinslow (Freedom, Oakley)
The 6-foot-1 freshman post only scored eight points in the host Falcons 61-39 West Coast Jamboree Topaz Division semifinal win over Walnut Creek Las Lomas, but she still had an interesting double-double after finishing with 16 rebounds and 13 blocked shots.

Erika Larsen (Sutter)
One of the state’s top rebounders this season, she scored 24 points to go with a season-high 30 rebounds as the Huskies defeated Freedom of Oakley 64-51.

Erica McCall (Ridgeview, Bakersfield)
Stanford-bound senior played an all-round outstanding game against unbeaten Garces of Bakersfield in a 59-38 win by the Wolf Pack. Erica scored a game high 32 points and had 15 rebounds and 10 blocks in the Stockdale Holiday Round-Up contest.

Aaron McDonald (Bullard, Fresno)
The fine freshman scored 34 points in one game and had 87 points for three games as her team won third-place in the Coral Division of the West Coast Jamboree.

Zoe McGlynn (Las Lomas, Walnut Creek)
The Knights’ junior point guard went for 31 points in a West Coast Jamboree Topaz Division 62-49 victory over San Francisco Mission.

Dana Michaels (Burlingame)
The senior sharpshooter only had 14 points with four three-pointers in a 54-47 loss to Moraga Campolindo in the Emerald Division championship game of the West Coast Jamboree, but in a semifinal 70-42 win over Paradise, Dana was deadly from outside. She canned nine treys in a 35-point effort.

Ash Monk (Del Campo, Fair Oaks)
Scoring a game-high 32 points, the Cougars picked up a 58-51 win over St. Francis of Assisi at the Monterey Bay Sweet 16.

Milan Moses (Dublin)
On Dec. 15 in the MATS TIP-OFF CLASSIC, Moses scored 40points in a double-overtime loss to Clayton Valley Charter of Concord. She is only 5-foot-3, but is averaging 19 points per game. Moses also was honored as the MVP in the Lady Cougar Classic in early December. She plays club soccer in the spring for the Pleasanton Rage.

Ashley Ontiveros (Rio Mesa, Oxnard)
Scoring nearly all of the Spartans’ points, she hit six three-pointers and finished with 29 points but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 47-36 loss to Orange Lutheran at the Santa Barbara TOC.

Baylee Opperman (Winters)
Top performer of the last week from the CIF Northern Section knocked down 37 points for Winters in its 52-34 win against Millennium of Tracy. Opperman, a sophomore, also had nine rebounds and five blocks.

Erin Pallesi (Selma)
The junior is a big reason why Selma started this week at 17-0, the best start in school history. She scored a career-high of 31 points as the Bears edged Redwood of Visalia 75-70 in the championship game of the Tulare Mid-Winter Showcase.

Bailey Polisso (Mountain View)
She nailed seven three-pointers and finished with 26 points in a 55-37 victory over San Jose Leigh in the Del Mar Holiday Tournament.

Natalie Romeo & Mackenzie Cast (Carondelet, Concord)
The lightning quick and deadly shooting Romeo did everything she could to help her team win the Platinum Division of the West Coast Jamboree, but in the end the Cougars came up short, falling 81-71 to West Hills Chaminade in the championship game. Romeo had game-highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds to go with a game-high six steals. Her high water mark was 32 points in a 90-58 rout of Sacramento and she finished with 98 points for the four-game tournament. Cast had a very solid tournament and was honored for her play. Her top game was 25 points with five three-pointers in a 68-57 win over Brentwood Heritage.

Katie Lou & Karlie Samuelson (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
In Arizona for the Nike Tournament of Champions, the Monarchs remained undefeated and captured the tournament title led by these talented sisters. Katie Lou scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the team’s 89-67 opening-round win over Ossining of New York. Karlie scored 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the finals while Katie Lou added 30 points as they defeated Riverdale Baptist of Maryland 96-74. Could the Monarchs be better than last year and as good as their team two years ago that was No. 1 in the nation? You bet.

Cheyanne Wallace (Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth)
Leading the Trailblazers to a 71-45 win over Palisades at the West Coast Holiday Festival, she scored 26 points and grabbed 21 rebounds.

Kayla Washington (Cajon, San Bernardino)
She was a rebounding force at the Catalina Island tournament as she grabbed 23 rebounds to go with 18 points as the Cowboys defeated Dos Pueblos of Goleta 60-26 in the championship game and improved to 15-0 on the season. Earlier in the tournament, she scored 32 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in a 124-40 win over Malibu.

Mi’Chael Wright (Chaminade, West Hills)
The UC Santa Barbara-bound senior leader of the West Coast Jamboree Platinum Division winners, and the division’s David “Scoop” Jackson Most Valuable Player Award winner, did a lot of heavy lifting in all four games, recording a double-double in all but one contest. Her biggest effort came in the championship game, where the rugged 5-foot-11 power forward had 22 points and 12 rebounds in an 81-71 victory over Concord Carondelet.


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5 Comments

  1. lbkeoni
    Posted January 4, 2013 at 10:28 am | Permalink

    to marktennis52:
    How could you leave off Long Beach Millikan’s Alyssa Benton off your stat stars of the week list? Benton was the tournament MVP at the Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary Tournament. During the tournament she had 4 double-doubles including a 20 point, 14 rebound game against Whittier in the semis and an 18 point, 14 rebound game in the championship game against Bishop Montgomery. Benton was also the tournament MVP at the Battle at the Beach VII led at Redondo Union High School back in early December. Benton is currently averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds a game.

    • Posted January 4, 2013 at 11:03 am | Permalink

      Guess we’re just idiots to miss one player out of 2,400 boys and girls teams playing in holiday tournaments every day of the week. Thanks for the input, but try to do it next time without an attitude.

  2. lbkeoni
    Posted January 5, 2013 at 11:45 pm | Permalink

    Without an attitude? What from my comment showed that I said anything with an attitude? I apologize for offending you. I was not implying that you or your staff are a bunch of idiots for missing one player. I know it is impossible to highlight every player in the state but you highlighted a player for her performance from the same tournament and in a game against Long Beach Millikan. Just seemed strange to me that you would highlight a player but not the tournament MVP. I guess I should have just said, great job on your expansive list of highlighting student/athlete achievements. Thank you for your time and all the hard work that you and everyone at Cal Hi Sports does.

  3. Posted January 6, 2013 at 12:14 am | Permalink

    Thanks for your follow up. Believe me, we get way more responses from people ticked off about their kid’s name not being on a list than from anyone expressing appreciation. I am perhaps overly sensitive about it now since we are entering a critical next few months that will probably decide the future of Cal-Hi Sports.

    • JB
      Posted April 11, 2013 at 2:05 pm | Permalink

      fyi….he is not a parent of Alyssa’s

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