Girls BB: All-State 2nd, 3rd 2019

Here’s where to go to see all of the writeups for those who are second team overall and third team overall on the 40th annual Cal-Hi Sports All-State Girls Basketball Teams. The second and third teams feature the second player from a few of the state’s very best teams plus some who were players of the year by their local media in San Diego, Riverside, Sacramento and the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.

For the all-time archive of every Cal-Hi Sports All-State elite/overall team for girls that has been chosen, CLICK HERE.

RELATED All-State Girls Basketball All-State Teams: By Divisions | Underclass (Gold Club) | Final List of Nominees (Gold Club)

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2019 CAL-HI SPORTS ALL-STATE
ELITE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS

SECOND TEAM OVERALL

F – Klara Astrom (Pinewood, Los Altos Hills) 5-9 Sr.
After watching Astrom for four years at Pinewood we still can’t believe how the Ivy League-bound soon-to-be Yale student-athlete can be so tough when she doesn’t look the part. Ever since she was a freshman, Pinewood head coach Doc Scheppler has had Astrom play in the paint where she’s had to mix it up and held more than her own up against girls from national level competition that in some cases are 6-8 inches taller than she is. In the CIF Northern Regional Open Division title game she was matched up with 6-foot-5 USC-bound Angel Jackson of Salesian on defense, and as a sharpshooter on offense. The result was she made seven shots from outside the arc and finished with a game high 27 points with seven rebounds and three assists in a 64-49 victory. This past season she averaged 16.0 ppg, a team-high 6.9 rpg, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals. She also made 83 three-pointers. For her career, Astrom finishes with 1,458 points with 217 three-pointers and 764 rebounds.

G – Asia Avinger (Rosary Academy, Fullerton) 5-7 Jr.
Veteran head coach Richard Yoon had a lot of girls who could play and that’s why they won a CIF Division I state championship, but because the top players from the top Open Division teams have to be factored in first for all-state considerations, Avinger ended up as the only Rosary girl to be on one of the first three elite all-state squads. Avinger, who also was Rosary’s only player on the All-Orange County first team, was very impressive and showed a full skill set in the CIF Division I state title victory over Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland. She finished with 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. On the season, she averaged 10.8 points per game on a team with five girls averaging over 10 points a game, 7.8 rebounds a game as a perimeter player, and 6.3 assists per contest. Junior teammate Kate Goostrey had a slightly higher scoring average for the season and although she wasn’t written up in the top 30 did get onto the All-State Underclass team and is on the all-state Open Division/Division I teams.

F – Kaiyah Corona (Windward, Los Angeles) 5-11 Sr.
Last year’s Ms. Basketball Charisma Osborne gets most of the props in L.A., but the number two player in the lineup for Wildcats’ head coach Vanessa Nygaard has been a solid contributor all four years despite the Dartmouth-bound wing not getting the ink of her First Team Elite selection and teammate. Let’s face it, Second Team Elite All State is not too shabby and Corona earned it with per game averages of 12.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. When we saw Corona, it was in the CIF Southern Section Open Division title game in Riverside when she had a double-double 17 points and 12 rebounds in Windward’s 73-58 win over Sierra Canyon. It was the only loss Sierra Canyon suffered all season.

G – Cailyn Crocker (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 5-10 Sr.
With the Cal-bound Crocker alongside State Sophomore of the Year and First Team Elite selection Brooke Demetre, the duo gave Monarchs’ head coach Kevin Kiernan (who became the state’s winningest coach ever in December) a solid one-two punch that could go inside or out. Crocker played more on the perimeter and averaged 14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.5 steals a game. In the one game we saw her play at the Mater Dei Matt Denning Classic, she played very good defense and had 14 points and eight rebounds with three assists in a big win over fellow CIF Open Division participant St. Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda. A week later at the Hoop Hall Classic in Massachusetts, Crocker had a double-double 23 points and 10 rebounds in a three-point loss to national No. 11 Christ the King of New York City.

G – Jazlen Green (Lakeside, Lake Elsinore) 5-10, Sr.
It only seems fitting that Green be selected for All State Second Team Elite honors after what she has been through, what she did last season, and where she’s headed after high school. Green missed her entire junior year after surgery to repair ligament damage in her left knee, then when she returned this season a late coaching change was made and Kianna Williams, just a year out of college, became the head coach. Those things turned Green into a leader and she finished with impressive per game averages of 28.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, five assists, four steals and 1.5 blocks. Lakeside was knocked out of the CIF Southern Regional Division I playoffs by Troy of Fullerton but not before the Lancers won the CIF Southern Section Division 2A championship. To top it off, Green was chosen the Riverside Press-Enterprise Player of the Year and in the fall will be taking her game to Cal.

F – Kiki Iriafen (Harvard-Westlake, Studio City) 6-1 Soph.
Just like she edged out Brooke Demetre of Mater Dei last year for State Freshman of the Year, she herself was a runner-up this year to First Team Elite selection Demetre as the State Sophomore of the Year, and also goes to Second Team Elite after being First Team last year. With the graduation of several top players from the previous season, it left the load to Iriafen and although the team didn’t do as well as last year, Kiki continued to turn heads and improved her personal game after averaging 17.0 ppg and 10.rpg last season to seasonal per game averages of 19.8 points and 13.4 rebounds per game this season. The double-double machine had 21 of them this past season, including a 21-point, 19-rebound performance in a season-ending 54-42 loss to Long Beach Poly in the CIF Southern Regional Division I quarterfinals.

F – Kennedy Johnson (Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland) 5-11 Soph.
Johnson made a name for herself this season as the top player on the CIF Northern Regional Division I champion Dragons by almost single-handedly getting O’Dowd a CIF North Coast Section Division II championship and then eventually a ticket to Sacramento where O’Dowd fell to Rosary Academy. Johnson missed some games due to injury but when she came back, head coach Malik McCord had to ease her back and limit her playing time. Despite still not being 100 percent by playoff time, Johnson celebrated her 16th birthday with a monster double-double 32 points and 10 rebounds with four blocks and three steals in a 64-59 upset of Miramonte of Orinda. Johnson added insult to injury in the rematch with Miramonte in the D1 NorCals with 24 points in a quarterfinal win over Miramonte, and then she had a game-high 19 points in a 68-59 victory over Bear Creek (Stockton) in the NorCal D1 title game. She showed some game in the state title game loss to Rosary Academy with 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds. On the season, Johnson averaged 14.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, two blocks and two steals.

G – Kayla Padilla (Bishop Montgomery, Torrance) 5-7 Sr.
Just like Ashley Chevalier of Sierra Canyon was next up when we selected six Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year finalists. it was this University of Pennsylvania-bound combo-guard who just missed making the First Team Elite. We saw the Daily Breeze Player of the Year play at the MLK Classic in Oakland where in a big win over Salesian of Richmond she showed why she can match her 4.5-plus GPA in the classroom with numbers on the court by going for a game-high 22 points (two three-pointers), five rebounds, three steals and two assists, and she didn’t have her best game. The recognized top player on a team with three girls averaging 15 points per game had a team-high 17.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 2.5 assists. The senior ended her four-year career as the third all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,907 points.

W – Alexis Tucker (Serra, Gardena) 5-11 Sr.
When Serra won the CIF Division I state championship in 2018 we called Tucker, then a junior, the “heart and soul” of the team. Nothing has changed along those lines but with the team not having quite as good a finish this season, and with other girls emerging on Open Division teams, Tucker is now a Second Team Elite selection, which is still pretty darn good. The Texas Tech-committed Tucker, who carries a 4.0-plus GPA in the classroom, is considered the No. 12 rated wing in the country by ESPNW and as the only senior starter on the Cavaliers’ roster she averaged 21.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and had 22 double-doubles for a team that had an 18-9 record this season.

G/W – Evanne Turner (Etiwanda) 5-9 Sr.
The UC Davis-bound Turner was the top player on a team selected for the CIF Southern Regional Open Division playoffs. Turner turned in some solid performances and finished with per game averages of 19.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 steals. When we saw Turner at the West Coast Jamboree, she showed a lot of game but in a loss to Sacramento in the Eagles first game she couldn’t get a call but still had a team-high 13 points. However, in the next two games at the Jamboree, and in wins over Alemany of Mission Hills and fellow SoCal Open participant Clovis North of Fresno, she had more than 20 points in each game.

THIRD TEAM OVERALL

F – Makayla Edwards (Salesian, Richmond) 5-10, Sr.
Because her numbers are not astronomical, some might question how Edwards could be ahead of some girls with numbers off the charts, but if it were only about stats why would she have been offered a scholarship she accepted to the University of Hawaii? The reason is Edwards’ strongest part of her game as the second best player on a three-time defending CIF North Coast Section Division III championship Pride team, was defense, but she could score if she had to like the season-high 23 points with five three-pointers she had in the Pride’s 44-41 upset of Archbishop Mitty in the CIF Open Division Northern Regional semifinals. On a team where the scoring was spread out, she was second to First Team Elite Angel Jackson with 8.7 points a game, plus 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals per contest.

G – Jzaniya Harriel (Antelope) 5-9, Soph.
Another girl who was on the final short list for consideration as State Sophomore of the Year is into big numbers both on and off the court. The Sacramento Bee All Metro Girls Basketball Player of the Year and Titans’ combo guard averaged 23.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.9 steals a game while maintaining a 4.7 GPA in the classroom and someday aspires to be a judge. She has already attracted college interest and with her GPA not surprisingly Stanford is on the list. Harriel was over 30 points seven times with a high water mark of 39 against Elk Grove and she had 33 points and 19 rebounds in a win over Heritage of Brentwood. A final stat is that for a Titans’ team that went 31-4, Harriel had 27 double-doubles.

W – Malia Mastora (St. Joseph Notre Dame, Alameda) 5-10, Jr.
When you look at Mastora’s stats, the thing that sticks out is her consistency. Her high water mark was 30 points against a solid Whitney of Rocklin early in the season. She had 18 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in a heartbreaking loss to a very good Bishop’s of La Jolla. One of her best games was in the CIF North Coast Section Division III semifinals on the road at Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) when she had 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a 54-47 victory. In several blowout wins, her time was limited but Mastora still managed to be in double-figure scoring in 25 out of 30 games.

W – Mia Mastrov (Miramonte, Orinda)
5-11, Soph.
The top player on an underclass-laden Matadors team that had four players average over 10.0 points per game, Mastrov was 6.5 ppg higher than the next highest scorer on the squad and finished with per game averages of 17.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Mastrov was a model of consistency and had some solid games against top-notch competition. In an early season win over a solid Bishop’s of La Jolla at the La Jolla Country Day Sweet 16, she had 28 points and nine rebounds. Against CIF NorCal Open Division selection Carondelet of Concord, Mastrov had 18 points and 10 rebounds. In a win over SoCal Open Division selection Clovis North, she had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Mastrov had a double-double 17 points and 14 rebounds at the Matt Denning Classic at Mater Dei in a win over CIF Southern Section Division I champion Chaminade of West Hills and her high water mark this season for scoring was 29 points against arch rival Campolindo of Moraga.

G – Alyssa Munn (Redondo Union, Redondo Beach) 5-4, Jr.
As a sophomore, Munn was the top player on a Redondo Union team that won the 2018 CIF Division I state championship, and now as a junior she picked up right where she left off. Although Redondo Union didn’t win 31 games like last year or a CIF state championship, the Sea Hawks did make the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs where they only lost 49-48 to Sierra Canyon. The Munn-led girls then were selected for the Southern Regional Open Division where they travelled to Fresno and gave Clovis West all it could handle before bowing out 61-55. One of Munn’s biggest moments of the season was at the Nike TOC when she had a huge outing against Colorado No. 2 Cherry Creek in the semifinals of the tournament’s second-highest division, and then in the championship game the Daily Breeze All Area First Team selection hit a three-pointer with seven seconds left to propel the Sea Hawks to a 43-40 win over Mater Dei of Santa Ana.

G – Sylena Peterson (Mount Miguel, Spring Valley) 5-6 Soph.
Despite being a sophomore, Peterson was named the San Diego Union Tribune San Diego Section Player of the Year and also is one of only six sophomores to garner one of the 30 spots on an All State Elite team. On the season, Peterson could really fill the stat sheet after averaging 21.9 points (55 three-pointers), 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.7 assists per game. Her high-water mark was 45 points and she also went for 43 and was over 30 points on two other occasions. She had three double-doubles on the season with two coming on points and one on points and rebounds.

G – Jordan Sweeney (Heritage, Brentwood) 5-7, Sr.
The Patriots’ Idaho State-bound floor general was a big part of the reason the team had one of its greatest seasons in school history. On the year, Sweeney led the team in scoring, assists and steals with 14.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Not only was she the team leader and only senior starter of a young Heritage team that was state ranked for the first time since the school opened 15 years ago, Sweeney is a leader in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA.

G – Savanna Tucker (Clovis North, Fresno) 5-9, Jr.
Her teammate and fellow junior Rowan Hein was honored last season as the State Sophomore of the Year and a Third Team Elite selection but this year it’s Tucker that gets the nod for an All State Elite team selection. Hein isn’t far behind and is on All-State Underclass plus All-State for Open Division/Division I. This past season, Tucker averaged 20.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals a game. Along the way, Tucker also broke a ton of school records this past season. She broke the single game scoring record three times with 34, 34 and finally 38 points, and also broke her single season scoring record with 624 points. Savannah currently holds the school scoring record of 1,628 points and she still has a year to go. She also excels in the classroom where she has a 3.83 GPA.

G – RyAnne Walters (Sacramento) 5-6, Sr.
The Dragons’ point guard had an outstanding season and although her scoring average was a little down from previous seasons the UC Santa Barbara-bound Walters was still the top player on the Dragons’ team and according to Sacramento Bee prep sports guru Joe Davidson she was the only girl he considered for the Bee’s Metro Player of the Year other than winner and fellow Third Team Elite selection Jzaniya Harriel of Antelope. On the season, Walters averaged 10.9 points, 6.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 steals a game. In the team’s biggest win of the season, a 51-48 upset of an at the time state No. 3 Etiwanda, Walters only had nine points, but she had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals and played exceptional defense.

F – Alexis Whitfield (Chaminade, West Hills) 6-2, Jr.
The top player on the CIF Southern Section Division I champion Eagles who is starting to warm up on the recruiting radar screens with some solid mid-major offers including several West Coast Conference schools, was at her best in the CIFSS D1 52-49 title-game win over M.L. King of Riverside. All she did was hammer home a monster double-double 24 points and 25 rebounds with four assists, four blocked shots and four steals. On the season, Whitfield averaged 16.7 points, 14.0 rebounds 3.9 assists, 3.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game and had 21 double-doubles, including 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 72-65 loss to CIF Open Division champions Sierra Canyon.

Note: Co-founder Mark Tennis contributed to this report. Injury, suspension, eligibility ruling, and transfer sit-outs effected the candidacy of several players.

Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend