SoCal girls player of the week Kai Staniland of Ventura High (left) was the Ventura County Star Player of the Year as a junior. At right is senior standout Koby Cervantes of Denair, the NorCal boys player of the week. Photos: X.com & DenairPulse.com.
We don’t have any entries this week for the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book to track, which is one of the goals of this feature, but the other goal of the feature, to find diamonds in the rough and hidden talent for statewide honors to go with local recognition, was very much accomplished. For this week’s award winners, we visit Denair and Davis in Northern California, and in Southern California our stops are in Carlsbad and Ventura.
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Notes: For these honors, we consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Boys Player of the Week
Koby Cervantes (Denair) Sr.
The find the Northern California Player of the Week for boys we head to the southern reaches of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and land east of Turlock where we find this week’s honoree, who now captures a statewide award to go with local recognition, at Denair High.
The Coyotes had a bit of a rough start losing three of the first four games, but thanks to the exploits of Cervantes, a 6-foot-5 senior who also plays on the Denair baseball and football teams, they evened their record at 4-4 after a win last week at the nearby Waterford Tournament.
Koby started with a double-double 30 points (three three-pointers, 9-for-9 on FTs) and 10 rebounds in a 64-49 win over Tuolumne Summerville. He wasn’t needed much in a game two 70-24 blowout of Modesto Vanguard College Prep but still went for 18 points and a whopping 17 rebounds. He was definitely needed in a title-game 64-61 victory over Modesto suburb Riverbank and Koby responded with another double-double 30 points and 17 points.
So far this season, and heading into a Mother Lode tourney game against Weed on Wednesday, Cervantes is averaging 26.3 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. His per game scoring average is currently tied for both the No. 11 reported mark in the state and tops in the Sac-Joaquin Section. His per game rebounding average is No. 6 in the state and No. 2 in the section.
For his 4-year varsity career, Cervantes also is starting this week with 1,368 points and 797 rebounds.
Davis High’s Lorelei Nachman is shown in a photo from last season when she was a freshman. Photo: The Hub / Facebook.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Girls Player of the Week
Lorelei Nachman (Davis) Soph.
Yolo County is our destination in the search for the Northern California girls honoree and we find this week’s winner just northeast of the University of California-Davis campus and close to downtown Davis at Davis High.
Last week, in a 59-48 double overtime victory over preseason state No. 14 Acalanes of Lafayette, Nachman, a sophomore point guard, who despite being only 5-foot-5 still went for a double-double 32 points and 11 rebounds, with seven assists and three steals.
It was the fourth time already this season for the 6-4 Blue Devils that Lorelei had gone for 30 or more points including a season and career-high 41 points in a win earlier this season against Atwater. So far, and heading into a Tuesday night game against visiting Vacaville, Nachman was averaging 22.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals.
On a side note. This is not the first time Lorelei had graced a Cal-Hi Sports feature. Both as an incoming freshman and then again last summer, she earned a mark in each of the Girls of Summer Player Rankings.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Girls Player of the Week
Kai Staniland (Ventura) Sr.
We head to Ventura County in the search for the SoCal girls honoree this week, and we find her just about a mile east of Highway 101 and San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura at Ventura High.
Last week, Staniland, a senior guard and daughter of longtime Oxnard High boys head coach Jeff Staniland (also a State D2 Coach of the Year), had a huge week to help the Cougars to get the 8-1 so far this season.
Kai’s top performance came in an 80-70 Channel League victory on the road at Dos Pueblos of Goleta when she went for a double-double 33 points (three three-pointers) and 10 assists, with seven rebounds and two steals. Earlier in the week, and in a 67-12 Channel League blowout of crosstown rival Buena, and in limited action, Kailee deposited 23 points (five three-pointers) with four assists, three steals and two blocks. On Friday night, and in a 53-29 non-league win over Chaminade of West Hills, Staniland had 16 points (four three-pointers) in limited action with seven assists.
So far this season, and heading into a Tuesday night Channel League match-up with Pacifica of Oxnard, Staniland was averaging 22.0 points, 6.4 assists, 3.2 rebound and 1.9 steals per game.
The 6.4 assists is the No. 5 reported mark in state and the CIF Southern Section, and tops in Ventura County.
Kai, who has signed with Point Loma Nazarene, was named the Ventura County Star Player of the Year after last season. She also carries a 4.0 GPA.
La Costa Canyon’s Brady Berlucchi shows off MVP award from North County Classic. Photo: Aaron Burgin / @FullTimeHoops1 (X.com).
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Boys Player of the Week
Brady Berlucchi (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad) Jr.
The North County area of the CIF San Diego Section is where we head to find the SoCal Boys Player of the Week and we locate him around four miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad at La Costa Canyon High, where Bellucci, a 6-foot-5 junior wing, now snags a statewide honor to go with local kudos.
Last week, Berlucchi took home the MVP plaqueof the North County Classic after a 37-point performance in the championship game versus Scripps Ranch of San Diego.
In the semifinals of that tourney, Brady went for 29 points and eight rebounds in 50-34 victory over Murrieta Mesa of Murrieta, and prior to that led the way, and in a game where three Lancer players went for double figure scoring, with 19 points in a 65-54 win against Rancho Bernardo of San Diego.
Berlucci is vastly improved from his sophomore season and that began to show last summer. He had 27 points and five rebounds in a win against Torrey Pines last July in the Rancho Buena Vista Summer League Championship game.
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
