Reggie Morris Jr. has won section titles at three different schools the past four seasons. He’s hoping to add a CIF state title to his resume to match that of his father, Reggie Sr., who won one in 1988. Photo: Ronnie Flores
Congrats to Reggie Morris Jr. of Redondo Union for winning a third section title with three different teams in boys basketball. This feature begins a new focus of tracking upcoming milestones and honoring performances that make our exclusive state record book. State stat stars included as well.
By Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens with contributions from Bob Barnett, Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores.
We collect these weekly highlights in support of the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book & Alamanac, which is the exclusive home for state records and has been published seven times since 1980.
These highlights are for games played mostly from Feb. 25 to March 2, with some performances from this week.
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. To subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter, click here.
RECORD BOOK ENTRIES
Girls Basketball
Ahlisha Henderson (Reseda)
If her team keeps winning, the 6-foot-3 post and sister of Reseda girls basketball coach Brittany Henderson could surpass the reported state record for single-season rebounding (816) held by Terri Mann of San Diego Point Loma set back in 1987. In the LA City Section Division III title game, Henderson (whose father, Jerome, played at Jefferson of Los Angeles and had a cup of coffee in the NBA) gobbled up 28 rebounds in the Regents’ 69-65 victory over Eagle Rock to push her total to 770 on the season. Reseda, the No. 5 seed, opened the SoCal Division III regional against Tehachapi and will likely have to advance to the second round on Saturday in order for her to break the record. Of course, accusations that her stats are padded will persist, but her total in a section title game where there are multiple media sources present is telling. We’ve seen prior reports where a player has had upwards of 30 rebounds and then in a championship game atmosphere those numbers plunge. In fact, we asked Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times to access the performance and he said it was legit because she gets plenty of her own misses and puts them back up.
Courtney Jaco (Windward, Los Angeles)
She’s been a little overshadowed by the success of the program, and other Wildcat girls sometime getting a bigger spotlight, but after her 6-for-10 performance from beyond the arc, in an 85-57 CIFSS Division IV-AA title game victory over Serra of Gardena in which she scored 20 points, Jaco now has made 134 three-pointers on the season. She has an even 400 for her career going into Windward’s CIF Southern Regional Open Division semifinal opener on Tuesday. The 134 treys ties Jaco at No. 4 on that list in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book behind Danielle Viglione (169 in 1992 at Del Campo of Fair Oaks), Renee Roberts (148 in 2004 at St. Mary’s of Stockton) and Kari Korver (138 in 2011 at Valley Christian of Cerritos). She’s tied with Kelley Simers (daughter of well-known SoCal sports columnist T.J. Simers) who had 134 in 1996 at Santee of Santana. The 400 career three-pointers puts her at No. 4 on that list as well. While she may be able to move up on the single-season list with a possibility of three games remaining, she has little chance of climbing the career list. That’s headed by Roberts of St. Mary’s with 447 from 2002-2005. She’s followed by Jake Kelly with 444 from 2003-2006. Jaco almost assuredly will be falling in behind another Windward sharp-shooter, Monica DeAngelis. The current Loyola Marymount junior banged home 435 three-pointers from 2005-2008. With the six treys, Jaco passed four girls on the season list including Kacey Scheppler, who she also passed on the career list. The daughter of Los Altos Hills five-time state champion Coach Doc Scheppler had 131 three-pointers in 1998 at Pinewood, and 395 for her career at Atherton Sacred Heart Prep in 1995 and from 1996-1998 at Pinewood.
St. Mary’s (Stockton) Girls Basketball
Much to little surprise, the Rams captured their sixth straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship last week, defeating Kennedy of Sacramento 63-47 in the Division I final. Brijanee Moore led the way on offense with 27 points. The achievement will get the Rams another mention in our state record book, although it won’t be the program’s best streak as it previously won seven in a row from 1999-2005.
RECORD BOOK TRACKER
Girls Basketball
Lily Hagerty (Valley Christian, Roseville)
Danielle Viglione finished her high school career in 1993, but she’s mentioned for the second time this week. Hagerty, a sophomore guard, tied Viglione’s Sac-Joaquin Section record for points in a playoff game by scoring 49 points in a 82-35 win over Trinity Prep of Napa.
Erica McCall (Ridgeview, Bakersfield)
Showing why she is the best player in the Central Section and a McDonald’s All-American, McCall netted 31 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked four shots as Ridgeview ran past Garces of Bakersfield 65-38 in the Division III championship game. Erica now has scored 2,548 career points, grabbed 1,930 rebounds, and blocked 959 shots, according to section historian Bob Barnett.
Tiara Tucker (Brookside Christian, Stockton)
According to the CIF Sac Joaquin Section, she is on pace to end her career with the leading scoring average in section playoff history. In eight playoff games, she has scored 242 points, averaging 30.3 points a game. The previous record was 27.4 points a game over nine games by Danielle Viglione, the 1993 Ms. Basketball out of Del Campo of Fair Oaks. Tucker scored 24 points as Brookside Christian defeated Capital Christian of Sacramento 72-28 in the Division V final.
Rachol West (Garces, Bakersfield)
Scored a team-high of 16 points in a losing effort against Ridgeview of Bakersfield. With that, Rachol has now scored 2,057 points. College scouts already are keeping an eye on her younger sister, Celeste, a 6-foot-2 freshman who is averaging 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Baseball
Kevin Cali (Harker, San Jose)
Cali is amongst the reported California leaders (according to MaxPreps) with a .750 average after three games. He had a grand slam, walked three times and stole a base each time, and pitched three innings with six strikeouts in a 12-0 win over Pescadero. On Tuesday, in a 10-6 victory against Santa Clara St. Lawrence, the senior was 4-for-4 with a home run, triple and five RBIs, and he pitched again, going all seven innings and spinning a four-hitter with 11 fanned.
Nico Hoerner (Head-Royce, Oakland)
He may only be a sophomore, but not only is Hoerner a slugger, he’s fleet and can pitch as well. With three games under his belt, all wins for the Jayhawks, the CIFNCS reported leading hitter is batting .818 on nine hits in 11 at-bats. His 10 RBIs, nine runs scored, nine hits and eight stolen bases are also the top reported marks in the section. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound shortstop and right-handed pitcher has pitched once so far and tossed a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts and no walks, giving up one earned run in a 9-2 win over Oakland Tech of Oakland.
Softball
Megan Linn (Corona)
According to Eric-Paul Johnson of the Riverside Press Enterprise, her three-homer performance in a 10-0 win over Ramona of Riverside at the Stu Penter Classic tied the reported Riverside County record for most home runs in a game.
COACHING MILESTONES
Reggie Morris Jr. (Redondo Union, Redondo Beach)
The 1996 Locke of Los Angeles grad and former Howard University player was widely lauded for winning his third section title at three different CIF Southern Section schools in the past four seasons when the Seahawks defeated Westlake of Westlake Village to capture the CIFSS Div. II-A title. Morris won a title in Div. V-AA last season while at St. Bernard of Playa del Rey and in 2010 at Leuzinger of Lawndale in Div. I-A. Supporters of Morris (who coached at the 2010 Elite 24 event at Venice Beach and enters the SoCal Div. II regional with a career record of 227-98) had wondered if that feat had ever been accomplished. Ironically, the coach whose team beat Morris’ 2011 St. Bernard team in the Division V state final, Don Lippi from St Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda, actually has won section titles with four different teams. Lippi, who surpassed 700 career wins last season, actually has won titles in four different sections. He’s won at St. Joe’s (North Coast), Skyline of Oakland (Oakland), St. Ignatius of San Francisco (Central Coast Section), and St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo (back when the Bruins were in the Sac-Joaquin). Lippi’s victory over Morris’ team prevented him from becoming the first father-son combo to win a state title as his father, Reggie Sr., won in Div. I at Manual Arts of Los Angeles in 1988.
STAT STARS OF THE WEEK
Boys Basketball
Rashad Jackson (Garces, Bakersfield)
Despite tying his season-high with 34 points while also grabbing 17 rebounds, it came in a losing effort as Garces suffered an 88-84 double overtime loss to Hanford West of Hanford in the Central Section Division II finals.
Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
One of the contenders for our Mr. Basketball Player of the Year award, Johnson scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Monarchs earned a trip to the CIF-SS Division IAA finals with a 65-48 win at home against Inglewood.
Marcus Lee (Deer Valley, Antioch)
The 6-foot-10 Kentucky bound Lee’s triple-double 22 points, 22 rebounds and 16 blocked shots in a 73-65 victory over San Leandro in the CIFNCS Division I title game was his fifth triple-double this season. All five have come in those categories.
Michael Meserole (Liberty Ranch, Galt)
Scoring seven of his game-high 30 points in overtime, the Hawks earned a trip to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV finals with a 64-59 win over Colfax. The win came over the top seed and advanced coach Josh Williams’ team to the final at Sleep Train Arena. He is the son of CIF Sac-Joaquin Section assistant commissioner John Williams.
Cameron Moses (Dublin)
Scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had five assists during a 86-69 quarterfinal win over Concord and then scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had seven assists in the Gaels’ NCS Division II semifinal win over Mt. Eden of Hayward.
De’Sean Parsons (Grant, Sacramento)
Known more for their football program the last few years, this year it was Grant’s basketball team that made noise. The Pacers reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II finals but despite 27 points and eight rebounds from Parsons fell short of their first section title since 1999 as Antelope beat them 70-63.
Josue Salaam (Hanford West, Hanford)
This 6-foot-4 senior had a big-time performance in Hanford West’s 88-84 two-overtime win against Garces of Bakersfield in the Central Section Divison II championship game. He scored 35 points, had 12 rebounds and five assists. For his career, Salaam now has 1,652 points.
Girls Basketball
Monique Billings & Shiana Carrington (Santiago, Corona)
Swimming their way to the CIF-SS Division I-AA championship game, Billings had 14 points, 19 rebounds and eight blocks while Carrington scored 24 points while grabbing 10 rebounds as the Sharks defeated Troy of Fullerton 53-41.
Chaya Durr (Sacramento)
She had an outstanding pair of back-to-back games. First she scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had nine steals in a 52-31 semifinal win over Del Oro of Loomis and then in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II finals, this talented junior had 27 points and six rebounds as Sac High defeated Florin of Sacramento 48-37.
Judith Espinoza (Eagle Rock)
Returning all-L.A.City guard and the Northern League Player of the Year had a spectacular outing in the section Division III finals even though her team lost to Reseda, 69-65. She finished with 33 points, including 13 in the final period to keep her team close, plus five rebounds and six assists.
Ashley Ewing (Campolindo, Moraga)
The Cougars’ junior had a blistering 32 points in a Northern Regional Div. III 62-47 win over Auburn Placer.
Kim Jacbos (Agoura, Agoura Hills)
Earning player of the week honors from the Ventura County Star, this junior guard made six three-pointers on her way to finishing with 30 points as the Chargers captured their first CIF-SS championship with a 60-39 win over Gahr of Cerritos in the Division III-AAA finals.
Alize Lofton (Lynwood)
Six-foot point guard had a clutch performance to lead The Wood to the CIFSS Division II-AA title over J.W. North of Riverside. Lynwood built a 22-point lead but saw it dwindle in the fourth quarter, but that’s when Lofton came alive in the 61-51 victory. She hit six free throws and scored 10 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. She also had 18 rebounds and four assists.
Inara Nyingifa (Redondo Union)
Despite scoring over half of her team’s points in their CIF-SS Division II-A semifinal game against Murrieta Valley, Nyingifa’s 29 points and 17 rebounds weren’t enough to prevent a 60-56 overtime loss to the Nighthawks. She is the younger sister of former Cal-Hi Sports All-Stater Atonye Nyingifa of UCLA.
Amy Okonkwo (Etiwanda)
A much hyped national No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the SoCal Open Division Regional Final was put to a sudden halt as Okonkwo scored a game-high 28 points as the Eagles ended Mater Dei of Santa Ana’s streak of consecutive CIF-SS championships at four by beating the previously undefeated Monarchs 73-72 in overtime of the CIF-SS Division I-AA semifinals.
Regina Sankey (Branham, San Jose)
She tallied 33 points, but her team went down 69-54 to Richmond Kennedy in the NorCal Division III regionals.
Emily Surloff (Windward, Los Angeles)
They always seem to find girls that can shoot the three-ball at Windward. While teammate Courtney Jaco was etching her spot in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book, the Wildcats’ sophomore made 6-of-8 three-pointers and was 10-of-13 overall from the field, finishing with a game-high 26 points in the CIFSS Division IVAA title game rout of Gardena Serra.
Toni Truitt (View Park Prep, Los Angeles)
Senior forward went for 18 points and 23 rebounds to lead the Knights to the L.A. City Section Small School title 56-39 over Animo South of Los Angeles. Junior guard Mareshah Farmer also had a big performance for second-year coach Timicha Kirby (the 1994 Cal-Hi Sports Division I State Player of the Year at Lynwood) to lead the school to its third section title and first since 2009.
Baseball
Andrew Arroyo (Alhambra)
Returning standout from a team that advanced to last year’s CIFSS Division III title game threw a complete game two-hitter in a 5-0 victory over Sierra Vista of Baldwin Park at the Arcadia Elks Tournament. He did not allow a walk.
Jack Flaherty & Arden Pabst (Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood)
Flaherty threw a no-hitter for the Wolverines in their 1-0 semifinal victory over Valencia at the Easton Tournament. At the plate, Pabst went 3-for-3 and drove in the only run of the game for the victors. Flaherty and Pabst form one of the state’s best batteries for coach Matt LaCour.
Jimmy Flatt (Sonoma Valley, Sonoma)
Flatt has been razor sharp early for the 4-0 Dragons. The junior hurler is one of a handful of pitchers in the state with a 0.00 ERA and no runs at all (even unearned) with two games pitched. He’s only given up one extra base hit and no walks.
Kyle Nelson (Galileo, San Francisco)
The Lions’ quarterback turned pitcher has been roaring so far for the 4-0 big cats. In 13 innings pitched in three games combined, Nelson has yet to give up a hit or run, although he walked three with 14 strikeouts in an 8-0 complete game victory over cross-town Marshall. He came back on Tuesday with a mercy-shortened five-inning perfect game with 13 strikeouts of the 15 batters he faced in a 14-0 win over San Francisco Burton.
Softball
Rebecca Faulkner (Carlmont, Belmont)
The Scots’ junior has her team knocking on the door of the state rankings and off to a 4-0 start for California’s all-time winningest coach Jim Liggett. In 23 innings pitched, she’s not given up any kind of run, is 4-0 and has only given up four hits and two walks, one of which cost her a perfect game in a 9-0 win over neighboring Woodside.
Rachel Garcia (Highland, Palmdale)
Sophomore pitcher had a couple of dominant performances at the Hart Tournament. She struck out 13 in five innings in a 12-1 victory over Chaminade of West Hills. A round earlier, she struck out 12 a 16-2 win over Newbury Park. Garcia helped herself at the plate against Newbury Park with a homer, a double and four RBIs.
Jordan Huemoeller (Redwood Christian, San Lorenzo)
Of her seven hits this season for the 4-0 Eagles, five are for extra bases, with three home runs, including two in a rout of Oakland Head-Royce, a triple and double.
Dayna Manser (San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno)
It’s early in the season, but always nice to start it off in a big way and that’s what Manser did as she drove in a career-high five runs during a 13-1 win over Mission Oak at the Redwood Invitational.
Rylee Pierce (El Diamante, Visalia)
It was a career-best performance for Pierce as she went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run, scored two runs and a career-high six RBIs in a 8-7 win over Clovis North.
Alyssa Ross (Terra Linda, San Rafael)
She had two of her three home runs this season and six RBIs in a 12-0 rout of San Mateo.
Comments or corrections? Email markjtennis@gmail.com.
