Two of those on this week’s honor roll are Casey McWilliam from Mt. Carmel of San Diego and Scott Newby from Granada of Livermore. Photos: sandiegosol.com & courtesy family.
It had to be double-checked but Sean Fernandez of North Hollywood did score 44 points in his team’s 56-55 win over Poly. Others on this week’s honor roll for boys include Even Kittelson of Crean Lutheran with 13 made 3-pointers that tied an Orange County record. For girls, it’s a 48-point explosion for Destiny Littleton of Bishop’s and multiple triple-doubles for Winters shot-blocking queen Savannah McMorrow.
Note: We will collect totals from MaxPreps, newspapers, tweets and from those sent in to us. We also will compile single-game highs from this post throughout the season and of course we use our weekly State Stat Stars collection as an aid for the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book. That is the only state record book anyone has ever done and we have published it seven times with full copyright protection. To report totals to us for this feature and for the record book, email markjtennis@gmail.com or call 209-463-9050. You can also text to 209-608-1317.
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(All players listed in alphabetical order)
(For games played through Monday, Jan. 18)
(Writeups by Paul Muyskens, Mark Tennis & CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett)
BOYS BASKETBALL
LiAngelo & Lonzo Ball (Chino Hills)
Before the state and national No. 1 Huskies won on Monday on national television from the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., LiAngelo had 30 points in a 107-56 win over Rancho Cucamonga. Then in Springfield, one of Lonzo’s assists was the play of the night on ESPN SportsCenter as he had 15 points, 22 assists and 11 rebounds during a 100-75 win over High Point Christian of North Carolina. Before his performance on Monday, he was named to the McDonald’s All-American Game on Sunday. Lonzo’s 22 assists also are enough for entry into the Cal-Hi Sports state record book. The reported single-game state record is 27.
Evan Battey (Villa Park)
Stat star regular poured in a game-high 34 points, but it was not enough as the Spartans lost 60-54 to Kaiser of Fontana at one of several MLK Showcases around the state.
Terrence Bevcar (Valley Center)
The 5-foot-11 guard makes the stat star cut this week for scoring 36 points (with the help of 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point land) and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 67-56 victory vs. Vista. Bevcar also had 29 points, five assists and five steals in a 68-61 loss to Poway.
Kiron Day (University, Irvine)
Shining like the sun was still out, Day had a big night during a 89-85 win over Corona del Mar of Newport Beach as he scored 34 points and had 10 rebounds for the Pacific Coast League victory.
Trey Smith prepares to dunk for Saddleback Valley Christian during fall league game. Photo: Twitter.com.
Jaylunn English (Lemoore)
The 6-foot-7 senior led his team to a 79-64 win over Roosevelt of Fresno in the 4th Annual Super Saturday games as he scored 30 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and had three blocked shots. Bryson Williams scored 33 points for Roosevelt.
Sean Fernandez (North Hollywood)
With first place in the East Valley League on the line, this senior guard scored 44 points as the Huskies defeated Poly of Sun Valley 56-55. In such a low-scoring game, we had to double-check 44 for one player but it was true. Fernandez also had 29 points and five assists last week in a 57-41 win vs. Verdugo Hills. Despite averaging more than 29 per game, he’s also had as many as 13 assists in a single game.
Joel Finney (Central City, Los Angeles)
Knowing how to finish around the basket, this state stat star regular had 35 points during a 74-35 win over Mendez. He has maintained a scoring average well above 30 per game for many weeks.
Austin Galuppo (West Ranch, Santa Clarita)
His 33 points was all the Wildcats needed as they defeated Saugus 72-68 in overtime in Foothill League play. Most of Galuppo’s points came in the first half when West Ranch built a 28-point lead.
Brett Gangi (St. Francis, La Canada)
With the help of making eight 3-pointers, Gangi pumped in 29 points when the Golden Knights beat Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks 69-62 and broke their 18-game losing streak in the Mission League. Their fortunes were expected to improve with the arrival of new head coach Todd Wolfson (formerly at Chaminade).
Even Kittelsen (Crean Lutheran, Irvine)
Looking like he was competing, and winning, in a 3-point shootout, he made 13 from beyond the arc and finished with 42 points in an 81-36 win over Calvary Chapel of Downey. His 13 made 3-pointers tied the reported Orange County record for 3-pointers in a game with Brendan Holmes, who made 13 in a game back in the 2007-08 season for Marina of Huntington Beach.
Jake Linsky (Northwood, Irvine)
The Timberwolves moved to 3-0 in Pacific Coast League play with a 67-47 win over Woodbridge as he scored a game-high 31 points and they extended their winning streak to eight games. Linsky also had 31 points during a 86-71 win over University and fellow state stat star Kiron Day.
Gabe Manansala (Dougherty Valley, San Ramon)
One of the reasons that the Wildcats have been so strong this season has been the play of this 6-foot-1 junior guard. In a 70-44 win last week over Amador Valley of Pleasanton that improved their record to 17-1, Manansala connected for 32 points.
Matthew Mondesir (Washington, Los Angeles)
In a lopsided Marine League game between the Generals and Banning of Wilmington, Mondesir was magnificent with 43 points in leading Washington to a 99-34 triumph.
Jonathan Moreno (Riverdale)
He scored a season high of 36 points and made five 3-points field goals in a 69-62 win over Sierra Pacific of Hanford.
Charles Neal (Rancho Mirage)
His team improved to 17-0 with a 76-71 win over Twentynine Palms as he scored 31 points and his teammate Daryn Evans scored 22 points while going a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
Scott Newby (Granada, Livermore)
It’s been a struggle for the Matadors this season (although they did win this week already vs. Foothill) but Newby has been outstanding. The 6-foot-5 senior forward had 27 points against usually defensive-minded state powerhoust De La Salle in a 84-71 loss last week and then scored 30 in a 77-69 loss to defending CIF Division I state champ San Ramon Valley.
Cameron Pieters (Stockton Christian)
He’s been a high scorer near the 30 ppg mark for two years and had a big outing with 34 points on MLK Day when the Eagles beat Ben Holt of Stockton 63-59 and improved to 11-2 overall.
Cody Riley (Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth)
In the first round of the Bass Pro TOC in Springfield, Missouri, our 2015 State Sophomore of the Year scored 30 points and had 12 rebounds during a 63-41 win over Kickapoo of Missouri. If you didn’t know, Kickapoo is where actor Brad Pitt went and graduated from.
Eric Shaw (Amador, Sutter Creek)
Proud dad Jesse wanted to be sure we included Eric’s 41-point outing from one week ago on Monday (Jan. 11) so we are. It came in a 88-79 victory by the Buffaloes’ over Sonora and increased the 6-foot guard’s scoring average to 24.9 ppg.
Colin Slater (Immanuel, Reedley)
The CIF Central Section standout opened the week with 32 points against Kingsburg in league play to help the Eagles win 91-49. The senior also led his team with 26 points, and teammate Darin Person added 20 points in a 76-65 win against Central of Fresno in the 4th Annual Super Saturday games in front of a sold out crowd at Edison High School.
Trey Smith (Saddleback Valley Christian, SJ Capistrano)
The most impressive aspect of Trey’s 39-point outing on Monday of this week against Temecula Valley of Temecula is that he shot 17 of 26 from the field (65 percent) and only had four points on free throws. The bad news is that the Golden Bears of Temecula Valley had way too much depth and overall strength and breezed to a 75-54 win.
Michael Taylor (Elsinore, Lake Elsinore)
The 6-foot-5 senior forward has been a double-double machine this season with averages of 21.0 points and 11.9 rebounds. In a 80-70 win last week vs. Paloma Valley, Taylor went for 26 and 10 and then had 27 and 17 as Elsinore topped Lakeside of Lake Elsinore 69-51.
Kevin Warren (St. Mary’s, Berkeley)
An East Bay Athlete of the Week from earlier in the season, Warren netted 32 points last week in a 91-62 victory over Burton of San Francisco, which got 25 from stat star regular Clayton Ladine.
Bryson Williams (Roosevelt, Fresno)
The Roughriders opened North Yosemite League play earlier in the week as Bryson scored 44 points against Reedley in a 101-43 victory. According to CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett, Williams leads the section in scoring with a 33.3 average.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delacy Brown (Poly, Riverside)
Recording her first triple-double this season, she had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals during a 64-34 win over Notre Dame of Riverside.
Sierra Campisano (Torrey Pines, San Diego)
Making her MLK day one to remember, she outscored Bonita Vista of Chula Vista on her own as she finished with 41 points and grabbed a season-high 23 rebounds in a 77-37 win for the Falcons.
Many will recall Palisades’ standout Chelsey Gipson as a highly regarded freshman when she went to Windward of Los Angeles. Photo: Paul Muyskens.
Beth Derner (Modoc, Alturas)
Her season-high 35 points for the Braves in a 57-53 loss to Trinity of Weaverville gets her listed as a state stat star for the first time this season. In the fall, Beth was all-league in volleyball and was a Homecoming princess.
Anyssia Gibbs (Granite Hills, Apple Valley)
Most of the Cougars’ scoring last week came from their sophomore captain. She also wasn’t far off from recording a quadruple-double with 26 points, 17 rebounds, nine steals, eight blocks and seven assists during a 40-34 win over Adelanto.
Chelsey Gipson (Palisades, Pacific Palisades)
While it wasn’t enough to prevent the Dolphins from losing 94-76 at No. 1 St. Mary’s of Stockton, she put on one of the most impressive performances of the weekend at the MLK Classic in Stockton with 17 points in the first half and finished with 28 against not just the top-ranked team in the state but in the nation.
Madison Kast (Redwood, Visalia)
Congrat to Madison who reached 1,000 rebounds in her career one week after scoring her 1,000th point during Redwood’s 81-41 win over El Diamante of Visalia. She had 27 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks. Also last week against Golden West in a 64-50 win, she had nine points, 20 rebounds and nine blocks.
Destiny Littleton (Bishop’s, La Jolla)
Known for her big scoring performances all season, she scored 48 points during a 94-51 win over Horizon Christian Academy of San Diego. She is currently averaging 36.1 points in 22 games.
Mikayla Mabie (Central Valley, Ceres)
There’s no maybe that Mabie is one of the state’s best at getting assists. In a 60-59 win earlier this week over Livingston, Mabie had 15 points and 14 assists and has a current state-reported lead with 10.1 assists per game.
Amber Melgoza (Santa Barbara)
The Dons’ 5-foot-10 senior captain scored a season-high 38 points and grabbed 15 rebounds during a 73-38 win over Buena of Ventura.
Aari McDonald (Brookside Christian, Stockton)
Her streak of two straight quadruple-doubles came to an end when she only recorded a triple-double during a 77-8 win over Big Valley Christian of Modesto but she followed that with her third quadruple-double in four games with 29 points, 20 steals, 13 assists and 12 rebounds during a 103-33 win over Turlock Christian of Turlock.
Savannah McMorrow (Winters)
This junior center has been a triple-double machine recently with blocked shots being her third category. In a loss to Gridley last week, she had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 blocks and in a win over Wheatland she had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.
Casey McWilliam (Mt. Carmel, San Diego)
On fire from behind the arc, she knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 32 points as the Sundevils defeated Santa Fe Christian of Solana Beach 59-52 at the MLK Showcase at Mt. Miguel. McWilliam also is one of the top free throw shooters percentage wise in state history.
Lillian Olson (Sacramento Waldorf, Fair Oaks)
Showing why she is now averaging 30.5 points and 17.8 rebounds per game, she had 35 points and 12 rebounds during a 58-34 win over Forest Lake Christian of Auburn and ended the week with 40 points and 27 rebounds during a 59-36 win over Woodland Christian of Woodland.
Jasmine Pharms (Stagg, Stockton)
Setting her season-high for scoring, it came with a little bit of a negative as her 40 points and 14 rebounds came during a 61-59 loss to McNair of Stockton.
Jordan Thompson (Harker, San Jose)
Recording her first 30-point performance since the calendar turned to 2016, she scored 31 points as the Eagles defeated Mercy of Burlingame by a 64-39 final score.
Kayla Washington (Cajon, San Bernardino)
For the second time this season, she recorded at least 20 rebounds in a game as she grabbed exactly 20 rebounds while also scoring 30 points during a 76-32 win over Redlands East Valley of Redlands.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
