Two of this week’s top State Stat Stars are Elias King of Sacramento Christian Brothers and Sam Erisman from Menlo School of Atherton. Thirty-point nights are no big deal to them. Photos: Twitter.com & Prep2Prep.com.
Two of this week’s leading performances on the boys side came in the same game for opposite teams as Jordan Roberts of Bakersfield Ridgeview poured in 46 points and so did West of Bakersfield’s Austyn Contreras. For the girls, it’s more big totals for San Diego’s twosome of Destiny Littleton and Shyla LaTone plus Menlo’s Sam Erisman shows how it’s done in a game against an arch-rival.
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 209-608-1317. You can also text to 209-608-1317.
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(All players listed in alphabetical order)
(Writeups also by Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis & CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett)
(For games played through Saturday, Jan. 21 with some games from this week)
BOYS BASKETBALL
Matthew Bradley (San Bernardino)
Potentially leading the state in scoring average this season at nearly 34 ppg, this 6-foot-5 junior scored 46 points during a 97-53 win over Moreno Valley. Earlier this month, many will recall, he scored 72 points during a 88-55 win over Rubidoux of Riverside.
Alex Check (Centennial, Bakersfield)
Our NorCal Player of the Week from two weeks ago continues to lead the Central Section in scoring (26.5. Check poured in 31 points in a losing effort against Garces of Bakersfield (72-66). He also scored 28 points in another loss, this one 66-57 to Bakersfield.
Austyn Contreras (West, Bakersfield)
In the game of the week, the Vikings went back-and-forth all night with Ridgeview of Bakersfield before losing 102-97. According to Central Section historian Bob Barnett, Contreras set a school record for West by finishing with 46 points. See below for more on this game.
Manteca High’s Tydus Verhoeven is blocking a lot of shots and getting lots of rebounds this season, but from watching him last season he does have legitimate perimeter skills at 6-foot-7. Photo: Ronnie Flores.
Dominick Harris (Pacifica Christian, Newport Beach)
Once again this freshman guard had a big game as he scored 38 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Tritons defeat Cornerstone Christian of Hemet 84-40.
Nick Hart (West Covina)
While it came in a losing effort, this senior showed why he is averaging 30.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs. Hart scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 71-58 loss to Walnut.
Adrease Jackson (Santa Margarita, Rancho SM)
Despite this Dartmouth-committed standout scoring a game-high 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds, it wasn’t enough to prevent a 78-67 loss to state No. 4 Mater Dei of Santa Ana.
Andre Kelly (Lincoln, Stockton)
In his next game back after the Trojans lost a game at the buzzer to West of Tracy, the 6-foot-7 junior racked up 32 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and handed out six assists in an 89-61 triumph against Tokay of Lodi.
Elias King (Christian Brothers, Sacramento)
One of the top juniors in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section (which has more than a few of them), King went over the 30-point mark in back to back games last week. He scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds during a 62-57 loss to Vista del Lago of Folsom and two days later had 34 points and 12 rebounds when the Falcons defeated Mira Loma of Sacramento 69-63.
Richard McMichael (Centennial, Compton)
Hailing from the same school that once had the NBA’s Aaron Afflalo hitting long-range jumpers, McMichael is having a breakout season for the Apaches. He got them back in the win column last week in a 80-73 win over North of Torrance by shooting 50 percent from the floor and scoring 35 points.
Kezie Okpala (Esperanza, Anaheim)
Hitting a pair of key free throws late, this stat star regular and Stanford recruit finished with a game-high 37 points as the Aztecs improved to 2-0 in Crestview League play with a 73-68 win over Canyon of Anaheim.
Jordan Roberts (Ridgeview, Bakersfield)
In the same game in which Austyn Contreras of West scored 46 points in that shootout that Ridgeview won 102-97, Roberts also set a school record for the Wolf Pack. He also scored 46 points. One of the reasons that Ridgeview won is that Roberts’ teammate Justin McCall also scored 32 points.
Dominic SanQuyintin (Tulare Western)
It was a breakout night for SanQuyintin as he helped the Mustangs escape with a 90-72 win vs. Porterville. He scored a career high of 32 points with 26 points coming in the first half.
Josh Singh (Lutheran, Elk Grove)
He had three games of at least 40 points last week, including 45 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and five assists to lead the Panthers past Freedom Christian of Fair Oaks 85-61.
Hayden Smith (Huntington Beach)
Drilling seven 3-pointers, he finished with 31 points as the Oilers defeated Newport Harbor of Newport Beach 86-75 for a Sunset League home win.
Pierce Sterling (La Quinta)
A piercing star in the desert, Sterling came through with 30 points and five steals when the Blackhawks edged Palm Springs 58-56 in a tight Desert Valley League contest. Sterling, a 6-foot point guard, is averaging nearly 23 ppg.
Justice Sueing (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Before Bol Bol was ruled eligible later in the week, this 6-foot-7 junior forward had a big night during a 78-67 win over Santa Margarita. Sueing fired in a team-high 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Entering the night averaging 17 points per game, the 31 points was also his season-high.
Tydus Verhoeven (Manteca)
The leading returnee off of Manteca’s 2016 CIF Division III state championship team, Verhoeven came one block short of an impressive triple-double in a 81-61 win vs. Lathrop. Despite Lathrop having a stat star regular of its own in Junior Ballard, Verhoeven put up 24 points with 19 rebounds and nine blocks. The 6-foot-8 post player can play on the perimeter as well but the Buffs need him more inside this season.
Randall Walker (Edison, Huntington Beach)
The Chargers improved to 4-0 in Sunset League play and to 16-3 on the season with a 72-56 win over Los Alamitos in a game in which Walker scored 38 points. He already has been a SoCal Player of the Week for us so don’t look for him to be written up there again. It looks like he may be featured quite often on the site, however, in upcoming weeks.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Christina Buksa (Foothills Christian, El Cajon)
Outscoring Guajome Park Academy on her own, she had 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals as the Knights defeated the Frogs 69-28. Like a few already mentioned this week, Buksa is another recent SoCal/NorCal Player of the Week.
Emily Cangelosi (Agoura, Agoura Hills)
She went over the 1,500-point mark in her career last week when she scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 52-47 win over Newbury Park. Cangelosi reportedly now stands in second place all-time in program history.
There’s obviously a goofy side to Hanford’s Janelle Sumilong, who moved past 2,000 career points last week. She’s signed with the University of Nevada. Photo: Hudl.com.
Kayla Chang (Laguna Hills)
Just a freshman who has shown she can bang down 30-pointers, Chang scored a game-high 29 points during a 55-51 loss to Dana Hills of Dana Point.
Alondra Duncan (Fontana, Summit)
Her average has gone from 8.8 to 11.1 in her first two years with the Skyhawks and now to 20.7 points per game in her junior year. Duncan sizzled with a season-high 34 points to go with nine rebounds during a 64-54 win last week over Grand Terrace.
Sam Erisman (Menlo School, Atherton)
Playing in a game for the Knights against their arch-rivals from Sacred Heart Prep, Erisman was lights out with 34 points and made the game-winning basket in a 69-65 victory against the Gators. She also had 23 points last week when Menlo topped Notre Dame of Belmont 54-34.
Carly Leong (Palo Alto)
Scoring 17 of her 25 points in the first quarter, she made six 3-pointers on the night and the Vikings made a total of 14 3-pointers during a 73-46 win over Homestead of Cupertino.
Shyla LaTone (Bonita Vista, Chula Vista)
Points continue to get piled up by the two standouts in San Diego and she is one of them. LaTone scored 32 points in a 83-54 loss to Bishop’s of La Jolla, which was without state scoring leader Destiny Littleton. LaTone then ended the week with 42 points in a 73-43 win over Hilltop of Chula Vista.
Destiny Littleton (Bishop’s, La Jolla)
It was another week and another not so little scoring performance for the state’s leading scorer. The USC-bound phenom scored 40 points and grabbed eight rebounds during a 81-43 win over Horizon Christian Academy of San Diego.
Samantha Navarro (Redwood, Visalia)
This school has had a couple of stat star regulars in recent years, such as MacKenzie Cast from last season, and now it’s Navarro’s turn. She scored a season high of 30 points in a losing effort (77-68) against a good Stockdale of Bakersfield squad.
Kadyn Pieters (Stockton Christian)
Already with two 40-point games this season, Peters filled up the stat sheet during a 64-36 win over Delta Charter of Tracy. She scored 29 points to go along with 18 rebounds, eight steals, six assists and four blocks.
Suzette Quinlan (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo)
All of Suzette’s points came from behind the 3-point line when the Wolverines defeated El Toro of Lake Forest 80-43 in a South Coast League contest. Quinlan made nine 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 27 points.
Janelle Sumilong (Hanford)
The senior standout became the 21st player in Central Section history to reach 2,000 points (2,020) when she scored 22 points and had six assists and seven steals in a lopsided 86-10 win over Mt. Whitney of Visalia.
Acacia Tenette (Highlands, North Highlands)
Younger sister of former Highlands three-sport standout Isaiah Tenette (now playing football at Concordia University in Wisconsin), Acacia had 21 points and 13 steals in a victory against Golden Sierra of Garden Valley. Tenette, who is averaging more than eight steals per game, also had 23 points in a lopsided loss to Bradshaw Christian of Sacramento.
Serena Ybarra (Coalinga)
Dos Palos had no answer for Ybarra as she did it all in a 52-44 win by the Horned Toads against the Broncos. Ybarra scored a career high 33 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and handed out five assists in the triumph.
Paul Muyskens is the Stockton office assistant editor for Cal-Hi Sports. 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
