Conor Maguire from International of San Francisco (left) displays how many points he scored last week during senior night game. At right, is SoCal girls honoree Leah Speers from Christian of El Cajon. Photos: Courtesy school & Hudl.com.
One of those honored this week had a 63-point game in which 14 three-pointers also were made. Another is the son of an NBA world champion. For the two boys and two girls highlighted, they are from the eastern San Diego community of El Cajon, the big city of L.A., the big city of San Francisco, and the suburbs in San Jose.
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Notes: For these honors, we also consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Girls State Basketball Player of the Week
Leah Speers (Christian, El Cajon) Fr.
It’s beginning to get into a difficult part of the season for choosing players of the week since CIF section playoffs are beginning around the state. Just this week, for example, there were first round CIF Southern Section playoff games for the girls on Monday and it is just impossible to choose a player of the week who might be losing and his/her team is then finished for the season.
The CIF San Diego Section still has regular season games remaining, but that’s not the only reason that the nod for SoCal girls this week is going to Speers. She’s been one of the top reported scoring leaders in that section all season despite being just a freshman.
In a 63-26 win by Christian last week against Patrick Henry of San Diego, Speers was drawing the cheers for scoring a season high 33 points. Her previous season best of 30 points came just three weeks ago in a win vs Madison of San Diego. In that game, Leah also snagged 11 steals.
For the season, Speers also has seen her scoring average increase to 21.1 per game. She’s sixth overall among all players in the San Diego Section for scoring and is fifth among all reported freshman girls scoring leaders in the state.
Leah and her team will take a 19-4 record into a Tuesday matchup this week vs Madison.
Tajh Ariza from Westchester of Los Angeles looks for open teammates during game in December at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. Photo: Nothing But Net Magazine.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Boys State Basketball Player of the Week
Tajh Ariza (Westchester, Los Angeles) Jr.
For this second stop this week, we head from the East County of San Diego to near the L.A. International Airport, where the historically great boys basketball program at Westchester High resides.
Back in the 1990s and into the 2000s, when the Comets were winning numerous CIF Division I state championships, they often had the most tense rivalry games in the state when they played league rival Fairfax. It still means something today when the two schools play each other.
Last week’s game between the two longtime rivals was the first for Westchester junior Ariza, the 6-foot-8 forward who transferred to the school before this season after playing at nearby St. Bernard. of Playa del Rey. Tajh created some memories of his own as he roared for 41 points and 13 rebounds in leading the Comets past the Lions, 75-67. Ariza scored 13 of his team’s points in the second quarter and he had 10 of 12 points in a big run in the third quarter.
Later in the week, Ariza knocked down 22 points and he had 10 rebounds when Westchester topped Palisades of Pacific Palisades, 59-34. That win also clinched the school’s second straight league title.
If you haven’t guessed by now, Tajh is the son of former Westchester great Trevor Ariza. He was our 2003 Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year. Trevor later played 18 years in the NBA, including 2009 when he helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA Finals title.
Tahj began getting D1 college interest as a freshman at St. Bernard. He is currently uncommitted, but has offers from UCLA, USC and many others.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Boys State Basketball Player of the Week
Conor Maguire (International, San Francisco) Sr.
It’s not many blocks from the Potrero Hill neighborhood in San Francisco where International High School is located to Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. It’s at International High where we find this week’s boys’ honoree for Northern California.
Head coach Paul Cortes nominated senior guard Conor after what he did during a senior night celebration last week that saw him rack up 14 three-pointers and 63 points in a 100-55 triumph over Drew of San Francisco. We have a photo of the official scorebook to prove the totals.
Many were wondering about CIF North Coast Section and all-time San Francisco city records after Maguire’s big night. Our state records include everyone who has scored 64 points or more, but not 63. Based on that, and with the stipulation that it’s possible there’s another 63-point total from the NCS or SF city annals that we don’t have, Conor would now rank No. 4 on the city list behind 82 by Winters Patterson of Balboa (1995), 78 by Walter Jackson of Balboa (1992) and 72 by Joel Black of Lick-Wilmerding (1966). For the NCS, Maguire would sit at No. 3 behind Black and Don Lyons of CSD Berkeley at 69 (1964).
For the 14 three-pointers, which was helped by Conor nailing 11-of-15 on threes in the first half alone when he had 42 of his points, that is a new NCS record. It broke the previous best in our exclusive Cal-Hi Sports state record files of 12 firs set in 2004 by Chad Lichau of Napa Justin-Siena and tied in 2023 by then freshman Saddiq Alarbesh of Napa Christian. We have no reported total from any other San Francisco schools in the AAA, WCAL or others with 12 or more, either.
In the same game in which Maguire had 63 points, he also had 10 rebounds and five assists. He had 42 points in the first half and was an amazing 11-of-15 shooting three-pointers. In other games earlier this season, Conor had 27 points with six rebounds, four assists and six steals vs San Domenico and 26 points with 10 rebounds and six assists vs Gateway.
“Conor led us to a final four finish in the CIF NorCal D5 playoffs last season has elevated our small school to its best run in school history the last couple of years,” Cortes said. “This was his senior night and he went out in a huge way.”
Zoe Hinkle from Del Mar of San Jose makes her way up the court in recent game. Photo: delmardispatch.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Girls State Basketball Player of the Week
Zoe Hinkle (Del Mar, San Jose) Jr.
Our final stop is at a school southwest of downtown San Jose and close to the city of Campbell that is the alma mater of the late Mark McNamara, a former NBA player we saw play for the Dons in 1977 at the old Oakland Tournament of Champions. Del Mar’s history also only shows four girls who have ever scored 1,000 or more points in a career. Our NorCal honoree for this week hit that milestone a couple of weeks ago.
Hinkle has a similar inside game for Del Mar that McNamara did way back in the day. For last week, and the week she is being honored for, Zoe zapped Gilroy for 28 points and 15 rebounds in a 50-40 win and in the same week she dominated with 26 points and 23 rebounds to lead the Dons past Oak Grove of San Jose, 50-34.
For the season so far, and heading into a Tuesday matchup this week vs Mt. Pleasant of San Jose, Hinkle is averagind 20.0 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. She had a season high of 29 points in earlier game vs Oak Grove and had 24 points and 23 rebounds in her previous game before last week, which was a 44-43 win against Lincoln of San Jose.
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
