Two of this week’s SoCal/NorCal players of the week are Eric Shaw from Amador (Sutter Creek) and Sydney Sharp from Foothill (Tustin). Photos: Courtesy family & Twitter.com.
Going for more than 40 points does the trick for both Sydney Sharp from Foothill of Tustin and Eric Shaw from Amador of Sutter Creek. This week’s two other honorees are from Rancho Mirage (boys) and Lincoln of Lincoln (girls).
Note: For purposes of this feature, we are considering the CIF Central Section to be in the north.
To nominate a player for next week, email markjtennis@gmail.com by Monday at 12 noon and be sure to include a photo that we can use (which means it’s not from the local newspaper or from another web site).
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Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Boys Basketball Player of the Week
Charles Neal (Rancho Mirage) Jr.
While Neal and the Rattlers aren’t quite at the same level as an undefeated teams like Chino Hills, the fact they are still undefeated is still impressive.
Rancho Mirage opened up the CIF Southern Section Division 3A playoffs with a pair of wins, including a 105-81 win over Adelanto that saw their talented junior score 30 points.
Earlier in the week, Neal scored as many points as Jurupa Valley in the team’s playoff opener as he finished with 32 points during a 77-32 victory.
It is just the second year of having a varsity program for the new school as the Rattlers didn’t start having varsity sports until the 2014-2015 season.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Girls Basketball Player of the Week
Sydney Sharp (Foothill, Tustin) Sr.
For the second time this season, this 5-foot-9 guard scored over 40 points in a game. Sharp did it last week by scoring Foothill’s first 15 points on her way to 43 points during a 78-66 win over Edison of Huntington Beach in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA playoffs.
Earlier this season, Sharp posted an Orange County best performance (so far at least) with 48 points for the Knights during an 88-23 win against Wilson of Long Beach.
Sharp, who does not have stats reported on MaxPreps, has three 40-point games in all and is averaging 22.7 points per game.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Boys Basketball Player of the Week
Eric Shaw (Amador, Sutter Creek) Sr.
When Shaw and his team played Sonora earlier this season, he scored 41 points, primarily because of hitting 3-point shots. In last week’s regular season finale at Sonora, the defense was focused on stopping long-range shots, but it didn’t matter. Shaw drove to the bucket, got fouled, made 17 of 18 free throws and scored 43 points in a 81-69 triumph.
The 43-point night for Shaw also included seven rebounds and capped a tremendous senior season. The 6-foot-3 senior ended with averages of 25.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
For the season, Shaw also had three 40-point games. The Buffaloes did not make it into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, but still look for Shaw to be in line for numerous post-season honors.
Cal-HI Sports Northern California
Girls Basketball Player of the Week
Cassie Pisik (Lincoln) Sr.
Averaging a double-double this season for the Fighting Zebras, Pisik had her best game of the season last week during a 69-62 win over Center of Antelope that ended the regular season.
Pisik, a senior forward, scored 30 points, grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds and blocked five shots against the Cougars. It was just the second time she scored 30 points in a game with her season-high coming a few weeks prior with 33 points against the same squad from Center.
For the season, she is averaging 19.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as the Fighting Zebras get ready for postseason play starting this week.
And in another twist, Pisik’s selection makes it two weeks in a row that a player from the Pioneer Valley League of the Sac-Joaquin Section has earned this honor. Baylee Vanderdoes from Placer of Auburn was named for last week.
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
One Comment
Proud of Eric! He has been a very good Student/Athlete for O.C. Pride/Moore Management!