Two of this week’s top stat stars are Joey Calcaterra from Marin Catholic of Kentfield and Jayla Ruffus-Milner from Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood. Photos: Bill Schneider/VarsityPix.com & Henry Vogel/HWChronicle.com.
Zavier Lucero from Rodriguez of Fairfield shows how to end 2016 and start 2017 with a pair of explosive games. Another of this week’s top boys listings is from a Stanford-bound senior who was MVP of a tournament. On the girls side, Shyla Latone of Chula Vista Bonita Vista again gets top billing (even above fellow San Diego Section scoring phenom Destiny Littleton) as she explodes for 63 points. Another girl to watch is sophomore center Austyn Masuno, who let’s just say must love to eat at In-N-Out.
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 Mark Tennis & CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett)
(For games played through Saturday, Dec. 31 with some games from this week)
Devlin Adams (Moreno Valley)
The 5-foot-9 senior guard has been among the top scorers in Southern California so far this season and last week hit for 29 points with seven assists and seven steals in a 59-54 win vs. Troy of Fullerton. Adams, who is hitting for 30.2 ppg, has had a season high of 42.
Kim Aiken (Redlands East Valley, Redlands)
A 6-foot-7 senior forward, Aiken has been making opponents ache so far this season. He had 33 points and 19 rebounds in a 73-69 loss last week vs. Oak Hills of Hesperia and is averaging more than 26 ppg.
LaMelo Ball & LiAngelo Ball (Chino Hills)
The video of LaMelo Ball pulling up at half court and calmly draining a three-pointer went viral on social media last week as the Ball brothers continued to put on a show when the Huskies won their 50th straight game with a 106-93 win over Pleasant Grove of Utah at the Rancho Mirage tourhey. LaMelo scored 36 and LiAngelo scored 35 points in that game.
Matthew Brown (Arrowhead Christian, Redlands)
In a 105-55 triumph over San Jacinto Valley Academy, Brown knocked down 43 points. He also had a game last week with 38 as Arrowhead pierced Loma Linda Academy and has seen his average creep near the 30 ppg marker.
Joey Calcaterra (Marin Catholic, Kentfield)
Averaging 32.3 points per game, Calcaterra had four games of at least 29 points in the final days of 2016, including 36 points during a 75-54 win over Lincoln of San Jose. Earlier this week, he scored 39 points during a 68-64 win over Branson of Ross.
Taeshon Cherry (St. Augustine, San Diego)
A hard to miss 6-foot-9 junior, he had 29 points and 15 rebounds during a 85-75 win over Foothill Christian in a challenge game played before the brackets began at the Under Armour Holiday Classic. That performance looks even better when you find out that Foothills Christian ended up winning the National Division of that tourney.
Jaylen Hands (Foothills Christian, El Cajon)
Showing why he may be the perfect guy to take over for Lonzo Ball at UCLA, if Ball heads to the NBA next season, this elite senior guard had a season-high 42 points and 10 assists during a 81-69 win over St. Edward of Lakewood, Ohio, at the Under Armour Holiday Classic. Hands also had 38 points in a 61-57 win over St. John’s of Washington, DC.
Jaime Jaquez (Camarillo)
Nearly outscoring Kennedy of Granada Hills on his own, Jaquez had 34 points and 15 rebounds during a 72-35 win. He’s one of the top sophomores in the state who had several stat star worthy efforts as a freshman last season.
Zavier Lucero (Rodriguez, Fairfield)
The 6-foot-5 senior forward ended 2016 by netting 34 points as his team topped Yuba City 70-56 and then he began 2017 earlier this week with 32 points in a 76-45 triumph against Bethel of Vallejo. Rodriguez is averaging nearly 26 ppg.
Richard McMichael (Centennial, Compton)
Coming from the alma-mater of the NBA’s Aaron Afflalo, McMichael can stroke the three similar to Afflalo. He had 43 points in a 105-84 victory last week against Bradshaw Christian of Sacramento and is averaging more than 29 ppg. McMichael had one game earlier when he made 9-of-13 from 3-point land.
Richard Polanco from Army-Navy of Carlsbad has been seeing his scoring average inch toward the 30 points per game mark for the last few weeks. Photo: Twitter.com.
Ryan Michael (Canyon Crest, San Diego)
Making the three-point line look like a layup, Ryan made nine 3-pointers and finished with 42 points during a 75-40 win over St. Genevieve of Panorama City in one of the divisional brackets at the Under Armour Holiday Classic.
Justin Miller (Vista)
With his team in the Silver Division championship game of the Orange Holiday Classic, Miller made eight 3-pointers and finished with 32 points during a 76-56 win over Jordan of Long Beach.
Andrew Mork (Freedom, Oakley)
We don’t know if there is anyone on the Falcons’ roster named Mindy, but Mork had an out-wordly outing with 29 points (including 18 in the second half) in a 71-60 victory vs. Modesto High. At the time, Freedom also had a 10-0 record.
Kezie Okpala (Esperanza, Anaheim)
Despite not playing the fourth quarter, he finished with 34 points as the Aztecs defeated Temecula Valley 92-60 in the championship game of the Orange Holiday Classic. Headed to Stanford for college, Okpala was named the tournament MVP. He also had 34 points earlier in the tournament against Great Oak of Temecula.
Richard Polanco (Army-Navy Academy, Carlsbad)
The four-year standout and native of the Dominican Republic continues to refine his game. In three of his last four games heading into this week, the 6-foot-7 forward was over 30 points three times. Included in that run was a 31-point, 24-rebound outing when Army-Navy lost 60-56 to Spanish Springs of Sparks, Nev.
Cody Riley (Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth)
Playing in Oregon at the Les Schwab Invitational, the four-year standout scored 32 points as the Trailblazers came back to defeat Gonzaga of Washington DC 85-81. Marvin Bagley III also had a big game with 30 points, but Sierra Canyon (the nation’s No. 1 team entering that week) fell in the tourney final to Nathan Hale of Washington.
Michael Vivo (Waterford)
Viva for Vivo for what he did in a couple of games just before Christmas. The 6-foot-1 sophomore guard first had 31 points in 70-61 victory over Hilmar and then had 31 again as his team beat Hughson 71-70.
Randall Walker (Edison, Huntington Beach)
During an 81-79 loss to Temecula Valley at the Orange Holiday Classic, he finished with 33 points. Walker also scored 30 points in the fifth place game that saw the Chargers defeat Valley Christian of Cerritos 61-59.
Joey Walsh (St. Francis, La Canada)
With the Nogales tournament championship on the line, Walsh pumped in 31 points during a 85-70 win over La Serna of Whittier.
Zafir Williams (Long Beach Poly)
The guy they call World War Z in Long Beach bombed away for a team-high 32 points as the Jackrabbits defeated St. John Bosco of Bellflower 69-56.
Alex Wright (Woodcrest Christian, Riverside)
Named the tournament MVP at the Hillcrest King of the Hill tournament, Wright scored a game-high 29 points during a 65-57 win over Hillcrest of Riverside in the finals.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Shanaijah Davison (Pioneer, Woodland)
For the fifth time this season, Davison scored at least 40 points in a game when she scored 40 points and grabbed 10 rebounds during a 70-51 loss to Highlands of North Highlands.
Kambrayia Elzy (Mission Oak, Tulare)
This junior captain had her two biggest scoring performances of the season come in back-to-back games last week as she scored a season-high 33 points during a 73-56 win over Nipomo and followed it up with 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists during a 64-57 win over Bakersfield. Through 14 games, she is averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game and the Hawks were 11-3 for the season.
Tyler Frierson (Millikan, Long Beach)
Averaging 22.9 points and 18.5 rebounds per game, this senior scored 29 points in a game for the second time this season while grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking six shots during a 61-35 win over Sonora of La Habra.
Many will recall Palisades’ standout Chelsey Gipson as a highly regarded freshman when she went to Windward of Los Angeles. Photo: Paul Muyskens.
Chelsea Gipson (Palisades, Pacific Palisades)
One of the best juniors in the state and a Class of 2018 contender for top statewide honors for two years already, Gipson had a solid game with 27 points and 11 rebounds when the Dolphins beat Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Montebello. So far this season, Gipson is hitting for more than 21 ppg and had had highs of 35 and 34.
Shyla Latone (Bonita Vista, Chula Vista)
Among the leaders in the state in scoring, this junior ended 2016 with some big scoring performances, including a season-high 63 points during a 96-34 win over High Tech Chula Vista. Latone also had 10 rebounds and 10 steals to record her first triple-double this season. In addition last week, Latone made 19 free throws and finished with 41 points in a 78-67 win over Lincoln of San Diego and is averaging 33.4 points per game.
Destiny Littleton (Bishop’s, La Jolla)
What would be a season-best for some players has become a below average performance for her as she is averaging 51.7 points per game. Her average, which is leading the nation according to MaxPreps, is actually dropping after she had a 52-point performance during a 86-46 win over Great Oak of Temecula but her streak of 50 or more point performances was snapped at five in the next game. Littleton has scored over 40 points in every game this season while also averaging 11.5 rebounds per game.
Austyn Masuno (Oxford Academy, Cypress)
This 6-foot-2 sophomore is a double-double machine and in fact in her team’s first 13 games (1o of them wins) she’s had a double-double in each one. Already this week Masuno had 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 87-16 blasting of Huntington Beach Brethren Christian. Last season as a freshman in 30 games, Masuno had a double-double in 27 of them.
Tayah Ranney (Central Valley, Lake Shasta)
Although Central Valley as a team has been struggling, Ranney has not. She had a season high two weeks ago with 48 points against Trinity of Weaverville and then last week hit for 31 in a loss to American of Fremont.
Rachael Rogers (Los Molinos)
Here’s another CIF Northern Section standout along with Ranney. Rogers, a 5-foot-9 junior, had her second 35-point outing in one week when she scored 35 in a 60-17 romp past Liberty Christian of Redding. She is averaging 25.5 ppg.
Jayla Ruffus-Milner (Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood)
In a low-scoring title game in a divisional bracket at the Title IX Classic in Washington DC, Ruffus-Milner led the way for the Wolverines with 16 points and 15 rebounds as they got past Frederick (Maryland) 49-40. Her twin sister, Jayda, also is continuing to blossom as a player and D1 college prospect.
Iimar’l Thomas (Sacred Heart Cathedral, San Francisco)
Showing why she is headed to play in college at Cincinnati, she had another big double-double as she scored 29 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked six shots during a 74-49 win over Woodside Priory. Thomas also had 31 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to St. Mary’s of Stockton.
Haley Van Dyke (Campolindo, Moraga)
Opponents are having a hard time slowing down this 6-foot junior as she followed up back-to-back 29 point performances with 31 points and 14 rebounds in a 83-77 loss to Heritage of Brentwood. With double digit scoring and rebounds in all but one game this season, she is averaging 23.6 points and 14.9 rebounds for a Cougars’ squad that is off to a 10-4 start.
Frankie Wade-Sanchez (Edison, Huntington Beach)
Since we last did our state stat stars, she has had some outstanding performances, including a season-high 38 points against Norco. At the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, she averaged 24.5 points per game and at the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic she had 27 points during a 55-34 win over Mt. Miguel of San Diego.
Paul Muyskens is the Stockton office assistant editor for CalHiSports.com. 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
