Two of this week’s honorees are Josh Christopher from Mayfair of Lakewood (left) and senior Lea Anderson of Modesto Grace Davis, who had 59-point game last week. Photos: Jerina Madayang & The Modesto Bee.
This feature will take a break next week for the holidays, but before that happens we have to tell you about four more amazing players. One of them had back-to-back 50-point games last week. Another is an all-state freshman from last season, another is the daughter of a former NBA player while another had a huge game against another top scorer. These four are from Lakewood, Solana Beach, Clovis and Modesto.
We hope you enjoy this free story on Cal-Hi Sports.com. For our State Top 20 boys and girls basketball rankings packages (starting in January) plus weekly state record updates and more exclusive content, please check out our Gold Club membership today. For details, CLICK HERE.
Note: For these honors, we consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate someone by 12 noon on most Mondays, email markjtennis@gmail.com. This is our second week of the 2017-18 season for basketball. We’ll take next week off for this feature. It will return on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Boys Player of the Week
Josh Christopher
(Mayfair, Lakewood) Soph.
The 6-foot-4 Christopher, who is No. 11 overall in the ESPN Top 25 for sophomore guards and No. 2 in the state, was below his 28.3 points per game average in the first two games of the North Orange County Championships after going for 22 and 18 points in wins over Torrance and Whitney of Cerritos, respectively.
That all changed after he dropped in 43 points (six for 12 on 3-pointers and 9 for 9 from the FT line) with four assists and five steals in a 78-65 semifinal victory over Aliso Niguel of Aliso Viejo .
By the time the championship game against Canyon of Anaheim concluded on Friday, and Christopher came through to lead his team to a 76-72 victory that handed Canyon its first loss of the season, about the only thing everyone that saw the game could think was ‘oh my gosh it was Josh’ after he had 37 points and seven rebounds and closed things out down the stretch.
Since then, Christopher has had two 24-point outings in wins over Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo and Norwalk Glenn. Last season as a freshman he led the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 14.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He was named to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Freshman Team.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Girls Player of the Week
Emma Dudley
(Santa Fe Christian, Solana Beach) Sr.
The longtime fans of Santa Fe Christian are well aware of girls that can put up points and stats because No. 6 all-time leading scorer Brandi Collato had 3,325 points from 1998-2001 while wearing an Eagles uniform.
Dudley, the daughter of Charles Dudley, who was a member of the 1975 Golden State Warriors’ NBA championship team and went to nearby Torrey Pines of San Diego, isn’t putting up Collato’s numbers and she isn’t even the leading scorer on the team, but the 6-foot-1 senior can do it all.
Last week, Dudley had a triple-double and her fourth double-double this season, and the Eagles needed every bit of it in a 67-65 victory over Vista that got Santa Fe Christian to 4-0 to start the season. She finished with 26 points, 22 rebounds and 11 blocked shots, plus she had seven assists.
So far this season Dudley is averaging 21.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 6.5 blocks, 5.3 assists and 2.8 steals a game. The 15.5 rebounds is top 10 reported in the state, the 6.5 blocks in No. 2 and even the 5.3 assists is top 35 in the state.
Anthony Martinez is averaging 23 ppg in helping Clovis win eight of its first 10 games this season. Photo: Hudl.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Boys Player of the Week
Anthony Martinez
(Clovis) Sr.
It was a battle of the Cougars’ 5-foot-8 senior guard against reported state second leading scorer Nate Kendricks of Immanuel of Reedley last week in the opener of the Hoover Holiday Invitational Tournament in Fresno, and it was Martinez and Clovis that got the best of it in a 90-74 victory that at the time got the Cougars to 6-1 on the season.
Although Martinez didn’t match Kendricks average of 33.6 points per game or his 39-point effort in the game he did drop in a season-high 31 points with six rebounds and seven assists in the win.
On the season for a Clovis team that is now 9-2, Martinez is averaging 23 points, 3.9 steals, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Just like this season, Martinez led the team in scoring last season with a 16.4 per game average.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Girls Player of the Week
Lea Anderson
(Grace Davis, Modesto) Sr.
After getting alerted to her prowess by James Burns of the Modesto Bee, we go back to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section once again this week for our NorCal winner to honor a girl that has been on fire to start the season.
Her team was missing three players, including two starters, but that was no problem for the Cal State Dominguez Hills-bound Anderson and the Spartans in a 71-59 victory over Sierra of Manteca. In the victory, the former St. Mary’s of Stockton player that transferred to Davis after her freshman season netted a career-high and school record 59 points.
Not only was it a school record but also a Stanislaus District record and the fourth-best total in section history. Former Brookside Christian of Stockton star Tiara Tucker occupies the top two spots on the single-game scoring chart.
In 2013, Tucker scored a Northern California record 73 points against Millennium of Tracy. A week earlier, Tucker, now at UNLV, had 63 points in a win over Stone Ridge Christian of Merced, surpassing the mark set by Wilton Christian’s Jessica Peters in 1994. It takes 60 points to make single game scoring list in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book so Anderson doesn’t make that list, but her 23 made free throws makes that list and is in the top 15 all time.
But wait a minute because she wasn’t finished. As an encore, Anderson continued the run with a feat very few girls have accomplished when she posted back-to-back 50 point games after going for 56 (nine 3-pointers) in a 69-65 loss to Valley Oak League rival Central Catholic of Modesto. In two games Anderson scored 115 of her team’s 136 points and is averaging over 30 points a game this season for the 5-5 Spartans.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
