SoCal/NorCal Players of the Week

Two of this week’s SoCal/NorCal Players of the Week are Jarod Lucas from Los Altos (Hacienda Heights) and Jzaniya Harriel of Antelope. Photos: @ClassicAtDamien / Twitter.com & Twitter.com.

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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.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Boys Basketball Player of the Week

Jarod Lucas
(Los Altos, Hacienda Heights) Sr.

We’ve been following Jarod since his freshman season playing for his father, Jeff, the head coach at Los Altos so it wasn’t surprising to see a lot of buzz on social media in recent days about him moving to “No. 7 on the California all-time scoring list.”

Despite his amazing season so far, that didn’t seem correct so we had to check it out. Lucas actually started this week at No. 16 on the all-time state career list, which is still quite high and will only get higher, especially the way that Jarod is scoring this season.

Lucas’ stats aren’t getting put up into MaxPreps this season, but they are being posted from other sources and show him with an average of more than 37 ppg. At last weekend’s Take Flight Challenge at Redondo High, Lucas pumped in 42 points with 10 rebounds and six assists to lead the 14-5 Conquerors past Leuzinger of Lawndale, 86-80. Before that, he had 39 points as Los Altos swamped its rivals from Hacienda Heights Wilson 93-67.

With 2,804 points for his four years and counting at the beginning of this week, Lucas only needs seven points in his next game to surpass DeMar DeRozan of Compton on the Cal-Hi Sports all-time state list. DeRozan, now an NBA superstar with the San Antonio Spurs, scored 2,810 points from 2005 to 2008 for the Tarbabes. That would move up Lucas into the top 15 in California history. The state record of 3,462 points was set in 2004 by DeMarcus Nelson from Sheldon of Sacramento (who also played at Vallejo).

Lucas, who has signed with Oregon State, is the highest among several other in the state this season who are moving up the career scoring charts. The other two highest would be Jaime Jaquez of Camarillo and Joseph Octave of San Pedro Mary Star. Jaquez starts this week with more than 2,300 career points. Octave has 2,415.

Sophomore Rayah Marshall is latest hoops standout for longtime Lynwood head coach Ellis Barfield. Photo: Hudl.com.

Rayah Marshall
(Lynwood) Soph.

It has been awhile since Lynwood has graced a feature on Cal-Hi Sports, and while veteran head coach Ellis Barfield and his Lady Knights have not had the kind of success since they last won their fourth CIF state championship in Division II in 2013 they haven’t exactly dropped off the radar screen. Now, with Marshall in Barfield’s fold this year and the next two years, Lynwood might be making some noise once again.

Last week, the 6-foot-3 sophomore wing who pretty much can play any position on the court went for a solid double-double with 33 points and 13 rebounds in an 86-33 win over Warren of Downey.

We realize her effort came in a bit of a blowout but this is a good week for Rayah to be recognized as the SoCal girls honoree, since her overall body of work has come against some very solid teams so far this season.

The 33 points wasn’t even her season high. That came against state No. 11 Bishop Montgomery in a 60-52 loss when Marshall had 35 points and 18 rebounds. Her top mark for rebounds also came in a loss for 12-6 Lynwood when she pulled down 24 rebounds against perennial Illinois power Whitney Young of Chicago in a 60-56 defeat.

So far this season, Marshall is averaging 20.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 3.2 steals per game and has had 13 double-doubles this season. As a freshman last season, she averaged a double-double 10.9 points and 10.5 rebounds a game.

On a side note, the Lynwood win was career coaching victory No. 587 for Barfield meaning if Marshall and her teammates can make a deep playoff run the possibility exists he could reach the magic 600-win mark this season and maybe even add a fifth CIF state title.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Girls Basketball Player of the Week

Jzaniya Harriel
(Antelope) Soph.

For our Northern California girls honoree, we go the Metropolitan Sacramento area just northeast of the state capitol on Interstate 80 where like our SoCal award winner the NorCal winner is also a promising sophomore.

Harriel is not the only standout for head coach Sean Chambers, and while all four of his stars had solid performances, it was the 33 points and 22 rebounds that was a major factor in a 70-69 victory over a very solid California of San Ramon last week at the Pittsburg Shootout.

So far this season, the 5-foot-9 guard who plays a lot taller than she is on paper, is averaging a double-double 23.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per game with 2.9 steals and 2.3 assists to boot.

The 22 rebounds were her best this season and as for points Jzaniya has been over 30 three times with a high of 39 in a win over Elk Grove. As for double-doubles, Harriel has 12 after going for 18 points and 12 rebounds in a 51-39 victory on Monday over Roseville Woodcreek.

Last season, the All-State freshman selection averaged 14.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.4 steals per game.

As was previously mentioned, there is no denying that Jzaniya is carrying a heavy load for the now 17-1 Titans who are on the bubble coming into this week’s State Top 20 rankings, but she’s not a one-girl team and a shout-out for the accomplishments of Antelope this season also goes to her teammates — senior Arianna Spann, juniors Jordan Goodwin and Angel Jordan, and fellow sophomore Kaiija Lesane, all of whom are averaging in double-figure scoring.

The only reason Bakersfield Liberty’s Isaiah Hill isn’t going to be on the All-State Grid-Hoop Team this year is because he didn’t play football last season. Photo: @BVarsityLive / Twitter.com.

Isaiah Hill
(Liberty, Bakersfield) Sr.

Every time we go to the CIF Central Section for a Northern California award winner we remind readers that for all our players of the week for basketball and football as well, the Valley as locals call the section is considered in the NorCal area.

This week, we go as far south in what we call Northern California as you can go when we visit Bakersfield to honor a young man who has shown enough promise to earn a scholarship offer to the University of Tulsa that he has signed to accept.

Last week, the 5-foot-11 point guard got Liberty to 9-8 on the season but 1-0 in Southwest Yosemite League play after Hill went for 32 points against cross-town rival Centennial.

So far this season, Hill is averaging nearly 25 points per game, according to Bakersfield Californian high school sports scribe Trevor Horn, who feels he could score a lot more and has.

“Isaiah is the best basketball player I’ve seen since I moved here in 2014,” Horn said. “He’s a fluid floor general with high-level IQ and a smooth shot from anywhere within 30 feet. He could score more if he cared to but he dishes the ball at an elite level too.

“I’ve seen seven games and he’s gone for 30-plus in five or six of them,” continued Horn. “He scored 35 against Buchanan (Clovis) where he sat the final five minutes of the game. In a tournament game at North (Bakersfield), he scored 40 and it was the easiest 40-plus game I’ve seen anywhere.”

Hill’s season high is 45 points and that came against national junior recruit Jalen Green in a 92-81 loss to San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno) in the Nike Invitational in Fresno.

Of note is Isaiah passed on being a two-sport athlete to concentrate on basketball, but last year he averaged 22.8 points eight rebounds and six assists per game after coming off a season as a dual-threat quarterback for Liberty where he passed for 1,173 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 639 yards and three more scores.

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