Willow Glen Resident

Sports

Talented seniors to show their stuff in 2nd Senior Showcase

By Kevin Sparrer

The 2008 high school basketball season is over--well, not quite.

It's time once again for the best of the best to prove themselves in the Dons Club Senior Showcase. This year marks the second annual showcase, where the senior basketball players of the Blossom Valley Athletic League will have one more chance to show off their skills against the best competition the league can offer.

The event will take place at Del Mar High School on April 26, beginning at 2 p.m. with the girls showcase game. Following the girls game, there will be a 3-point contest at 4 p.m., a slam-dunk contest at 5 p.m. and the boys showcase game at 6 p.m.

Each of the participants was nominated by their respective coaches prior to being selected for the showcase.

The members of the girls West team include: 6-foot forward and center Elli Batinich, Del Mar; 5-foot-3 guard Kathleen De La Cruz, 5-foot-3 guard Maria Mamaril and 5-foot-7 forward Monica Erezo, Silver Creek; 5-foot-7 guard Kelly Gregg, 5-foot-8 forward Alyssa Kanzaki and 5-foot-8 forward Stephanie Priest, Westmont; 5-foot-5 guard Candice Marquez, Evergreen Valley; and 5-foot-11 forward and center DeAndra Perkins, Oak Grove.

These girls not only excelled on their own teams but in the league and were recognized with all-league awards. Gregg received the Most Valuable Player award in the Mt. Hamilton Division after scoring 305 points and leading her team with 143 assists, and Priest was named to the first team for scoring 182 points and leading her team with 171 rebounds. Both Kanzaki, who had 129 points this year, and Marquez made the all-league second team.

In the Santa Teresa Division, Perkins was named the MVP, while Erezo and De La Cruz shared the honor of the Senior of the Year. Mamaril was named second team all-league, and Batinich was named second team all-league in the West Valley Division after scoring 169 points and leading the Dons in assists with 223.

The girls East team includes: 5-foot-3 guard Alexa Abraham, Gunderson; 5-foot-3 guard Mhary Alcaide and a 5-foot-7 forward Marissa Montenegro, Yerba Buena; 5-foot-7 guard Tanisha Bisbee and forward, 5-foot-11 forward and center Desiree Collins and 5-foot-5 guard Rosa Tirado, Santa Teresa; 5-foot-11 forward Katie Emick, Live Oak; and 5-foot-3 guard Brittany O'Brien and 5-foot-4 guard Hayley Tharp, Willow Glen.

Just like the girls of the West, the East team had its share of award winners in the BVAL. Collins received the Senior of the Year award in the Mt. Hamilton Division, while Bisbee and Tirado were named to the first team.

In the Santa Teresa Division, Tharp, who scored 241 points for the Rams, and O'Brien, who led Willow Glen with 263 points and led the team with 45 assists, received first team all-league honors.

In the West Valley Division it was Emick and Montenegro who were named co-Senior of the Year. Alcaide received first team all-league honors.

The boys North team consists of: 5-foot-7 guard Dallin Blank, Del Mar; 6-foot-6 forward Tom Buich, Sobrato; 6-foot-5 center Billy Dick, Silver Creek; 6-foot-2 forward Daniel Ginn, 6-foot-3 forward Sean Visser and 5-foot-9 guard Devon Mynhier, Piedmont Hills; a 6-foot-1 forward Michael Montenegro, Yerba Buena; 5-foot-7 guard Khoi Nguyen and 6-foot-5 center Derek Pauli, Evergreen Valley; 5-foot-10 guard Tyler Nii, Leigh; 5-foot-10 guard Max Schneider, Westmont; 5-foot-7 guard Abubaker Shirur, Andrew Hill; and 6-foot-2 forward Nate Taye, Prospect.

The North team had a number of award winners this year in the BVAL. One of the Mt. Hamilton Division's co-MVPs, Mynhier, is on the North team. Ginn was named the Senior of the Year while Visser and Schneider, who scored 334 points with 40 three-pointers and 137 assists, received first team all-league honors, while Nii, who scored 195 points this year, and Buich were named to the second team.

In the Santa Teresa Division Nguyen and Taye, who led his team with 400 points (including 39 threes), 86 assists and 238 rebounds, were co-Seniors of the Year, and Paul, Shirur, Blank--who scored 310 points this year leading his team--and Dick were all first team all-league.

In the West Valley Division, M. Montenegro was named to the first all-league team.

Those on the boys South team are: 6-foot-3 forward DaShawn Duncan and 5-foot-9 guard Christian Silva, Gunderson; 6-foot-3 forward Kelly Kaigler, 5-foot-8 guard Stacy Long and 6-foot-7 forward Tyree McCrary, Oak Grove; 6-foot forward Tony Lorr, Mt. Pleasant; 5-foot-9 guard Nick Maggipinto and 6-foot-2 forward Andrew Springer, Pioneer; 5-foot-10 guard Drew Marino, Leland; 6-foot-1 forward Adrian Packer, James Lick; 6-foot-1 forward Eli Rivera, Overfelt; 5-foot-10 guard Irie Sanders, Independence; and 5-foot-10 guard Gino Valletta, Branham.

The South team also had a number of players receive all-league awards in the BVAL.

In the Mt. Hamilton Division, McCrary was a co-MVP, while Long and Kaigler were named to the first team and Maggipinto received second team honors.

In the Santa Teresa Division, Rivera made the first all-league team, and in the West Valley Division, Lorr was the MVP, Packer was the Senior of the Year and Sanders, Silva and Duncan were all a part of the first all-league team. Valletta was named to the second team after scoring 213 points, averaging 10.1 per game and leading his team with 117 assists.

Marino led his team with 299 points and averaged 11.1 per game this year.