All-League Girls’ Basketball: Bruening repeats as MVP
Corona del Mar High senior post player Natalia Bruening has earned Pacific Coast League girls’ basketball MVP honors for the second straight year.
Bruening helped the Sea Kings to another big season, as they went 24-8 and 8-2 in league, finishing second in the Pacific Coast League and advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division 3A semifinals as the No. 3-seeded team. The Sea Kings lost there at No. 2-seeded La Cañada, 55-52, on a controversial three-pointer at the buzzer. It was their third straight CIF semifinals appearance, a program first.
Bruening, bound for UC Santa Barbara, averaged team-best totals of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game for the Sea Kings, along with two steals, helping them also advance to the CIF State Southern California Regional Division IV quarterfinals, where they also fell at La Cañada, 57-39.
CdM senior center Krista Anderson and senior point guard Kelly Tam both earned second-team all-league accolades.
— From staff reports
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Sage’s Park, Knollenberg on first team
Sage Hill School freshman point guard Heather Park and sophomore guard/forward Kenna Knollenberg have earned first-team All-Academy League honors for girls’ basketball.
Park and Knollenberg helped Sage Hill (18-7, 10-2 in league) finish second in the Academy League and advance to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4A playoffs, where the Lightning lost at Brentwood, 63-49. Park banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to help Sage stun Pasadena La Salle, 48-47, in the first round of CIF for the program’s first playoff victory in eight seasons.
Park led Sage Hill with 19.7 points and three assists per game. In league, she upped her scoring to 22.5 points per game.
Kenna Knollenberg averaged 11 points per game, third on the team, and also averaged a team-best six steals per contest.
Kenna’s twin sister, Kate, and junior center Emily Hublitz earned second-team all-league accolades. Senior guard Kimya Ghaffarian was an honorable mention selection.
Austyn Masuno of league champion Oxford Academy earned league MVP honors.
— From staff reports
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Local trio on OCL first team
Estancia senior point guard Maya Van Den Heever and sophomore forward Finley Garnett, as well as Costa Mesa senior guard Katie Lawrence, have all earned first-team All-Orange Coast League accolades for girls’ basketball.
Van Den Heever and Garnett helped the Eagles (20-8, 9-1 in league) share the league title with Laguna Beach, Estancia’s fourth straight league crown. The Eagles fell at top-seeded Marymount, 68-45, in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA playoffs.
Van Den Heever, last year’s league MVP, averaged eight points and a team-best 5.4 assists per game. She also chipped in 3.3 rebounds and two steals per contest. In league, she averaged 11 points per game.
Garnett, also a repeat first-team all-league selection, averaged a team-best 11.4 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game, as well as two steals. In league, she upped her scoring to 16.9 points per game.
Lawrence, another repeat first-team selection, was a standout player as the leading scorer for the Mustangs. Mesa went 5-21 and 1-9 in league, failing to qualify for CIF.
Estancia senior forward Nefertiti Van Den Heever and senior guard Madison Letterman, as well as Costa Mesa freshman post player Katie Belmontes, earned second-team all-league accolades.
Laguna Beach senior Jackie Cenan was the league MVP after helping the Breakers earn a share of just their second title in program history.
— From staff reports
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Sailors’ Izzi again on first team
Newport Harbor High senior guard McKenna Izzi has earned first-team All-Sunset League honors in girls’ basketball for the second straight year.
Izzi, a co-captain, averaged team-best totals of 13.6 points per game and 2.9 steals per game. She also chipped in 4.6 rebounds per contest.
Izzi helped Newport Harbor finish 6-17, and 3-7 in the Sunset League to tie for fourth place. The three league wins represents the most for the Sailors in 10 seasons in the Sunset League, and most overall since 2004.
Newport Harbor junior guard Angelina Alvarez, another co-captain, was a second-team all-league selection. Alvarez was second on the team in scoring with 9.1 points per game, adding 2.9 rebounds and two steals per contest.
Los Alamitos senior Dani Iwami earned Sunset League MVP honors for the second straight year after helping the Griffins win league with a perfect 10-0 record.
— From staff reports