All-Bay Area News Group girls basketball team
Player of the year
McKenna Woliczko, Archbishop Mitty, 6-2, sophomore
West Catholic Athletic League co-player of the year averaged 22 points and eight rebounds for the Central Coast Section Open Division and NorCal Open Division champions. After winning this award as a freshman, she was even better as a sophomore. Full story here.
First team
Ryka Aprameyan, Evergreen Valley, 5-10, senior
Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Co-MVP scored an average of 26.1 points per game along with 3.5 assists and 4.6 steals per game. Led Evergreen Valley to league title and CCS D-I championship game appearance.
Sofia Bowes, San Ramon Valley, 6-0, senior
First-team all-East Bay Athletic League selection averaged 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals per game as a do-it-all forward for the EBAL champion Wolves. Led team to NorCal Open Division berth.
Morgan Cheli, Archbishop Mitty, 6-2, senior
Co-WCAL player of the year and UConn commit was named a McDonald’s All-American this season. Scored 17 points and had 10 assists in a nationally-televised upset over powerhouse Long Island Lutheran in December.
Alex Facelo, Pinewood, 5-8, senior
West Bay Athletic League co-player of the year scored 15.1 points-per-game for CCS Open Division participant and league champions. Deadeye shooter made 12 3-pointers in a game against Crystal Springs. I’ll
Quinn Godfrey, Branham, 6-4, senior
BVAL Mt. Hamilton co-MVP led Branham to CCS Division I title. UC-Merced commit scored 18.8 points-per-game, and had 32 points and 19 rebounds in the section championship victory over Evergreen Valley.
Branham’s Quinn Godfrey (30) averaged 18.8 points per game for the BVAL Mt. Hamilton champions (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Karyss Lacanlale, Acalanes, 5-5, junior
First-team all-Diablo Athletic League selection led the Dons to an undefeated record in league play and a NorCal Division I berth. Lacanlale scored 30 points in a victory over Ygnacio Valley.
Jhai Johnson, Oakland Tech, 6-4, sophomore
Oakland Athletic League player of the year led the Bulldogs to the Oakland Section championship and the NorCal Division II semifinals. Johnson had 13 double-doubles, including a 19-point, 22-rebound, 10-steal triple-double against Oakland.
Savannah Jones, Bishop O’Dowd, 5-4, senior
First-team all-WACC Foothill Division selection was the floor general for the Division I NorCal champions. Jones scored a game-high 16 points in O’Dowd’s victory over Carondelet in the NorCal championship.
Bishop O’ Dowd’s Savannah Jones (11), shown here in a file photo, helped lead O’Dowd to the Division I state title game (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Natalia Martinez, Piedmont, 5-7, senior
WACC Foothill Division player of the year led Piedmont to the NCS Open Division and the NorCal Division I playoffs. The San Diego State commit averaged 30 points per game, and scored a season-high 52 points in a win over Scripps Ranch in December.
Keshia Vitalicio, Carondelet, 5-9, senior
East Bay Athletic League player of the year and Lehigh commit led Carondelet to the NorCal Division I title game. A clutch point guard who made eight free throws in overtime to beat McClatchy in the regional semifinals.
Second team
Belle Bramer, Archbishop Mitty, 6-1, senior
First-team all-WCAL selection showed no signs of rust after sitting out last season due to transfer rules. Lehigh commit was an integral part of Archbishop Mitty’s 30-0 start to the season.
Sierra Chambers, San Ramon, 5-6, senior
First-team all-EBAL selection averaged 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game as SRV’s top shot-creator. Southern Utah commit helped the Wolves defeat Carondelet twice, and helped SRV advance to the North Coast Section title game.
Devin Cosgriff, Bishop O’Dowd, 5-11, sophomore
All-WACC selection made the game-winning shot against Carondelet in the NorCal title game. Has an offer from UCLA and scored 11 points in O’Dowd’s rout against St. Ignatius in NorCal play.
Ashanti Dias, Archbishop Riordan, 5-4, senior
First-team all-WCAL selection led Archbishop Riordan to the CCS Open Division playoffs and an upset victory over Acalanes in the NorCal playoffs. Dias scored 19 points in the Crusaders’ victory over St. Ignatius in January.
Layla Dixon, Carondelet, 6-0, sophomore
First-team all-EBAL selection was a revelation as a sophomore and played her best in the postseason. Scored 19, 28, and 19 points in her first three NorCal playoff games to help the Cougars reach the regional final.
All-Bay Area News Group selections Sofia Bowes (42) and Layla Dixon (10) matched up in the East Bay Athletic League playoffs (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
Karena Eberts, Miramonte, 6-2, senior
DAL MVP averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Matadors, which reached the DAL championship game and played in the NCS playoffs. Finished her career with over 1,000 points and rebounds.
Madalyn Kanazawa, Salesian, 5-4, senior
First-team all-Tri-County Athletic League selection led Salesian to the TCAL-Rock Division championship. Helped the Pride upset higher-seeded Heritage and California on their way to the NCS Division I title.
Reza Po, Sacred Heart Cathedral, 5-2, senior
First-team all-WCAL selection and University of New Mexico commit propelled Sacred Heart Cathedral to the second-best record in the WCAL. Surpassed 1,000 career points in January.
Nicole Steiner, Los Gatos, 6-0, junior
Co-Santa Clara Valley De Anza Division MVP alongside teammate Ashley Childers. Led Los Gatos to league title, and had back-to-back games with at least 20 rebounds back in January.
Elana Weisman, Archbishop Mitty, 6-1, senior
First-team all-WCAL selection broke out in her second year in the Mitty system. The Bucknell commit scored 18 points in the CCS Open championship against St. Ignatius and had 16 points in the NorCal Open Division semifinal against Folsom.
Oakland High’s Daijha Teague (3), shown here in a file photo, helped lead Oakland to the Division V state title (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Honorable mention
Gabrielle Abigor, Berean Christian, senior
Ayesha Abdussamy, Irvington, sophomore
Michigan Adkins, Castlemont, senior
Jazzy Alcantar, Encinal, senior
Mecca Alexander, Cornerstone Christian, senior
Madeline Bader, Moreau Catholic, senior
Maile Bateman, Crystal Springs Uplands, senior
Jazmine Cardwell, Vallejo, senior
Tera Chen, San Ramon Valley, senior
Ashley Childers, Los Gatos, junior
Trinity Chu, California, junior
Natalie Dance, Mt. Diablo, junior
Ugreat Daniels, Priory, sophomore
Snowe DeLeon, Mt. Pleasant, senior
Jasleen Dhaliwal, Milpitas, senior
Marissa Elizalde, St. Patrick-St.Vincent, senior
Madison Fujii, Pioneer, senior
Cierra Gallardo, James Logan, senior
Radhika Garapaty, Notre Dame-San Jose, junior
Katherine Garr, Pinewood, junior
Nyah Greenwood, Bishop O’Dowd, senior
Ariana Hallstrom, Acalanes, junior
Alana Hernandez, Mountain View, junior
Willow Ishibashi-To, Carlmont, junior
Milan Jackson, Pinole Valley, senior
Maia Jimenez, St. Francis, junior
Rosalynn Jimenez, Hayward, senior
Juliana Johnson, Alameda, junior
Arseama Kibrom, Del Mar, senior
Avery Knapp, San Ramon Valley, senior
Vallory Kuelker, Pinewood, junior
Sofia Kwan, Mills, junior
Nevaeh Lacy, Santa Teresa, senior
Maggie Lam, Lynbrook, senior
Riqui Liu, Menlo School, junior
Nina Llamas, Santa Clara, senior
Alyssa Lopez, Christopher, senior
Meaghan Manning, St. Ignatius, junior
Kiana Moniz, Sacred Heart Cathedral, senior
Emilie Ngo, Oak Grove, senior
Ze’Ni Patterson, Heritage, freshman
Madison Perea, Liberty, senior
Ayla Rege, Salesian, senior
Lealah Rowden, Evergreen Valley, senior
Carolyn Ruan, Monta Vista, senior
Nia Rogers, Redwood Christian, senior
Sophia Ross, Carondelet, sophomore
Alyssa Rudd, Monte Vista, sophomore
Terri’A Russell, Oakland Tech, sophomore
Sophia Sanchez, St. Ignatius, sophomore
Amelia Schrag, Northgate, senior
Sa’rye Starks, Ygnacio Valley, junior
Rebecca Sung, Branham, senior
Fiona Steinmetz, Menlo-Atherton, senior
Maxine Sutisna, Archbishop Riordan, junior
Michelle Tang, Mills, senior
Daijha Teague, Oakland, senior
Danielle Tyner, Lincoln-San Jose, senior
Dulci Vail, Acalanes, junior
Lindsey Wirgler, Piedmont, senior
Lauren Yee, California, junior
Coach of the year
John Cristiano, San Ramon Valley
San Ramon Valley got the most out of a senior class that, while not having a player standing over 6-foot and only having one player receiving a scholarship to a Division I school, led the program to the East Bay Athletic League title and a surprise berth in the NorCal Open playoffs. Head coach John Cristiano masterminded a quick-hitting motion offense that prioritized ball-movement and passing. Cristiano guided the Wolves on a 26-game winning streak and a 28-3 record, and then pushed NorCal Open opponent St. Mary’s-Stockton in a tough loss in the regional playoffs.
Coaches: Honorable mention
Sara Quilici Giles, Los Gatos
Justin Matsu, Mills
Malik McCord, Bishop O’Dowd
Sue Phillips, Archbishop Mitty
Nita Simpson, Oakland
WHO IS ELIGIBLE AND HOW SELECTIONS ARE MADE
Athletes eligible for all-Bay Area News Group recognition come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. The selections this season were made by the Bay Area News Group’s Darren Sabedra, Joseph Dycus and Nathan Canilao.
