Willow Glen Resident

Sports

BVAL's best seniors to collide in boys, girls showcase games

By Dick Sparrer

The league and Central Coast Section championships have all been decided in high school basketball. Even the NCAA's Final Four has been whittled down to the final one, the Florida Gators.

But even though March Madness has faded into basketball history for 2007, that doesn't mean that the season has come to an end--at least not in the Santa Clara Valley. Del Mar has seen to that.

The first annual Dons Club Senior Showcase is coming up on April 7 when the top seniors from the Blossom Valley Athletic League will converge at Del Mar High School for boys and girls basketball games.

The day's events will include a girls and boys three-point contest at 3:30 p.m., a boys dunk contest at 4:30 p.m., the girls showcase game at 5:45 p.m. and the boys showcase game at 7:30 p.m.

And "showcase" will be what it's all about when a field loaded with league Most Valuable Players, Senior of the Year award winners and all-leaguers fill the floor for the two games and other events at Del Mar.

MVPs Michael Weimer of Westmont (Mt. Hamilton Division), Marcus Crawford of Sobrato (Santa Teresa Division) and Arron Mollet of Del Mar (West Valley Division) will play for the boys West team on Saturday. Countering their efforts for the East will be Senior of the Year award-winners Gilbert Mendoza of Pioneer (Mt. Hamilton), Stephen Skavdahl of Willow Glen (Santa Teresa) and Stephen Vargas of San Jose (West Valley).

In the girls game, it will be three MVPs leading the East team. Michele Rebozzi of Pioneer (Mt. Hamilton), Oly Larkin of Branham (Santa Teresa) and Alex Scoffone of Lincoln (West Valley) head up the talented line-up. The West will counter with a squad led by Mt. Hamilton Division co-MVP Kristen Yoshioka of Leland and Senior of the Year winners Krista Frausto of Evergreen Valley (Mt. Hamilton) and Kellene Condie of Del Mar (West Valley).

Weimer was the BVAL's scoring leader with 617 points this season. He also ranked second in three-pointers with 53, second in blocked shots with 92 and third in rebounds with 241.

Leigh's Jordan Katayama and Reece Behrens and Prospect's Kendall Hendon and Zach Stevenson also figured among the league leaders and will join Weimer on the West squad. Katayama led the league in three-pointers with 63, and Behrens was second in scoring with 444 points. Hendon was second in steals with 64 and Stevenson was second in assists with 148. Mollet finished the season with 401 points.

The East's Jordan Kantorick of Santa Teresa ranked second in the league in rebounds with 243. Skavdahl enters the game after scoring 368 points for the Rams during the season. His teammate, Kyle Schroeder, tossed in a team high 375 points for Willow Glen and will join Skavdahl on the East squad.

In the girls game, no doubt Condie will be comfortable on her home floor, where she led the Dons to a third-place finish in the West Valley Division with a 9-5 record. Condie tossed in 362 points, ripped down 174 rebounds, blocked 55 shots and came up with 74 steals for the Dons.

Larkin enters the all-star game on Saturday after a sensational senior season at Branham, scoring 508 points, hitting 31 three-pointers, grabbing 183 rebounds and dishing off 54 assists.

Boys West team--Michael Weimer, Westmont; Kendall Hendon and Zach Stevenson, Prospect; Jason Catalano, Branham; Arron Mollet and Stevone Jones, Del Mar; Reece Behrens and Jordan Katayama, Leigh; Marcus Crawford and Mubank Abdulahi, Sobrato; Kirk Saecho, Yerba Buena; Josh Lewis, Overfelt.

Boys East team--Marshawn Landrine and Albert Lutz-Paap, Oak Grove; Jordan Kantorick, Santa Teresa; Matt Everly, Silver Creek; Noukwe Kas-Osoka, Andrew Hill; Johnny Sandate, Mt. Pleasant; Gilbert Mendoza and Matt Montelongo, Pioneer; Patrick Calhoun, Leland; Stephen Skavdahl and Kyle Schroeder, Willow Glen; Stephen Vargas, San Jose.

Girls West team--Kristen Yoshioka, Meggie Yoshioka and Pam Wolfe, Leland; Krista Frausto and Sherina Summers, Evergreen; Megan Schiebli, Westmont; Samantha Tsukiji, Willow Glen; Kellene Condie, Del Mar; Megan Gulla, Live Oak.

Girls East team--Clarissa Diaz and Kelsey Grozier, Gunderson; Shelly Otaguro, Prospect; Alex Scoffone and Kaitlyn Mitsumori, Lincoln; Michele Rebozzi and Steffi Mattern, Pioneer; Oly Larkin, Branham; Sarah Dagnino, Mt. Pleasant.