DAILY NEWS ALL-AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM 2023-24
Daily News all-area girls basketball player of the year, Sierra Canyon’s Mackenly Randolph. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mackenley Randolph, Sierra Canyon, Senior
Mackenly Randolph always smiles. Off the court, on the court and especially in front of the basketball world’s growing interest in her.
“Even if I’m having a bad day, you gotta smile,” Randolph said.
There were many reasons for the Louisville-bound Randolph to smile, even in the stresses of the recruiting process, throughout her career at Sierra Canyon.
She set Sierra Canyon records in career points with 2,056 and career rebounds with 1,318. She averaged 16.4 points per game, 11.7 rebounds per game and four assists per game as a senior and was a catalyst in the Trailblazers’ road to a 10-0 Mission League title.
Randolph, a McDonalds All-American, remembers visiting Sierra Canyon in eighth grade, excited about the prospect of moving from Memphis to a SoCal school. Her freshman year was during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t stifle her development, especially in terms of maturity.
“Sierra Canyon has taught me a lot, definitely changed a lot,” Randolph said. “I started seeing the way my name was being held and the way people looked at me.
“I knew I had to straighten up, not necessarily like I was just out of control, but just doing certain things differently and just the way I carry myself in certain situations.”
Sierra Canyon girls basketball player Mackenly Randolph is the second McDonald’s All-American after her dad and former NBA player Zach Randolph. #reporter #journalism #journalist #sports #basketball #nba #grizzlies #trailblazers #sierracanyon #highschoolbasketball #girlsbasketball #womensbasketball #louisville #girlpower #ncaabasketball #collegebasketball #michiganstate
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She now heads into college basketball at a time when the sport has reached a crescendo. ESPN and ABC averaged 476,000 viewers during the women’s college basketball regular season and 18.9 viewers tuned into the national championship game to make it the most-viewed college basketball game (men’s or women’s) on ESPN platforms.
“Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese — they set this stage,” Randolph said. “They put us on the map. Women’s college basketball is in right now. Coming in at this time with fans, NIL, all that’s just gonna be at its peak. So I’m super excited to be a part of that.”
The Sierra Canyon memory that had Randolph smiling the most goes back to her freshman year. Her senior teammates scampered into her class with water guns as part of a senior prank, drenching any girls basketball players in sight at 9 a.m.
The Trailblazers rushed outside, spending the rest of the water-logged day outside together. Water guns have since been banned at Sierra Canyon, but Randolph says she’s been plotting her own senior prank ever since.
“Smiling is a big thing for me,” she said. “I just try and show that I am a regular person, there’s nothing really special. I can just put the ball in the basket a little bit better than some other people can.”
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Izzy Escribano, Canyon
Isabella “Izzy” Escribano quickly made a name for herself in the high school basketball world with her scoring abilities and tenacity. Her scoring average of 17.5 points per game ranked second on the team and her 77% free throw percentage led the team.
Escribano, a member of the 2023 U16/17 Mexican National Team, also averaged 2.8 assists per game and held a 40% shooting percentage.
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jerzy Robinson, Sierra Canyon, Sophomore
Sierra Canyon’s Jerzy Robinson, (#5), drives the basketball against Etiwanda’s Arynn Finley, (#2),during the CIF State Open Division girls basketball regional championship game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., March 5, 2024. (Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Robinson won a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championships with Team USA just prior to joining Sierra Canyon and there was no drop-off in her performance.
The 6-foot-1 guard was nearly unstoppable on the court, averaging 22.5 points and 10.8 rebounds in her first season of Southern California basketball.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Melissa Hearlihy, Harvard-Westlake
Harvard-Westlake girls basketball coach Melissa Hearlihy congratulates Jamie Yue after defeating Notre Dame in the CIF SoCal Regional Division II final March 5, 2024. (Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Hearlihy guided the Wolverines to their first CIF state championship since 2010 through perseverance and dedication to defense.
Injuries had prevented Harvard-Westlake from finding consistency during the regular season, but a slow return to health and Hearlihy’s high standards of hard work took the team from a third-place finish to a Division II state title.
ALL-AREA TEAM
Izela Arenas, Sierra Canyon, Senior
All-CIF Open Division, All-Mission League first team
Kimiko Carmer, Newbury Park, Junior
All-CIF Division 4AA
Mathis Dritz, Westlake, Sophomore
Marmonte League Player of the Year
Mariam Fahs, Burroughs, Junior
All-CIF Division 2A
Lindsay Gould, Oak Park, Senior
All-CIF Division 3AA, Coastal Canyon League co-MVP
Kate Hackney, Alemany, Senior
All Mission League first team
Nat Lopez, Birmingham, Senior
All-City Section Open Division co-player of the year
Morgan Mack, Hart, Junior
Foothill League player of the year
Cara McKell, Valencia, Sophomore
All-Foothill League first team
Destiny Onovo, Saugus, Senior
All-CIF Division 3AA, All-Foothill League first team
Emma Perez, Granada Hills Charter, Senior
All-City Section Open Division first team
Emma Schaaf, Trinity Classical Academy, Senior
Heritage League MVP
Taylor Swanson, Westlake, Junior
All-Marmonte League first team
Maddy Tauro, Calabasas, Senior
All-Marmonte League first team
Deana Thompson, Harvard-Westlake, Junior
All-CIF Division 1, All Mission League first team
Alanna Topete, West Ranch, Senior
All-CIF Division 4A, All-Foothill League first team
Alyssa Saldana, Chaminade, Senior
All-Mission League first team
Eva Van Lokeren, Louisville, Junior
All-CIF Division 2A Player of the Year
Delaney White, Oak Park, Sophomore
Division 3AA Player of the Year, Coastal Canyon League co-MVP
Amia Witt, Notre Dame, Senior
All-CIF Division 2A, All Mission League first team
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