Each week, publications from the Southern California News Group’s 11 properties (Orange County Register, L.A. Daily News, Press-Enterprise, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Daily Bulletin, Redlands Daily Facts, Whittier Daily News and Pasadena-Star News) select the Athletes of the Week for their respective region.
Each athlete is then entered into the overall Southern California Athlete of the Week vote.
Click on the newspaper links below the athlete’s name to read about their performance from last week, and then vote for who you think deserves the top honor.
Readers are allowed to vote multiple times. Voting ends at midnight, but final totals aren’t always immediately reflected due to processing.
BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK VOTING
The overall winner will be announced on Friday, December 16.
Voting poll at bottom of the page.
Madison Leiva, Santa Margarita: The Cal State San Marcos-bound guard averaged 24.75 points and 6.5 3-pointers, and earned all-tournament honors, to help the Eagles place fourth in the Orangewood Academy tournament. She scored a season-high 29 points, including nine 3-pointers, in a 70-53 loss to St. Paul in the third-place game.
Reese Wong, La Salle: The senior scored a game-high 21 points, which included six 3-pointers, and had five assists in a 56-31 victory over Eagle Rock to win the Burroughs tournament. It was the second straight tournament win for the Lancers (11-0). Wong also had 11 points in a 52-32 win over South Torrance earlier in the tournament. She was a big part of last year’s CIF-SS championship run by the Lancers.
Maile Nakaji, Mira Costa: Nakaji helped lead the Mustangs to a 3-1 record in the Pac Shores Tournament. In the third-place game, she scored 22 points with five assists and five rebounds in a 55-45 win over Bishop Montgomery. In the team’s four tournament games, she averaged 22.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
MacKenly Randolph, Sierra Canyon: The junior forward pulled down a school-record 29 rebounds in addition to her 27 points in the Trailblazers’ 65-51 win over Chula Vista’s Bonita Vista. She tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 68-36 win over Utah’s Fremont High, then racked up 26 points and seven rebounds in a 64-56 win over Utah’s Lone Peak as Sierra Canyon remained unbeaten this season at 6-0.
Destinee Knight, Los Osos: The 5-foot-6 point guard orchestrated the offensive attack for the Grizzlies as they knocked off state-ranked Santiago 61-51 in the championship game of Orangewood Academy’s Spartan Classic and improved to 9-0 this season. She averaged 9.2 points per game and dished out several assists en route to being chosen MVP of the tournament. Knight also was the MVP at the Downey Classic last month, as she sank the game-winning shot in the title game.
Kiara Van Deusen, Long Beach Poly: The senior scored the game-winning goal in the first half of a 1-0 victory against rival Wilson on Thursday, Dec. 8. Poly is 2-0 in the Moore League, tied for first place with Millikan, and the two teams will play on Thursday, Dec. 15.
