High school girls basketball: Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins headlines MaxPreps California All-State Teams

By Kevin Askeland Apr 15, 2022, 1:00pm

Trailblazers star adds to accolades while Leroy Hurt of Oakland Tech is Coach of the Year.

JuJu Watkins of Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) needs to make some room on her mantle for another award. Already named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and National Junior of the Year, Watkins is now also named the MaxPreps California Player of the Year.

In leading the Trailblazers to the California Open Division championship, Watkins averaged 25 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists. She edges out Northern California standout Elle Ladine of Pinewood, San Diego's Breya Cunningham of La Jolla Country Day and Southern Section Open Division MVP Kennedy Smith of Etiwanda for player of the year honors.

The Oakland Section sometimes gets overlooked when it comes to recognizing the top teams in the state, but coach Leroy Hurt is making basketball fans sit up and take notice. The MaxPreps State Coach of the Year has led Oakland Tech to two state championships in the past four seasons, defeating La Salle (Pasadena) 39-33 for the Division 3 state championship. The Bulldogs also won the state Division 3 championship in 2019.

The divisional all-state teams are organized by the division in which each team played at the section level. For those teams that played in Open division playoffs, they were placed in their enrollment division as determined by their home section.
Elle Ladine, Pinewood
Elle Ladine, Pinewood
Photo by Scott Dinn
MaxPreps California All-State Girls Basketball Team

First Team

Elle Ladine, Pinewood (Los Altos Hills)
5-11 | Forward | Senior
The San Francisco Chronicle's All-Metro Player of the Year averaged 23.4 points, 4.6 assists and 14.7 rebounds.



JuJu Watkins, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
6-2 | Forward | Junior
The MaxPreps National Junior Player of the Year is also the MaxPreps State Player of the Year. She led Sierra Canyon to the CIF Open Division championship.

Breya Cunningham, La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla)
6-4 | Center | Junior
A MaxPreps All-American, Cunningham was the San Diego Section player of the year while averaging 18.4 points, and 11.4 rebounds.

Gabriela Jaquez, Camarillo
6-0 | Forward | Senior
A CIF-SS All-Division 1 selection and the Ventura County Star player of the year, Jaquez also earned MaxPreps All-American honors after averaging 34.2 points, 15.7 rebounds and 4.7 steals.

Kennedy Smith, Etiwanda
6-1 | Forward | Sophomore
Smith earned CIF-SS Open Division player of the year honors after leading Etiwanda to the Southern Section championship. She averaged 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds.

Second Team

Londynn Jones, Centennial (Corona)
5-5 | Guard | Senior
A CIF-SS All-Open Division selection and a Los Angeles Times all-area pick, Jones averaged 25.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Teagan Brown, Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills)
5-11 | Forward | Senior
Brown was the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro Player of the Year after leading the Trojans to a Sac-Joaquin Section championship while averaging 20.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.3 steals.



Talana Lepolo, Carondelet (Concord)
5-6 | Guard | Senior
Lepolo led the Cougars to the North Coast Section Open Division championship while averaging 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4.5 steals.

Morgan Cheli, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
6-2 | Forward | Sophomore
Cheli led the Monarchs to the Central Coast Section Open Division championship and a runner-up finish in the CIF Open Division bracket. She averaged 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.3 steals.

Etoyah Montgomery, Clovis West (Fresno)
6-0 | Forward | Junior
She was the top player for a Clovis West team that won the Central Section Open Division championship.

Third Team

Amanda Muse, Heritage (Brentwood)
6-3 | Center | Junior
A Pac-12 prospect who earned MVP honors in the Bay Valley Athletic League, Muse averaged 17.1 points, 10 rebounds and 4.2 blocks.

Chloe Williams, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance)
6-3 | Center | Senior
A CIF-SS All-Open Division selection averaged 23.5 points and 10.0 rebounds.

Kaylee Byon, Rosary Academy (Fullerton)
5-6 | Guard | Senior
The Orange County Register's player of the year and an All-Open Division pick, Byon averaged 19.2 points, 6.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds for the Trinity League co-champions.



Natalie Pasco, San Ramon Valley (Danville)
5-10 | Forward | Senior
Pasco helped San Ramon Valley reach the North Coast Section Open Division finals. After averaging 28.9 points as a junior, Pasco averaged just over 20 points as a senior.

Isuneh "Ice" Brady, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)
6-4 | Center | Senior
An All-San Diego Section pick, Brady averaged 20.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 3.3 assists.

Fourth Team

Chloe Briggs, Ontario Christian (Ontario)
5-11 | Guard | Junior
Briggs was co-player of the year in the CIF-SS Division 2A and averaged 22.7 points, 9.1 assists, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

Skye Belker, Windward (Los Angeles)
5-8 | Guard | Junior
Windward reached the CIF Division 1 championship game behind the play of Belker, who earned CIF-SS All-Open Division honors while averaging 18 points.

Jada Williams, La Jolla Country Day
5-7 | Guard | Junior
Williams made the All-San Diego Section team after leading the Torreys to a San Diego Section Open Division championship. She averaged 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

Jordan Lee, St. Mary's (Stockton)
5-11 | Forward | Sophomore
Lee led the Rams to the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 playoffs while averaging 18.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.5 assists.



Lani White, Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
6-0 | Forward | Senior
An All-Orange County selection and an All-CIF SS Open Division choice, White averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals for the Monarchs.

Fifth Team

Karlee White, Viewpoint (Calabasas)
5-7 | Guard | Junior
The Southern Section Division 1 co-player of the year averaged 20.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the Division 1 champs.

Kayla Keshmeshian , Viewpoint (Calabasas)
5-5 | Guard | Senior
The co-player of the year in CIF-SS Division 1 along with teammate Karlee White, Keshmeshian averaged 16.4 points, 7.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

Amaya Bonner, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland)
6-1 | Forward | Senior
A member of the San Francisco Chronicle's All-Metro team, Bonner averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Rylee Ghent, Santiago (Corona)
5-8 | Guard | Sophomore
Ghent shared CIF-SS Division 2A player of the year honors with Chloe Briggs after leading the Sharks to the section championship. Ghent had 20 points in the championship game.

Hannah Stines, Orangewood Academy (Garden Grove)
5-10 | Guard | Senior
Orangewood Academy reached the SoCal Division 1 finals behind the play of Stines, who averaged 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists. She made All-County by the Orange County Register and was All-Open Division by the Southern Section.



Sixth Team

Makayla Jackson, Folsom
5-7 | Guard | Senior
Jackson was an All-Metro pick by the Sacramento Bee after leading Folsom to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 championship game.

Trinity Zamora, Piedmont
6-0 | Forward | Junior
The All-Metro pick led the Highlanders to the North Coast Section Division 4 championship game while averaging 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Makiah Asidanya, Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond)
5-7 | Guard | Junior
Asidanya led the Pride to the CIF Division 1 state championship and was a San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro pick while averaging 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals.

Destiny Agubata, Etiwanda
6-0 | Forward | Sophomore
Named to the CIF-SS All-Open Division team helped Etiwanda to a Southern Section championship. She averaged 17 points and eight rebounds.

MacKenly Randolph, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
6-1 | Forward | Junior
Randolph landed on the CIF-SS All-Open Division team and the Los Angeles Times all-area team. She averaged 15.0 points and 11.6 for the state champions.
Breya Cunningham, La Jolla Country Day
Breya Cunningham, La Jolla Country Day
Photo by Justin Fine
Division 1

First Team

Talana Lepolo, Carondelet (Concord)
5-6 | Guard | Senior

Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
6-2 | Forward | Junio

Breya Cunningham, La Jolla Country Day
6-4 | Center | Senior



Gabriela Jaquez, Camarillo
6-0 | Forward | Senior

Kennedy Smith, Etiwanda
6-1 | Forward | Sophomore

MVP — Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)

Second Team

Teagan Brown, Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills)
5-11 | Forward | Senior

Londyn Jones, Centennial (Corona)
5-5 | Guard | Senior

Chloe Williams, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance)
6-3 | Center | Senior

Kaylee Byon, Rosary
5-6 | Guard | Senior



Etoyah Montgomery, Clovis West (Fresno)
6-0 | Forward | Junior

Division 2

First Team


Makiah Asidanya, Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond)
5-7 | Guard | Junior

Rylee Ghent, Santiago (Corona)
5-8 | Guard | Sophomore

Chloe Biggs, Ontario Christian (Ontario)
5-11 | Guard | Junior

Morgan Cheli, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
6-2 | Forward | Senior

Mary Carter, Antelope
6-2 | Forward | Junior
Carter was the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro medium schools player of the year after leading Antelope to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 finals. She averaged 24.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 3.1 assists.

MVP — Morgan Cheli, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)



Second Team

Jael Butler, Valley Christian (San Jose)
6-2 | Forward | Senior
Named to the All-Metro and All-Bay Area teams, Butler averaged 17.5 points and 11.4 rebounds.

Meadow Roland, San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno)
6-0 | Center | Junior
Led the Panthers to the Central Section Division 2 championship and averaged 19.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.

Isabel Gomez, Sage Hill (Newport Beach)
5-8 | Guard | Senior
The Class 2AA co-player of the year in the Southern Section, Gomez led Sage Hill to the CIF Division 3 state championship while averaging 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Taylor Feldman, Crean Lutheran (Irvine)
5-8 | Guard | Senior
Earned All-Orange County and All-Open Division honors. She averaged 26.8 points and 5.4 assists.

Ahrray Young, Laguna Creek (Elk Grove)
6-0 | Guard | Senior
Young led the Cardinals to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 championship and was named to the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro team.
Abby Shoff, Enterprise
Abby Shoff, Enterprise
Photo by Brian Wilkes
Division 3

First Team

Sabrina Ma, St. Ignatius (San Francisco)
5-10 | Forward | Senior
The San Francisco Player of the Year by the Chronicle, Ma averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Alyssa Jackson, Vanden (Fairfield)
5-11 | Guard | Junior
The Monticello Empire League player of the year and a Sacramento Bee All-Metro first team pick led Vanden to the Division 3 championship in the Sac-Joaquin Section. She averaged 19.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.8 steals.



Audrey Chen, La Salle (Pasadena)
5-5 | Guard | Sophomore
La Salle won the Class 3AA Southern Section championship behind the play of the 3AA player of the year as averaged 14.5 points, 3.4 assists and 7.3 rebounds.

Melesungu Afeaki, Capuchino (San Bruno)
6-2 | Forward | Senior
Afeaki led Capuchino to the Central Coast Section Division 3 championship and earned All-Metro honors by the San Francisco Chronicle after averaging 18.8 points and 12.5 rebounds.

Abigail Shoff, Enterprise (Redding)
6-0 | Forward | Senior
The Northern Section player of the year averaged 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals.

MVP — Abigail Shoff, Enterprise (Redding)

Second Team

Morgan Trigueiro, Caruthers
5-9 | Guard | Junior
Trigueiro led the Blue Raiders to a Central Section Division 3 championship and averaged 18.5 points and 2.5 assists.

Mari Somvichian , Oakland Tech (Oakland)
5-6 | Guard | Junior
Somvichian led her team to a Division 3 state championship and earned All-Bay Area honors by the East Bay Times. She averaged 12.5 points and 3.1 assists.



Katie Leeth, Lincoln
6-2 | Forward | Junior
Leeth landed on the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro team while averaging 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks.

Brooklyn Shamblin, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village)
5-9 | Guard | Freshman
The Southern Section 3A player of the year led the Lions to the section championship. She averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

Emmy Stout, Maranatha Christian (San Diego)
6-2 | Center | Sophomore
Stout led the Eagles to the San Diego Section Division 3 championship and averaged 21.7 points, 14.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocks.

Division 4

First Team

Trinity Zamora, Piedmont
6-0 | Forward | Junior

Jocelyn Medina, Pierce (Arbuckle)
5-5 | Guard | Junior
An All-Northern Section first team pick was third in the nation in scoring at 38.6 points per game to go with 10.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals.

Aaliyah Thompson, Corcoran
6-0 | Center | Senior
Thompson averaged 22.1 points and 12.6 rebounds in leading Corcoran to the Central Section Division 4 championship.

Gracyn Lovette, Marin Catholic (Kentfield)
5-11 | Guard | Junior
Lovette earned All-Metro honors from the San Francisco Chronicle after leading the Wildcats to the North Coast Section Division 4 championship.



Sharon F. T. Nejad, Menlo School (Atherton)
6-0 | Forward | Senior
Nejad averaged 11.5 points and 13.7 rebounds while leading the Knights to the Central Coast Section championship. She earned All-Metro honors from the San Francisco Chronicle.

MVP — Trinity Zamora, Piedmont

Second Team

Addison Deal, Pacifica Christian/Orange County (Newport Beach)
5-11 | Guard | Freshman
The CIF-SS 4A player of the year led the Tritons to a section championship while averaging 21.4 points, 5.4 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 steals.

Annabel Schneiberg, Lick-Wilmerding (San Francisco)
6-0 | Forward | Senior
The Bay Counties League West player of the year made the San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro team and is headed to Santa Barbara.

Lele Tanuvasa, St. Bernard's (Eureka)
6-0 | Forward | Junior
The Little Four player of the year showed outstanding shooting range while averaging 24.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.

Brianna Humphrees, Dixon
6-1 | Forward | Senior
The Sacramento Bee's Small School Player of the Year led Dixon to a Division 4 championship and averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals.



Kimiko Kennedy, Lawndale
5-11 | Guard | Sophomore
The CIF-SS Division 4AA player of the year led Lawndale to the Southern Section championship and averaged 24.5 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Division 5

First Team

Halle Sii, Capistrano Valley Christian (San Juan Capistrano)
5-7 | Guard | Senior
The Eagles dominated the Southern Section 5AA state playoffs, winning the championship game 70-24 over Desert Christian Academy. Sii, the CIF-SS 5AA player of the year, had 25 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game.

Kaziah Fletcher, Price (Los Angeles)
5-8 | Guard | Senior
Fletcher teamed with Jade Fort to lead Price to the Class 5A Southern Section championship. She averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 steals and 5.6 rebounds.

Gabrielle Abigor, Berean Christian (Walnut Creek)
6-3 | Center | Sophomore
A San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro selection averaged 27.6 points, 18.3 rebounds and 9.3 blocks.

Elle Ladine, Pinewood (Los Altos Hills)
5-11 | Forward | Senior

Hannah Golan, Branson (Ross)
5-11 | Guard | Junior
The co-Player of the Year by the Marin Independent Journal, Golan led the Bulls to the North Coast Section Division 5 championship and the CIF Division 4 title.



MVP — Elle Ladine, Pinewood (Los Altos Hills)

Second Team

Valentina Saric, Priory (Portola Valley)
6-0 | Guard | Senior
The Panthers won the Central Coast Section Division 5 title behind the play of Saric, who averaged 18.3 pointsand 5.8 rebounds. She was named All-Metro by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jade Fort, Price (Los Angeles)
5-6 | Guard | Freshman
Named co-MVP of CIF-SS Division 5 along with her teammate Kaziah Fletcher, Fort averaged 22.4 points, 604 steals and 6-6 rebounds.

Amelia "Mia" Ferguson, Highland (Bakersfield)
5-10 | Forward | Senior
Ferguson led Highland to the Central Section Division 5 championship while averaging 13.9 points and 10.9 rebounds.

Melia Kamalani, Minarets (O'Neals)
5-7 | Guard | Senior
One of the leading scorers in the state, Kamalani averaged 25 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 3.0 assists.

Noku Mukukula, San Domenico (San Anselmo)
5-10 | Forward | Senior
A member of the CIF Division 5 state champions, Mukukula was a first team Bay Counties West League selection.
Hannah Golan, Branson
Hannah Golan, Branson
Photo by David Stuetel
Division 6

First Team

Giselle Rodriguez , Fall River (McArthur)
5-9 | Guard | Junior
The Shasta Cascade League MVP and an All-Northern Section second team pick, Rodriguez led Fall River to the Northern California Division 6 championship. She averaged 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.7 steals.



Karli Reynolds, Weed
5-7 | Guard | Senior
Reynolds led Weed to the Northern California Division 6 championship game and was a third-team All-Northern Section pick. She averaged 17.3 points on the year.

Audrey Harris, Faith Christian (Yuba City)
5-8 | Guard | Junior
The national leader in scoring average, Harris had several games over 60 points and averaged 46.3 points, 15.4 rebounds and 4.2 steals. She was the Sacramento Bee's small schools player of the year.

Gracie Williams, Valley Christian (Roseville)
5-7 | Guard | Senior
Williams led Valley Christian to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 6 championship and earned a spot on the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro third team while averaging 22.6 points.

Stevie Lundquist, Mendocino
5-7 | Guard | Sophomore
The North Central III MVP averaged 28.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 6.9 steals and 3.1 assists.

MVP — Audrey Harris, Faith Christian (Yuba City)