Taina Malary, Trinity Catholic
Photo by Donna Moore
Though just 5-foot-9, junior center Taina Malary put her name in the national record book for girls basketball by grabbing 40 rebounds as Trinity Catholic (Newton, Mass.) defeated Framingham Marian, 43-36, in overtime. She also blocked 15 shots and made six steals.
She now is the state record holder and is tied for No. 8 in high school history. The national record is 54 by Andrea Keehne of Calvary Baptist (La Verne, Calif.) in 1995.
Malary missed two free throws with one second left in the fourth quarter. However, she dominated the overtime.
“(She) got every defensive rebound,” Trinity Catholic head coach Peter Scafidi said. “They took every shot outside, because when they got it inside she blocked their shots. Five times she blocked their shot and grabbed it herself (in the air).
“She is averaging 26 rebounds, but last night was above and beyond. She is amazing. She jumps out of the gym. Her vertical jump is at least 25 to 30 inches. She just changes everything defensively for us. When she’s not there we’re just not the same team (she missed two lopsided losses due to a wrist injury).”
Due to a lack of confidence in her shooting, she is averaging only 4.4 points a game.
“Her potential is limitless according to how much time she wants to put into the game,” Scafidi said.
Wilkerson sets record
Senior guard Hannah Wilkerson scored 32 points as Miller defeated Marion C. Early,75-54. That gave her a Missouri state-record 3,234 points during her brilliant career. The record was 3,212 by Melissa Grider, who presented her the game ball.
The Missouri State signee has six more regular-season games, plus the state tournament to add to her achievement.
* Senior Taylor Mills scored a career-high 45 points as Gibbs (Corryton, Tenn.) defeated Union County, 62-53, in overtime. She scored 18 in the fourth quarter and another seven in overtime.
* Huron (New Boston, Mich.) has a talented sister act. McKenzie Kudron, a 6-2 senior headed for the University of Vermont, and 6-1 sophomore Kiara combined for 51 points during a 63-36 rout of Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central. McKenzie also blocked 18 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kiara, a point guard, dished out 10 assists.
* Marvadene “Bubbles” Anderson, a 6-10 sophomore, is out for the rest of the season at Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) due to a knee injury, according to coach Mary Coyle-Klinger. Anderson, who averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in nine games, is one of three Rutgers Prep players sidelined by knee injuries this year.
* Eastview (Apple Valley, Minn.) coach Paul Goetz recorded his 300th victory, 68-56, against Eagan.
Hawkins scores 65 points
Senior guard Corey Hawkins poured in 65 points to set an Arizona Class 3A state record as Goodyear Estrella Foothills routed Chino Valley, 98-36. The 3A record was 57 and the overall state record is 75 points by George McCormick of Class 1A Fredonia.
Hawkins drilled 23 of 30 shots from the field (14 of 21 threes) and all five of his free throws.
“The game just came so easy to him that night,” coach Ty Amundsen said. “Corey is definitely a special player and can score in a variety of ways. He is just 45 points away from tying (the state career scoring record held by Mike Bibby).”
* Standout senior guard Terrence Ross has transferred from national power Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) to Westwind Academy (Phoenix, Ariz.). Coach Stu Vetter told the Washington Post it was a “parental decision.” The 6-5 sharpshooter has not yet signed with a college.
* Daylon Guy, a 6-1 senior guard, scored 47 points as Eastern Hills (Fort Worth, Texas) defeated Fort Worth Dunbar, 96-79. Guy, who has signed with Arkansas-Little Rock, drilled 15 of 21 shots from the field and 14 of 15 from the free throw line.
* The Melrose-White Station game was the hottest ticket in Memphis (Tenn.) last week. It was so hot, in fact, that close to 300 tickets were over-sold, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, which resulted in an unruly crowd and three arrests.
White Station won, 80-78, after trailing, 72-59, with under four minutes to play. Joe Jackson exploded for 18 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to spark the comeback.
* Kahlil Dukes, a 5-10 freshman guard from Hartford Capital Prep, is leading the state of Connecticut in scoring (29.2 average) and three-point baskets (69), according to the Hartford Courant. He has tremendous shooting range and already has heard from Florida, Marquette and UConn.
* Cooper Ainge, a 5-11 sophomore guard, is a player to watch at Wellesley, Mass. He is the son of former NBA player Danny Ainge, who currently is president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics. He also has a 14-year-old brother named Crew. According to the Boston Globe, Cooper wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and play for Brigham Young.
* Wisconsin definitely is not a recruiting hotbed for basketball, but coaches from such places as Duke, Kansas and Kentucky are taking a hard look at 6-6 sophomore John Pierre Tokoto from Menomonee Falls, according to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier- Journal. Demling also reports that the University of Louisville has a commitment from 6-5 senior Justin Coleman of Huntington Prep (W.Va.).
* Another young player with a good pedigree is 6-7 freshman D.J. Wingfield, who is the son of former NBA player Dontonio Wingfield. D.J. is leading Country Day (Cincinnati, Ohio) in scoring (14.1) and most other statistical categories.
* Chris Cardon posted his 300th coaching victory as Irondequoit (Rochester, N.Y.) defeated Rush-Henrietta, 68-48.
* The prep basketball landscape will undergo a major facelift this summer. For example, the Adidas Take 5IVE Tournament is being renamed the Adidas Invitational and is being moved from Cincinnati (Ohio) to Indianapolis (Ind.). It will be held from July 6-8, according to director Criss Beyers.
Adidas also is going to sponsor fewer AAU teams. It’s partly due to the slow economy, but Chris Rivers, who is asset manager for adidas, calls it “a marketing decision. We’re not getting enough of a return. You never sell enough shoes.”
Reebok, which is owned by adidas, will not have its individual camp this summer in Philadelphia. In fact, Reebok is not going to sponsor AAU teams this summer. Instead, it will stress working with individual high schools. Good news for high school coaches!
Leindecker wins Rudy Award
Calob Leindecker of Parkview Baptist (Baton Rouge, La.) is winner of the High School Football Rudy Award, symbol of the nation’s most inspirational prep football player. Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger will present the award, along with a $10,000 academic scholarship, on Feb. 25.
The summer before his junior year, Leindecker’s leg was crushed while helping a friend pull his car out of the mud. He has undergone more than 10 surgeries and skin rejection of prosthetic devices since then. As a senior this fall, however, he was able to serve as holder on extra point kicks in 10 games.
* Fred Stengel, who compiled a 22-year record of 192-49 with nine state championships, has resigned as head football coach at Bergen Catholic (Oradel, N.J.).
* Doug Wilkins has retired as head football coach at Mountain Lakes (N.J.). In 44 seasons, he posted a 328-105-5 record with eight state titles.
* One of Texas’ top winners, Eddy Peach, has retired as head football coach at Arlington Lamar. Peach posted a 309-124-6 record.
* Ramon Abreu, a two-way standout from Tempe Marcos de Niza, has won the 2009 Ed Doherty Award, which goes to the No. 1 senior football player in Arizona. He accounted for 1,398 yards and 18 touchdowns, while making 141 tackles and four interceptions.
*One of the nation’s premier junior quarterbacks, Everett Golson, has made a commitment to the University of North Carolina, according to the Myrtle Beach Sun News. The 6-foot, 175-pounder completed 63 percent of his passes last fall for 3,529 yards and 47 touchdowns for Myrtle Beach (S.C.). He threw only three interceptions.
17 soccer scholarships
All 17 players on the 2009 Beadling Soccer Club team, based in the Pittsburgh, Pa., area, have received college scholarships, according to coach Eric Duffy. Twelve of them are at the Division I level, led by Clemson signee Jaclyn Dutton, who was the leading scorer in the nation with 69 goals during fall soccer at Clairsville, Ohio.
Taylor Schram of Canon-McMillan (Canonsburg, Pa.), who was second in the nation with 52 goals, signed with Penn State.
* Seventh grader Morgan Mansell scored the winning goal as Laurel Northeast Jones nipped Pontotoc, 2-1, in sudden-death overtime to win its first Mississippi Class 4A state soccer championship.
Potpourri
Rochester (Rochester Hills, Mich.) senior Megan Goethals has been crowned Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. She was unbeaten in 2009, including winning the Foot Locker national championship. She will attend the University of Washington.
* The nation’s top-ranked golfer, junior Jordan Spieth of Jesuit (Dallas, Texas), has made a commitment to the University of Texas.
