MaxPreps 2016-17 CIF Central Section preseason high school girls basketball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Janelle Sumilong's highlights vs. Oak Ridge High
See the Hanford High star in action last season.


Note: Clovis West is in the California overall top 5 and not included in these rankings.

1. Hanford
Head coach: Doug Pitkin
2015-16 record: 23-8

The Bullpups are always in the thick of the Central Section championship race and with their two leading scorers back from last year, this should be no exception. Back are 5-foot-7 senior guard Janelle Sumilong, who indeed fills up a stat sheet. She averaged 19.9 points, 4.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game last season. Kate McClard, a 5-10 junior, isn't far behind. She averaged 13 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.8 steals per game.

See the MaxPreps California girls basketball computer rankings presented by the Army National Guard

2. Edison (Fresno)
Head coach: Bill Engel
2015-16 record: 28-5

The Tigers return their third- and fourth-leading scorers, including Malaya Kendrick, a 5-8 senior guard who averaged 10.4 points per game. Edison lost in the section finals last year to Clovis West, then won a Division I regional game before bowing out against Oaks Christian. In two seasons with Engel as coach, the Tigers have gone 54-10.

See the MaxPreps California girls basketball stat leaders

3. Clovis
Head coach: Greg Clark
2015-16 record: 20-11 The Cougars wear teams down with pressure and a deep bench and this season should be no exception. They return the team's leading scorer in Rachel Berry (14.1 ppg), who also led the team in rebounds (6.0), assists (3.8) and steals (3.4). Taylor Correa is another key returner for Clovis, which has won at least 20 games in six of the last eight seasons.

See the MaxPreps California girls basketball photos

4. Independence (Bakersfield)
Head coach: Val Mancera
2015-16 record: 22-7

The Falcons return their top two scorers from last year, junior guard Kahlaijah Dean (13.4 ppg) and senior guard Jasmin Dixon (11.5 ppg). Mancera has been the team's only head coach since 2009-10 and during that time the team has gone 145-60.

See the MaxPreps California girls basketball playoff brackets

5. Mission Oak (Tulare)
Head coach: Dave Caetano
2015-16 record: 26-7

The Hawks averaged almost 55 points per game last season and return third-leading scorer Kambrayia Elzy, a 5-7 junior guard who averaged 9.8 points and 4.2 assists per game. She runs the show for Mission Oak, which has gone 67-25 over the last three seasons after four consecutive losing seasons when it won just 35 games total.