All-Madera Tribune Girls Basketball
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Aleecia Rosel led the Stallions in scoring, but also was the quiet leader for her team. She had the ability to score at will, but also deferred to her teammates when needed. She was a first team All-CMAC selection and is this year’s Madera Tribune girls basketball Most Valuable Player.
Most Valuable Player
Aleecia Rosel
Senior Guard Madera South
Rosel had the ability to score whenever she wanted. She was smooth as silk, especially when driving the lane. When her floater was dropping, she was almost impossible to stop in the lane. Not only did teams have to defend her drive, but give her room and she could drain a 3-pointer. She scored a season-high 34 points in a victory over Sanger. She eclipsed 20 or more points seven times. She was a complete player, playing in every game in four years. She deferred to her teammates when they were having a big game, but wasn’t hesitant to take over whe she needed to. She is a first team All-Country/Metro Athletic Conference selection. While this is her first basketball All-Tribune Most Valuable Player award, she was also the girls volleyball co-MVP and has been a member of the All-Tribune girls basketball team all four years.
The Team
Kierra Smith
Senior Guard Madera South
Deadly from the outside, Smith’s range exists to about when you enter the gym. Her line drive shots continuously found the bottom of the net. Although she was deadly from the 3-point line, she was even better three or four feet beyond. That caused defender to guard her out more, which opened the lanes for Rosel or Lexi Eller. At one point in the season, Smith made 28 field goals and 27 were from 3-point land. She earned a second team All-CMAC selection.
Emily Montoya
Senior Guard Madera South
Montoya worked hard to rehab a knee injury that kept her out most of her junior season. She was the unquestioned leader of the Stallions’ offense. She had control and, once she trusted her knee, was a good defender, as well. Her quick hands led to steals or tipped passes. However, it was her heart that the Stallions fed off of. That grit and determination, along, kept her teams in games. She was a CMAC honorable mention.
Lexi Eller
Junior Forward Madera South
Off and on throughout the season, Eller was a force when she wanted to be. Her game kind of modeled Rosel with the drives the bucket or the step-back 3-pointers, but she is a bigger and stronger Rosel that couldn’t be knocked off her line while driving to the hoop. However, it was her inconsistency at being able to actually play in the games that led to an inconsistent season. Next year, she should dominate, but time will tell. She was a CMAC honorable mention and this is her third All-Madera Tribune selection.
Arelis Chavez
Soph. Center Madera South
Chavez has the height most basketball coaches dream of. Once she develops a touch around the rim, she will be unstoppable. She started to develop that touch later in the year, but what really got her going was fighting for rebounds, especialy on the offensive glass. Chavez is mild-mannered, but when you get her mad, she awakens into a rebounding best, fighing for all of the misses. She earned a CMAC honorable mention.
Ajanae Kinley
Senior Forward Madera South
When Madera South head coach Johnny Sharp had all of his players eligible and on the court, they had the abiltiy to be a really good team as evidenced by Kinley’s 17 points per game when she became eligible to play the last couple of weeks in the season. She was dominant on the glass and she had the soft touch to put the ball in the hoop. What set her apart was her ability to read shots and get in position to make the rebound. She is three-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
Cathy Figueroa
Soph. Guard Madera
Figueroa was the engine to make the Madera machine go. She was one of the few players that could create her own shots. Most of the time, her drives to the lane left her on the floor and in pain to make the follow-up free throws. Many times she could have used an ice bath after the games to recover. All she has to do is work on her 3-point shot to make her a beast on the offensive end of the floor. She was a CMAC second team selection.
BriAnn Houghton
Junior Forward Madera
Madera head coach Jason Smith is still waiting for Houghton to explode on the scene. Smith and others saw glimpses of that throughout the season. When she wasn’t in foul trouble, she was a dependable player on both sides of the court. She was an animal going after offensvie rebounds and got to the defensive glass as well. She was also probably Madera’s best free throw shooter. This is Houghton’s second All-Tribune selection after getting named a CMAC honorable mention.
Sofia Perez
Junior Forward Madera
It seems like every year, Smith’s team has a glue person. It’s a person that holds everything together because she can do everything Smith needs. Perez could run the court at the point and could also hit the 3-pointer. However, that wasn’t all. She also had the size to go inside and battle for rebounds and could mix it up with anyone. Perez is a three-sport athlete and has already earned All-Tribune selections for volleyball and softball and this is her second basketball honor.
Leeasia Whetsel
Senior Guard Liberty
Whetsel was the best player for the Hawks. She was one of the quickest players in the league. She used her quickness to picks up steals and easy layups. She was adept at driving to the hoop and picking up steals. Whetsel is a two-time All-Madera Tribune selection.
