Daily Pilot Girls’ Basketball Dream Team: It’s good to be Frankie

The high usage rate of basketball’s elite players has stirred a hot debate on more than one occasion.

In the past, the isolation offense, or “hero ball,” that Kobe Bryant could have been accused of in his prime challenged the construct of good basketball.

Even now, with Russell Westbrook averaging a triple-double for an entire season and getting his teammates involved, his critics question if players will want to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder when he needs the ball so much.

Still, it is widely believed that a team will only go as far as its best player can take them.

So Huntington Beach High girls’ basketball played through Frankie Wade-Sanchez when it could, as often as it could.

Need a basket? Frankie can get it. Need a big rebound? Frankie’s got that, too.

Despite two bad knees, the star forward drove to the basket with reckless abandon. She was not afraid to throw up shots from bad angles because more often than not, she got to her own rebound for a better second-chance opportunity.

Not a single teammate of hers questioned the game plan. Wade-Sanchez and four-year varsity teammate Kaylyn Nakaji were the elder stateswomen of the group. The Oilers rostered seven seniors, but only the fore-mentioned duo had been a part of Huntington Beach’s last league title during their freshman year.

A mixed roster included four freshmen and a total of six underclassmen. Oilers coach Russell McClurg said that players often work to please a great player, but it never felt like they had to do so with Wade-Sanchez.

Wade-Sanchez was loud and proud in all facets of being a teammate, and her engaging personality bridged the gap with the team’s newer players.

“This year, we had a lot of younger players on the team,” Wade-Sanchez said. “Some of them were very quiet. I’m the complete opposite. I am loud always and always talking.

“I know that it is helpful to be around people that are very energetic, and you feed off of that energy. I would hope that I was that to some of the people on my team, that I would be infectious.”

McClurg believes that she succeeded in that endeavor, and her teammates bought into her message.

“She had a lot of confidence in herself, and her maturity this year was a great leap from last year,” McClurg said. “Kids really listened to her, and she had a good way of communicating to the kids that didn’t come off too harsh, but yet, not super positive.”

The Oilers followed their leader all the way to the CIF Southern Section Division 1A championship, a stage they had last reached in 2012.

Huntington Beach fell to Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 41-38, on a last-minute 3-pointer by Jessica Malazarte.

It was the toughest loss of the season for Wade-Sanchez to take. She produced 29 points and 17 rebounds. It wasn’t her most efficient performance, as she converted just 10 of 30 field-goal attempts.

The senior made up for it with her signature brand of physical basketball, and she was able to knock down nine of 11 free throws as a result.

Wade-Sanchez averaged 22.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 4.4 steals for the season. In league, her scoring average jumped to 24 points per game.

The Oilers went 9-1 in the Sunset League, winning on the road at Los Alamitos to split the league crown. Wade-Sanchez shared league MVP honors with Griffins guard Cailyn Crocker.

McClurg said that coaches told him Wade-Sanchez could not go left during her recruitment process. She signed with Concordia University of Irvine in the winter, and then she consistently proved the doubters wrong.

During the playoffs, she took her game to another level. The jump shot had to be respected, making her an even bigger threat off the dribble.

“It’s definitely something that I was excited to take on,” Wade-Sanchez said of the workload. “Just me putting in all that hard work and training, seeing that it does pay off. In certain situations where it’s really down to the wire, that’s what you train for.”

Wade-Sanchez remarked that basketball has given her many things. She gained confidence, a “sisterhood” of friends, but the biggest gift of all is the opportunity to pursue higher education.

“One of the best gifts that basketball has offered me is getting me to college,” Wade-Sanchez said. “Not only that, just the life lessons that it has also taught me. Knowing that you do have to work hard in order to succeed.”

Basketball has opened doors that Wade-Sanchez wanted unlocked. It has even revealed new paths that she had not previously foreseen for herself.

That venture is coaching, as McClurg has given Wade-Sanchez the keys to head the Huntington Beach Wave’s high school-level club team.

Wade-Sanchez finds herself coaching several of her old teammates, including Sophia Escalante, Daniella Benabou, and Bella Serrano.

“I couldn’t really see myself...coaching,” Wade-Sanchez said. “Now that I am, I love it, especially that I can coach and still continue to mentor some of the girls that I played with.”

Coach of the Year

Russell McClurg

Huntington Beach

The longtime head of the Oilers has been coaching the Huntington Beach girls’ basketball program since 2003. McClurg had an unbalanced roster to work with this season. The Oilers dressed seven seniors and four freshmen on their varsity roster, and it turned into one of the most successful seasons in school history. Huntington Beach reached the CIF-SS Division 1A title game, where it was clipped by Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 41-38. It was McClurg’s second appearance in a CIF-SS championship game. The Oilers earned a share of the Sunset League title by pulling off an upset at Los Alamitos, 48-46, on Jan. 23. The Oilers went 24-10 overall, 9-1 in league. Their season eventually ended at Mater Dei in the second round of the CIF State Division 2 tournament. “I always tell the kids, ‘Thanks for taking me along with you,’” McClurg said. “That’s how appreciative I was of this group.”

Jacqueline Moss

G, Ocean View, Sr.

No one meant more to their team than Moss. The senior point guard had only one gear — all out on both ends of the floor. With Moss in the lineup, the Seahawks rarely lost. Ocean View went 21-6 overall, and it was 8-2 to finish second in league to Segerstrom. Moss’ value was made apparent when she was not at full strength due to a hamstring injury late in the season. The Seahawks won at Segerstrom in the first meeting (59-47), but with Moss riding a stationary bike for large portions of the regular-season finale, the Jaguars won that game (64-59) and the league title outright with a 9-1 mark. The injury kept Moss from playing in Ocean View’s playoff opener against South Pasadena, and the Seahawks fell, 52-45. Moss put up 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.9 steals, and 2.7 assists per game, sharing Golden West League Most Valuable Player honors with Segerstrom’s Tatianna Zazuetta.

Heather Park

G, Sage Hill, So.

The sophomore shooting guard makes her second appearance on the Daily Pilot’s Dream Team in as many seasons. She saw a position change this year. The arrival of freshman point guard Trinity Cha allowed her to spend more time off the ball, freeing her up for jump shots from deep. She averaged 17.9 points for the season with two 3-pointers per contest. The Academy League Most Valuable Player contributed averages of 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 2.4 assists. The Lightning won a CIF-SS Division 4A first-round playoff game for the second straight year, defeating Rancho Mirage, 64-30. They won four of their last five league games to tie Crean Lutheran for second in the Academy League at 16-11, 8-4.

Kaylyn Nakaji

F, Huntington Beach, Sr.

There were two players that entered this season for Huntington Beach with league championship experience, and Nakaji was one of them. Nakaji helped the next generation of Oilers experience that feeling. Huntington Beach shared the Sunset League crown at 24-10, 9-1 after the Oilers beat the Los Alamitos Griffins on the road, 48-46, in the second half of the season. The senior small forward scored 12.9 points per game. She added 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game, while also pouring in 38 conversions from beyond the arc. Nakaji proved her toughness as well, playing through a dislocated pinkie finger that was suffered in shootaround prior to the team’s CIF-SS Division 1A semifinal game at Esperanza. She was named second team All-CIF, and she joins Wade-Sanchez in the Orange County All-Star game.

Ashley Niemand

F, Edison, Jr.

Whatever the Chargers needed her to be was what Niemand morphed her game into. The junior post player could step away from the basket, setting screens for drivers and knocking down mid-range jump shots in the pick-and-pop game. She averaged 9.8 points to go with five rebounds. Niemand protected the rim well by blocking 1.8 shots per game. She elevated her performance with the Sunset League’s last automatic playoff bid on the line. The first team all-league selection had 12 points and seven rebounds in the second meeting against Marina. The Chargers and Vikings played a neutral-site game at Huntington Beach High the next day to decide third place in the Sunset League. Niemand sunk Marina’s playoff hopes by posting a line of 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals as the Chargers went on to win, 48-41.

Cheryl Caldera

C, Los Amigos, Sr.

Caldera transferred back to Los Amigos, which she affectionately referred to as her home school, after two years at Orangewood Academy. She returned to the court after recovering from a torn ACL, and the Lobos center showed no ill effects. Her quick, explosive drop step made her dangerous on the low block, and she was also proficient at the free-throw line. The senior was a threat to put up 20 points on any night, and she topped 30 points twice in averaging 25.5 points per game during the Ocean View Hawk Holiday Classic. Los Amigos won the Premier Flight championship of the tournament as part of a 14-game nonleague winning streak. Caldera had 27 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals to lead the Lobos to a 51-47 overtime win at Costa Mesa in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 4A playoffs.

SECOND TEAM

Position, Name, School, Year

G Adrienne Dang, Huntington Beach, Sr.

G Erica Almiranez, Ocean View, So.

F Sadie Atwood, Marina, Sr.

F Katie Belmontes, Costa Mesa, So.

F Finley Garnett, Edison, Jr.

C Helen Reynolds, Ocean View, So.

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner