Yanai, Tamura receive All-CIF first-team honors
After putting together remarkable seasons, Jillian Yanai and Renae Tamura picked up some prestigious postseason hardware Monday.
Yanai and Tamura made significant contributions to help the Glendale High and Flintridge Prep girls’ basketball teams, respectively, make deep postseason runs.
The two were bestowed with All-CIF Southern Section first-team honors. Yanai earned a spot on the Division II-A team, while Tamura was honored in Division III-A.
Zoe Williams of La Cañada (Division I-A), Flintridge Prep’s Taylor Yoshida and Sylvia Vartazarian of Glendale picked up second-team accolades.
Yanai, a junior, averaged 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.5 assists per game for the Nitros. Glendale went 19-12, 7-5 in the Pacific League for fourth place, before reaching the division semifinals for the first time in program history. Glendale defeated Whittier, Notre Dame Academy and second-seeded Laguna Niguel before falling to champion Leuzinger.
Yani provided the Nitros with plenty of skill.
“She was the engine of our team on offense and defense,” Glendale Coach Tadeh Mardirosian said. “She handled the ball well, so that it created buckets for other players, and she was a great shooter. She had a lot of steals and assists.
“She led us in the playoffs, especially when we were down and were able to come back to win. Jillian gained the respect of the opposing coaches.”
Tamura, a senior, picked up her second straight All-CIF nod. Tamura was the Division V-AA Player of the Year last season after helping the Rebels win their first CIF championship.
Tamura didn’t rest on her laurels coming into the season, helping Flintridge Prep win its fourth Prep League championship. She contributed 13 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. Tamura also surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her career.
“She had such a great year last year,” said Flintridge Prep co-Coach Jayme Chan, who shares the coaching chores with Kevin Kiyomura. “Then to come back the next season and get All-CIF is quite an honor. She’s mentioned with some high-caliber players.
“She worked hard in the offseason in different areas in order to become a better all-around player at both ends of the court.”
Second-seeded Flintridge Prep (24-3, 12-0 in league) defeated Granite Hills before falling to La Salle in the quarterfinals.
Williams, a senior forward, contributed a team-best 12.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.
The Spartans finished 23-6, 10-0 and reached the second round of the Division I-A playoffs, beating Redlands East Valley before succumbing to JW North.
Yoshida, a senior guard, averaged 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 steals per game this season. She also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark.
Vartazarian, a senior forward, registered 16 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.
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Charles Rich, charles.rich@latimes.com
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
