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Oakley-Stilson makes it three straight MVPs for La Cañada girls’ basketball

La Cañada High senior guard Tess Oakley-Stilson was voted the Rio Hondo League Most Valuable Player.
(Tim Berger/Staff Photographer)
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A third straight undefeated Rio Hondo League championship merited the biggest prize for the La Cañada High girls’ basketball team on the all-league list.

Senior guard Tess Oakley-Stilson was named the Rio Hondo League Most Valuable Player, while the Spartans picked up three additional all-league selections.

La Cañada completed a 23-5 campaign that included a 10-0 mark in league and advancement to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs.

The 2017-18 season ended up being the final of three for head coach Sarah Beattie, who announced her resignation after compiling a 75-16 overall mark, an 8-4 playoff record and an incredible 30-0 record in league that led to three consecutive titles.

“It was a fantastic run and my goal from the beginning was just to teach basketball,” Beattie said. “I let the kids set the tone and goals of what they wanted to accomplish this year, like every other, and this year was absolutely a success in winning league, getting into the playoffs and just the overall development of the program.”

Oakley-Stilson was the catalyst as the guard averaged a team-leading 14 points on 50% shooting, along with five rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.1 assists per game.

“I think this reward just reflects on the hard work I’ve done since I arrived on the team,” said Oakley-Stilson, who made the varsity squad as a sophomore for her defensive prowess. “It’s taken time and effort to improve and this is a nice award.”

Maybe the biggest thrill for Oakley-Stilson was following along the footsteps of former teammates Amber Graves (2016) and Zoe Williams (2017), who were also MVPs.

“The whole time I was on the team, I looked up to those girls,” Oakley-Stilson said. “I remember my sophomore year when I made the team and Amber was like a god to me. To join them, it’s hard to believe that we’re on the same level.”

La Cañada earned one first-team, second-team and honorable mention, beginning with a first-team nod for guard Brooke Yasuda.

The junior averaged 10.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and two assists per game and had a knack for clutch shots.

“Brooke is one of those players who is just scratching the surface of her potential,” Beattie said. “She is an extremely hard worker, was our No. 2 scorer behind Tess and sees the floor very well. She always came up with timely steals and she hit some big shots for us.”

La Cañada senior guard Sydney Lew (7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, one block and one steal per game) was selected to the league’s second team, while sophomore Emmie Lew (4.1 points and 1.4 steals a game) was chosen an honorable mention.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter: @campadresports

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