The Times’ All-County Girls’ Basketball Team : Jann, Mann Are the Only Juniors on Point Loma-Dominated Squad

Point Loma, the best high school girls’ basketball team in San Diego the past three seasons, also dominated The Times’ all-county team this year.

Point Loma seniors Jessica Benton, Chanelle McCoy and Michelle Collum along with junior Terri Mann were named to this year’s team. Point Loma (30-1) will play for its third straight state title Saturday in Oakland against Grant High of Sacramento.

Southwest High, the San Diego Section 2-A runner-up represented by Michele Wilkes and Nancy Caparaz, was the only other school to place more than one player on the all-county team. Jennifer Jann, a 5-foot 4-inch guard from Fallbrook, and Mann were the only juniors on the squad.

Here’s a look at the Times’ all-county girls’ basketball team:

Jessica Benton, 6-4, senior, Point Loma--Benton received a scholarship to Stanford and will play basketball and volleyball next year. “They are very lucky to be getting her,” Point Loma Coach Lee Trepanier said. “She moved ahead a year so she’s only 17. There’s no question that she’s going to improve physically in the next couple of years.” Benton averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds this season. “The great thing about her is that she worked so hard in both basketball and volleyball,” Trepanier said. “She was very fair to both of them.”

Nancy Caparaz, 5-3, senior, Southwest--Caparaz made a name for herself with defense. She set a single-game section record against Montgomery with 19 steals and she finished the season with 209 steals. As a point guard for the 2-A runner-ups, Caparaz had 16 assists in one game against Coronado. “It’s great that people recognize Nancy because usually only the people who score a lot get the attention,” Southwest Coach John Boone said. Caparaz has a 14.5-point average.

Michelle Collum, 6-0, senior, Point Loma--Trepanier called Collum the best defensive player on his three-time defending San Diego Section championship team. “She always guarded the other team’s best player,” Trepanier said. “She’s an excellent leaper and she’s very determined on defense.” In the Division I Southern Regional championship game last Saturday in Los Angeles, Collum scored 18 points to help Point Loma advance to the State final with a 53-50 victory over Lynwood. She was named the Most Valuable Player in the Southern Regional. Collum averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds a game during the regular season and also managed 100 steals.

Jennifer Jann, 5-4, junior, Fallbrook--Jann followed in the footsteps of her older sister, Nicole, who made the Times’ all-county team last year. Jann averaged 17.8 points per game while leading the Warriors to the 3-A playoffs. “She really went from just another player to a real standout in one season,” Fallbrook Coach Gerry Port said. “Our team had trouble getting started this season until Jennifer took over. She led us all the time.”

Terri Mann, 6-2, junior, Point Loma--Mann averaged 27 points and 17 rebounds this season to be named to the Times’ all-county team for the third consecutive season. She is a Parade All-American and scored 55 points in one game this season. She might have been able to repeat that effort had she played all 32 minutes of each game. “She’s really been brought along well,” Trepanier said. “There’s no doubt she could have scored 40 points a game, but she learned to understand the team concept. She’s a very hard worker now and she leads our team by example. She doesn’t have a big head about anything.”

Paula Mascari, 5-6, senior, Monte Vista--Mascari, who also made last year’s all-county team, led the county in scoring with a 25.6 average. She averaged 23.8 a year ago. Her four-year total of 1,844 points is the third-highest in San Diego Section history. “She’s more than just a scorer,” Monte Vista Coach Manny Silva said. “She’s a real team leader. I’d love to see her play with some other real talented kids. She’s an unbelievable passer.” Mascari’s tremendous ability was enough to help the Monarchs reach the 3-A championship game which they lost to Point Loma.

Chanelle McCoy, 5-2, senior, Point Loma--McCoy, the player who gets Point Loma going, is small but quick. She averaged 20.5 points per game and eight assists. “She’s the reason that other teams can’t press us,” Trepanier said. In the Pointers’ first-round Southern Regional game against Brea-Olinda, McCoy did not start but came came off the bench to ignite a Point Loma surge. She finished with a game-high 18 points and 10 assists.

Michele Wilkes, 5-11, senior, Southwest--Wilkes was the key for the Raiders who advanced to the 2-A championship game before losing to San Marcos. She averaged 23 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and scored a season-high 39 points in one game against Bonita Vista. “Her strongest asset was her tremendous concentration,” Raiders Coach John Boone said. “She was a great shooter and offensive rebounder.” Wilkes spent most her time in the low post and her shot was difficult to block. At the other end, however, her presence made it tough on opposing players in the Metro-South Bay League to get their shots off.

Robin Paladino, 5-8, senior, San Marcos--Paladino, a member of the section 2-A champion Knights, was named the Player of the Year in the Avocado League. She averaged 19.9 points in her third season as a starter. “She’s one of those players who will do anything it takes to make San Marcos a winner,” Knight Coach Bob Kellison said. “She works very hard in practice.” Paladino helped San Marcos reach the 2-A semifinals last year before leading her team to the crown this season. “She’s got a quick first step and she can get to the basket,” Kellison said.

Melissa Williamson, 5-7, senior, Clairemont--Despite playing for a team that wound up fourth in the City Western League, Williamson was still named as the league’s Player of the Year by coaches. She averaged 22.7 points per game overall and 26.6 in league. When Dan Miller, Clairemont’s coach, was asked what position Williamson played, he replied, “She’s our scorer.” Williamson filled the role well. In consecutive games, she scored 40, 31 and 27 points. The 40-point game (against University City) set a school record. The 31-point game came against league champion La Jolla. “She was the only senior I had in the program and she was my only real scorer,” Miller said. “Teams would concentrate on stopping her but she just wouldn’t let them.”

Times’ San Diego County Girls’ Team

Pos. Name School Ht. Class Avg. C Jessica Benton Point Loma 6-4 Sr. 12.0 G Nancy Caparaz Southwest 5-3 Sr. 14.5 F Michelle Collum Point Loma 6-0 Sr. 17.0 G Jennifer Jann Fallbrook 5-4 Jr. 17.8 F Terri Mann Point Loma 6-2 Jr. 27.0 G Paula Mascari Monte Vista 5-6 Sr. 25.6 G Chanelle McCoy Point Loma 5-2 Sr. 20.5 F Robin Paladino San Marcos 5-8 Sr. 19.9 C Michele Wilkes Southwest 5-11 Sr. 23.0 F Melissa Williamson Clairemont 5-7 Sr. 22.7