Los Angeles Times 1987 ALL-STARS : Girls Team Combines the Brightest Players From All Levels of Competition

The 1987 Times’ All-Westside high school girls basketball team is composed of outstanding players from outstanding teams and excellent players from teams that were not strong.

It includes players from the lower levels of competition, the Small Schools and the 1-A divisions, to the highest, 4-A.

It may combine apples with oranges, but each player is among the best of each harvest.

The all-stars are La Tisha Burnett of Venice, Lisa Cohen of Westlake, Jenise Cooley of Venice, Jessica Fairfanks of Fairfax, Roxanne Owens of Crossroads, Kesha T. Martin of University, Nina Revoyr of Culver City, Trisha Stafford of Westchester, Leah Stevenson of Notre Dame Academy and Tina Tamura of Beverly Hills.

Revoyr is the only repeater from last year. The tallest players are Martin and Stafford, each 6-0. The smallest is the 5-4 Cooley.

The strong teams include Culver City, Venice, University, Westchester, Notre Dame and Crossroads.

Culver City (19-7) tied Hawthorne for first place in the 4-A Ocean League, both with 9-1 league records, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Venice (18-3) had perhaps its best girls team in school history, finishing in a three-way tie for first in the City West League with University and San Pedro and advancing to the quarterfinals of the City 3-A playoffs.

In a curious turn of events, Venice beat University twice in league play, University beat San Pedro twice and San Pedro beat Venice twice as each team finished with a 10-2 league record. University (16-6) also reached the City 3-A quarterfinals.

Westchester (14-5) tied Crenshaw for the Mid-City League title, each at 8-2, and advanced to the 4-A semifinals. Kennedy, the eventual 4-A City champion, defeated the Comets in the semifinals, 41-38.

Notre Dame (17-5) won the championship of the 1-A Sunshine League, and Westlake (10-5) tied Marymount (12-10) for second place in the league, each at 7-3. Crossroads won another Delphic League championship--and with another undefeated record (12-0)--and finished 16-7 overall after advancing to the second round of the CIF Small Schools Division.

Capsule descriptions of each player:

Burnett--A senior forward-center, she is only 5-7 1/2, but taller opposing players must have thought she was 6-6. Smart at getting position, she averaged 16 rebounds a game. Her other averages: 12.1 points on a team with balanced scoring and 3.3 steals. She also shot 49% from the field.

Cohen--Co-player of the year in the Sunshine League, Cohen was the league’s top scorer, averaging 16.2 points a game, and led her team in assists and steals.

Cooley--A great leaper and passer, the spark plug of Venice averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 steals and 4.6 rebounds from her guard’s position and shot 49% from the field.

Fairbanks--Starred for a team that had a rough season, finishing with a 5-14 overall record. She averaged 21.8 points and 7.8 rebounds and made 71% of her free throws.

Owens--The most valuable player of the Delphic League, she averaged 11 points in a balanced attack, 9.2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots.

Martin--A dominating presence, she averaged 19 points, 18.2 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

Revoyr--Not only an excellent player but also a standout in the classroom with a 3.92 grade point average. She shot 49% from the field and 72.4% from the foul line. Her averages: 17.4 points, 10 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Stafford--Only a junior, she averaged 21.8 points, 18 rebounds and 3 assists.

Stevenson--Shared team honors with Missy Kurt as her team’s most valuable player. Averaged 16 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 blocked shots and 3.7 assists.

Tamura--A four-year varsity starter, she averaged 13.6 points, 4 steals, 3 assists and 6.5 rebounds.

Honorable mention:

Crossroads--Shana Margolis, Gaby Banks.

Culver City--Kathy McGriff, Yvonne Gutierrez.

Marlborough--Susie Struzzo.

Marymount--Kristin Klein, Noelle Clark, Molly O’Sullivan.

Notre Dame Academy--Missy Kurt, Kim Munday.

University--Dina Miller.

Venice--Roshea Maderer.

Westchester--Tammy Story, Melanie Taylor, Rulinda Reed.

Westlake--Tiffany Johnson, Lindsey Selan, Carol Koh.

Windward--Laurie Hill.

The all-star boys and girls teams, each consisting of 10 members, their coaches and parents will be guests of the Times at 9 a.m. Sunday at the annual Times High School Basketball Awards Brunch where all-star teams from 10 circulation areas will be honored at the Anaheim Hilton. The featured Speaker will be first-year USC Coach George Raveling. The players and coaches of the year from each area will be announced.

The teams were chosen on the basis of a poll of area coaches, who are asked to fill out ballots nominating their own players and opponents, plus the observations of college scouts and sportswriters. Each player will receive the traditional Times golden basketball plaque and award certificate.

GIRLS PREP TEAM

Name School Year Height Average La Tisha Burnett Venice Senior 5-7 1/2 12.1 Lisa Cohen Westlake Sophomore 5-7 16.2 Jenise Cooley Venice Senior 5-4 11.2 Jessica Fairfanks Fairfax Junior 5-11 21.8 Roxanne Owens Crossroads Senior 5.9 11.0 Kesha T. Martin University Senior 6-0 19.1 Nina Revoyr Culver City Junior 5-10 17.4 Trisha Stafford Westchester Junior 6-0 21.8 Leah Stevenson Notre Dame Academy Junior 5-9 16.0 Tina Tamura Beverly Hills Senior 5-5 13.6