Nicole Erickson

School: Brea-Olinda High Sport: Basketball Position: Guard Class: Freshman

Erickson may be a freshman but she’s far from inexperienced. A national Pepsi Hot-Shot and free-throw champion, Erickson was an All-American selection for the Polecats, a 13-and-under AAU team that was the national runner-up last summer. Erickson is averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 assists for the Lady Cats, the No. 1-ranked team in the county, but Coach Mark Trakh would like her to shoot more. And after some early season reluctance to shoot, she said she now feels more comfortable shooting. Last week, Erickson scored 12 points--making four of five three-point shots--as Brea-Olinda defeated sixth-ranked Savanna, 61-24. Erickson scored 19 points, including four three-pointers, in the Lady Cats’ 53-52 victory over fifth-ranked La Habra Saturday. Other top performers:

Lynn Murray, who scored four goals for Esperanza to give her 22 for the season as the Aztecs won two and tied one Empire League soccer game.

Valerie Ruiz, who averaged 24 points for Kennedy as the Fighting Irish won two of three Garden Grove League basketball games.

Kathy Skoglund, who had eight saves in a 1-0 victory over El Dorado--her 10th shutout of the season--and held Esperanza, the ninth-ranked Division 4-A soccer team, to a 1-1 tie.