Valley Girls’ Player of the Year

Learning to harness her emotions during her senior season, Rachel Corelli polished her game to such a degree that she led the Alemany High girls’ basketball team to a Southern Section Division II-A championship.

The fiery, 5-foot-5 point guard averaged 13.9 points, three assists and three steals a game, but her value went beyond statistics. Corelli, an All-Valley player the past two seasons, fueled Alemany’s transition game with her defensive intensity and passing ability.

She also provided leadership to a young squad that included a sophomore and two freshmen starters.

Corelli was at her best in big games, scoring a game-high 18 points with eight rebounds and three steals in Alemany’s 56-51 victory over Bishop Montgomery for the section championship.

Alemany’s senior spark plug led the Indians to 15 consecutive victories, including a pair of wins in the state playoffs, before the team lost in the Southern regional final to Bishop Montgomery, 45-44. Corelli was Alemany’s leading scorer in two of three state playoffs games, tallying a combined 43 points.

As a sophomore, Corelli led the Indians to a San Fernando League championship and earned the league’s most-valuable-player award.

Opposing coaches learned quickly that the best way to stop Alemany was to distract Corelli. That strategy didn’t work too frequently, however; Corelli led the Indians to a three-season mark of 67-20.