Clare WalkerSchool: Huntington BeachSport: BasketballPosition: Forward-GuardClass: SeniorAlthough...

Clare Walker

School: Huntington Beach

Sport: Basketball

Position: Forward-Guard

Class: Senior

Although she stands only 5 feet 9, Walker leads the team in rebounding (averaging 14) and jumps center for the Oilers. She rarely is outjumped on a tipoff, Huntington Beach Coach Nick Bartlett said, even against players 6-1 or 6-2 and is the best defender on the team. And she can score, too. Last week, Walker paced the Oilers in three Sunset League victories that moved them into a tie for first place. She had 19 points and 16 rebounds on Tuesday, when the Oilers, then ranked No. 5, beat Marina, the second-ranked team at the time, 54-43. On Tuesday, she had 16 points playing only half the game in a 65-40 victory over Westminster. Walker had 26 points and 15 rebounds in a 60-53 victory over Ocean View on Saturday. “She’s just one of those exceptional players who plays well on defense as well as offense,” Bartlett said. “Her skill level is just a grade level above everybody else.”

Other top performers:

Nicole Erickson, who averaged 27 points, 8.5 assists, seven rebounds and six steals in top-ranked Brea-Olinda’s Orange League victories over Magnolia and Western. She also had 25 points in a 91-44 victory over Long Beach Millikan.

Alisia Kean, who had 34 points and 20 rebounds in Heritage Christian’s 67-20 victory over Huntington Beach Claremont.

Joan Paje, who set the county career three-point basket record by making 13 three-pointers in three games for Edison to give her 147, 10 more than Brea-Olinda’s Aimee McDaniel (1986-90). Paje averaged 31.7 points in three games, and Edison won two of the three.

America Robledo, who scored 40 points in Santiago’s 60-52 victory over La Quinta and 11 points in a 54-27 victory over Bolsa Grande.