Jim FrenchSchool: IrvineSport: BasketballPosition: GuardClass: SeniorLast season,...

Jim French

School: Irvine

Sport: Basketball

Position: Guard

Class: Senior

Last season, French was a reserve forward for Irvine, used mostly by the Vaqueros as a defensive specialist. After being moved to guard at the beginning of this season, French, a co-captain, was asked to take over as the point guard at the midway point. “We ask too much of him and he’s still giving us some great performances,” Irvine Coach Steve Keith said. None better than the one Friday. French scored a career-high 35 points, making 15 of 23 shots from the field, in the Vaqueros’ 64-56 victory over Montclair in a first-round Division I-A playoff game. French, the team’s second-leading scorer with an 11-point average, picked up the slack for leading-scorer Eric Ambrozich, who scored only nine points, a bit more than half his average. French also had eight steals.

Other top performers:

Juan Alvarez and David Wells, who won the 130- and 140-pound titles, respectively, to help El Modena to second place in the Southern Section Division I wrestling championships.

Sean Billings, an Irvine wrestler who was named the MVP of the lower weight divisions in Division III, defeating the Nos. 1 and 2 seeded wrestlers in succession to win the 103-pound class.

Reggie Davis, who had 27 points and nine rebounds in Brethren Christian’s 84-60 victory North Hollywood Oakwood in a Division V-AA playoff game.

Brett Poulos, who made a school single-game record seven three-point baskets, scoring 31 points in Trabuco Hills’ 78-64 victory over San Bernardino Pacific in a II-A game.