1993 PREP BASKETBALL ALL-STARS : GIRLS’ ALL-STAR TEAM : On the Rebound: Crenshaw and Jefferson

It was a season of redemption for the girls’ basketball teams at Jefferson and Crenshaw high schools.

In 1992, Jefferson fell in the 3-A semifinals and Crenshaw lost in the 4-A semifinals. But this year, neither Jefferson nor Crenshaw was affected by last season’s setbacks as they captured the 3-A and 4-A City titles.

Jefferson (26-3) won 17 of its last 18 games to capture its first City girls’ basketball title since the school opened in 1916.

Crenshaw (25-3) was undefeated against City competition, winning the 4-A title and advancing to the Southern California Regional State Division I semifinals.

Crenshaw and Jefferson have placed two players each on The Times’ Central City first team, as well as City 4-A semifinalist Dorsey.

Cathleen Grice of Crenshaw, Kyetra Brown of Jefferson and Denise Caudillo of Roosevelt were among the players chosen for the second consecutive season.

A look at the first team:

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Tamu Agiza, Dorsey--A transfer from South Bay Lutheran, the 5-foot-9 senior guard averaged 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds to help Dorsey (18-8) come within a game of its first appearance in a City title game since 1984.

Agiza, an All-City 4-A first-team selection, equaled her season-high of 33 points in a quarterfinal playoff victory over Roosevelt despite leaving the game with a sprained ankle in the third quarter and coming back to play in the fourth.

Kyetra Brown, Jefferson--The 5-6 junior point guard received The Times’ Central City and All-City 3-A first-team accolades for the second consecutive season.

Brown averaged 16 points and 14 assists, while hitting 64% of her shots and 87% from the free-throw line.

Denise Caudillo, Roosevelt--An All-City 3-A first-team choice in 1992, the 5-7 junior guard had no difficulties adjusting to the 4-A level. She guided Roosevelt (18-6) to the Eastern League title and the 4-A quarterfinals.

A two-time Times’ Central City selection, she averaged 23.5 and eight rebounds. Caudillo made 56% of her shots from the field, scoring 20 or more points in all but four of the Roughriders’ 24 games.

Caudillo, the Eastern League’s Most Valuable Player, scored 122 points in four Washington tournament games, including a school record 42 in an overtime victory over Fremont in the championship game.

Michele Gonzalez, South Gate--The 5-9 senior forward was named Most Valuable Player of the Garfield and Los Angeles Invitational tournaments and helped South Gate (19-5) win a school-record 15 consecutive games.

A two-time All-City 4-A first team selection, Gonzalez averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Cathleen Grice, Crenshaw--The 5-6 point guard earned Times’ Central City and All-City 4-A first-team honors as a junior. This season, Grice was named City Co-Player of the Year with Kennedy’s Shaneya Harris. She was also chosen to the All-State Division I first team by Cal-Hi Sports.

Grice, who is being recruited by USC, UCLA, Texas, Texas El Paso and Arizona, averaged 19.3 points and 7.2 assists.

She proved her abilities against City and Southern Section opposition. Grice scored 26 points in the City title game and had 20 points, 10 steals and eight assists against Buena in the Southern California State Regional semifinals.

Kimberly Howse, Crenshaw--The 5-10 junior center was a scoring and rebounding threat, averaging 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds.

Howse, an All-City 4-A first-team selection, had 69 points in four City playoff games. She had 24 points in a quarterfinal victory against South Gate and 15 points and 17 rebounds in the championship game.

Issia (Ice) Lincoln, Dorsey--Lincoln, a 6-3 junior center, emerged as one of the top underclassmen in the state and has attracted scholarship interest from San Diego State, Iowa and Washington State.

Lincoln, who averaged 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds, was named to the City 4-A first team and to the All-State Junior team by Cal-Hi Sports. She had a season-high 25 points in the Dons’ season opener against Cleveland.

Sheila Paige, Fremont--The 5-10 senior forward was selected to the City 4-A first team for the second season in a row, averaging 16 points and six rebounds.

She had 111 points, including a season-high 34-point effort, in a four-game stretch during the first half of Southeastern Conference play to propel Fremont (16-8) to a second-place Central League finish.

Ronneka Taylor, Manual Arts--The 5-9 junior forward was instrumental in the Toilers’ turnaround from a 4-12 season in 1992. Manual Arts (15-3) reached the City 3-A semifinals and won their first league title in more than a decade.

An All-City first-team selection, Taylor, who averaged 13.5 points and 14 rebounds, helped the Toilers go undefeated in league and win 12 of their last 13 games.

Shonte Tippie, Jefferson--Tippie, the City 3-A Player of the Year, was a major component to the 3-A championship after losing in the semifinals last season.

The 5-9 senior forward averaged 28 points and 14 rebounds. She shot 60% from the field and 79% from the free-throw line.

Tippie, the Central League’s most valuable player, scored a season-high 35 points and grabbed a school-record 20 rebounds in the Eagle Rock tournament.

GIRLS’ ALL-STAR TEAM Name: Tamu Agiza School: Dorsey Year: Senior Height: 5-9 Points: 20.0 Name: Kyetra Brown School: Jefferson Year: Junior Height: 5-6 Points: 16.0 Name: Denise Caudillo School: Roosevelt Year: Junior Height: 5-7 Points: 23.5 Name: Michele Gonzalez School: South Gate Year: Senior Height: 5-9 Points: 12.0 Name: Cathleen Grice School: Crenshaw Year: Senior Height: 5-6 Points: 19.3 Name: Kimberly Howse School: Crenshaw Year: Junior Height: 5-10 Points: 17.1 Name: Issia Lincoln School: Dorsey Year: Junior Height: 6-3 Points: 14.4 Name: Sheila Paige School: Fremont Year: Senior Height: 5-10 Points: 16.0 Name: Ronneka Taylor School: Manual Arts Year: Junior Height: 5-9 Points: 13.5 Name: Shonte Tippie School: Jefferson Year: Senior Height: 5-9 Points: 28.0

Girls’ Second Team

Player School Yr. Ht. Avg. April Adams Washington Sr. 5-6 13.7 Rochelle Davis Fremont Jr. 5-11 15.0 Deana Duran Garfield Jr. 5-7 8.7 Dawn Fields Pilgrim So. 5-8 20.0 Donna Gordon Wilson So. 5-6 12.8 Elizabeth Guevara Roosevelt Sr. 5-4 13.0 Michele Keyes Crenshaw Jr. 5-8 10.9 Ruby Maciel South Gate Fr. 5-8 13.2 Letty Madrigal South Gate Sr. 5-5 12.3 Chaka Smith Jefferson Jr. 5-8 15.8