Jacobsen, Taurasi Named State’s Best

Senior Casey Jacobsen of Glendora and junior Diana Taurasi of Chino were named state basketball players of the year Wednesday by Cal-Hi Sports.

Jacobsen averaged 31.2 points a game and finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Southern Section history with 3,284 points.

Taurasi averaged 27.4 points a game for Chino and will be regarded as one of the top seniors in the nation next season.

Other Southern Section players on the boys’ all-state team: Jason Kapono of Lakewood Artesia; Marlon Parmer of Verbum Dei; Rafael Berumen of Simi Valley and Brian Weathers of Murrieta Valley.

Other Southern Section players on the girls’ all-state team: Chelsea Trotter of Brea Olinda; Jaline Bradley of Channel Islands; Giuliana Mendiola of El Toro; Damaris Hinajosa of Moorpark and Tamara McDonald of Ontario Chaffey.

*

Jacobsen and Kapono were selected boys’ Southern Section Division I co-players of the year, and Taurasi and Mendiola were chosen Division I girls’ co-players of the year by the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Assn.

Other Southern Section boys’ players of the year are: Josh Childress of Lakewood Mayfair and Keith Kincade of Compton Dominguez in Division II; D.J. Hackett of San Dimas (III); Parmer (IV) and Nick Jones and B.J. Ward of Santa Clara (V).

Other Southern Section girls’ players of the year are: Trotter and Lindsey Davidson of Brea Olinda in Division II; Maggie Barnett of Fullerton Rosary and Omelogo Udeze of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (III); Cathy Joens of Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (IV) and Erin Gilliland of Palos Verdes Chadwick (V).

*

Jeff Sato of Arroyo Grande and Robert Varela of Don Bosco Tech won the 48- and 52-kilogram divisions, respectively, at the national high school judo championships last weekend in Denver.