Close-ups

Profiles of some of the Southland’s top high school athletes:

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

ALYSSE HARBRIDGE

Senior, Placentia El Dorado

Then: Last season was Harbridge’s second as a starter, when she shot 46% from the field and averaged 9.9 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds. However, she and her teammates played in the shadow of junior Ally Wade, who averaged 18.3 points and was the focal point on a team that finished 21-9 and reached the Southern Section Division II-AA semifinals before losing to Perris, 52-50.

Now: All five starters returned this season, but Wade, who signed with Long Beach State, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game. Harbridge, a 6-foot forward who was selected most valuable player of the Santa Ana Century tournament, led her team to a victory two weeks ago over Irvine Woodbridge, which is ranked No. 18 in the Southland by The Times. She has averaged a team-high 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds. With her 16 points and 10 rebounds in a 56-41 victory Tuesday over Thousand Oaks, No. 16 El Dorado (11-0) was the last undefeated team in The Times’ top 25 rankings before falling, 52-45, to No. 19 Newhall Hart on Wednesday. Harbridge had 19 points in the loss.

Quote: “Alysse plays a major role in” the team’s playoff goals, Coach Wayne Carlson said. “Her improvement since last year has been tremendous.”

-- MARTIN HENDERSON

*

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

GREG SCOTT

Senior, La Palma Kennedy

Then: Played for the freshman team at Kennedy before earning a starting role on the varsity as a sophomore. He averaged nearly 16 points last season, including a game-high 24 against Anaheim Loara, helping the Fighting Irish to a 13-15 record. They lost to Los Angeles Loyola in the second round of the Division II-A playoffs last season, but Scott had one of his best games of the season. He earned first-team all-Empire League honors.

Now: Scott has grown two inches since his freshman year and, though still small at 5 feet 9, continues to hold his own against bigger defenders. He scored 19 points in a 62-42 season-opening victory over Huntington Beach. On Tuesday in a second-round game at the Orange tournament, he scored 26 points in a 56-48 victory over Compton at Chapman College, including a three-point basket with two minutes remaining that gave the Fighting Irish a six-point lead.

Quote: “He has improved his game from this year to now,” Coach Jose Alvarez said. “Now, he’s more of a creator. Last year, he was just a pure scorer. His defense has always been really good, so I think now he’s just making his fellow players a little bit better.”

-- DAN ARRITT

*

GIRLS’ SOCCER

ALEXA ORAND

Senior, Orange El Modena

Then: Orand didn’t play high school soccer until this season but caught the eye of U.S. youth soccer officials and Olympic development team coaches because of her quickness, balance, footwork and dribbling skills. She was invited to an under-17 U.S. national team camp as a 14-year-old freshman and has traveled with age-group club and national teams throughout the U.S. and to Ireland, Germany and China. She was a member of the U.S. team that defeated Brazil, 3-0, in the third-place match of the 2004 FIFA under-19 world championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Now: Ranked the No. 1 senior girls’ soccer recruit in the country by StudentSports.com, Orand has committed to Santa Clara. The 5-foot-5 forward is taking a break from elite-level soccer to play for El Modena (5-2) in her final year of high school after serving as the point guard on the girls’ basketball team last season. She leads the Vanguards in goals (seven) and assists (four). “I get double-teamed every game. It’s always been that way, so I guess I’ve just kind of gotten used to it,” she said.

Quote: “One against one, I don’t know of anyone on the West Coast who can stay with her,” said Chris Snyder, El Modena’s first-year coach. “She’s very, very talented, and athletically, there are not too many players like her.”

-- LAUREN PETERSON

*

Top performers

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

* Derrick Strings, Pasadena Marshall: Made six three-pointers and eight of 10 free throws as he scored 48 points in an 89-50 victory over L.A. Wilson in a consolation game of the Temple City/La Salle tournament.

* Malik Story, Lakewood Artesia: Made six of eight three-points shots and scored a career-high 28 points in a 79-62 victory over Aston (Pa.) American Christian in the first round of the Lewes (Del.) Cape Henlopen tournament.

* Donte Smith and David Renfroe, Pomona Diamond Ranch: Smith had 35 points and Renfroe scored a career-high 30 in a 103-99 victory over Reno Hug in a four-overtime game in the ninth-place semifinals of the Orange tournament.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

* Lynette Jacobs and Layshia Clarendon, San Bernardino Cajon: Jacobs made eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 40 points and Clarendon had 33 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in an 88-37 victory over Beaumont in the championship quarterfinals of the Phelan Serrano tournament.

* Samantha Marez, Long Beach Millikan: Finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds in a 67-55 victory over Sparks (Nev.) Reed in the consolation quarterfinals of the Pittsburg/West Coast Jamboree.

* Tatiana Thomas, Newhall Hart: Scored 14 points as the No. 19-ranked Indians handed No. 16 Placentia El Dorado its first loss, 52-45, in the championship quarterfinals of the Marina/Edison tournament.

GIRLS’ WATER POLO

* Stephanie Rosero, Downey: Scored four goals in a 12-9 victory over Mission Viejo in the semifinals of the Ayala tournament.