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BOYS’ BASKETBALL

BLAKE WILDT

Sr., Oak Park

Then: Was introduced to basketball at a young age by his father, Dan, who grew up playing the sport in Indiana. As a freshman at Oak Park, Wildt was the second-leading scorer on the freshman-sophomore team. After earning a spot on varsity as a sophomore and playing limited minutes, he moved into a starting role as a junior. When the team’s top returner, Ryan Klein, returned to Chicago before the start of the season, Wildt became the focal point of the offense. He responded by averaging 19 points and nine rebounds and earned Tri-Valley League most valuable player honors.

Now: Wildt, a 6-foot-5 forward, made a baseline shot with 3.8 seconds left Tuesday to lift the host Eagles to a 55-53 upset of fourth-seeded El Segundo in a Southern Section Division III-A quarterfinal. He is averaging 17.5 points and seven rebounds for Oak Park, which plays top-seeded Compton Centennial in a semifinal tonight at Lynwood. The 12th-seeded Eagles look to avenge a 16-point loss to Centennial in early December. Wildt will continue his basketball career at UC San Diego, where he plans to major in engineering.

Quote: “Our biggest downer was when we lost a league game to [Santa Barbara] Bishop Diego [on Feb. 4],” Wildt said. “We beat them by 30 and then lost to them at home. It was just weird.”

Dan Arritt

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GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

SADE CUNNINGHAM

Sr., Lynwood

Then: After leaving the program at Redondo midway through her freshman season, Cunningham arrived at Lynwood as a sophomore transfer and made an immediate impact. Her ball-handling skills freed Sade Wiley-Gatewood to move to shooting guard, and the team went on to win the Division I state title. As a junior, Cunningham averaged 10 points, six assists and six steals and the Knights won a Southern Section title; however, injuries to other players foiled a repeat on the state level.

Now: The unselfish 5-foot-3 point guard averages 17 points, eight assists and six steals and was an all-tournament selection at three of the top tournaments in the country. She also carries a 3.7 grade-point average. Gonzaga and New Mexico are the schools most actively recruiting her. At five a game, she is the third-leading rebounder for third-seeded Lynwood (24-4), which plays host to eighth-seeded Long Beach Millikan (21-8) in a Division I-AA quarterfinal on Saturday.

Quote: “She made a lot of sacrifices because she had some tremendous players around her,” Coach Ellis Barfield said. “The biggest thing about her is that she was a leader from Day 1.”

Martin Henderson

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GIRLS’ WATER POLO

KARI WESTON

Sr., Chino Hills Ayala

Then: A three-year varsity starter, Weston has been among Ayala’s most consistent players and helped the Bulldogs to three Sierra League titles. She was selected the league’s most valuable player the last two years and was an All-Southern Section Division III selection as a junior. That year, she led Ayala to a 23-8 record and the playoff semifinals, where the Bulldogs fell, 11-9, to Pico Rivera El Rancho despite three goals by Weston.

Now: As a left-hander, Weston lends balance to the offense. She is an excellent passer who excels at setting up the offense and is among the team’s best defenders. Weston complements Ayala’s other top players, sisters Chelsea and Danielle Curran, and knows when to step up the pace and level of her game, according to Coach Dan Schlemmer. Weston, who will play at Marist College next season, scored four goals in a 17-1 victory over Rowland in the first round of the Division III playoffs and had one goal in a 15-4 quarterfinal victory over La Canada. Ayala (23-7) will have a chance to redeem last year’s semifinal loss to El Rancho when the Bulldogs take on the Dons (26-5) in another semifinal today at Whittier High.

Quote: “There have been games where she hasn’t scored, but that doesn’t matter,” Schlemmer said. “That’s what makes her so valuable.”

-- Lauren Peterson