Close-ups

A weekly look at some of the Southland’s top high school athletes:

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

BROCK ZYLSTRA

Sr., La Verne Bonita

* Then: He was called up to the varsity near the end of his freshman year. As a sophomore, he made a three-point basket with five seconds remaining to defeat cross-town rival San Dimas. Last season, Zylstra had 25 points and 11 rebounds in a 60-49 victory over Covina Northview in a Southern Section Division III-AA quarterfinal. He averaged 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds and earned divisional first-team honors.

* Now: In the third game of the season, Zylstra scored 35 of his career-high 39 points in the first half of an 88-48 victory over Los Angeles, making seven of eight three-pointers. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard who can also play small forward, Zylstra scored 21 or more points in 12 of the first 14 games this season, helping him break the 18-year-old school career scoring record. Heading into the week, he was averaging 22.2 points and 11.1 rebounds for the Bearcats (17-5 overall, 4-0 in league).

* Quote: “I had no idea I had scored 35 points until someone at the scorer’s table said that was the most points I had scored,” said Zylstra, considering UC Davis, Brigham Young, UC Irvine and Nevada. “I was feeling it.”

-- DAN ARRITT

BOYS’ SOCCER

CHANCE MYERS

Sr., Thousand Oaks

* Then: Regarded as one of the top college prospects in the nation, Myers scored 10 goals and helped Thousand Oaks to a share of its second consecutive Southern Section Division II championship. He was overshadowed by Jason Leopoldo, now playing at UCLA, where Myers is expected to attend this fall. He has been a four-year varsity team member and a regular starter at midfield for three seasons.

* Now: Myers, 6-1, is a well-skilled, well-rounded player without a weakness. He participated in an under-18 U.S. men’s national team camp at the Home Depot Center over the summer and missed the first few games of the high school season because of club commitments with the Mission Viejo-based Pateadores. Recently, he has provided offensive firepower and stabilized the lineup for the Lancers (6-3-5, 6-1-3), who have rebounded from a slow start. Myers has nine goals and three assists in 11 games going into Wednesday’s Marmonte League match against Westlake Village Westlake, the defending league champion.

* Quote: “He’s a humble player, but at the same time, he also knows that he’s the man this year, and he’s capable of taking control if he has to,” Coach Mark Tietjen said.

-- LAUREN PETERSON

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

SAMI WHITCOMB

Sr., Ventura Buena

* Then: Averaged only 5.0 points as a freshman, but maybe it was the way she scored those points that made Coach Joe Vaughan so excited: Whitcomb shot 48% from the field. As a sophomore, she was the team’s most valuable player with a similar percentage but with 14.2 points and 8.9 rebounds as the Bulldogs went 22-7. She averaged 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds as a junior and entered her senior year as a career 47.2% shooter.

* Now: Whitcomb, a 5-foot-11 guard/forward, was the buzz of the Coral Gables (Fla.) tournament, won by Buena, and she hasn’t let up. She has established herself as one of the best players in the Southland. “She’s unbelievable,” Vaughan said. She has averaged 17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and shot 50.2% from the field, including 43.1% from the three-point line for Buena, ranked No. 13 in the Southland by The Times. She has signed with Washington.

* Quote: “There’s not anything she can’t do offensively, and she brings such a passion to the game, which is neat to see,” Vaughan said. “Her level of play and intensity, that’s exactly the way she practices.”

-- MARTIN HENDERSON