Girls

--MARTIN HENDERSON

*--* F Candice Brown, La Puente Bishop Amat 6-3 Sr. Versatile UCLA-bound wing averaged 12.7 points and 9.1 rebounds and helped the Lancers play for four Division III state championships, winning two titles. Her presence, and the focus it attracted, created opportunities for teammates. F Jasmine Dixon, Long Beach Poly 6-0 Jr. No other player in the Southland is a more respected rebounder than the powerful Dixon. Since her arrival, Poly has won two section and two state titles. The three-time Times All-Star averaged 14.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.7 steals. G Nina Earl, Diamond Ranch 6-1 Sr. Versatile UCLA-bound guard, along with Eliza Dy, helped the Panthers win 27 of 29 games. She excelled on offense and could be spectacular on defense. She averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.8 steals. G Rebekah Gardner, Chino Hills Ayala 5-11 Jr. An outstanding scorer for three seasons, Gardner, who has committed to UCLA, led the Bulldogs to the Division II-A title. She averaged 22.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.2 steals, and was the leader on a team that didn’t start any seniors. C Ify Ibekwe, Harbor City Narbonne 6-1 Sr. Narbonne was banned from the playoffs, but the Gauchos were the class of the City Section, and Arizona-bound Ibekwe was one of the reasons. She averaged 21 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.2 blocks and 2.8 steals. F Mikah Maly-Karros, Mira Costa 6-1 Jr. The Mustangs’ go-to player had terrific numbers. She posted double-doubles in 32 of 33 games -- 16 against opponents ranked in The Times’ top 25. She averaged 21.1 points, 16.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 3.1 steals and 3.4 blocks. G Candice Nichols, Long Beach Poly 5-11 Sr. Washington-bound Nichols was Poly’s lockdown defender who gave opposing stars fits. Her three-point shooting added a dimension that made the Jackrabbits one of the nation’s best teams. She averaged 10.2 points and 4.1 steals. F Atonye Nyingifa, Redondo 6-0 Jr. A disappointing end to the season for the Sea Hawks (21-9), but Nyingifa was a big-game performer who proved herself often. She shot 45.6% from the field, averaged 16.8 points, 11 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks. G Jeanette Pohlen, Brea Olinda 6-0 Sr. An overwhelming player-of-the-year favorite among coaches, Stanford-bound Pohlen shot 50.7% from the field, averaged 22.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists. The three-time Times All-Star posted even better numbers in nine playoff games. G Chloe Wells, Fontana Miller 5-9 Fr. Just a freshman on a team whose four leading scorers weren’t seniors, Wells stood out as the Division II-AA champion’s most productive player. She shot 58% from the field, averaged 16.2 points, 3.4 assists and 4.8 steals. Coach of the year: Rick Thompson, Norco Perhaps no team improved more over the course of the season. There was no Southern Section or state championship to show for it, but Thompson understandably refused to let that define his program’s 29-4 campaign. Performing far beyond expectations, Norco won 25 in a row and was runner-up in Division II-AA and in the Southern California Division II regionals.

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