We’re midway through league play — here are the boys and girls Bee POY frontrunners
Midway through league play across the Stanislaus District, some of the best boys and girls high school basketball players across the section have made their mark in local gyms. Players leading their teams in points, rebounds, assists and steals while keeping them atop their respective league standings have made for an interesting race for The Bee’s Boys and Girls Player of the Year awards.
While there can be only one selection at the end of the season, there have been a number of standouts through the first two months. Some of the Stanislaus District’s top boys and girls players have adjusted to new schools and new roles, while otherd have continued a career of exceptional play. So far this season, athletes have recorded career highs, set school records and helped their teams to historic starts.
Here is a list of frontrunners for The Bee’s Player of the Year awards based on stats taken by MaxPreps and coach input sent to The Bee. The Bee’s final awards will be handed out after the regular season and playoffs ends, so there is still time for others to throw their names in the running with strong finishes.
Boys
Players are listed in alphabetical order
Mason Galvan, Senior, Enochs
Galvan has spearheaded the Enochs offense this season. The guard scored 20 points and drained five threes in the Eagles’ win over Turlock in the CCAL opener and led Enochs to a 66-51 win over Gregori during their first league matchup of the season Jan. 22. Galvan and the Eagles are the league’s top team, with a perfect 3-0 record entering Friday’s matchup with second-place Pitman.
Wilbert Gaxiola, Senior, Johansen
Gaxiola averages a team-high 16.2 points for a Johansen squad that has already won 14 games for the first time since the 2012-13 season. He is averaging double digits for the second straight season and has scored at least 12 points in each of the past seven games. During that stretch, he notched a career high, pouring in 33 points in Johansen’s 62-37 win over Ceres.
Curtis Harmon, Sophomore, Beyer
Harmon has been the MVP of two nonleague tournaments and made the Mark Gallo Invitational All-Tournament team. The 6-foot-5 sophomore has helped lead the Patriots to their best start in a few years at 18-2. They are perfect so far in Western Athletic Conference play and have won a school record 12 straight games as of Thursday.
Myles Jones, Junior, Modesto Christian
Committed to Stanford, Jones is continuing to find the balance between leading the offense as Modesto Christian’s primary ball handler and scoring. The point guard averages 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and three assists a game. Jones had his best stretch of the season in Modesto Christian’s Holiday Hoop Classic that included 32 points, five rebounds and four assists and six threes in the tournament championship against Buchanan.
Marcus Madoski, Senior, Ripon
A 6-foot-4 center, Madoski has led Ripon to second place in the TVL through the first half of league play with a win over rival Ripon Christian. The senior averages 24.2 points and 8.6 boards. He has scored at least 18 points in every game this season and has seven double doubles. Notable performances include 26 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks in a win over Kimball and 28 points and 14 rebounds against West Campus. He had a stretch of three straight double doubles where he scored 18-plus points and grabbed 10-plus rebounds.
Jordan Magana, Junior, Central Catholic
The Raiders’ two leading scorers from last season graduated and Magana has stepped right into the fold. After averaging 12.4 points last season as a sophomore, he’s up to 17 in his junior season. He’s also averaging career highs in assists and rebounds. Magana’s deep-range shooting has helped the Raiders maintain a perfect VOL record through their first six games.
Jayson Powers, Junior, Gregori
A three-year varsity player, Powers is averaging more than 15 points and eight rebounds a game for the second straight season. His 18.4 points and 9.5 rebounds a game have helped the Jaguars to a 17-4 overall record. He was named the Mark Gallo Invitational MVP after leading the team to the championship. Powers has recorded seven double doubles and brings a streak of three straight games with at least 18 points and 12 rebounds into a Friday CCAL matchup against Modesto.
Avery Sanchez, Senior, Pitman
Last season’s Player of the Year, Sanchez has picked up right where he left off after breaking Pitman’s career points mark set by Austin Keaton. On the season, Sanchez is averaging over 20 points on around 50/40/80 shooting splits. He and the Pride are currently in second place in the CCAL after winning the 2023-24 league title.
Gavin Sykes, Senior, Modesto Christian
A Long Beach State signee and one of the top guards in Northern California, Sykes has been the catalyst in most of the Crusaders’ 15 wins. He’s leading the Crusaders in points (22), rebounds (5.7) and assists (3.3) per game and has the team atop the TCAL with an unbeaten record. Sykes led the Crusaders with 26 points in back-to-back games against Monterey Trail and Lincoln, the two top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section at the time of the matchups.
Jake Vander Veen, Junior, Ripon Christian
The Knights’ leading scorer for the second straight season, Vander Veen hopes to lead the Knights to another section title. Though they are low on numbers, Ripon Christian is 14-5 overall and 3-1 in TVL play thanks in large part to Vander Veen’s 19.1 points per game. He is one of three double-digit scorers for Ripon Christian.
Girls
Players are listed in alphabetical order
Madi Babasa, Junior, Escalon
The Cougars’ leading scorer and one of the top three rebounders, Babasa has put together a stellar junior season in a larger role after the graduation of last season’s Player of the Year, Sammy Lang. Her 16.1 points per game are a career high and she has scored in double digits in 11 of her 12 recorded games. She has one double double on the season, but it was impressive, scoring 19 points and swiping 12 steals in a win over Linden.
Olivia Gray, Senior, Orestimba
Gray has taken on more of a scoring role for Orestimba so far this season. In her first 13 recorded games, she is leading the Warriors with 14.1 points per game while adding 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals. She leads Orestimba in field goals attempted and is making an impressive 55% of her shots. Gray and the Warriors are in the middle of a three-way battle for second place in the TVL with Escalon and Hilmar. All three have 3-2 league records.
Alyse Lomeli, Sophomore, Patterson
Lomeli is one of Patterson’s two 10-point-per-game scorers but she also has shown her versatility, averaging 9.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 4.3 steals. All are team highs and career highs. She opened the season with a 17-point, 17-rebound double double with seven steals and has continued to play well. The Tigers are second in The Bee’s rankings and third in the VOL. They have won their last three league games.
Taylor Macias, Senior, Riverbank
Macias is one of two Bruins averaging at least 20 points on the season. Macias, a four-year varsity starter, has set a school record with 48 points in a game on 21-of-25 shooting in a win over Esparto. She has scored in single digits just twice this season and has scored 33, 31 and 27 points in games this season in addition to a handful of 20-point games. The Bruins enter Friday night 3-0 in Mother Lode League play.
Leilani Olanolan, Junior, Riverbank
Olanolan has adjusted to the new scenery at Riverbank nicely, pouring in 20 points, dishing out a team-high 5.9 assists and swiping a team-high 5.9 steals a game to help lead the Bruins to a 16-3 overall record. She started the season with back-to-back 20-plus-point games and has scored in single digits just once this season. She also has multiple games with more than five made threes. She made a career-high nine three-pointers in a win over Calaveras.
Alivia Pierce, Sophomore, Enochs
Pierce is the Eagles’ only double-figure scorer, but she still finds ways to get everyone involved, averaging a team-high 3.8 assists. Her 11.5 points and 4.7 steals are also team highs and she is second on the team in rebounds (4.8). Pierce has led Enochs to a 3-1 CCAL record, good for second place after Thursday’s win over Pitman. She has recorded a double double in three different ways this season, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds against Orestimba and 14 points and 18 steals against Buhach Colony and 12 points and 10 assists against Turlock.
Kaliyanei Saykao, Senior, Davis
Saykao is the engine behind Davis’ best season in years. She is the team’s leading scorer and has led the team to an 18-2 overall record and first place in the WAC. At 6-1 against league opponents, this year’s Davis team has already matched the league win total from the past three seasons combined. Saykao does it all. She handles the ball, scores and defends the opponent’s top guard. She reached the 1,000 career points mark in her junior season.
Lilly Staggs, Junior, Ceres
Staggs is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, averaging 13 points a game and adds a team-best 2.8 steals per game to lead Ceres, which is currently the WAC’s third-place team after a 58-16 win over Central Valley, its third straight league win. She had 12 points and 11 steals in an early season win over Patterson and has had three straight 20-point league contests, scoring 24 points against Pacheco, 20 in a win over Davis and 25 in a win over Beyer.
Arianna Velasco, Sophomore, Escalon
The Cougars’ point guard, Velasco leads the defending Division IV section runners-up in assists (3.9), steals (5.6) and blocks (1.9) and is second in points (13.5) and rebounds (8.8). She has increased her production in every statistical category. She recorded her first career triple double in an early season win over Johansen, tallying 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. She also added nine steals in the game. She has had six double doubles this season, including a 19-point, 13-steal game against Hughson.
Veronica Whitten, Junior, Gregori
Whitten averages nearly a double double for the Jaguars, who are first in the CCAL with a 4-0 record. The junior in her third varsity season is second on the team in scoring, with 8.8 points, and first in rebounds, with 9.4. She is averaging at least eight points and nine rebounds for the second straight season. She has scored in double figures in eight games and has eight games with 10 or more rebounds. Whitten has tallied four double doubles on the season, including a monster 17-point, 13-rebound effort against Monterey Trail.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 12:12 PM.
