East Union point guard Vezaldenos unanimous Valley Oak League MVP

Olivia Vezaldenos returned East Union High School’s girls basketball program to the top of the Valley Oak League.

The Lancers swept through league play and won 17 consecutive games before losing in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament.

Vezaldenos’ work didn’t go unnoticed, either. In a unanimous vote of league coaches, the senior point guard was named the VOL’s Most Valuable Player.

It was a fitting culmination to a career that had been building in brilliance since her arrival at the varsity level as a fearless freshman.

“Just a classic high school story. She played four years at the varsity level and each year improved her game and her skill,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “Each year, her team’s record has got better and better, culminating in this season’s VOL record.”

Sporting her trademark headband and long ponytail, Vezaldenos averaged a league-high 20.4 points and 5.5 assists in her final season under Agostini, who was voted the VOL’s Coach of the Year.

She closed her career No. 2 on the school’s all-time scoring chart with 1,701 points, trailing only Danelle Bishop (nee Liles), now the coach at Cal Poly Pomona. Bishop closed her career with 2,172 points.

However, Vezaldenos’ individual stats paled in comparison to one accomplishment: The Lancers won their first league title since 2012, a long drought for a program that had grown accustomed to winning.

“That was something that did drive her,” Agostini said. “She did talk about, ‘Hey, coach, want to win a VOL title?’ By her working hard at it, it carried over to her teammates and other girls in the program.”

East Union left no doubt in its revival season, winning 27 of its 29 games and routing its cross-town rival and VOL runner-up Manteca en route to a 14-0 league record. It was the first time the Lancers had gone unbeaten in league under Agostini, who just finished his ninth season on the bench at his alma mater.

Vezaldenos was at her best against the Buffaloes. She poured in 38 points in their first meeting, falling three points short of the school record set by former Stanislaus State player and assistant coach Christin Gowan.

“She was a pleasure to coach,” Agostini said. “She’s one of those special players you get every once in awhile that makes her team better and coaches better also.”

Vezaldenos was joined on the first team by teammate Donja Payne, another talented freshman. Payne averaged 11.2 points, 14.4 rebounds and three blocked shots during league play. She was one of two players to average a double double in league games and led the VOL in shooting at 52 percent.

“We get to work with another player with a lot of raw, natural ability,” Agostini said. “She hasn’t even scratched the surface yet. She shows a passion for the game, and she doesn’t even know it. She wants to be a basketball player, and that’s a great thing to hear as a coach.”

Rounding out the first team were: Manteca’s Loretta Kakala and Syd’Nee Fryer, Central Catholic’s Danielle Friedrich and Kimball’s Pearl Bautista.

Fryer was also named to the All-Defensive Team along with East Union junior forward Ciara Goodwin and Sierra’s Megan Westfall.

Friedrich had eight double doubles in league play, where she averaged 18.4 points and 10 rebounds.

Kakala shook off an injury-marred December to lead the Buffaloes in scoring and rebounding. The 6-foot-3 forward performed under a microscope this season as her recruitment intensified. The player with a top-30 national ranking was visited by Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA, Washington, San Diego State, Louisville and Georgia Tech, according to NorCalPreps’ Chris Roemer.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 10:35 AM with the headline "East Union point guard Vezaldenos unanimous Valley Oak League MVP."