The all-Valley Oak League major awards were fittingly split between the co-championship girls basketball teams.
East Union’s Shalane Jackson was voted Most Valuable Player, while Manteca High’s Andrea Hiatt is Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Hiatt led the Buffaloes to the outright title in 2010-11. Manteca (12-2, 25-4 overall) defeated its crosstown rivals from East Union (12-2, 23-5) in this year’s league finale to force the two-way share.
Jackson produced 17.4 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals per game in her breakout senior campaign. The fourth-year varsity player caps her career as the 10th all-time leading scorer in program history and was a part of three VOL championship teams. She is also the fourth Lancer to earn MVP honors in six years.
“Earlier in her career she played with some great players, which made her the fourth or fifth scoring option,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “Things were passed onto her and she carried the torch. She did a phenomenal job when it was her turn to step up as a senior leader.”
Jackson especially shined during a critical five-game stretch in the middle of the league season, and she did some of it without teammate Tiare Tu’uga (18 ppg, 9 rpg), an all-VOL first-team selection.
After a triple-double effort (14 points, 14 rebounds, 10 steals) against Sonora, she burned Manteca for 21 points and 17 rebounds, Weston Ranch for 26 points and 19 boards, Sierra for 33 and 16, and Lathrop for 27 and 16.
Selected to the first team for Manteca were junior point guard Mikayla Hasal and senior guard Karleasha Thompson. Third-place Weston Ranch (11-3, 21-9) had two named to the first-team: fourth-year senior forward Jazmin Strane (13.3 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 3.3 spg, 1.8 bpg) and junior guard Emoni Wilson (9.3 ppg).
Manteca-area second-team honorees include: Manteca junior forward Jasmine Odell, Weston Ranch sophomore forward Leticia Infante (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Lathrop junior point guard Jazlyn Simon (15.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.9 spg) and Sierra senior center Lia Unterholzner.
Earning honorable mention were: Manteca guard Mia Ramirez, Weston Ranch guard Aljanea Brown, East Union guard Kristen Piasecki, East Union guard Alison Telles, Sierra guard Celine Barber, Sierra post Shelby Shirron and Lathrop post Loreal Taylor.
Ramirez, Piasecki and Wilson are also on the all-defensive team.
