(Left to right) Corona del Sol’s Saben Lee, Alex Barcello and Tyrell Henderson look to lead the team back to another State Championship at Corona del Sol in Tempe. (Photo: Patrick Breen, azcentral sports)
Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) knocked off previously-ranked Super 25 No. 18 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) on Saturday in the Desert Challenge at Scottsdale Rancho Solano Prep. It would have been hard to pull off without the efforts of junior guard Saben Lee, who scored 32 points in the 76-74 win.
“We came together as a team and showed that we belong with the best competition in the nation,” Lee told azcentral.com. “We definitely came very far from the opening game. We made huge strides (Saturday night) as a team.”
For his efforts, Lee leads the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Performances of the Week.
The rest of the top performances as high school sports continue around the nation:
Kaleb Minica, boys basketball, Weaubleau (Missouri).
Minica is averaging 22 points and 19 rebounds in six games this year. His past week certainly helped those numbers, shooting 88 percent while scoring 32 points in a win over Greenwood and he following that performance with 29 points and 19 rebounds in a game against Macks Creek.
Allison Cox, girls basketball, Winner (South Dakota).
Cox filled up the stat sheet in a 78-61 win over Wagner. Cox scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded six steals and seven assists.
James Cook, football, Miami Central (Florida).
Miami Central defeated Seffner Armwood 48-13 to win their fourth straight Florida Class 6A title game on Dec. 12. Cook, the younger brother of Florida State running back Dalvin Cook, ran the ball 15 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Megan Bultsma, girls basketball, Mt. Vernon/Plankinton (South Dakota).
When you think of a triple double in basketball, you typically associate that with a game of double digit points, rebounds and assists. Bultsma pulled off the rare triple double with blocks in a 40-29 win over West Central. Bultsma scored 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked 12 shots.
Evan Cooper, boys swimming, Tri-West (Indiana).
Cooper had a high score of 288.25 in a Dec. 8 meet against Speedway, and is 6-0 on dual meets this season.
David Jenkins, boys basketball, Wilson (Washington).
Jenkins was remarkably consistent last week, leading Wilson to three wins. The junior guard scored 34 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a win over Mount Tahoma, and then followed that up with 27 points in a win over Timberline.
Carmen Backes, girls basketball, Chisago Lakes (Minnesota).
The forward was spectacular in a 70-61 win over Superior (Wisconsin) last Friday. Backes scored 37 points and pulled in 16 rebounds to lead Chisago Lakes.
Isoa Moimoi, football, Sacred Heart (California).
Moimoi was the workhorse running back in Sacred Heart’s decisive 56-20 win over McClymonds, sending Sacred Heart to the state title game. The running back ran the ball 24 times for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Katelyn Brightbill, girls hockey, Annville-Cleona (Pennsylvania).
Brightbill was the key performer in a 12-10 shootout win over Elizabethtown, scoring a hat trick and assisting on five other goals.