Destiny Littleton (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/USAB)
Destiny Littleton began the season averaging 40 points a game for Bishop’s (La Jolla, Calif.), but she did even better in a 74-69 victory against Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), among the top teams in Nevada, at the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic.
Littleton scored 47 points, made 18 of 20 free throws and grabbed six rebounds. In the games that followed at the event, Littleton had 44 against Serra in a 84-38 victory, posted 30 in a 56-51 victory against Sierra Canyon and then scored 32 in a 67-57 loss to Mission Hills.
That was the first loss of the season for Bishop’s after a 14-1 start.
The 5-8 guard is ranked No. 13 in the Class of 2017 HoopGurlz rankings from ESPNw and also played for Team USA in the FIBA Americas Women’s U16 Championship last summer.
For her efforts, Littleton leads the first American Family Insurance ALL-USA Performances of the Week for the new year. The rest of the top performances as high school sports continue around the nation:
Max Bruss, wrestling, De Pere (Wisconsin)
Bruss, a sophomore, defeated Laconia’s Zachary Foth in a 10-0 decision to win the 120-pound title in the 65-team Oshkosh On The Water Tournament.
Kate Murphy, girl’s track, Lake Murphy (Va.)
Murphy, a junior, won the 1,000 meters at the F.I.T. (Friends of Indoor Track) Invitational in a time of 2:50.56, which is No. 1 in the nation this year and No. 5 all-time in Virginia. Murphy won the 1,500 last summer at the U.S. Juniors and the Pan Am Junior Games.
Eleah Parker, Northside Christian (North Carolina)
A 6-4 junior, Parker posted 62 points and 65 rebounds in three games at the Hoodies House event, one of the best performances in the tournament’s history. She was named to the all-tournament team.
Brandon Robinson, boy’s basketball, Douglas County (Georgia)
The North Carolina signee put on a show in a 66-64 win against Northside. Robinson scored 27 points, had eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Sixteen of those points came from the free throw line. Robinson is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Georgia by the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Jadyn Bush, girl’s basketball, Bishop Blanchet (Washington)
The forward had 33 points, 17 rebounds and four steals in a 62-56 win over Wilson in a matchup of highly regarded teams in the Seattle area. Bush was efficient too, shooting 77% from the field.
Madison Kerr, girl’s basketball, Peters Township (Pennsylvania)
The senior guard scored 17 points in a 71-59 win over Moon and 17 points in a 68-14 win over West Miffin last week. Kerr is averaging 15.7 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.
“Kerr has become a complete player,” coach Bert Kendall told the Observer-Reporter. “She likes to get in there and she figured it out. You crash the boards, you get some putbacks and it’s leading by example. Our goal as a team was to outrebound every opponent and she’s taken that to heart.”
Corey Kispert, boy’s basketball, King (Washington)
The forward scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds, three steals and a block in a 44-27 win against Inglemoore in the Bellevue College Holliday basketball tournament.
Jessica Halsmer (Submitted to Indy Star)
Jessica Halsmer, girl’s swimming, Broad Ripple (Indiana)
Halsmer won the 200-meter medley with a time of 2:19:11 at the Indianapolis City meet and set a personal record in the 100 backstroke, shaving more than a second off her previous time.
Tyler Faulkenberry, boy’s basketball, Mt Juliet (Tennessee)
Faulkenberry managed to produce nearly half of his team’s offensive output by himself in a 47-44 win against Clarksville, scoring 20 points.
Ahlana Smith, girl’s basketball, Vance (North Carolina)
Vance defeated Rocky River 58-48, and Smith played a major role. She had 26 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and four assists.