City Girls Face Tall Order at Collision XXI
The annual Collision All Star basketball game has traditionally been an enormous challenge for the girls representing the Los Angeles City Section and this edition poses yet another enormous test as the Southern Section fields its tallest team yet at 21st edition on Saturday April 20, 2019 at Los Angeles Harbor College at 5p.m.
Girls representing the Southern Section have won the 17 of the 20 basketball games played in the series, but this year they will suit up at least seven players 5’9 or taller posing arguably their stiffest City challenge in the 20 year series.
Leading the trees for the Southern Section squad is 6’5 Kennedy Lilly of El Dorado, 6’3 University of San Diego bound Amanda Olinger of State Champion Sierra Canyon, 5’11 Texas Tech recruit Alexis Tucker of Serra (Gardena), 5’11 Dorcus Wu of Chino Hills, 5’10 Mater Dei standout Cailyn Crocker (University of California Berkley), 5-10 Dee McAllister of Brentwood and 5’9 Redondo Union star Dylan Horton. Rounding out the team coach by Leuzinger’s Bo Corona and West Torrance’s Riki Murakami will be Bishop Montgomery’s Kayla Padilla and Kayla Williams, Kennedy Jackson of Redondo, Alisa Saito of West Torrance, Open Division honoree Kaiya Corona of Winward who will be attending Dartmouth, Deja Williams of Long Beach Poly and Valisa Millhouse of Leuzinger.
Six of the Southern Section members earned All CIF, including Crocker, Padilla, Williams and Horton who were Open selections, and Tucker (D1), Wu (D2) and McAllister (D3).
Los Angeles City Section Open Division Champion Granada Hills Charter and perennial city power Narbonne dominated the City team selections landing and unprecedented four players on the 15-team squad.
Led by Open Division Player of the Year Hayley Berfield, teammates and Open choices Stephanie Ornelas and Brianna Torres, and Ashley Jeong. Narbonne landed two players who were Open Division honorees in Keeya Smith and Janaiah Perkins-Jackson, and All Marine League teammates Destyni Heard and Leonna Logan.
Closing out the roster for the City team will be Open honorees Ayanna Khalfani of El Camino Real and Destiny Brown of City Open runner-up Westchester, Guadalupe Garcia of Marquez, All City D1 selections Eriona Williams and Kayla Valencia of Carson, and teammate Leonna Logan.
Coaching the City girls will be Open Division Coach of the Year Jared Honig of Granada Hills Charter and Open Division runner-up Westchester’s Dominic Grimes.
Bishop Montgomery girls coach Noelle Quinn will become the first woman recipient of Jim Harrick Lifetime Achievement Award. Quinn played for Bishop Montgomery High School, where she was named McDonalds All American, a WBCA All-American. Quinn attended college at UCLA and graduated in 2007. Following her collegiate career, she was selected 4th overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.
The girls games are divided along sectional lines (LA City vs Southern Section) and the girls will tip off at 5p.m. followed by the boy’s game at 7p.m. Tickets at the door are $10. For more information contact (310) 924-7851. Four AAU exhibition basketball games will precede the Collision high school all-star games.