STAR-NEWS ALL-AREA TEAM
Player of the Year: Armand Bagramyan, La Canada, Jr.
Coach of the Year: Diego Back, Bosco Tech, First year

FIRST TEAM
GK: Jonathan Ibarra, Bosco Tech, Sr.
FW: Matt Laterza, St. Francis, Sr.
FW: Andrew Powers, La Salle, Sr.
FW: Reed Miller, Monrovia, Jr.
MF: Austin Frank, St. Francis, Sr.
MF: Jeff Becker, La Canada, Sr.
MF: Benoy Menon, Pasadena Poly, Sr.
DEF: Cesco Luna, La Salle, Sr.
DEF: Eric Maldonado, Monrovia, Sr.
DEF: Jeremy Viramontes, Bosco, Sr.
DEF: Thomas Banks, St. Francis, Sr.

SECOND TEAM
GK: Graham Labran-Boyd, La Canada.
FW: Smail Belhamra, Pasadena, Jr.
FW: Diego Gonzalez, Arcadia, Jr.
MF: Hayden Berge, La Salle, Sr.
MF: Armaan Zare, La Canada, So.
MF: Eric Bocanegra, St. Francis, Sr.
MF: Briley Venti, La Salle, Jr.
MF: James Alewine, Monrovia, Jr.
DEF: Aiden Tourani, La Canada, Jr.
DEF: Steven Blackwell, S. Pas., Sr.
DEF: John Silk, San Marino, Sr.

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer
Sara Reingewirtz/Staff Photographer

It wasn’t a fluke, that much is clear.

When La Canada High School’s Armand Bagramyan netted 21 goals and eight assists as a sophomore last year, pundits pointed to the fact Bagramyan had the luxury of space around him with fellow stars Cameron Meeker (24 goals, 19 assists) and Matt Canatta (21 goals, 20 assists) commanding most of the attention from a swarm of defenders.

This season, Bagramyan put doubters to rest for good. The junior forward attacked with relentless fashion, waltzing his way around defenders before shifting into third gear and bursting past them with breakaway speed. He went on to score 23 goals and 15 assists in a season where he missed four consecutive games because of a lingering injury and was limited to no more than one half in at least three more games, a couple in which he played less than a minute because of the same injury.

Still, Bagramyan proved to be the real deal, becoming the most prolific scorer while leading La Canada to a third consecutive unbeaten season in the Rio Hondo League and a second-round appearance in the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 playoffs. It’s the third consecutive season the Spartans boast a player who has scored at least 20 goals in the season. So it’s no surprise that Bagramyan is the third consecutive player out of La Canada High to earn Star-News Player of the Year in the 2011-12 season.

It’s becoming clear that La Canada soccer doesn’t rebuild. The Spartans simply reload. But it’s very possible that Bagramyan faced the toughest challenge with sole attention focused on him. That was the case in the second round of the playoffs against Mountain View with at times surrounded by six defenders.

“He didn’t have the same supporting cast as last year,” La Canada coach Alex Harrison said. “Six guys defending one player, that took away our whole offense.”

Bagramyan, who also earned first-team All-CIF honors and the Rio Hondo League’s most valuable offensive player, carried himself on the field with the same kind of swagger that made Meeker (Sacramento State) and Canatta (University of Hartford) Division I athletes.

“It shows what kind of great athletes come to this school,” Bagramyan said. “Being compared to Cameron and Matt and getting this award like them too is big for me.”

But what he possess is prototype size, breakaway speed and strength. It’s arguably what makes the junior an even more threat and potential Division I recruit. Bagramyan set out to work in the offseason and improve his work ethic. It showed on the pitch in his ability to create space working off the ball. He’s as versatile as they come, a forward who doesn’t shy from physical play. In fact, he thrives off it. Bagramyan was made captain this season, just another example of his strong work ethic paying dividends.

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Above: Pasadena Poly’s Michelle Miller is the 2011-12 Star-News Girls Basketball Player of the Year (Walt Mancini / Staff Photographer)

STAR-NEWS ALL-AREA TEAM
Player of the year: Michelle Miller, Pasadena Poly, senior
Coach of the year: Hon Trieu, Keppel, Second season

FIRST TEAM
Imari Brown, Duarte, Junior
Emoni Jackson, Muir, Sophomore
Alyson Lock, Keppel, Junior
Gina Henderson, Monrovia, Senior
Kandyce Smith, La Salle, Sophomore

SECOND TEAM
Melody Chang, Arcadia, Junior
Samantha Lee, Keppel, Junior
Megan Rutherford, Pasadena, Senior
Melody Gauthier, Rosemead, junior
Shaela Flynn, Muir, Senior

By Keith Lair, Staff Writer

It could be easy to dismiss all of Michelle Miller’s eye-popping numbers.

The 5-foot, 10-inch senior has finished her high school career as the second-leading scorer in CIF-Southern Section girls basketball history, behind only Cheryl Miller, and fifth-best in the state. During this past season, the Pasadena Poly guard passed legends Diana Taurasi and Lisa Leslie on the scoring list.

She also had the CIF-SS’ fifth-highest point total for one season, finished with the third-best scoring average and finished ninth in career 3-pointers.

But many have questioned those numbers, considering Poly, with its high school enrollment of about 400 students, plays in the Prep League, certainly not one of the most competitive in the Southern Section.

The rap was, could Miller thrive against the best teams, against the best defenders, in Southern California?

“It was true,” admits Miller, who has been selected the Star-News Player of the Year for the third consecutive time. “But I think I was able to have the same point production against the better schools.”

Miller proved time and again that she could face that type of competition. In a nonleague game against St. Anthony this season, she scored 42 points. In her final game for Poly, in the second round of the CIF-SS playoffs, she had 36 points in a 68-65 loss to Bell-Jeff, and the Guards advanced to the Division 4AA semifinals.

“One of the best compliments I would get was whenwe would play teams like St.Anthony or Bell-Jeff,” she said.”Those teams and coaches were complimentary and I do think that made (my numbers) legitimate.

“Yes, to a certain degree I had to prove myself. But playing club against other top local club teams, those girls do respect what I have accomplished.”

In a way, things got even tougher for Miller this season. She led the Panthers to the CIF-SS Division 5A championship in her junior year, earning the division’s player of the year honors. She averaged a career-high 33.0 points that season.

But because of the success enjoyed by the Panthers, and fellow league rival Chadwick, Poly was bumped up three divisions to Division 4AA, arguably the second-toughest division in the CIF-SS this season.

Miller was not the division’s MVP. She was not even selected to the All-CIF-SS first team.

It certainly wasn’t because of her numbers. She averaged 32.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game. The Panthers have won their last 25 Prep League games and they finished the season 22-5.

Those numbers are more impressive considering Miller, a guard who played nearly every position this season, sat out the fourth quarter in nearly every game. By the time the third quarter rolled around, the Panthers consistently had a 30- or 40-point lead.

If Miller had played in those 22 fourth quarters in which she sat, it is likely she would have easily passed Cheryl Miller, who scored 3,446 in four years at Riverside Poly from 1978 to 1982. Michelle Miller finished with 3,331 points, only 115 behind.

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Above: Pasadena’s Brandon Jolley, the Pasadena Star-News Player of the Year (Staff photo by Walt Mancini)

2011-12 STAR-NEWS ALL-AREA TEAM
BOYS BASKETBALL
Player of the Year: Brandon Jolley, Pasadena, Jr.
Coach of the Year: Tim Tucker, Pasadena, 17th season

FIRST TEAM
Forward: Blake Hamilton, Pasadena, Sr.
Forward: Jelani Mitchell, Muir, Jr.
Forward: Jessy Cantinol, Renaissance Academy, Sr.
Guard: Jeremy Major, Maranatha, Jr.
Guard: Ajon Efferson, Pasadena, So.

SECOND TEAM
Forward: Ali Jabalameli, South Pasadena, Sr.
Forward: Darrell Dansby, La Canada, Sr.
Guard: John Haywood, Pasadena, Sr.
Guard: Dion Nelson, Muir, Sr.
Guard: Vince De Guzman, Renaissance Academy, Sr.

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer
twitter.com/StarNewsPreps

Brandon Jolley will tell be the first to say he didn’t maximize his potential last year as a sophomore on the Pasadena High School boys basketball team.

The raw talent was there, but the hunger, drive and determination pieces still hadn’t fallen into place. Jolley, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound junior, showed glimpses of what he could become, giving way for tremendous upside.

Jolley’s strong off-season work didn’t translate on the court immediately, through no fault of his own. Jolley, a power forward, suffered an ankle injury at the start of the season and missed a key games against powerhouses La Verne Lutheran and L.A. Price. But the resiliency was evident, and soon his talent would be as well. Jolley fought his way back in the lineup, earning all-tournament honors in Sacramento and San Diego where the Bulldogs won the prestigious Mt. Carmel tournament, the first sign of not only where Pasadena was headed, but Jolley, too.

His progress was obvious, his talent coming to fruition. Jolley led a resurgent Pasadena team reinvigorated by its lone loss to Crescenta Valley. The Bulldogs came bounced back in the regular-season finale against Muir, as Jolley led the way with a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The surge continued in Pasadena’s run through the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AAA playoffs as Jolley would reel off a dominating performance that included 11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals against Bonita in the quarterfinals, a perfect blend guard skills and power forward mindset.

“I think he definitely rode us through the playoffs,” Pasadena coach Tim Tucker said.

Jolley then dropped 22 points and 10 rebounds on Beverly Hills before completing the masterpiece in the finals against Arroyo Grande with a game-high 18 points, four assists and two blocks, leading Pasadena to its fifth CIF championship in school history.

Jolley finished the season in dominating fashion with 19.9 points, nine rebounds and three assists, helping Pasadena reach the semifinals of the CIF State Southern California Regionals. For his turnaround, dedication and dominance on the court, Jolley, along with being the CIF-SS Division 3AAA co-player of the year, is the 2011-12 Pasadena Star-News Player of the Year.

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By Nathan Cambridge, Correspondent

MONROVIA – Joe Mata pitched a complete game, giving up four hits, in Monrovia High School’s 2-1 victory over visiting San Marino in Rio Hondo League baseball action Thursday afternoon.
“We’re hungry. We’re out here trying to get this league title,” Mata said.

The victory keeps Monrovia (11-3, 4-1) atop the league standings and evens the season series at one game apiece with one more to go. San Marino (10-4, 3-2) had entered Thursday’s game, which was rescheduled from Wednesday due to rain, with a share of the lead in the Rio Hondo, but the loss slips the Titans back behind co-leaders Monrovia and Temple City.

Mata threw early strikes and stayed ahead of batters to earn his fourth victory of the season. The junior left-hander struck out eight while recording first-pitch strikes on 16 of the 27 batters he faced. Of Mata’s 93 pitches, only 19 were balls and only two Titans batters reached a three-ball count – with neither reaching base.

“(Mata) was able to throw three pitches for strikes in early counts. You know, its a lot tougher for a high school kid to hit a ball 0-1 than it is 1-0,” Monrovia co-coach Brad Blackmore said.

San Marino starting pitcher Garret Glazier went five innings, allowing all six of the Monrovia hits and both runs. The senior was also the starter earlier this season for the Titans in their 2-1 over Monrovia at San Marino on March 16.

Monrovia took the lead on Glazier in the fifth inning, breaking a 1-1tie with the help of some defensive miscues by the Titans infield. David Perez led off with a single that dropped into shallow right field. Justin Jones then grounded into a fielder’s choice, with Perez out at second. Reed Miller then reached on a throwing error.
Nick Carino then hit a ground ball to second baseman Keiran Ryan who threw to Hill covering second, but the senior shortstop was slow in turning the double play, allowing Carino to reach first safely and Jones to score from second on the fielder’s choice.

“We just couldn’t come up with the ball in a couple scenarios and just couldn’t get the handle on the ball,” San Marino coach Mack Paciorek said of the Titans’ fifth inning. “Little things like that come back to cost you.”