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St. Anthony's Kendall Cooper, denied a spot on USA Basketball's U17 national team on Sunday, learned Monday she'd made the U18 roster and will play in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women this summer.
Cooper, a 6-foot-3 post who will be a senior next season, originally went to Colorado Springs, Co., to try out for the U17 team. She didn't make that team, but was one of a few players invited to stay and try out for the U18 team as well. She learned Monday she'd made the 12-player team and will travel to Puerto Rico in August to play in the FIBA tournament.
Still only 16, Cooper is the youngest player on the roster, which includes players who have signed with Baylor, UConn, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Texas. Cooper said she looks forward to the challenge of playing older, more experienced competition.
"The way to better yourself as a player is to play against the best," Cooper said.
Cooper will spend Memorial Day weekend training with the tea in Orlando and will return to Colorado Springs in early August for training camp. The eight-team FIBA tournament will be held in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, from Aug. 15-19. The top three finishers will earn berths in the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Lithuania.

St. Anthony High girls basketball star Kendall Cooper made the USA Basketball U18 national team on Monday.

The national team will compete in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women in Puerto Rico in August.

Cooper, 16, was told Sunday she hadn't made the U17 team she had originally tried out for at the trials in Colorado Springs, Co. The 6-foot-3 senior-to-be, however, was one of just a few U17 hopefuls who were asked to stay for the U18 trials as well.

Cooper impressed U18 coach Katie Meier enough with her interior play to make the team of older, more experienced players.

St. Anthony coach James Anderson called Cooper's selection "a huge honor."

Eric Cooper, who has guided the La Verne Lutheran High boys basketball program into prominence of the past several years, will be taking charge at St. Anthony.

Cooper, who prepped at Banning High, will be taking over for Chris Morrison, who stepped down recently.

Cooper coached the La Verene Lutheran for the past five years. He posted a combined 132-30 record and guided the team to CIF State championships in 2011 (Division 3) and 2010 (Division 5). His teams also won CIF-SS titles in 2008 (Division 5AA), 2010 (Division 5AA) and 2011 (Division 3AA).

See more in Friday's Press-Telegram

Eight area players were named first-team All-CIF in boys basketball on Tuesday, including two each from Poly, Mayfair and St. John Bosco.

Leading the way for Poly were junior forward Roschon Prince and junior post Jordan Bell. The duo led the Jackrabbits to a 29-3 record and a return trip to the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA title game, where they were unable to defend their championship in a 63-59 loss to Mater Dei on March 3
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Senior wing Dion Wright was named Player of the Year in Division II-A after he helped Mayfair (27-6) win the championship with a 60-45 victory over Righetti. Wright's younger brother, junior guard Brian Wright, also was named to the team and Mayfair's Tony Davis was tabbed Coach of the Year.

Over at St. John Bosco, the Braves (25-8) had brothers Isaac and Daniel Hamilton selected to the Division III-A team. The Braves lost in the Southern Section semifinals, but made it all the way to the state Division III Southern California Regional final before losing to Alemany 62-61 Saturday.

Compton senior forward Victor Robbins also was named to the Division II-A team. He led the Tarbabes (19-10) to the quarterfinals of the Southern Section playoffs.

Finally, senior guard Michael Alvarez of Downey Calvary Chapel was named to the Division V-AA team.

Lynwood senior Shahana Zeigler was honored by the CIF Southern Section as the Division II-AA girls basketball Player of the Year on Tuesday and Ellis Barfield earned Coach of the Year as well.
Zeigler and Barfield led the Knights to the Division II-AA title this season - Lynwood's first since 2006 - and into the D-II semifinals of the Southern California regional playoffs. The Knights finished the season with a 26-5 record.
Another from the area, Avalon's David West, was chosen as Division V-A Coach of the Year after leading the Lancers to the V-A final and into the second round of the SoCal regionals. Avalon made its longest playoff run ever and finished the season with a 20-6 record.
I-AA - Destiny King, Poly senior
I-A - Rayana Villalpando, Downey senior
II-AA - Alize Lofton, Lynwood junior
III-AAA - Jewelyn Sawyer, Gahr junior
III-A - Michelle Pennala, St. Joseph sophomore
IV-A - Rachel Nagel, Whitney sophomore
V-A - Elizabeth Chavoya, Avalon senior

Poly junior girls basketball player Keyla Morgan was released from an Ontario-area hospital Sunday and is doing fine after suffering a seizure during Saturday's Division I Regional final, according to Poly coach Carl Buggs.
Morgan collapsed to the floor and suffered a seizure during the third quarter of Saturday's game against Mater Dei at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. After being treated on the arena floor by medical staff, she was taken off by stretcher and eventually transferred to San Antonio Community Hospital, where she was kept overnight for observation. After a battery of neurological tests showed she was fine, Morgan was released Sunday.
"She's doing a lot better," Buggs said Monday afternoon.
Saturday's seizure was the second for Morgan since January, when she suffered a concussion and seizure during practice. After being sent home, Morgan suffered another seizure and was hospitalized for five days. She sat out the rest of the regular season but was medically cleared to return for the playoffs.

St. John Bosco was less than 2 minutes from advancing to next week's CIF State Division III final but turned the ball over on five of its final six possessions and lost to Alemany 62-61 in heartbreaking fashion at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario.
The Braves held a 61-60 lead with 12 seconds left on a basket by Kameron Murrell. But Alemany's KJ Moffett made a beautiful baseline drive and scored on a reverse layup with 2.4 seconds left. SJB junior Isaac Hamilton had one last chance to win the game but his desperation 3-pointer from behind half court was off the mark.
Hamilton was spectacular, scoring a game-high 32 points. He scored 21 in the second half - 13 in the third quarter alone - and led SJB back from an 18-point deficit in the first half.
Bosco committed 22 turnovers, including eight in the fourth. The Braves led 57-51 with 1:38 left but were outscored 11-4 from that point.
Alemany's Marqueze Coleman scored 24 points but was held to eight in the second half.
SJB finished the season with a 25-8 record and advanced further in the playoffs than it ever had.