SBLive's 2021-22 All-Central Section Girls Basketball Teams: Etoyah Montgomery is Player of the Year

Montgomery was the leading scorer and rebounder on the No. 1 team in the section.

(Lead photo by Bobby Medellin)

Here are SBLive's All-Central Section girls basketball teams for the 2021-22 season. For of our end-of-season girls basketball awards, the main criteria are individual statistics and team success relative to strength of schedule. Both regular season and playoff success were considered.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: F Etoyah Montgomery – Clovis West – JR.

Photo by Jim Malone

The six foot do-it-all SF averaged 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game, and was arguably the top defensive anchor in the section for the 28-4 Open Division champion. Montgomery was also named to SBLive's Second Team All-State and First Team All-NorCal, and will enter her senior season as the heavy favorite to repeat as MVP.

FIRST TEAM ALL-SECTION:

G Athena Tomlinson – Clovis West – SO.

Photo by Jim Malone

Tomlinson was the other half of the section's top duo, averaging 14.9 points, 2.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game for the CIF Northern Region Open Division semifinalist.

G Avary Cain – St. Joseph (Santa Maria) – SO.

Cain led the Knights to the Open Division semifinals and a No. 3 finish in the section averaging 18.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, three assists, and 2.4 steals per game.

G Makennah Simonson – Nipomo – JR.

Simonson led the Titans to an Open Division birth with team-highs of 15.9 points, 5.3 steals, and 3.3 assists per game to go with 5.3 RPG.

G Nseije Ortiz – Porterville – SR.

Ortiz averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.5 steals per game on 50% shooting to lead the 29-5 Panthers to a Division 2 section title and the CIF Southern Region Division III finals. 

G/F Mo Trigueiro – Caruthers – JR.

The top three-point shooter in the section, Trigueiro averaged a team-high 18.6 PPG to lead the Blue Raiders (28-4) to a Division 3 title and nearly a top-five finish in the CIFCS. She knocked down a section-leading 85 threes at a 39% clip and had a 47-point outburst with 12 made threes in a league win against Fowler. Trigueiro also averaged 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and two steals a game.

F Talia Maxwell – Central – JR.

Maxwell had one of the most dominant individual campaigns in the section to guide the Grizzlies to the Division 1 semifinals. She averaged 21.5 PPG on an eye-popping 60% FG in addition to 9.2 rebounds, 3.4 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game in the 23 contests in which those stats were recorded – all of which were team-highs.

F Faith Curry – Bakersfield – SO.

Curry had a huge sophomore season and postseason run to lead the Drillers (26-4) to the section Open Division finals and the second round of the State Division I playoffs. Despite playing reduced minutes in a lot of regular season blowout wins, she averaged team-highs of 12.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game plus 1.7 SPG on 52% shooting, 40% shooting from three, and an EFG of 56%.

F/C Meadow Roland – San Joaquin Memorial – JR.

Photo by Ralph Thompson

Roland was our Central Section MVP runner-up for leading SJM to a Division 1 title and CIF Division II State finals appearance with 19.2 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 steals, three blocks, and 1.7 assists per game. She was also named to SBLive's Third Team All-State and First Team All-NorCal.

C Aaliyah Thompson – Corcoran – SR.

Thompson was one of the section's leaders in three statistical categories to lift the Panthers to a dominant Division 4 title run. She averaged 22.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 2.5 steals per game on 52% shooting. In four games of the section playoffs, Thompson upped her line to 26 points and 18.8 rebounds a game, and then posted a 30/30 game in a Division IV State playoff win against Temple City.

SECOND TEAM ALL-SECTION:

G Karissa Jordan – Coalinga – SR.

G Kyla Wandick – Bakersfield – SR.

Photo by Bobby Medellin

G Devin Miller – Clovis – JR.

G Kenyah Stubbs – Hanford – SO.

G/F Melia Kamalani – Minarets – SR.

G/F Corin Camara – Buchanan – SR.

G/F Andrea Stajic – St. Joseph – SR.

F Kennedy Vincent – Clovis West – SR.

Photo by Jim Malone

C Khaelii Robertson-Mack – Orcutt Academy – JR.

C Khari Grimes – Stockdale – SR.

THIRD TEAM ALL-SECTION:

G Saiya Sidhu – San Joaquin Memorial – FR.

G Alexis Killebrew – Bakersfield – SR.

G Radisson Banks – Bakersfield – JR.

Photo by Bobby Medellin

G Jasmin Martinez – Independence – SR.

G Gracie Magana – Porterville – SR.

G Giselle Calderon – Orcutt Academy – SR.

G Ebele Mbagwu – Stockdale – JR.

G Aalaysia Blakely – Golden Valley – SR.

G Kacie Slover – Nipomo – SR.

G Michaela Young – Clovis West – SR.

G/F Krista Shaeffer – Sanger – JR.

F Madisyn Cutliff – Righetti – SR.

F Krissy Turman – Caruthers – SR.

F Olivia Samaniego – McFarland – JR.

F/C Emma Fredricks – Liberty – JR.

C Makayla Carre – Sierra Pacific – JR.

C Candace Kpetikou – St. Joseph  – JR.