Underclassmen lead the way on H-DN All-League teams

By barstoolfanatics on March 7, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Kaitlin Giacone

By Ray Hamill — The best is yet to come for all three of this year’s H-DN MVPs in girls basketball.

The league officially announced the 2022/23 all-league selections on Tuesday, and all three girls MVPs are underclassmen.

This year’s Big 5 MVP is Eureka junior Kaitlin Giacone, while St. Bernard’s teammates Madelyn Shanahan and Laila Florvilus were named co-MVPs of the Little 4 after leading the Crusaders to a league championship.

Fondly known to her teammates as KK, Giacone was one of several talented players on a senior-heavy Eureka roster, which won both the Big 5 and the Dick Niclai Tournament, and the junior star played a pivotal role in that success.

“(Giacone) did everything that was asked of her this year, and then some,” Eureka head coach Cliff Napoleon said of the junior guard, who also is a standout soccer and softball player. “As strong as this team was, KK stood out. She is one of the best athletes in the county. She is one of the smartest athletes in the county.”

Giacone averaged 12 points a game off the bench and gave her team a spark every time she took the floor, while also averaging 5 boards, 2.4 assists, 3.3 steals and a block a game.

She would have seen more time on the court but for the fact the Loggers featured such a deep and talented senior-heavy roster with several players worthy of MVP consideration.

Giacone, who suffered a knee injury in the final game of the season and will miss the softball season, averaged 33 percent from 3-point range and 66 percent from inside the arc, a very impressive return for a guard.

“If she took 10-12 more shots per game, which is what she could have taken, she would average over 20 points a game,” Napoleon said. “She was the ultimate team player and the team as a whole benefited from it.

“Next year will be different, as we won’t have the same type of team. Next year she will take 10-15 shots a game and average over 20. She’s well capable of doing that, easily.”

Madelyn Shanahan

Shanahan and Florvilus were equally impressive for the Crusaders, who followed their league title with a trip to the North Coast Section Division-4 quarterfinals, while playing far larger schools.

The dynamic duo were the heart and soul of a SB team that dominated Big 5 schools for much of the season.

“Madelyn and Laila carried us to the league championship this year,” head coach Matt Tomlin said.

Remarkably, this is Shanahan’s third MVP award this school year, after also earning the honor in the volleyball and soccer seasons, which were held at the same time.

The junior standout is also arguably the best Little 4 track and field athlete in the area.

“Madelyn was an amazing defender who blocked shots and rebounded, while also having the ability to play all five positions offensively while scoring from anywhere on the court,” Tomlin said of the versatile and unselfish star.

Laila Florvilus

Florvilus, meanwhile, has already established herself as one of the top players in the area in just her sophomore year and averaged 17.4 points a game.

But that wasn’t all she did well.

“Laila was the point on our press and led the team in steals defensively while attacking the basket and leading us in scoring,” Tomlin said of the sensational sophomore, who was as good as anyone in league at driving to the basket.

All in all, the future appears bright for the Crusaders, as long as these two standouts are the focal point of their team.

“These two amazing young ladies complement each other so well on the court and they drive our basketball program,” the head coach said.

The three MVPs weren’t the only players recognized for their outstanding seasons on Tuesday.

Nine players in total were named to the Big 5 all-league team, including Giacone’s Eureka teammates Mariah Napoleon and Amaya Gee, each of whom also played a pivotal role for the league champs in their senior campaigns.

Napolen was a force in the paint on both ends of the floor, while Gee has developed into one of the most dangerous point guards in the area and has improved tremendously over the past few seasons.

Nora Talty

Del Norte junior Lili Nunez also enjoyed an outstanding season on a Warriors team that was the most improved in the Big 5 this winter, as did teammate Brooklyn Carter, a sophomore who had a breakout campaign and was as good as any player in league from 3-point range.

McKinleyville seniors Camryn Pinard and Kim Lewis also were named to the all-league team after playing pivotal roles in leading the Panthers to the state playoffs, as was Arcata junior Nora Talty, who could very well be an MVP candidate a year from now, and Fortuna’s Kylee Fennell, a senior who was a consistent bright spot all season for the Huskies.

In the Little 4, meanwhile, another consistent senior, St. Bernard’s Mataya Sherman, joins Shanahan and Florvilus on the all-league team.

Fresh off their memorable playoff run, Ferndale’s tenacious senior teammates Carly Carmesin and Emily Chavez are also all-league selections, as are Hoopa senior Tatianna Colegrove and junior Tashee Tracy and South Fork’s Caidence Young.