Garrett, Coleman II and Hendrix garner Athlete of the Month accolades
SACRAMENTO - State championships and perfect games were the hallmarks of the CCCSIA Athletes of the Month for March with Fullerton College standout Lance Coleman II earning the men's award, and basketball star Zahria Hendrix from Diablo Valley College and pitching ace Briana Garrett from Antelope Valley College sharing the women's honor, it was announced on Thursday.
Zahria Hendrix, Diablo Valley, G, Women’s Basketball, Stockton, Lincoln HS
Zahara lead the Diablo College through an amazing run in the women’s nasketball blayoffs that resulted in the Vikings winning the CCCAA Championship in Ventura with a 32-1 record. Hendrix was the Big 8 and CCCAA NorCal Player of the Year, along with being named the MVP of the state tournament.
For the month of March, which included all her playoff games, she averaged a double-double with 14.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. She finished the year with a scoring average of 16.7 and 9 boards.
In the tournament final, she played all 40 minutes of the game and recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Vikings to a 68-61 victory over Moorpark, resulting in Diablo Valley’s first-ever women’s basketball state championship.
Briana Garrett, Antelope Valley, P/Util, Softball, Lancaster, Quartz Hill HS
On March 16, Garrett threw a complete game perfect game against Bakersfield College, striking out 11.
Two days later on March 18, Briana threw another perfect game against Barstow College, striking out 17 of a possible 21 batters.
She picked up 10 wins for the month, throwing 71-1/3 innings while allowing just 46 hits and striking out 102 batters, For the month, she had a 1.18 era. Along with her stellar pitching in March, Garrett she had a .407 batting average scored 10 times and drove in 12 runs along with 2 homeruns.
Lance Coleman II, Fullerton, G/F, Basketball, Stockton, St. Mary’s HS
Lance Coleman II played a major role in propelling Fullerton College to the CCCAA State Championship this past March. The sophomore guard led the Hornets in scoring all season (19.4 ppg.), but the most impressive feat all season took place in the quarterfinals of the state championship against Santa Rosa when Coleman II scored a game-high 31 points to bring Fullerton a come-from-behind victory. Coleman scored 13 points in the final two minutes of the game to beat a very talented Santa Rosa squad. The Orange Empire Conference MVP scored a total of 95 points in 5 games during the month of March. He was named the SoCal Player of the Year, the State Tournament MVP, and was crowned a champion for his efforts on the court.
(David Silverstein, CCCSIA)