State champions headline all-state teams

Nick Christensen

Thursday, March 17, 2005 | 10:46 a.m.

One has come a long way and one has a long way to go, but the two local basketball phenoms selected as the Sun's All-State players of the year for 2005 both made a huge impact on their state champion teams.

Bishop Gorman guard Kashif Watson had a monster season for the Gaels, scoring 21 points per game in the regular season and pumping it up to 26 per game in the playoffs to help his team win a championship he all but promised.

Italee Lucas, Centennial's sweet-shooting sophomore guard, pitched in 20 points per game while averaging eight steals and eight assists per contest to guide the Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive state championship.

They join eight others on the 2005 Sun All-State Basketball Team, selected by the Sun with extensive input from statewide media and coaches.

Watson is the "Chief" of the boys' team, which also features P'Allen Stinnett of Palo Verde and Andre McFarland from Durango. Stinnett was thrust into the leadership role of the Panthers after leading scorer Nate Schulte opted to transfer to a school in New Hampshire.

Despite the tumult with Schulte's short-lived return and the emotional passing of coach Phil Clarke in December, Stinnett finished second in the state with 25.5 points per game as the Panthers advanced to their second state championship game.

McFarland was also cast into the leader's role and thrived, pulling down nearly 10 rebounds a game while logging 21 double-doubles this year.

Two Northern boys, Kevin Berry and Derek Lorenzen, were named to the 2005 All-State team. Berry had an incredible late-season run in which he averaged 30.8 points during a five-game stretch, and Lorenzen's leadership took Galena to the state tournament with a team comprised mostly of underclassmen.

On the girls' team, Lucas was joined by teammate Jordyn Bowen, who earned her first all-state nod after stepping up to provide a key front-court presence throughout the season. Bishop Gorman forward Kaila Mangrum had a similar impact for the Gaels, the only team to beat Centennial this season.

Two Northern Region guards, Reno's Kaylan King and Reed's Maria Moore, were named to the all-state team. Moore was also on the 2004 team, repeating an outstanding season by averaging 20 points and six assists a game. King was the on-court leader for the Northern champs, providing offensive spark and defensive presence for the Huskies.

The Sun also acknowledges 10 outstanding second-team individuals, whose performance this season made final selections very tightly contested.