Two of those put in the spotlight this week are high-scoring guards Talayia Fuller (left) of Lawndale and Maximillian Russell of Tracy. Photos: lawndalegirlsbasketball / Instagram.com & Glenn Moore / Tracy Press.

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Notes: For these honors, we consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Girls Player of the Week

Telayia Fuller (Lawndale) Sr.

To find the Southern California Player of the Week, we head around 20 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles, around three miles southeast of Los Angeles International Airport, and not far east off the I-405 in Lawndale, where we find this week’s winner at Lawndale High.

We won’t tell you any lies about Telayia because we don’t have to since she is the real deal. Last week, in a 67-55 victory over crosstown and host Leuzinger that reversed a 65-50 loss at home and solidified the Cardinals position as the top team in the Ocean League, Telayia made hay of the visiting Olympians after going for a double-double 38 points (six three-pointers) and 10 rebounds with six steals and two assists.

So far for 18-8 Lawndale and heading into the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, Fuller, a 5-foot-8 wing who also starred on the Lawndale flag football and volleyball teams, is averaging 19.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.3 steals per game.

In the previous loss to Leuzinger, Telayia had 33 points, and if Lawndale is going to advance in the playoffs, Fuller will need to be in full throttle once again because the Cardinals first round opponent is guess who? It’s Leuzinger for a third time.

If you think Godschoice Eboigbodin looks like a football player, you’d be correct. Photo: JSerra Athletics.

Godschoice Eboigbodin (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano) Jr.

Southern Orange County is our destination in the search for the Southern California Boys Player of the Week, and we land in the Trinity League at JSerra of San Juan Capistrano

His parents named him Godschoice, but for this week he’s our choice to get some statewide recognition to go with local ink from veteran scribe Steve Fryer of the Orange County Register, as the SoCal boys award winner.

Last week, the big fella went bonkers in the first-ever Trinity League boys basketball tournament, and he did it in a solid 87-66 victory for third place over 11-time CIF state champion Mater Dei of Santa Ana.

All the junior forward did was go for a school record 46 points and pull down 17 rebounds. According to sources, Eboigbodin was unstoppable whenever he got his hands on the ball both on offense, where he scored all his points near the basket and was 21-of-24 from the floor. His defense was evidenced by his rebounding totals.

We say the big fella, because the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Eboigbodin not only takes up a lot of space on the hardwood in the paint, he also is an enormous impact player on the gridiron as well.

We’re pretty positive new JSerra football coach and former NFL great Hardy Nickerson can hardly wait to make Godschoice his choice as well to anchor the defensive line, as Eboigbodin will play on the edge for Lions. Already as a junior, he has offer offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Boise State and Nevada-Las Vegas, despite last season being his first playing football for the Lions.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Boys Player of the Week

Maximillian Russell (Tracy) Sr.

Our Northern California Boys Basketball Player of the Week named Maximillian may not be an emperor like the famous Austrian duke of the 1800s, but to the fans in Tracy just east of the Bay Area in San Joaquin County, Russell is royalty after his most recent performances, and for that he now earns statewide recognition as our NorCal award winner.

Although the Bulldogs only went 1-2 last week, Tracy has still gone 18-8 so far this season and Russell has been a key to that and is having an outstanding season. This still seemed like a good week for him to get honored.

Last week in the three games he played Maximillan had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 70-61 loss to Edison of Stockton, and then 35 points and 15 rebounds in a 57-39 win vs crosstown Kimball. Finally, against Cal-Hi Sports No. 20 ranked Modesto Christian, he dropped in 41 points in an 86-75 loss. That’s a lot to put up against the Crusaders.

Russell’s reported stats are not complete, but in early season action and heading into a Wednesday Tri-City Athletic League match-up with Lodi, he was reported with averages of 24.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 5.4 steals per game.

Daisy Pantoja-Beltran from Aragon of San Mateo takes a shot during game last week vs San Mateo High. Photo: Henry Gardner / San Mateo Daily Journal.

Daisy Pantoja-Beltran (Aragon, San Mateo) Sr.

The heart of the Peninsula around 20-miles south of San Francisco is where head in search of the Northern California Girls Player of the Week, and it’s at Aragon High where we find our winner named Daisy, who has definitely been a blossoming flower for the Dons this season. She now earns a statewide honor despite not making it as a finalist for the Bay Area News Group Girls Athlete of the Week for last week. Pantoja-Beltran has been one of the leading players in San Mateo County this season and among the scoring leaders in the Central Coast Section..

Last week, Daisy had a monster double-double of 38 points (five three-pointers) and 14 rebounds with two assists and three steals, and Aragon needed every bit of her production in a nail-biter 65-63 upset win over Half Moon Bay. Two days later she only had 16 points in a 43-38 win in another defensive battle with crosstown arch-rival San Mateo.

Pantogja-Beltran’s stats were not reported in another defensive grinding 42-31 win over Presentation of San Jose, but without them, and heading into a Peninsula Athletic League – Bay Division match-up with on Wednesday with host Menlo-Atherton of Atherton, Daisy is averaging 20.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and that is the No. 4 reported mark for scoring in the CIF Central Coast Section.

Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached atmarketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter:@HaroldAbend