Senior Josh Schulgen (above), along with Bert Hall, Jana Smith, and Ashley Osoau
were selected to the All-South Sequoia League 1st team for 2007-08.

HANDFUL OF WARRIOR CAGERS
SELECTED TO ALL-SSL TEAM

Posted by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News on March 10, 2008

In a team game individual honors are few and far between, but the accomplishments for a few Tehachapi players did not go unnoticed, with 10 Tehachapi Warriors in both the varsity men and women’s programs picked for All-South Sequoia League honors.

Earning first team selections were Josh Schulgen, Bert Hall, Jana Smith and Ashley Asoau.

JJ Balkar and Scarlett Dunn both grabbed second team All-SSL honors while Shawn Pimentel, Justin Hansen, Franky Rodriguez and Donna Crowley all received honorable mention.

Scoring 209 points on the season, Balkar was the third top scorer for Tehachapi while also tops in assists with 45, while Scarlett Dunn was the floor general for Tehachapi with a team-leading 76 assists and 57 steals and a strong contribution in scoring with 120 points on the season.

Pimentel, a senior, scored 111 points during the past year and was second on the team with a 5.3 rebound per game count. Juniors Justin Hansen and Franky Rodriguez were also frequent contributors to the Warrior attack, with Hansen finishing with 5.3 points per game and Rodriguez compiling 58 steals and 25 assists. Donna Crowley was third on the team with 181 points and 137 rebounds for the Lady Warriors.

Below is a breakdown of the first team honorees for Tehachapi:

Josh Schulgen – Senior

Coined “Mr. Clutch” both by his play and his suave demeanor, nothing ever seemed to faze the Tehachapi senior during play, particularly when the game was on the line. Schulgen will be remembered most for his ability to come through in the pinch and his late-game heroics, draining the long shot to help his team either tie or win the game. Schulgen finished the season with 215 points, 59 rebounds, 34 steals and 29 assists to help the Warriors to a 15-12 season.

Jana Smith – Senior

Committing before the year started to Cal-State Bakersfield to play with the Division I Roadrunners, Smith proved this season why Division I schools thought so highly of her game by dropping a team-leading 372 points, 326 rebounds, 31 steals, 23 assists and 51 blocked shots. Smith averaged a double-double on the season (14.3 points, 12.5 rebounds), and nearly received every first-place league vote in the first team SSL balloting. She will go down as one of the best players to ever suit up for Tehachapi High School, capping her senior year by helping the Lady Warriors to an unprecedented fifth-straight league championship.

Bert Hall – Junior

Loved by teammates and classmates alike, Bert Hall was the marked man every time the Warriors took the floor because of his intimidating size and talented play. Constantly drawing double (and sometimes triple) teams, Hall still found a way to get himself involved in the paint and lead the team with 312 points on the year. Nearly averaging a double-double on the season, Hall also brought down 247 rebounds and 18 blocked shots to both lead the Warriors in both categories. Hall’s leadership and magnetic personality will be a major reason why Tehachapi will be looked to have a strong team again in 2008-2009.

Ashley Asoau – Junior

With a strong frontcourt in Tehachapi’s arsenal this season, Asoau took advantage of her strong inside talent with heady play game-after-game, dropping 284 points, 167 rebounds, 37 steals and seven blocked shots. Asoau had a tenacious presence about her on the court, never backing down from her competition and elevating her aggression at every opportunity. Asoau will return next season as the premiere scoring threat for the Lady Warriors and will be looked upon as a leader in her third year as a varsity player.



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