Athletes of the Week: Sequoia's Caitlin Dulsky, Aragon's Sam Manu, M-A's Bradley Stillman

The Sequoia girls’ 43-40 win over Menlo-Atherton was clearly the most celebrated. Caitlin Dulsky was grace under fire from beyond the 3-point arc as the freshman gave her Cherokees a 41-38 lead with 50 seconds left en route to snapping M-A’s 42-game league winning streak.

In the PAL South boys’ standings, Sequoia and Mills entered Wednesday tied — and still are — after both losing. Third-place M-A evened the season series with rival Sequoia with a 57-49 win, as the Bears took their first lead in the second half behind back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Bradley Stillman.

Meanwhile at Mills, Aragon junior forward Sam Manu scored six of his game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter, including two critical field goals, as the fourth-place Dons held on for a 46-40 victory.

Because of the trifecta of upsets, Dulsky, Stillman and Manu are sharing Daily Journal Athlete of the Week honors.

Dulsky’s calm before the storm

One of three freshmen on the Sequoia roster, Dulsky netted 12 points in the monumental win, sharing the team-high with senior point guard Mia Woo. With all of Dulsky’s points coming via 3-pointers, the last one proved the most crucial of her basketball career, as she called the win the most celebrated victory of her life.

“I was so excited after the game,” Dulsky said. “I know the seniors have never beaten M-A and have always been crushed by M-A.”

The kid speaks the truth. Since the forming of the girls’ PAL South Division in 2012-13, M-A had defeated Sequoia 11 straight times. Prior to that, the streak had M-A winning 17 consecutive games in the heads-up rivalry, with the Cherokees last earning a win over the Bears in 2005-06.

Sequoia head coach Steve Picchi has relied on some freshman magic this season. Dulsky, Jacqueline Kurland and Alexis Jackson have each seen regular minutes since the season’s outset. And they work well for a reason, having played club basketball together for years at Paye’s Place in Menlo Park, often playing up in age to join their current Sequoia senior teammate Woo.

“Obviously when you’re fortunate to have three freshmen that can play varsity, that’s pretty special, especially to come in and be impact players,” Picchi said.

When Dulsky crushed the net with 50 seconds remaining, Sequoia erupted with emotion. And as the Cherokees gathered at the bench during a timeout to follow, Picchi had to remind them the game wasn’t over. M-A, on its ensuing possession, got two shots off. Neither fell. Dulsky grabbed the rebound after the second miss. Two free throws by Woo later, and Sequoia’s tearful celebration ensued from real.

“I think this was our best win,” Dulsky said. “I don’t think there has ever been a reaction like this so far.”

The win perhaps meant even more to Aragon, as the Lady Dons now have a chance to share the PAL South title with M-A. The Aragon girls are coached by Manu’s father — also named Sam Manu — and need finish a sweep of the season series against Carlmont Tuesday to ensure their first league title since 2011-12.

Manu catalyst for red-hot Dons

The Aragon boys have won six straight, turning around their fortunes after an abysmal 1-4 start in league play. The return of Sam Manu — the nephew — after an early-season injury, is a big reason why.

The Dons are one entertaining team to watch. They’re a fluid up-tempo, transition-based machine. At the heart of all the running and gunning is one simple concept — chemistry.

“That’s developed definitely lately,” Aragon head coach Hosea Patton said. “We didn’t have any ball movement early in the season and we were easy to guard.”

While guards Davion Cox and Donoven Robinson are consistently sharp in the takeaway department — and can each score points with plenty of transition finish — Manu is still the team’s most lethal weapon on offense.

And while Aragon jumped out to a 16-3 lead at the end of one quarter against Mills, the Vikings still rallied back to close it to a one-differential game six times. The last two times, it was Manu who answered, first with a 3, then with a lay-in off an exacting assist past from Cox with 1:33 left to help seal the win.

Stillman making a splash for M-A

Shooting 42 percent from 3-point range this season, Stillman’s only drawback has he hasn’t been shooting enough. That’s all changed as of late though.

It was big lesson to learn for the 6-2 senior forward. Through two previous varsity seasons — with players like the now graduated 2016-17 PAL South MVP Eric Norton in the mix — Stillman was more a role player. Based on his team-high 13 points in taking down Sequoia, it’s obvious he is embracing the prime time.

“I think that’s the thing,” M-A head coach Mike Molieri said. “In the past he’s been in a supporting role. But I told him, in the senior game this year, he had to pick it up a notch. And I think he definitely did that.”

It has proven a cure-all for the third-place Bears, who have recovered from a three-game losing streak midway through their league slate to win five straight South Division games.

“I feel like we’re getting a good little rhythm,” Molieri said. “We’re playing pretty good ball as the postseason starts. And one of the biggest reasons is [Stillman], who has been on the team for three years, and has really been stepping up.”