Honor roll: The week’s best performances by San Mateo County high school athletes

Callum North, Hillsdale boys’ basketball. The red-hot Fighting Knights earned the most important win of their PAL Ocean Division slate Friday night with a 52-35 victory at rival Aragon to move into a first-place tie with their Alameda de las Pulgas neighbors. North proved a behemoth on defense, as the 6-7 senior senior finished with 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. North went for a double-double, though, adding 16 points of offense, with his biggest shot of the night a dagger 3 midway through the fourth quarter to highlight a 9-0 Hillsdale run to put the game on ice.

Lita Fakapelea, Menlo-Atherton girls’ basketball. The Bears rolled to their fourth straight win to maintain control atop the PAL Bay Division standings, and Fakapelea had the game of her life to secure it. The senior erupted for a 29-point performance Friday night as M-A claimed a 73-43 victory over Carlmont.

Reed Sunwoo, Menlo School boys’ soccer. The senior midfielder helped keep the two-time defending champion Knights in the chase for a third straight WBAL crown as they went 1-0-1 in a pair of games last week. He had an assist on Chuck Wynn’s goal as the Knights rallied for a 2-2 draw against rival Sacred Heart Prep. He then added two assists in a 3-0 win over Priory.

Gigi Jarolimek, Sequoia girls’ soccer. The junior factored into a pair of Bay Division wins for the Ravens as they moved into third place in the standings and are currently in a spot for an automatic bid to the Central Coast Section playoffs. She had a goal and an assist in a 6-0 win over Hillsdale to open the week, followed by a goal in a 3-0 win over Menlo-Atherton.

Leon Bleess, Serra boys’ wrestling. The Padres earned three podium finishes at the 16th Annual Colt Invitational at El Camino, highlighted by the 177-pound bracket. Bleess, a junior, topped the podium with a win over Scotts Valley senior Caleb Mendoza. Serra also saw sophomore Luca Gordon take second place at 108s, and junior Ryan Doleschal take third at 122s.

Daisy Pantoja Beltran, Aragon girls’ basketball. The senior recorded her sixth double-double of the season as the Lady Dons took down rival Hillsdale 56-44 for their fourth straight win. Pantoja Beltran, who has scored in double figures every game this season, did her usual damage with 20 points, while adding 10 rebounds.

Sergio Espinal, Westmoor boys’ soccer. Espinal scored a hat trick as the Rams moved out of the PAL Ocean Division cellar with a 5-2 win over Terra Nova. Espinal’s hat trick was a “natural” one, scoring all three in the first half as the Rams built a 3-1 lead at halftime.

JT Jacinto, Summit Shasta boys’ basketball. The Black Bears persevered through overtime for a 73-71 non-league victory over Los Altos, and Jacinto delivered the daggers in OT. The senior hit five 3-pointers en route to scoring 18 points, none bigger than the two 3s he made to score a majority of Shasta’s points in the extra period to fuel the team’s seventh straight win.

Lauryn Masetti, Sacred Heart Prep girls’ soccer. The senior striker has been tearing it this season, adding five more goals and an assist in three games last week. She opened the week with an assist in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Tuesday; followed that with a first-half hat trick in a 4-1 win over Notre Dame-SJ Thursday and ended the week with both goals in a 2-2 tie with King’s Academy. Masetti has 19 goals through 13 games this season, along with four assists.

Brenden Siu and Ayden Osegueda, Capuchino boys’ wrestling. The Mustangs wrapped up their first PAL Bay Division dual meet championship in the history of the boys’ wrestling program, and had to mount quite the comeback to do it. Cap earned a closely contested 41-36 home victory over Carlmont in a battle between league frontrunners, but were trailing on scoreboard early when Siu and Osegueda both staged big comebacks in their lightweight matches. Siu trailed 7-2 in the 134-pound match, only to rally for a 12-11 decision with a buzzer-beater reversal. Then at 140s, Osegueda trailed 11-4, only to bounce back to catch his opponent on the scoreboard before earning a third-period pin.