PAL all-league basketball teams released

On the girls’ side, the MVP in both divisions are repeat winners. Alli Dioli, who starred for North Division champ Half Moon Bay, was named North MVP for the the third time in four years (no MVP was awarded during the 2021 COVID season). In the PAL South, Hillsdale’s Makena Nitao won the division MVP by herself after sharing the 2022 award.

Dioli won the award in 2020 and 2022, but missed the playoffs last season after suffering a knee injury in the regular-season finale. Dioli missed the first couple weeks of the 2022-23 season as she finished rehabbing her knee, but was back in time for the back half of the non-league schedule. She was basically at full speed by the time league play rolled around. She averaged more than 21 points per game In North Division action while canning 53 3-pointers, more than double the second-place finisher.

The fact Dioli managed to return from a serious knee injury and flourish in about nine months should tell you what kind of player she is.

“Full tear, ACL,” said HMB first-year head coach Gabe Glynn, who served as an assistant to former head coach Antonio Veloso last season.

“I’ve torn both my ACLs. It’s a harrowing process,” Glynn continued. “When I did mine, you stayed off it for six months. Now, it’s nine to 12 (months before) return to contact.

“What she did was amazing.”

Nitao, who helped lead the Knights to the South title in 2022, helped guide Hillsdale to a second-place finish in 2023, averaging 20 points per game in league play.

Solanoy led the PAL North in scoring this season, averaging just over 21 points per game this past season. Hutchins was fourth in league play, averaging 15.2 points per game.

Hutchins was joined by Jeff’s Raymond Tsang as co-Defensive Players of the Year; Cougar freshman Gio Martin was named Underclassman of the Year, while Jefferson head coach John Falabella was named Coach of the Year.

The PAL South also saw the MVP award shared. Johno Price, a member of the Menlo-Atherton division champion team, teamed with Burlingame’s Zaden Martin to share MVP honors. Martin led the Panthers in scoring with 12.8 points per game and was second on the team in rebounds (6.3) and assists (3.4). Martin was fifth in the division in scoring this season, with Aragon’s Logan Wall winning the PAL South scoring title, averaging 16.2 per game. Wall was named All-South first team.

Price was an example of doing more than the numbers indicated. An all-around player on both ends of the floor, Price was also named PAL South Defensive Player of the Year.

Burlingame’s Jeremiah Phillips was the South’s Underclassman of the Year, averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds per game this past season. Hillsdale’s Arjuna Manning Laisne was named Coach of the Year in the South after leading the Knights to a tie for second place in the standings.

Hard to argue with Hutchins and Martin’s selections, considering both Half Moon Bay and Burlingame went further in the playoffs than any team in each program’s history. Both teams finished second in the Central Coast Section playoffs — Burlingame in Division III and HMB in Division IV. The Panthers would advance to the Nor Cal semifinals, while HMB represented Northern California in the CIF Division IV state title game.

In the West Bay Athletic League, Sacred Heart Prep Sam Norris earned MVP honors after helping the Gators to a co-championship. Norris averaged 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in league play.

In the West Catholic Athletic League, Serra placed single players on the first and second teams, while two others were honorable mentions. Ryan Pettis, a junior, was named to the first team, while Aiden senior Carleson was a second-team selection. Seamus Gilmartin and Marcel Elicagaray, both seniors, were named honorable mention.

Complete all-league teams can be found at:

PAL: www.smcoe.org/pal

WCAL: www.wcalsports.org

WBAL: www.wbalsports.org