Section’s premier prep girls basketball players for 2019-20

Wheatland’s Garza is third-team selection

Despite her role as one of the top scorers for the Wheatland High girls basketball team, head coach Carlethe Embry said Logan Garza is a playmaking-type athlete who always fits the needed role on any particular day.

Perhaps it was not more apparent than on Feb. 20 of this year when Wheatlant upset top-seeded Willows behind a strategy that featured Garza defending one of the best volume scorers in the Northern Section the past four years, in Meghan Weinrich.

Garza limited the near 30-point per game scorer, who’s No. 2 all-time in section history in points to just 19, as the Pirates eliminated the Honkers, 55-52 in the quarterfinals of the Division IV playoffs.

“Logan is one of those players that everything comes naturally to her; she guarded Megan that night and didn’t have to score; just rebound and play good defense,” Embry said. “This is what I needed her to do to win, and that’s basically what she did.”

Garza’s effort all year earned the junior a spot on the section third team alongside Tessa Kinney (Chico); Alissa Terras (Enterprise); Maddie Steele (West Valley); and Margaret Canseco (Portola).

Weinrich was named first team along with area recipients Pleasant Valley’s Christiane Carlise and Gridley High’s Kennedy Tull. The teams are voted

on by area media members from the EnterpriseRecord, Redding Record Searchlight, Shasta County Sports and Marysville Appeal-democrat.

Weinrich topped the section averaging 27.8 points per game and helping lead the Honkers to a 24-8 overall record and an unblemished 8-0 mark in the Sacramento Valley League. She became the second all-time leading scorer in section history on Jan. 3 when Willows topped Foothill.

“Meghan’s been a pivotal part of the Willows Honker team for the last four years undoubtedly,” said Willows head coach Carol Martin. “Her scoring ability has led us to win games, winning tournaments. She’s a hard worker.”

But on that fateful night in February Garza made Weinrich look rather ordinary, Embry said.

“When we took a look at the brackets everybody was worried about Willows, but I told them play like it’s your last game because you never know when it’s going to be,” Embry said.

Embry said Garza, an 1,000-point scorer alongside junior teammate Alexis Durham, has always made secoring secondary ever since she was 12 and playing AAU.

Against Willows, Garza played the role of defense perfectly, Embry said.

“Logan has pretty much always had that role,” Embry said. “I said ‘Don’t try and block (Weinich) because she is savvy; just get in her way and block her vision.’ They (Willows) couldn’t figure out the defense we were playing (all night).”

** The Chico EnterpriseRecord contributed to this report.