PHS girls basketball receive rings for Valley title win

There was plenty of bling on display Saturday afternoon as the Porterville High School girls basketball team received their rings for this year’s Valley championship win.

The No. 1 Panthers (31-3) dominated both the East Yosemite League and the CIF Central Section Division III, with their season accomplishments accumulating in a 65-39 Valley title win over No. 2 Arvin (28-5) at Fresno’s Selland Arena in February.

Speaking to parents, players and coaches, PHS head coach David Kavern thanked parents for their support, especially in fundraising, and for allowing him to coach without interruption.

Reminiscing about the day of the Valley championship game,

Kavern joked about all the bad things that happened before the team was able to finish off as winners.

“I really thought it was going to be a bad day cause when we started that Friday morning, (PHS athletic director) Brian Hill took us all out to breakfast at Black Bear and when I got there, when I got out of my car, I went ‘Oh crap. I locked my keys in my truck,’” Kavern said.

In warmups that day, senior Jewelia Maniss sprained her ankle, disrupting a Panthers’ starting lineup that rarely changed over the season. Also in the first half of the game, another starter, Madison Johnson, sprained an ankle.

“It’s a testimony to how good this team was that we still won by 26 points,” Kavern said.

CO-MVPS for both the EYL and the Panthers were Maniss and

Jazlynne Medrano. They were recognized at the award’s lunch for their contributions and leadership. The two were both fouryear varsity players who scored over 1,000 career points.

Senior Zeila Rivera was also recognized as the team’s Most Improved Player, while senior Allison Martinez was recognized for her ALL-EYL, secondteam selection.

Kavern noted that the Panthers’ senior class won a total of 100 games in four years, the juniors won 85 in three and the sophomores won 58 in two.

Two cornerstones to the team’s future success are sophomores Nseije Ortiz and Madison Johnson, who received their ALL-EYL, first-team medals Saturday. Ortiz was also named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year while Johnson was awarded the

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