Tabitha Torres, the sophomore sensation who powered Corcoran High to a East Sequoia League basketball co-championship, gained league co-MVP honors in recent voting by the league coaches.

Torres and senior Ally Reeves of co-champion Woodlake shared the MVP honors, with Corcoran's Doug White earning coach-of-the-year honors.

The 5-8 Torres, who plays everywhere from guard to post positions, led the Central Section with a 24.0 average that included a 37-point game vs. Delano. Torres also averaged 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 2.6 assists a game.

Those numbers -- coupled with Corcoran's 9-1 league record -- would normally make Torres a runaway choice for league MVP.

But the 5-10 Reeves ranked second in the section with a 19.7 scoring average and also pulled down a whopping 15.9 rebounds per game, along with 6.0 steals and 2.3 assists. Reeves was voted the ESL's defensive player of the year.

Woodlake and Corcoran tied for first in the ESL, splitting their two league games.

White, whose team stormed back to the top of the league after a two-year absence, guided the Panthers to a 23-11 record.

Corcoran junior guard Ally Reeves and Panthers freshman guard Marina LeFridge gained spots on the ESL first team, as did Central Valley Christian's Elisa Oliver, Woodlake's Erka Haro, Parlier's Ariceli Rodriguez and Woodlake's Elena Vigil.

Voted to the second team were Corcoran's Priscilla Zepeda, CVC's Erika Nederland and Anneke Verhoeven, Woodlake's Marina Hanno, Lindsay's Stevie Ibarra and Parlier's Petra Pina.

(March 12, 2008)