Gorman star Gayle picked to play in McDonald’s All-American game

For the second straight year, a local girl has been named to the McDonald's All-American basketball team.

Bishop Gorman's Ashley Gayle has been selected to play in the McDonald's All-American game March 26 in Milwaukee.

Gayle, a 6-foot-4-inch center who has signed with Texas, led the Gaels to their third consecutive Class 4A state title last week, posting three consecutive triple-doubles to end the season. Gayle had 18 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in a 65-48 win over Reno in the state title game.

Nevada will be well-represented in the McDonald's game, as Galena's Luke Babbitt was chosen to participate in the boys game.

Centennial standout Italee Lucas, now playing at North Carolina, was selected to play in the 2007 girls game.

* BASIC COACH -- Basic High has hired Jeff Cahill to take over its football program.

Cahill, a 1992 Basic graduate, takes over for Cliff Frazier, who resigned after 16 years as the school's coach.

Cahill was a varsity assistant at Basic from 2002 to 2005 and has been the school's junior varsity coach for the last two seasons.

His father, Dan, began coaching at Basic in 1974 and, except for a stint as Boulder City's coach, has been with the program ever since.

* SOCCER HONORS -- Centennial goalkeeper Jenna Riddle recorded four shutouts in four postseason games to lead her team to the Southern Nevada girls soccer championship. For her efforts, Riddle was named the Northwest Division Player of the Year by league coaches.

Rancho's Becca Revo was named the Northeast Division Player of the Year.

Ali Schaefer of Southern Nevada runner-up Green Valley and Coronado's Amber Burgess shared the Southeast Division Player of the Year Award, and Spring Valley's Brittney Boyack and Bishop Gorman's Mariah Hobbs were co-Players of the Year in the Southwest Division.

Centennial and Green Valley each placed four players on the All-Southern Nevada team.

Alayna Canada, Riley Bassett and Amanda Gilbert joined Riddle on the All-Southern Nevada squad, and Schaefer, Kayla Varner, Nicole Williams and Anna Guida represented Green Valley.

Rounding out the squad were Gorman's Hobbs, Megan Wasiak, Courtney Marshall and Maddy Ocon; Boyack, Justine Sullivan and Brittany Hofer of Spring Valley; Alyssa Romero of Sierra Vista; Lauren Dudley, Brittany Sak and Nicole Poretto of Palo Verde; Stacey Brinkman and Erica Peeples of Arbor View; Jen Salls of Cimarron-Memorial; Revo, Lexa Green, Jahmela Muhammad and Yvette Cordero of Rancho; Kimmie Rader, Stephanie Avila and Danica Pickett of Las Vegas; Jamila Wimberly and Breanna Gianopoulos of Chaparral; Isamar Almeda-Leyva of Valley; Burgess, Veronica Subu and Skye Sizelove of Coronado; Shelbi Spooner and AnnMarie Rucci of Silverado; and Lacey Morrison of Basic.

Centennial's Bernie Preston was named the Northwest Division Coach of the Year. Durango's Barry Forget (Southwest), Rancho's Sarah France (Northeast) and Basic's Kelli Larsen (Southeast) took the other coaching honors.

* 3A HONORS -- Diontea Wright led Faith Lutheran to its fourth consecutive Class 3A boys basketball title this month, and he has been named the 3A Southern League Most Valuable Player by league coaches.

Crusaders forward Conner Maloney also made the all-league first team, and Faith Lutheran's Bret Walter was the Coach of the Year.

Pahrump Valley's Darius Dolly, Boulder City's Joey Western, Moapa Valley's Max Jenkins and Shaun Hilton and Virgin Valley's Anthony Morris also made the team.

Virgin Valley's Courtney Spawn was named the girls MVP, and Virgin Valley's Brent Leavitt was Coach of the Year.

Also on the first team were Moapa Valley's Blythe Thompson, Pahrump's Brittany Orr and Kristi Daffer, Faith Lutheran's Meghan Smith and Seanie Petersen, Boulder City's Caiti Forrester and Virgin Valley's Rachael Morris.