Aaron Gordon, Archbishop Mitty F

Gordon is one of the top prospects in the 2013 recruiting class and showed why in a pair of league victories last week for the Monarchs.

Against St. Francis, Gordon scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots, and against Serra, Gordon led the way by scoring 19 points, grabbing 20 boards and collecting five assists and four blocks.

“Aaron was dominating on both ends of the floor,” head coach Tim Kennedy said.

Sophie Navarro, Jewish Community High School of the Bay F

The MVP of the Drew Invitational Holiday Tournament, Navarro averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, six steals, two assists and one block over her last five games, helping the team win its first three league games.

“(Navarro) has been incredible this year,” head coach Leo Stern said. “All of our wins this year have been close, and it seems every game she makes a critical steal or rebound to help us win the game.”

Nici Gilday, Presentation G

The Presentation star is already committed to playing at Santa Clara next season and had a big week against WCAL opponents. In a two-point loss to St. Ignatius, Gilday scored 20 points and chipped in three assists and three steals.

Also last week, Gilday scored eight points and had four assists and four rebounds in her team’s 59-37 victory over Valley Christian.

“Nici has grasped an increased role as point guard (and) is a do-it-all guard that impacts the game on both offense and defense,” head coach Wade Nakamura said.

Melissa Booth, Monte Vista Christian F

A leader on the court and in the classroom, Monte Vista Christian’s Melissa Booth has been one of the bright spots for the Mustangs this season.

The senior forward is averaging over eight points per contest, but her performance in the classroom has been outstanding, as the senior sports a 3.9 overall GPA.

“Melissa has been an outstanding student and athlete all four years she’s attended Monte Vista,” head coach Jennifer Keathley said. “She trains all year and it shows on the court.”

Kacey Gricius, Branham Defender

Gricius gets a lot of press for her defense, but her free kick goal against Westmont may have been the play of the week in the Central Coast Section.

Gricius scored from 40 yards out, drilling the free kick into the upper right corner of the net helped the Bruins to a 3-1 victory.

“This was not a floating ball that dipped under the crossbar,” head coach Ron Smare explained, “this was an absolute bullet driven on a line. The goalkeeper had no chance.

“It was a brilliant goal at any level.”

Andy Simanek, Half Moon Bay C

Half Moon Bay’s Andy Simanek saved his best performance for when it mattered most, and his basket with 10.5 seconds remaining ended up being the game-winner over El Camino, as the Cougars edged the Colts 49-47.

Simanek finished the game with nine points, but his final shot gave Half Moon Bay the victory as the team finished its preseason portion of the schedule with a 10-4 record.

AOTW

Who: Ramiro Ceja
Class: Senior
Sport: Soccer
School: Milpitas

A four-year varsity player for Milpitas, Ramiro Ceja has played a variety of positions over the years for head coach Bill Leffler.

This year, Ceja is playing striker, and his continued brilliance last week earned him CCSsportsline.com Athlete of the Week honors.

Ceja scored two goals against Cupertino in the Trojans’ 4-1 victory, but his play in the second game of last week may have been his best as a prep player. Ceja scored all four goals against Lynbrook to lead his team to a resounding 4-0 win.

Leffler says that Ceja’s value to the team goes beyond his scoring ability.

“An outstanding week that was not just earmarked by his offensive skills, but his true team play as he moved around the field in switching positions to assist in ball handling, defense and coordination of offensive opportunities,” the head coach said of his star player.

Ceja had nine goals and five assists in the preseason for Milpitas.

“His work ethic at practice puts everyone’s skill level up,” Leffler said.