Tribune names SLO County Player of Year, all-stars in girls basketball. Here’s the roster

As a skilled 6-foot-3 inch sophomore, Diana Sorrondo has height to her advantage, and she’s not afraid to use it.

The Arroyo Grande center averaged a double-double — 10.4 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game — while bothering other teams’ offenses with her intimidating defensive presence inside.

Sorrondo tallied 2.5 blocks per game, but that didn’t reflect how much she altered shots for opponents and limited scoring, Eagles Coach Tim Cramer said.

“She affected offensive players’ minds going down into the key, which was a huge advantage for us,” Cramer said. “She rebounds very well, too. Anytime a shot went up that wasn’t necessarily the best shot and it came off the rim, Diana had a very good chance to grab that rebound.”

That performance earned Sorrondo the honor as The Tribune’s 2023-24 San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year.

“She’s passionate about the game, she really loves the game and she loves being in the gym,” Cramer said. “She has a great desire to be in the gym, learning and growing,” Cramer said.

An inside force

Sorrondo’s combined offensive and defensive effectiveness helped lead the Eagles to a 19-7 season record and a 5-3 second-place finish in Mountain League.

Also an Arroyo Grande beach volleyball player in the spring, which she says will help improve her vertical leap on the basketball court, Sorrondo said that she strives to “be big, especially when I’m under the rim.”

“Since I’m taller, as long as I keep the ball high, nobody else can get up there,” Sorrondo told The Tribune. “As long as I stay strong at the same time, I have a big advantage when it comes to scoring, rebounding and defense.”

Sorrondo said that as a second-year varsity player, she learned to work through adversity. She was often the focal point of opponents’ defenses.

“I think offensively, if my team needs points, I just need to use my size to my advantage,” Sorrondo said. “I just post up and drop step and make that simple play, which is the layup. I think I can count on my jump shot also. I have a few different options which I can use.”

Sorrondo said she hopes to play basketball in college for a full four years down the road, first enjoying the next two years of her high school experience.

“I’m confident in my jump shot and if I can keep on working on it, that can be one of my strengths,” Sorrondo said. “I’m pretty comfortable shooting anything in front of the 3-point line, and next year I’d like to extend my range beyond the 3-point line.”

Team chemistry

A relatively young Arroyo Grande team featured a squad of mostly sophomores and juniors, with no seniors, and the Eagles will be even more experienced next year.

“As a team, this season is what we have waited for,” Sorrondo said. “We have all played together since we were fifth-graders. Our chemistry is almost always there.”

Playing against powerhouse St. Joseph, which went undefeated in league at 8-0, Sorrondo said the team stuck together well and fought to stay in the game, losing 51-41 on Jan. 12. St. Joseph blew out its league opponents in every other matchup by at least 30 points, and topped Nipomo 112-10 on Jan. 19 in the most lopsided of the Knights’ matchups.

“That was a good game for us,” said Sorrondo of the Jan. 12 matchup, adding they have the motivation to beat the Knights next year.

Cramer added: “We got a lot of questions from coaches in the preseason asking what year (Sorrondo) was in school. When I told them sophomore, they said, ‘That must be nice.’ And it is nice. Not having seniors this year, it will be nice to bring back a whole team with hopefully everybody next year.”

All-Tribune roster

First team

Kinzie Amer, Arroyo Grande

Fiona Durham, Morro Bay

KK Guy, Mission Prep

Taylor Sutton, Templeton

Tailer Morrison, Morro Bay

Second team

Sophia Robertson, Arroyo Grande

Riley Milder, Paso Robles

Maka Guy, Mission Prep

Georgie Wheeler, Morro Bay

Gwen Nelson, Mission Prep

Honorable mention

Brooklyn Waldrum, Arroyo Grande

Molly Sloan, Arroyo Grande

Keira Taylor, Atascadero

Mary Marsalek, Mission Prep

Zoe Fitzwater, Morro Bay

Violet Pace, Morro Bay

Agnes Herman, Nipomo

Madison Long, Nipomo

Kate Harrington, Paso Robles

Nevaeh Dyer, Paso Robles

Bailey Hartford, SLO

Jennifer Stambaugh, SLO

Gabriela Barroso, Templeton

Tanna Tartaglia, Templeton