Leslie Named Top Division I Player for 2nd Straight Year

Lisa Leslie of Morningside High School has been selected Southern Section Division I girls basketball Player of the Year for the second straight season by members of the First Interstate Bank/Amateur Athletic Foundation board of sportswriters.

The 6-foot-5 center led the Lady Monarchs to the Southern Section 5-AA, Southern California Regional and State Division I titles as a senior. She averaged 26.9 points, 15 rebounds and 6.9 blocked shots per game.

Leslie capped the season March 17 with 35 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks in a 67-56 victory over Berkeley for the state title, as Morningside posted a 32-3 record.

This is the latest of many awards for Leslie, a three-time All-CIF pick. She was also honored as the nation’s top schoolgirl player by Gatorade, the South Bay Player of the Year by The Times and the State Division I Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports magazine.

She ended her prep career by helping Morningside win back-to-back state titles and three straight Southern Section crowns.

Leslie, who has narrowed his collegiate choices to USC, Long Beach State and Notre Dame, was joined on the All-Division I team by two teammates. Forward Janet Davis, a 6-4 sophomore who averaged 10 points a game, was named to the first team, and point guard Princess Murray, a 5-9 junior who scored 5.8 points per game, was a second-team choice.