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Co-champ Lathrop boys get 3 All-WAC selections
Girls standouts Constantino, Paniagua repeat as 1st-team honorees
All-WAC basketball
Lathrop center Jaelin Butler has his shot challenged by Beyer’s Dewayne Thomas in Western Athletic Conference action. - photo by Wayne Thallander
JONAMAR JACINTO
The Bulletin
Published: Mar 5, 2022, 8:56 AM

The first-time champion Lathrop High boys basketball team has the most All-Western Athletic Conference selections with three, while Spartans seniors

All-WAC basketball
Kierstin Constantino rises for the layup against Brooke Agdoma and Manteca during Lathrop’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff game at Winter Gym on Feb. 17. GARY JENSEN/GreatShots49@gmail.com
Kierstin Constantino and Isa Paniagua are repeat selections for girls basketball.

Both squads enjoyed successful seasons and have reason to be optimistic for the seasons to come.

Second-year coach Charles Roth led Lathrop’s boys (12-2 WAC, 15-12 overall) to a co-championship with Mountain House (12-2, 18-11). Top individual honors went to fourth-place Ceres (10-5, 17-11), however, as T.J. Walker was named Coach of the Year and Verlis Smith received Most Valuable Player. Smith, a 6-foot-3 forward, averaged 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.

Representing Lathrop on the All-WAC first team are junior guard Camryn Hayes, sophomore forward Izaias White and senior center Jaelin Butler. White averaged 12.5 points and 10.8 rebounds in league play. Hayes, the team’s top shooter, scored 10.8 points. Butler, a transfer from West, produced 9.8 points. 11.2 rebounds and 5.6 blocks.

Junior wing Napoleon Reeves (11.2 points, 7.5 rebounds) was named to the second team, and senior wing Samuel Stewart earned honorable mention.

For the girls, the spoils went to outright league champion Los Banos (12-2, 23-6). Lorinda Sanchez is WAC girls Coach of the Year, and senior guard Anissa Sanchez is MVP.

Lathrop (11-3, 21-8) is the conference runner-up. A four-year varsity player, Constantino paced the Spartans with 14 points, 2.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game. The sharpshooting guard tallied a season-high 25 points to go with six assists in her final WAC contest, a win over Los Banos.

Paniagua was the team’s most versatile player on both ends of the court and was also a key member of the school’s soccer team.  She averaged 7.4 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Senior wing Egypt Jenkins (7.4 points, 4.1 rebounds) earned a second-team spot, and junior guard Sanah Sunner made honorable mention.