Basketball, volleyball lead way

This is the final in a four-part series looking back on the sports accomplishments of the four local high schools over the past school year. This installment is Providence High:

Basketball took the center stage for the Pioneers during the 2010-11 campaign.

While a Providence boys' player was shattering school records and putting up monster numbers, the girls' hoop squad was rolling to a share of its second straight Liberty League championship.

Without a doubt, the most exciting basketball player in the area last season was Pioneers' junior Patrick Gonzalez, who rewrote the record books at the school. Although Gonzalez put up impressive numbers, the fact that the Pioneers (13-12) placed fourth in the Liberty League is probably the reason he wasn't awarded the league's player of the year honor.

The junior, who did earn first-team all-league honors, was a perfect fit in a Pioneers' offense that run an up-tempo game, took a lot of shots — especially from three-point range — and played limited defense.

Nevertheless, Gonzalez's efforts were nothing short of eye-popping. He broke school records in everything from points in a game (52), to free throws made (134), to most three-pointers in a game (11) to most three-pointers in a season (137).

According to maxpreps.com, Gonzalez ended the season with the highest scoring average and the highest three-point average (six a game) among players in California. The junior averaged 37.8 points and 11.5 rebounds a game. In addition, along with scoring 869 points, Gonzalez tallied 30 or more points in 19 games and 40 or more in 10 games.

On the school's career scoring list, Gonzalez has 1,468 points and trails Barry Dabbaghian (1,555) by just 87 points. Gonzalez should shatter that record next season.

Also earning all-league honors for the Pioneers was senior guard Tyler Kidd, who averaged 18 points a game.

With a new boys' coach in Earnest Baskerville, who likes to play a more controlled, defensive game, Gonzalez's numbers are expected to go down next season.

On the girls' basketball side, senior Rita Khatchadourian paced the Pioneers to a successful season.

Along with scoring 12.3 points a game, Khatchadourian also averaged four rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.4 assists. In addition, she averaged double figures in scoring in 20 of the Pioneers' 27 games.