72nd annual Polly Wilhelmsen Preview: 15 players to watch, schedule
The state's longest-running, 16-team high school boys basketball tournament tips off two days after Christmas.
The 72nd annual Polly Wilhelmsen Invitational starts on Wednesday, Dec. 27, with eight combined games at Mt. Whitney and Redwood high schools.
The invitational, a four-day tournament, will showcase 10 Tulare County teams:
El Diamante
Monache
Dinuba
Redwood
Tulare Western
Porterville
Golden West
Tulare Union
Exeter
Mt. Whitney
More: See Tulare County's top high school sports performers for Week 5 of the winter season
More: Tulare County athlete of the week: Redwood's Cole Gilcrest
Also competing are six Central Section programs:
North Bakersfield
Kingsburg
Hanford
Delano
Pioneer Valley
Justin Garza
The tournament's championship game will be played on Dec. 30 at Mt. Whitney's Charles Marshall Court. Tip-off is at 7:45 p.m. General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students, seniors and children.
Porterville is the defending Wilhelmsen Invitational champion.
Schedule
First-round games: Wednesday, Dec. 27
North Bakersfield vs. Kingsburg, 2:30 p.m., at Redwood
Hanford vs. El Diamante, 4:15 p.m., at Redwood
Monache vs. Dinuba, 6 p.m., at Redwood
Delano vs. Redwood, 7:45 p.m., at Redwood
Pioneer Valley vs. Tulare Western, 2:30 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
Justin Garza vs. Porterville, 4:15 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
Golden West vs. Tulare Union, 6 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
Exeter vs. Mt. Whitney, 7:45 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
Quarterfinals: Thursday, Dec. 28
To be determined, 6 p.m., at Redwood
To be determined, 7:45 p.m., at Redwood
To be determined, 6 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
To be determined, 7:45 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
Semifinals: Friday, Dec. 29
To be determined, 6 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
To be determined, 7:45 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
Finals: Saturday, Dec. 30
To be determined, 7:45 p.m., at Mt. Whitney
Players to watch
Here are 15 Tulare County players to watch at this year's Wilhelmsen Invitational:
Ramsey Barrios, Monache
Barrios is one of Monache's top scorers. The senior guard netted 21 points to direct the Marauders to a 69-31 victory in November. He also had 19 points in a win over Granite Hills.
Ty Baxter, Monache
Baxter is one of Tulare County's elite scorers. He exploded for a season-high 44 points in a 69-44 rout of Granite Hills in November. Baxter was the 2023 East Yosemite League Most Valuable Player in football.
Israel Briggs, Mt. Whitney
Briggs is one of Tulare County's best players. The 6-foot-4 sophomore registered a double-double in a 61-60 win over Mission Oak on Dec. 7, scoring a team-high 18 points with 18 rebounds. He was an All-EYL first-team pick last season as a freshman.
Jagar Brooks, Golden West
Brooks earned All-EYL first-team honors after a breakout sophomore season. Now a junior, Brooks is the Traiblazers' leading scorer. He is averaging 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game.
Brayden Della, Porterville
Della is one of the Panthers' leading scorers this season, averaging 10 points per game. The Porterville junior had 11 points in a loss to Tulare Western in November. Della was a member of last season's Wilhelmsen Invitational title and EYL championship team.
Malachi Ficher, Tulare Western
Ficher is one of the Central Section's premier scorers. He dropped 37 points in a 64-53 win over Porterville in November. The 6-foot-4 junior guided the Mustangs to a Central Section Division IV championship last season.
Kaine Garcia, Tulare Western
Garcia was also a member of last season's section championship team. The junior is the Mustangs' 3-point sharpshooter. He scored 18 points each in wins over Justin Garza and Righetti.
Cole Gilcrest, Redwood
The 6-foot-10 junior registered a double-double with 27 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks in a 56-46 win over Lemoore at Andrew Bedoya Holiday Classic. Gilcrest is the grandson of former College of Sequoias coach Tom Gilcrest.
Santana Guijarro, El Diamante
Guijarro canned a game-high 31 points in a 61-54 loss to Tulare Western on Dec. 9. The senior guard helped the Miners win 18 games last season. Guijarro was an All-EYL first-team selection as a junior.
Zander Jensen, Redwood
Jensen is the son of COS men's basketball head coach Dallas Jensen. The 6-foot-3 freshman has already made an immediate impact in his first high school basketball season. Jensen scored 28 points on Dec. 15 in a loss to Tulare Western.
Blaine McFall, Exeter
The 6-5 McFall is one of the top bigs in the area. The junior posted a double-double with 16 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks in a 53-35 win over Orange Cove. He was selected to the all-tournament team at the Woodlake Tournament.
Josiah Ochoa, Dinuba
Ochoa is one of the top 3-point shooters in Tulare County. In a 77-47 win over Enochs in early December, he drained seven triples and finished with 23 points.
Aden Plyman, Exeter
The sophomore guard leads the Monarchs in scoring. He canned a season-best 31 points on Dec. 12 to lead Exeter to a 56-41 victory over Wasco.
Brayden Stevenson, Tulare Union
Only a sophomore, Stevenson is already one of Tulare County's top all-around athletes. A 1,000-yard wideout who totaled 16 receiving touchdowns in football, Stevenson is also a scoring threat on the hardwood. He had 19 points in a 64-57 win over Golden West in November.
Javier Torres, Dinuba
Torres is one of Tulare County's best players. The senior guard helped the Emperors repeat as the Andrew Bedoya Holiday Classic champions with a double-double, registering 16 points and 14 rebounds in a 55-51 win over Selma.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 72nd annual Polly Wilhelmsen Preview: 15 players to watch, schedule
