Tulare County Milestones: Banuelos, Torres and Garza join 1,000-point club

The Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register will recognize Tulare County's top personal coach and player milestones this school year.

Athletic directors, coaches or readers, please inform sports reporter Vongni Yang at vyang2@gannett.com if a player or coach is on the cusp of setting a new school record or surpassing a personal milestone such as career points (1,000 point club), school records (most goals/points/wins in a single season or game), coaching wins (100th coaching victory), etc.

This story will be updated throughout the winter sports season with that information.

Golden West's Danae Banuelos joins 1,000-point club in historic performance

Danae Banuelos will likely always remember Dec. 7, 2023.

The Golden West girls basketball player entered that night needing just 11 points to zero in on the 1,000-point career mark.

Banuelos, a senior, hit that feat in the first quarter with a minute and 10 seconds left to play, scoring 11 points en route to a school-record and career-high 43 points.

Behind Banuelos' historic performance, the Trailblazers defeated Delano's Cesar Chavez 62-34. According to Central Section historian Bob Barnett, Banuelos is the fourth player in Golden West history to score 1,000 career points.

"Danae has developed a passion and high IQ for basketball," Golden West head coach Aly Garcia said. "Her talent is natural, and even with that has learned so much over the years not only by playing the game but watching game film. She has been able to play with a diverse set of girls over the past three years and is able to adjust well in game situations."

In her record-breaking performance, Banuelos shot 52% from the field, draining 15-of-29 attempts, including five from 3-point land. She also finished with a double-double, hauling in 13 rebounds with two steals and a pair of blocks.

That success has continued this season.

Banuelos is one of Tulare County's leading scorers as a senior, averaging more than 20 points per game. In a 46-28 win over Mt. Whitney on Jan. 11, she racked up 29 points to anchor Golden West. Banuelos also scored 33 points in a 63-32 win over Kingsburg in December and turned in another double-double performance, dropping 28 points with 11 rebounds to help the Trailblazers beat Fowler 47-43.

As of Jan. 11, Banuelos has scored 1,267 career points.

"Danae handles both academics and sports to high levels," Garcia said. "She not only succeeds in the classroom by maintaining a 3.55 GPA. She also shows her school spirit by participating in the yearbook club. She is able to handle multiple things at the same time with no problem."

Dinuba's Javier Torres surpasses 1,000 career points

Dinuba's Javier Torres has been one of Tulare County's top all-around boys basketball players since he arrived at the Emperors' campus.

That's a big reason why Torres hit a personal milestone on Jan. 4 versus Kingsburg. He scored the 1,000-point of his career in the 54-48 victory, finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

The 6-foot-3 Torres is a three-year varsity player who has helped Dinuba win 70 games since the 2021-22 season.

"He's great," Dinuba head coach Jeff Schofield said of Torres in December. "The great thing about him is you can coach him hard. He responds. You challenge him and he responds well, and he's a good leader of his teammates. He stays positive with them and doesn't make things worse on them. He's awesome."

Torres has played an instrumental role as a senior, guiding Dinuba to an 18-3 record and a six-game winning streak as of press time.

He was named to the all-tournament team at the 72nd annual Polly Wilhelmsen Invitational in December after helping Dinuba to a fifth-place finish.

More: The polls are open! Vote for the Tulare County athlete of the week, Jan. 16-19

In the fifth-place game, Torres drained 19 points as the Emperors beat Porterville 70-58.

The senior guard/forward has also been one of the most consistent players in both Kings and Tulare counties this season.

Torres recently posted a double-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists on Jan. 16 in a 69-63 victory over West Yosemite League foe Lemoore.

What are the team's goals this season?

To compete for a WYL title and a Central Section championship.

Does Dinuba have the pieces in place?

"I know we do," Torres said in December. "We work at it each and every year. We fell short the past two years but I know this year, we have the potential and the ability to do so."

Farmersville's Janessa Garza reaches 1,000 career points

Janessa Garza has been an impact player for Farmersville since her freshman girls' basketball season.

Now a junior, Garza's commitment and dedication to the sport have paid off.

On Jan. 3, Garza scored 10 points in a loss to Corcoran to surpass 1,000 career points. She entered that game just eight points shy of reaching the four-digit milestone.

“She is an amazing player," Farmersville head coach Antonio Juarez said. "She’s one of those players that just carries our team. She pushes herself all the time even though other teams press her. She still gets the ball up and helps us get a lot of wins. She is a definite leader by example and we can’t wait to see all she accomplishes.”

Garza netted 447 points during a breakout freshman campaign in 2021-22. She followed that outstanding outing by averaging nearly 13 points per game as a sophomore and has already eclipsed 200 points this season.

The Aztec junior had one of her best individual performances in school history on Jan. 13, draining nine 3-pointers while finishing with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 75-72 loss to Coalinga.

Listed at 5-foot-4, Garza has helped lead Farmersville to a 13-4 record as of press time. The Aztecs are averaging nearly 60 points per game with Garza in the starting lineup.

"Hitting 1,000 points felt amazing not only for me now in high school, but for the little me who just wanted to make her parents and Tia proud," Garza said. "I made myself proud but still not over.”

More: See Tulare County's top winter sports performers for Week 10

Granite Hills' Cruz Campos posts second triple-double in school history

Cruz Campos accomplished a feat only one other boys basketball player has reached at Granite Hills.

In a 75-59 victory against Orosi on Jan. 12, Campos delivered 16 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and seven steals to post just the second triple-double in school history.

Campos has helped Granite Hills win five in a row.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County Milestones: Trio joins 1,000-point club