The future looks bright for a pair of underclassmen basketball talents. Santa Cruz High junior Tiera O’Connor and Aptos freshman Gabby Wickham were named co-MVPs of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.

O’Connor, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward, helped the Cardinals win their fourth straight league title and advance to the Central Coast Section Division III semifinals.

“I’m proud of it,” said O’Connor, of the honor. “It shows the work I’ve put in all season pays off.”

She averaged 10.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 steals, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. She finished with 287 points, giving her 556 in her three-year varsity career. She is six steals shy of 200 in her career.

“Tiera showed us this season how athletic and talented she is,” Santa Cruz coach Todd Trowbridge said. “Some of her blocked shots and rebounds were big-time game changers. Almost every team’s game plan this season was to hold Tiera down. She received the box-and-one (defense) from teams frequently this season. Tiera is a threat every time she touches the ball. And you can’t defend her to stop only her outside shot. You have to also respect her ability to put the ball on the floor.”

O’Connor strived to improve upon her showing last season, when she was a first-team selection. Her focus was becoming a better team player, progressing in every aspect of her game, and continuing to adapt to new situations.

This year, she was key in the team’s 1-3-1 defense, working tirelessly as the front-line defender. Trowbridge said that role requires a lot of energy, and that O’Connor excelled.

“Her defensive intensity and defensive intelligence is second to none in this league,” Trowbridge said. “She has the ability to take teams out of their rhythm with her active hands and getting into passing lanes.”

O’Connor embraced her role on defense and said that it benefitted her and the Cardinals on offense. She was able to gain easy baskets in transition after recording steals.

O’Connor said she hopes to continue to improve her game. After competing for West Coast Elite as a sophomore, she decided to eliminate her near 70-mile commute and competes for a local AAU team, AC Santa Cruz Academy (ACSC).

“I am very proud of the work she put in to develop her game coming into this season,” Trowbridge said. “The best part about Tiera’s game is that she is still finding out how good she can be.”

The same can be said for Wickham.

“It means a lot, especially to get it as a freshman,” she said of the honor. “It’s rare for a freshman to get it.”

The 5-6 point guard helped the Mariners (19-8, 8-2) take second place in the SCCAL, knock off Santa Cruz for the league tournament title, and advance to the CCS D-III semifinals.

Wickham averaged 15.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 steals. She scored a season-high 35 points in a win over Scotts Valley on Feb. 8.

Mariners coach Bruce Funk said Wickham made dozens of quality passes that weren’t converted into points, which hurt her assist total. “She’s a true point guard,” he said. “She sees the court really well and makes great passes.”

Funk praised Wickham for joining a team with seven seniors and blending her leadership skills with the veteran players.

“She has a lot of strengths,” Funk said. “One, she came in as a freshman and played with a lot of confidence. She handled the ball for us about 85 percent of the time and allowed us to get into our offense. She can finish around the rim and her 3-point shooting improved. The thing that separates her from the rest of the field, she can hit the mid-range jumper.”

Wickham’s goal was not only to make the varsity team as a freshman, but be the best player on it. She’d watched her older sister and senior teammate, Samantha, compete the past four years, so she had an idea of what level of skill and effort were needed to not only compete at the level, but shine.

Wickham was more than prepared. She has competed on AAU teams in the South Bay for five years. She currently laces up her sneakers for Team NorCal in Portola Valley at least three days a week.

She said playing for a high level AAU team gave her confidence that she could compete on varsity as a freshman.

She’ll continue to work on her all-around game in the offseason.

Funk commended his colleagues for recognizing Wickham’s talent and contributions. “That says a lot for our coaches to vote a freshman as co-MVP,” he said.

Aptos senior shooting guard Laurel Southall and Santa Cruz sophomore forward Karolina Espinosa joined O’Connor and Wickham on the first team, as did Scotts Valley sophomore guard/forward Brooklyn Williams, San Lorenzo Valley senior guard Hannah Morley, and Soquel senior guard Amelie Stotland.

Trowbridge, in his eighth season at the helm of the program, was named Coach of the Year for a third time by his peers.