Meet 6 San Joaquin County basketball, soccer athletes who stood out in December

From electrifying boys and girls' basketball tournaments to the gritty matchups on wet soccer fields, San Joaquin County is home to plenty of talented high school athletes.

The Record has kept an eye on these athletes' performances during competition and their stats and rankings. The result is a list of six standout prep athletes for December. These athletes have been huge assets for their teams to start the 2022-23 season and are just a handful of the level of skill fans will find at games played in the area.

(Athletes are listed in alphabetical order.)

Luis Flores

School: Escalon

Sport: Soccer

Class: Senior

The Cougars have played their last games of the year and have an overall record of 8-3-1. Throughout this season, Flores has been an eye-catching senior forward who is offensively efficient for Escalon. He's ranked first in California and eighth in the country in points, scoring 50 points. Thanks to Flores, the Cougars have already matched last season’s record of eight wins.

On Dec. 10, Flores had his best game to date. In a close matchup against Orestimba, the senior forward gave his team the edge as he scored four goals and one assist. He helped Escalon beat the Warriors 5-3 and scored nine points in the match. Starting Jan. 5, Flores will continue to lead his team throughout Trans Valley League play.

Escalon Head Coach Paul Silva: “Luis is a tremendous talent and honestly a gifted soccer player who is good at just about everything. He's able to create for others. He's a willing passer, and has body control in the sense that he can go and stop on a dime that's uncanny. Everybody on the team looks up to him and he’s a highly respected member of our team.”

Jordan Lee

School: St. Mary's

Sport: Basketball

Class: Junior

Lee was a key contributor in St. Mary’s Tri-City Athletic League championship run last season. Since then, she has elevated her game and continues to lead the Rams. The 6-foot guard leads her team in scoring and rebounding. Reeling in 6.6 boards per game and scoring 14.9 points per game, Lee has led St. Mary's to a 9-4 overall record this season.

On Dec. 8, she dropped 26 points and shot 76% from the field to help the Rams rout Cosumnes Oaks, beating the Wolfpack 69-18. She followed that up with another 20-point plus game to beat Capital Christian 87-13 on Dec. 14. Lee is a consistent piece of St. Mary’s program and is already on track to getting her team to defend their T-CAL championship title.

St. Mary’s Head Coach Alle Moreno: “Jordan is a fantastic basketball player. She’s done a great job along with our other captains to facilitate and grow every day. She's really holding our team to a high standard right now, and just kind of participating in every statistical category at a pretty high level too. Leadership comes natural to her and her co-captains have helped her grow in that role as well, so it’s been good.”

Cameron Lowe

School: Venture Academy

Sport: Basketball

Class: Junior

Lowe is a 6-foot-1 forward who rounds out Venture Academy’s “big three” who have led the school to a second-place ranking in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4. With juniors Mario Williams and Marcos Rosales, the Mustangs have an 8-3 overall record. Lowe’s role on the team is crashing the glass and taking high-field goal-percentage shots. He is the second-ranked athlete in the state in double-doubles.

His size and unwavering pursuit of boards have him grabbing 13 rebounds a game. Offensively, he has Venture Academy’s highest field goal percentage, shooting 64%. Lowe is an essential part of the Mustangs basketball program, doing it all for them as their most athletic player. The team hopes to close out the remainder of their three-game non-league schedule utilizing Lowe to his full ability.

Venture Academy Head Coach Eric King: “He is like the glue to our team and he is probably the key to a lot of our team’s success. I’m so happy Cameron is finally getting his recognition because he does everything, he does the dirty work. Like Dennis Rodman of the Bulls, the kid is literally getting every rebound possible and he’s playing harder than anybody out there.”

Anthony Moore

School: Lincoln

Sport: Basketball

Class: Sophomore

Lincoln boys basketball is among the undefeated teams in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, and the school is home to the 6-foot-5 Moore. The Trojans are currently ranked fifth in the CIFSJS with an overall record of 9-0 and a young team that's loaded with hard workers. Moore is only a sophomore. He leads his team in points per game (19.5) and rebounds per game (10.2). He’s the sole player on the team averaging a double-double this season.

Moore’s standout game so far this season came against Antelope on Dec. 10. He finished the game with a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds to beat the Titans 84-58. Lincoln will finish out the year in the Rancho Mirage Holiday Classic, which runs Dec. 27-30. It will be another opportunity for the guard to showcase his shiftiness against opponents.

Lincoln Head Coach Anthony Matthews: “Anthony watches a ton of film and he just has a genuine love for the game. He takes criticism really well, he’s always just wanted to get better. He’s been like that since he was little. He wants to be one of the best players to come out of this area.”

Jameelah Pharms

School: Stagg

Sport: Basketball

Class: Junior

While the Delta Queens are still finding their footing this season, the rising star is Pharms. As a freshman, she averaged 16 points per game. The following year, she averaged 18 points per game, and 11 games into this season, to no one's surprise, she improved her average to 20.9 points per game. Her talent doesn’t stop there.

Pharms’ lockdown defense is another noteworthy asset as a guard. Currently, she is ranked fourth in the CIF for steals per game and first in the San Joaquin Athletic Association, snagging 6.4 steals per game. Her leadership as a captain has helped Stagg to a 5-6 overall record. The Delta Queens need Pharms during the Tom Hawkins/Tracy Breakfast Lions Club Varsity Girls Basketball Tournament, which runs Dec. 27-30.

Stagg Head Coach Finis Jones: “Jameelah has been vital to our team’s success thus far leading our team in points, assists, and steals. She has scored or assisted on 85% of our points this season while being the catalyst for defense by aggressively playing the passing lanes. Jameelah is on pace to score 1,000 career points, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 2016 by her sister Jasmine.”

Cameron Silva

School: Manteca

Sport: Soccer

Class: Senior

Silva is in her fourth year playing varsity for Manteca and remains a driving force. Scoring 2.5 goals a match, the senior forward has led the Buffaloes to the top 10 teams in the SJS. The team is ranked in ninth place. Silva made the top of rankings herself for most points scored in California. She is in tenth place with 64 points.

Silva not only has stepped up as an offensive weapon but as a team leader. She shares the co-captain title with senior Jenna Poncini this season, and together they have kept Manteca on track. The Buffaloes have an 11-1-1 overall record and one game left before Valley Oak League play. Silva will play a key role in Manteca’s journey back to the playoffs next year.

Manteca Head Coach Justin Coenenberg: "I can't say enough about Cameron. Just as a player and a person and a leader for us I mean, she's a she's a magician with the ball, she's explosive and she's a deadly finisher. She's the captain of our team this year and she's always the first one there and the last one to leave. She's a great locker room presence and gets along with all the girls."

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: 6 San Joaquin County basketball, soccer athletes stood out in December