Quinton MasonBasketball

Kubasaki, Okinawa

Last week: Scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Dragons burst to a 20-point halftime lead on their way to a 76-48 victory over Gushikawa, a Japanese club team. The Dragons (11-11) reached the .500 mark for the first time this season.

Mason, a junior, played an integral role in Kubasaki winning five of its past six games, with Tuesday’s regular-season finale at Kadena remaining. In the Dragons’ past five games, Mason has averaged 27.6 points and 7.6 rebounds.

“Quinton has a nice shot but a lot of his points come from hustling and effort after the first shot goes up,” first-year Kubasaki coach Jon Fick said. “Quinton is a quiet leader on or off the court and he takes care of business in the classroom, too.”

Devanee TaylorBasketball

Seoul American

Last week: Averaged 11.3 points and 9.7 rebounds and garnered tournament MVP honors as the Falcons improved to 18-0 after capturing the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference girls tournament title at Seoul Foreign School.

The sophomore “came into her own,” said coach Charlotte Hicks, during the Falcons’ 49-37 triumph over the Crusaders in the title game, in which Seoul American outscored Seoul Foreign 20-6 to break it open.

Aside from strong leaping and an ability to control the boards, “she does a lot that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet,” Hicks said. “She sees the floor, she sees the plays, she knows what the other team is doing. She’s quiet. She’s a natural athlete. She takes the game seriously.”

— Selected by Stars and Stripes staff

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