Valencia’s Cara McKell, Canyon’s Isaac Yuhico named MVP after leading their teams to victory
Only a few weeks after the end of the 2025-26 high school basketball season, local stars showcased their skills at the fourth annual SCV All-Star basketball games that featured 3-point contests, a dunk contest, and high-profile matchups held at the College of the Canyons.
Taylor Statham, founder of Statham Academy and host of this year’s all-star games, wanted this year’s competition to be a “great sendoff” for many seniors who have played in the Santa Clarita Valey for the past few years.
“This shows the best part of Santa Clarita and that’s this community,” he said. “All the high school rivalries kind of go out the window and everybody comes and supports and it gives our seniors who’ve worked super hard these last few years a great sendoff.”
One of the seniors who got that recognition was Canyon’s senior guard Isaac Yuhico.
During the 2025-26 playoffs, Yuhico led the Cowboys to a historic playoff run for Canyon as the Cowboys hosted and won their first-ever state playoff wins in school history. And in the 2024-25 season, Yuhico was one of the main players who led the Cowboys to a CIF championship.
Yuhico was one of two team captains for the boys’ all-star game and, prior to the game, participated in the boys’ 3-point contest.
Yuhico defeated Centurions’ Aiden Pisarnwongs in the finals to claim the 3-point crown and said, after the festivities were over, that’s he grateful to have one last moment to play with those he grew up with.
“This means a lot. I was able to play with my childhood friends that I grew up with, Jason [Perle], Matthew [Burton], and Zach [Christoffersen],” Yuhico said. “We used to go to LA Fitness every day in the summer so being able to share the court with them and play against the best players in the SCV … it was amazing and awesome.”
Valencia’s Cara McKell shared the same message — and was glad she got one last moment to play with her Vikings teammates.
“I just came out here wanting to have fun,” she said. “This was my last time playing with all these girls and it was a super fun experience.”
McKell, who’s committed to continuing her academic and athletic career at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, participated in the finals of the girls’ 3-point contest but was defeated by her teammate Kamilla Basyrova.
Basyrova, who wrapped up her sophomore season with Valencia, ended the season as the Foothill League MVP and was one of three sophomore guards to record 1,000 points in the SCV.
Canyon’s Darby Dunn and Trinity’s Noa Peña, who both accomplished the historic 1,000 career point feat, played alongside Basyrova for Team Eva, captained by the Centurions’ Eva Marie Rios, in the girls’ all-star game.
In the girls’ game, Team Cara defeated Team Eva, 54-49, in a back-and-forth thriller with neither team able to extend their lead by more than single digits.
McKell claimed the game’s MVP award with her 17-point performance.
As for the boys’ game, Team Isaac, captained by Canyon’s Yuhico, defeated Team Donovan, captained by Golden Valley’s Donovan Webb, who won the Foothill League MVP after leading the Grizzlies to the program’s first outright league title in 17 years.
Team Isaac won, 90-85, with Yuhico being named the game’s MVP.
During the halftime of the boys’ game, the dunk contest was highlighted by windmill dunks from Webb and Santa Clarita Christian School’s Caleb Shaffer.
Legacy’s Matthew Burton defeated Webb to claim this year’s dunk championship.
After the game, Yuhico added that he was surprised he earned the MVP award but credited the accomplishment for taking a charge during the final seconds of the game.
“I thought it was going to go to my teammate Matthew Burton,” he said. “I think the charge I took gave me the MVP and I’m going to credit my coach [Ali Monfared]. He always wanted me to take charges, and I took a charge today, so that’s one for you, coach.”
With the high school basketball season officially over, Statham is excited for the future of basketball in the SCV as he believes events like these can continue to grow and spotlight the players who make the community great.
“I’ve had people from the valley and Antelope Valley reach out to do SCV out of AV-type of all-star events. But I just really want to make sure the kids in Santa Clarita, we take care of them first and create a really dope atmosphere for them,” Statham said.
Photos below from the SCV All-Star basketball games:
