Tiger coaches handed out awards to their top athletes March 8 at the annual winter sports banquet in the Patterson High School cafeteria.

The banquet — which featured a number of competitors from the Patterson High boys basketball, girls basketball, wrestling and cheerleading teams — honored the best male and female athletes from each sport.

The event also acknowledged a variety of other individual accolades, noting achievements in leadership, team spirit and overall improvement.

Boys basketball

“We had 11 quality gentlemen on this team,” boys basketball coach Tony Lomeli Jr. told the crowd. “These were some of the hardest working kids I’ve ever coached.”

Lomeli recognized senior Kent Foster as the team’s most valuable player and captain. Foster — who averaged 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals this past season — was also a unanimous selection as Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Sophomore Nick Ward came away with the team’s biggest impact player award. Teammate Cody Weinzheimer was honored as the Tigers’ most improved player, and Jake Saavedra received the Tiger Character Award.

Foster, Ward and Weinzheimer also earned spots on the WAC All-League first team.

Girls basketball

Girls basketball coach Jason McCleery also acknowledged his league-champion team.

Senior Cassie Coble was named both the team’s and the league’s MVP for the third straight season.

McCleery said coaching Coble — who scored more than 1,100 points, pulled down more than 750 rebounds and tallied more than 200 blocks in four years of varsity play — was one of the highlights of his tenure.

Best defensive player Amber Bond; the most improved player award went to Emily Yin; and the Coach’s Award went to Breana White.

Coble and Bond also earned spots on the WAC All-League first team and were named team co-captains.

Wrestling

Wrestling coach Lee Scoles bestowed praise on the team’s co-captains, Zack Whitney and Sam Melo. Senior Rafa Sotelo received most improved wrestler honors, while two-time WAC champion George Miranda garnered the team’s MVP.

Scoles handed Ricky Howard his Coach’s Award and gave Joe Melo the Coach Worley Award.

Cheer team

Cheerleader Lauren White won the Tiger Pride Award, while teammate Erin Polyzos earned most improved honors.

Junior varsity and freshmen

The Patterson High JV winter athletics season was also capped by last week’s banquet.

JV boys basketball coach Buzzy Wheeland named Zack Dinu the team’s best offensive player. Teammate Anthony McCaskill was named the best defensive player. Dinu and Brian Lemon were deemed co-captains.

Freshman boys basketball coach Willie Boschi named Skylar Job his team’s MVP. Joey Lopes took team captain honors.

JV girls basketball coach Terry Coble named Marisabel Carrillo and Kai Roberts the team’s co-captains. Roberts and Shantel Perez each took home a Coach’s Award.

Freshman girls basketball coach DeCarlos Kaigler recognized Eva Cortez as the team’s MVP and Shalini Bakshi as the team’s captain. Maneja Latify was named the most improved player.

Scoles named Dallas Hernandez and Alex Whitney co-captains of the JV wrestling team. Juan Gonzalez earned MVP honors, and Freddy Kelepi was the most improved wrestler.

JV cheerleader Olivia Perez earned the team’s Tiger Pride Award. Teammate Brandi Pearson took most improved honors.