Winner of The News Tribune’s Athlete of the Week (Dec. 15 to 20)
Voting is now closed for The News Tribune’s Athlete of the Week for contests played between Dec. 15-20. Thanks to everyone who voted and supported local student-athletes.
This week’s winner is:
Darius Imperial, Lakes boys basketball
The senior guard led the charge in Lakes’ 5-1 start, delivering the game-winning three-pointer as time expired in Friday’s 2OT win over Timberline, 79-76. In two games last week, Imperial averaged 34 points, four rebounds, three steals, and two assists. He shot 50 percent from three-point range (11-22) and went 13-for-13 at the free-throw line.
The poll is located below. You can read about all of the candidates and their accomplishments below.
Note: If you are not seeing the poll at the bottom of the story, try opening the story in a different browser, such as Chrome or Safari. Votes emailed will not be counted.
Want to nominate a South Sound high school athlete in the future? Email reporter Jon Manley (jon.manley@thenewstribune.com) or Tyler Wicke (twicke@thenewstribune.com) or send a direct message on Twitter/X (@manley_tnt or @WickeTyler) with the athlete’s first and last name, school, year, position and a stat line from game(s) during the past week. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. Sunday.
Payton Brown, Muckleshoot Tribal boys basketball — Junior guard dropped 24 points with seven assists and six steals in Tuesday’s 104-27 win over Redeemer Christian.
Natalie Buchanan, Black Hills girls basketball — Junior guard had 22 points with six rebounds and three assists in Friday’s 56-38 win over Olympic, adding an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double in Monday’s 67-41 loss to North Thurston.
Mason Emil, Mount Rainier boys basketball — Junior wing scored 21 points with seven rebounds and two assists in Tuesday’s 74-59 win over Auburn Riverside, adding a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double in Thursday’s 74-51 loss to Kentwood.
Isaiah Englund, Auburn boys basketball — Junior forward had 26 points in Thursday’s 91-64 win over Stadium.
Juliana Gocha, Lakes girls basketball — Freshman guard posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in Friday’s 54-29 win over Timberline, adding eight points and seven rebounds in Monday’s 51-33 win over Capital.
Luke Heisel, Bellarmine boys basketball — Scored 16 points in win over Lincoln on Wednesday.
Darius Imperial, Lakes boys basketball — Senior guard led the charge in Lakes’ 5-1 start, delivering the game-winning three-pointer as time expired in Friday’s 2OT win over Timberline, 79-76. In two games last week, Imperial averaged 34 points, four rebounds, three steals, and two assists. He shot 50 percent from three-point range (11-22) and went 13-for-13 at the free-throw line.
Daniel Johnson, Auburn boys basketball — Senior guard dropped 26 points in Thursday’s 91-64 win over Stadium.
Jordan Josey, Spanaway Lake boys basketball — Senior guard dropped 23 points (13-16 FT) with five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in Wednesday’s 64-49 win over Bethel.
Hudson Lindsay, Concordia Christian Academy boys basketball — Senior guard posted a 32-point, 15-rebound double-double with six assists and five steals in Tuesday’s 73-34 win over Summit Atlas, adding 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven steals in Monday’s 70-32 win over Crosspoint Christian.
Rylee Markantonatos, Muckleshoot Tribal boys basketball — Junior guard had 27 points, five assists, and two rebounds in Tuesday’s 104-27 win over Redeemer Christian.
Kaliyah Miller, Gig Harbor girls basketball — Senior guard had 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals in Wednesday’s 78-47 win over Silas.
Giovanni Moimoi, Kentridge boys basketball — Senior forward scored 24 points (9-11 FG) with nine rebounds and three assists in Thursday’s 59-56 win over Tahoma, adding 23 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday’s 81-54 loss to Auburn.
Bailey Nettleton, Tahoma girls basketball — Senior guard dropped a season-high 25 points (9-13 FG) with four rebounds and two steals in Thursday’s 81-31 win over Kentridge, adding eight points in Tuesday’s 50-48 win over Kennedy Catholic.
Kade Price, Bellarmine boys basketball — Scored 16 points in win over Lincoln on Wednesday.
Fa’aluaina Salanoa, Clover Park girls basketball — Senior guard dropped a season-high 22 points with eight rebounds and five assists in Friday’s 58-38 win over Washington, adding a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double in Thursday’s 52-44 loss to Kingston.
Davion Shareef-Dulaney, Lincoln basketball — Scored 26 points in loss to Bellarmine Prep on Wednesday.
Abby Shelton, Cascade Christian girls basketball — Sophomore forward had 19 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in Friday’s 36-35 win over Annie Wright, adding 10 points and five rebounds in Tuesday’s 69-6 win over Auburn Adventist.
Annique Smith, Silas girls basketball — Senior wing dropped 29 points with five assists and five steals in Wednesday’s 78-47 loss to Gig Harbor, adding 17 points and eight assists in Friday’s 83-46 win over Central Kitsap.
Brandi Stanford, River Ridge girls basketball — Senior guard had 16 points with a season-high 10 steals in Friday’s 43-27 win over Peninsula, adding three rebounds and three assists.
Zion Stone, Kennedy Catholic boys basketball — Junior guard dropped season-high 32 points with seven rebounds and four assists in Tuesday’s 72-69 win over Tahoma, had 23 points and four steals in Thursday’s 87-49 win over Auburn Riverside, and totaled 14 points in Friday’s 58-55 loss to Mount Si.
Brandon Tagle, Kentwood boys basketball — Senior guard dropped 27 points (10-19 FG) with 13 rebounds, five steals, and four assists in Thursday’s 74-51 win over Mount Rainier.
Jack Vahey, Northwest Christian (Lacey) boys basketball — Senior dropped a school-record 47 points (22-31 FG) with 14 rebounds and two assists in Friday’s 70-34 win over Crescent, adding a 34-point, 14-rebound double-double in Thursday’s 60-56 loss to Northwest Yeshiva.
Tyler Venable, Black Hills girls basketball — Junior guard had 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals in Friday’s 56-38 win over Olympic, adding 11 points and eight rebounds in Monday’s 67-41 loss to North Thurston.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 11:16 AM.
