LAFAYETTE – When Karyss “KK” Lacanlale had the ball in her hands, Acalanes’ high-octane attack became supercharged.
Even if she was standing near her opponent’s own basket.
The floor general – blessed with a quick shot and an even quicker trigger when it came to making spectacular passes – routinely flung full-court bullets to streaking teammates for easy layups in transition.
“With KK as the point guard, she pushes the ball every single time she has the chance,” teammate Sophie Chinn said.
A starter since her freshman year at the Lafayette public school, Lacanales averaged 14.3 points and 5.7 assists per game during her final season.
When Lacanlale wasn’t hurling long passes, she was burning defenses off the dribble for layups and 3-pointers and playing the passing lanes on defense in search of fast break opportunities.
She led the team to a 23-1 regular season, a Diablo Athletic League title, a berth in the North Coast Section Open Division final and a spot in the NorCal Open Division playoffs.
The Dons scored an average of 69 points per game and won each of their league games by at least 20 points as Lacanlale was named the DAL’s most valuable player.
For this, the senior has been named the Bay Area News Group’s girls basketball player of the year.
“I love KK,” teammate Dulci Vail said. “She’s like our rock, if that makes sense. She handles everything in stride, and she’s just able to handle any pressure on the court or off it with a smile on her face.”
Lacanlale and her Acalanes teammates, many she had known since playing on an AAU team called the Blitz in elementary school, took the Bay Area by storm in 2024-25.
After winning the 2022 NCS Division II title as freshmen, the band of childhood friends spent the next two seasons standing on the precipice of becoming part of the East Bay’s elite.
That breakthrough finally happened in their senior season, and Lacanlale and her fearless mentality was a huge reason why.
“Since I’m a smaller player, I have to be more physical,” Lacanlale said. “I think it does come naturally, because to stay on the court and continue to play, I have to bring everything I can to the team.”
Lacanale brought it – and then some – as Acalanes piled up wins against many of the region’s top teams.
Seventeen points against St. Ignatius, 19 points and five assists in regular-season victories over San Ramon Valley and St. Mary’s-Stockton, and a season-high 34 points in a victory over McClatchy toward the end of the regular season.
Lacanlale also showed up in the postseason. She put up a cool 16 points and four assists against Clayton Valley Charter to clinch the DAL title, and then shredded Cardinal Newman with nine assists in an NCS semifinal.
Even though the Dons’ quest for additional championship hardware fell short in the section and regional brackets, Lacanlale’s basketball career is far from over.
She will attend Saint Martin’s University in Washington in the fall and study nursing while also playing for the school’s basketball team.
“I think that I want to work with elderly people, because I just want to be there to support them in their most vulnerable times,” Lacanlale said.
Lacanlale made her mark on the Dons, taking the program to new heights and turning Acalanes into arguably the most exciting team to watch in the Bay Area.
When asked what it was like to race up and down the court with her friends during her high school swansong, Lacanale kept it short.
“It’s a flow like no other,” she said.