It’s only a couple of days in to the new year and Red Mountain girls basketball standout Kayla Pedersen is eager for a fresh start.

Apparently, the 5A-I East Valley Region isn’t that far behind the Pac-10.

After struggling much of the afternoon, a former Mesa prep star had Stanford’s fortunes in her hands.

School records have fallen. State marks have been broken. Region championships have been won. State runner-up banners have been raised.

Kayla Pedersen yearned for a somewhat distraction-free summer and made a huge stride toward that end Thursday by giving a verbal commitment to Stanford to play basketball for the Cardinal beginning with the 2007-2008 season.

Kayla Pedersen yearned for a somewhat distraction-free summer and made a huge stride toward that end Thursday by giving a verbal commitment to Stanford to play basketball for the Cardinal beginning with the 2007-2008 season.

February 25, 2005

Mesa Red Mountain welcomed home four-year standout basketball player Kayla Pedersen last Friday, retiring her No. 14 jersey in a pregame ceremony prior to the Mountain Lions' game with rival Mesa High.

TUCSON - Former Mesa Red Mountain High School star Kayla Pedersen matched her season high with 22 points and Candice Wiggins had 12 of her 19 points in the second half, leading No. 7 Stanford to an 89-64 victory over Arizona on Thursday night.

Surrounded by her teammates, freshly cut net hanging around her shoulders. This is exactly how Kayla Pedersen envisioned her high school career coming to an end.

LOS ANGELES — Kayla Pedersen had season-high 25 points and nine rebounds as No. 2 Stanford defeated Southern California 89-64 to win the Pac-10 tournament championship for the sixth time and second consecutive year.

For the third straight year Kayla Pedersen is playing for a championship. The one she yearns for tonight is on a slightly bigger stage.

Red Mountain graduate Kayla Pedersen has been selected to the 12-player roster of the U.S. basketball team that will play at the under-19 World Championships July 26-Aug. 5 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Mesa Red Mountain’s Kayla Pedersen and Phoenix St. Mary’s Jerryd Bayless showed they belonged on the national stage, as both scored in double figures for their teams at the McDonald’s All-American games at Freedom Hall on Wednesday.

For the first time, two Arizona players will take part in the McDonald’s All-American High School basketball games in the same year.

Phoenix St. Mary’s Jerryd Bayless and Mesa Red Mountain’s Kayla Pedersen are getting a shot to go out on top.