Daily News High School Spotlight

Hoping to strike a plea bargain Wednesday that would have released jailed Chatsworth High girls' junior-varsity basketball coach Andre LaBeach, who is being held since April 1 on felony sex charges, the 22-year-old coach will have to wait a bit longer.

LaBeach's new attorney, Scott Brown, of Woodland Hills, needs more time to weigh an offer from the district attorney's office to settle the case, which has been put over until June 2.

"It's winding down. I just have to take a look at a couple of things," said Brown, who added that a key issue is whether both sides can settle on a felony conviction or a misdemeanor.

Brown, a family friend who said he is not charging a fee, has replaced public defender Meredith Schensul.

"I personally know Andre LaBeach. He coached my daughter, Robyn, for two years," Brown said. "He is a good kid who made a foolish, stupid mistake. He's a great coach, and this should not ruin his life."

LaBeach is charged with four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor at least three years younger. Held in lieu of $80,000 bail, LaBeach could face up to five years in prison plus a fine, according to Deputy District Attorney Alisanne Skolnik.

Skolnik refused comment Wednesday.

A large group of supporters for LaBeach attended the hearing Wednesday.

Brown said LaBeach plans to return to college and get his degree.

"This is his first time in jail, and in the beginning he was a little shell-shocked," Brown said.

LaBeach is a former basketball player at Cleveland High of Reseda.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The annual Nike Fairfax tournament is always one of the best summer events on the West Coast.

2008 will be no exception as 16 teams hit the hardwood June 24-29.

Here is the schedule:

Westchester vs. Dorsey, Wed. June 25, 5:50 p.m.
Loyola vs. Pasadena, Tue. June 24, 4:30 p.m.
Harvard-Westlake vs. Santa Monica, Tue. June 24, 5:50 p.m.
Crespi vs. Mater Dei, Wed. June 25, 8:30 p.m.

Dominguez vs. Leuzinger, Tue. June 24, 7:10 p.m.
Taft vs. Long Beach Poly, Wed. June 25, 4:30 p.m.
Campbell Hall vs. Orange Lutheran, Tue. June 24, 8:30 p.m.
Fairfax vs. La Canada, Wed. June 25, 7:10 p.m.

There should be a slew of talented players in this excellent showcase of teams and talent.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chaminade head boys' coach Bryan Cantwell has resigned to pursue being an administrator, according to an email from school A.D. Andy Williamson. Also, the school is looking for a new baseball coach now that interim coach Jim Milkovich is finished with the season. Information: 818-347-8997 or awilliamson@chaminade.org.

Chaminade's basketball team finished 13-15 this past season -- the first sub-.500 season in three years - and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Cantwell, 36, wasn't available for comment, but Crespi head coach Russell White, one of Cantwell's best friend, said he saw this coming.

"I was not surprised, Bryan has thought about it for a while," White said. "He has talked about it off and on for a couple of years."

Cantwell plans to remain at Chaminade as an administrator.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bryce Smith, a 6'3 sharpshooting three point specialist from City champion Taft of Woodland Hills will be attending San Diego St. next season.

Smith had a scholarship offer from Air Force but ultimately decided to stay closer to home.

Smith will be a walk-on his first year with a good chance of earning a scholarship for his last three years.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seventeen teams are signed up for the annual San Fernando Valley Tournament hosted by Crespi of Encino and played at four different sites.

The tournament is looking to add 15 more teams for a total of 32 teams.

Contact rwhite@crespi.org to enter a high school team

Here are the 17 teams signed up already:

Crespi
Granada Hills
Kennedy
Alemany
Burbank
El Camino Real
Beverly Hills
King Drew
West Ranch
Golden Valley
LA Baptist
Monroe
Chatsworth
University
Poly
Chaminade
Birmingham

Posted by Jack Pollon at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fresh off of winning the L.A. City title in March, Taft of Woodland Hills is taking no time off as it will defend its City Section championship next season.

The Toreadors are competing in two spring leagues. Taft plays at Fairfax High on Monday nights and at Westchester High on Tuesday nights.

Here is Taft's schedule for each league.

April 22, Taft vs. Leuzinger at Westchester at 6:30 p.m.
April 28, Taft vs. Crespi at Fairfax at 8 p.m.
April 29, Taft vs. Westchester at Westchester at 4:30 p.m.
May 5, Taft vs. La Canada at Fairfax at 8 p.m.
May 6, Taft vs. Morningside at Westchester at 5:30 p.m.
May 12, Taft vs. Fairfax at Fairfax at 6 p.m.
May 13, Taft vs. Santa Monica at Westchester at 6:30 p.m.
May 19, Taft vs. Pasadena at Fairfax at 7 p.m.
May 20, Taft vs. West Torrance at Westchester at 6:30 p.m.
May 27, Taft vs. West Torrance at Westchester at 5:30 p.m.
June 2, Taft vs. Santa Monica at Fairfax at 7 p.m.
June 3, Playoffs at Westchester High TBA

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is the story from the Fresno Bee Newspaper.

Palmdale recruit says yes to men's hoops
Fresno State adds to its basketball recruiting class.
By Gary Estwick / The Fresno Bee
04/14/08 23:15:12
Quick Job Search

Paul George, a Knight High-Palmdale senior, said Monday afternoon that he will sign a letter of intent this week with Fresno State, giving the Bulldogs basketball team its first oral commitment of the spring signing period.

George, a 6-foot-8 guard/forward, joins the incoming recruiting class of Reggie Moore and Mychal Ladd of Rainier Beach-Seattle, Chris Jones of Newark Academy and Bracken Funk of Utah's Lone Peak High.

George said he picked Fresno State over Pepperdine, San Diego State and Penn State. He said Georgetown recruited him during the last month.

"Looking at those rosters, there was always a guy ahead of me; which is not always bad," said George, 17. "But I just wanted to come in my freshman year and play a lot of minutes. Just to be able to make mistakes and grow from them."

George initially was recruited by Fresno State assistant coach Senque Carey.

Fresno State is unsure of how many scholarship players will join George during the signing period, which starts Wednesday. The program is awaiting its fate as the NCAA evaluates its historically low Academic Progress Rate.

George originally made an oral commitment to Santa Clara, then signed with Pepperdine. He later asked for and received his release from Pepperdine after coach Vance Walberg resigned.

"It will definitely be a relief [for Paul] to be through with the process," Knight coach Tom Hegre said.

George averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds in his senior season, and his team reached the first round of the state playoffs. He caused matchup problems for most opponents, posting up or shooting over guards and driving by post players, Hegre said.

"He's a fairly consistent 3-point shooter, and he handles the ball well for his size," Hegre said. "He's got the body, he's got the length to defend at that level. I know as he matures and becomes physically stronger, he'll fit in well up there."

That's just what George plans to accomplish.

"Once I get that [college] coaching," George said, "that can make me a better player than in high school. I think a lot more positive things will happen."

On Sunday, George scored 24 points -- including five 3-pointers -- for the East team, which lost 117-103 in the Battle of the Valley, a Southern California high school all-star game.

His sister, Teiosha George recently completed her senior season of women's basketball at Pepperdine.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talked to Chatsworth principal Tim Guy a moment ago, hoping for a comment on girls' JV basketball coach Andre Lebeach, who has been arrested on a felony "sex with a minor" charge and is jailed with an $80,000 bail.

Guy said: "I'm just concerned," but defered further comment to district officials. Called the district spokeswoman, and she said she would call back soon, so we will update when we can.

Guy was arrested April 1. He is scheduled to make a court appearance Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in Van Nuys.

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More information has surfaced on the felony arrest of Chatsworth girls' JV coach Andre Labeach: The charge is sex with a minor, according to a police source.

Labeach, 22, was arrested April 1 and is being held on $80,000 bail, according to a police source. He is scheduled to make a court apperance Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in Van Nuys.

Calls to Chatsworth principal Tim Guy, Chatsworth athletic director Mike Immken and former Chatsworth principal Jeff Davis have not been returned.

Labeach formerly played varsity basketball for Cleveland of Reseda's boys' team.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is the All-League Pacific players:

Co-MVP - Shara Babakhanians (Hoover) & Keion Bell (Pasadena)

1st team - Sevak Amranyan (Burbank), Marcus Harvey (Pasadena), Derenik Kaloosi (Glendale), Clay Sierra (Crescenta Valley), Chris Smith (Burroughs)

2nd team - Charles Barrett (Burroughs), Shara Davoodi (Hoover), Joseph Hensen (Pasadena), David Mansuryan (Glendale), George Toyama (Pasadena, Eric Strangis (Crescenta Valley)

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Crespi of Encino will be hosting a summer tournament June 20-23

Teams scheduled to participate include Crespi, Taft, Hart, Simi Valley, Chaminade, Campbell Hall and Calabasas.

The tournament is taking place the same time as the annual War on the Floor tournament featuring Taft, Sylmar, Van Nuys and a trio of schools from Fresno.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

2008 Battle of the Valley
Boys Senior All Star Game
Sunday April 13
Cal State Northridge 5 p.m.

West Roster
30-Lorne Jackson-Simi Valley
40-Michael Meza-Simi Valley
00-Andy Winningham-Oak Park
10-Matt Johnson-Oaks Christian
12-Bryce Smith-Taft
44-Joseph Fauria-Crespi
14-David Buchanan-Moorpark
32-Derrell Powers-Sylmar
34-Kyisean Reed-Highland
20-Ben Ricard-Agoura
24-Bobby Hillard-Oak Park
4-Levi Wenrich-Hart
22-Chris Smith-Burroughs
2-Kyle Olandt-Westlake
44-Dalton Francis-Newbury Park
COACH-CHRISTIAN AURAND-SIMI VALLEY (caurand@sbcglobal.net)
Assistants-Ryan Moore and Chris Garton

East Roster
1-Dallas Rutherford-Campbell Hall
5-John Otavka-Valencia
31-Paul George-Knight
33-Cody Anderson-Canyon
11-Ryan Walczuk-Malibu
35-Charles Cole-Monroe
13-Clayton Sierra-Crescenta Valley
43-Teilden McKissic-Lancaster
25-Jesse Zarate-North Hollywood
41-Renaldo Woolridge-Harvard-Westlake
21-Eric Strangis-Crescenta Valley
23-Justin Cook-Renaissance Academy
0-Cory Davis-Reseda
15-Mat Hankins-Van Nuys
3-Shara Babakhanians-Hoover
COACH-KEITH HIGGINS-RESEDA (ksh91331@yahoo.com)
Assistants-Derrick Higgins, Thurman Moore, Ramon Zuniga

Officials: Klaus Endrissat, Jr., Herb Cleveland, Dan Teola

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nick Kindel, an assistant coach at El Camino Real in Woodland Hills won a brand new Toyota Highlander Friday night at halftime of the Lakers vs. Mavericks game.

Kindel was one of four contestants in a skills challenge and was the only one to record a perfect score of 12 points.

Kindel made a lay up, calmly tossed four basketball through a padded cylinder and then made four consecutive free throws all in under 45 seconds.

The other three contestants all made it to the shooting stage unscathed but could not match Kindel's shoting accuracy.

Kindel posed for a photograph with the Lakers Girls dance squad at half court after the competition.

Kindel graduated from El Camino Real in 2005.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Simi Valley's Langston Jackson has been offered a scholarship by George Mason University, where he is scheduled to take a visit in two weeks before making a committment.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oak Park Boys Varsity Basketball
Monday Night Summer League
2008 Schedule

Monday, June 16 4:30 Newbury Park vs. Agoura
5:30 Malibu vs. Calabasas 2
6:30 Calabasas 1 vs. Camarillo
7:30 Oak Park vs. Channel Islands

Monday, June 23 4:30 Oak Park vs. Malibu
5:30 Calabasas 1 vs. Agoura
6:30 Channel Islands vs. Calabasas 2
7:30 Camarillo vs. Newbury Park

Monday, June 30 4:30 Oak Park vs. Camarillo
5:30 Newbury Park vs. Calabasas 2
6:30 Calabasas 1 vs. Channel Islands
7:30 Malibu vs. Agoura

Monday, July 7 4:30 Oak Park vs. Agoura
5:30 Calabasas 2 vs. Camarillo
6:30 Newbury Park vs. Calabasas 1
7:30 Malibu vs. Channel Islands

Monday, July 14 4:30 Oak Park vs. Newbury Park
5:30 Calabasas 1 vs. Calabasas 2
6:30 Camarillo vs. Malibu
7:30 Channel Islands vs. Agoura

Monday, July 21 4:30 Oak Park vs. Calabasas 1
5:30 Agoura vs. Calabasas 2
6:30 Malibu vs. Newbury Park
7:30 Channel Islands vs. Camarillo

Posted by Jack Pollon at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Antelope Valley area boys and girls All-Star games are set for Sunday April 20th at Antelope Valley College.

The girls game starts at 1:30 p.m. followed by the boys game at 3:30 p.m.

Highland of Palmdale coach Jeff Smith was nice enough to pass along the information and rosters. Here they are.

HOME TEAM (WHITE TEAM JERSEYS) (8 large, 3 small)
COACH-TOM HEGRE (KNIGHT) & KEITH BENNETT (ANTELOPE VALLEY)

1. Lamont Dewindt (KNIGHT)
2. Kyree Jackson (KNIGHT)
3. Patrick Taylor (LANCASTER)
4. Jacob Potts (LANCASTER)
5. Teilden McKissic (LANCASTER)
6. Randy Evans (ANTELOPE VALLEY)
7. Donald Johnson (ANTELOPE VALLEY)
8. Jerone Davison (LITTLEROCK)
9. Brandon Lowe (DESERT)
10. Michael Vaughan (DESERT)
11. Jerry Kelly (PARACLETE)

AWAY TEAM (DARK TEAM JERSEYS) (7 large, 4 small)
COACH-JEFF SMITH (HIGHLAND) & JOHN KONRAD (PALMDALE)

1. Christian Holden (ROSAMOND)
2. Raymund Bernas (ROSAMOND)
3. Donte Day (ROSAMOND)
4. Kyisean Reed (HIGHLAND)
5. Buck Stewart (HIGHLAND)
6. Jameer McDaniel (HIGHLAND)
7. Jacon Crump (HIGHLAND)
8. Patrick Campbell (HIGHLAND)
9. Justin Haynes (PALMDALE)
10. Ben Collins (QUARTZ HILL)
11. Carson Leshin (DESERT CHRISTIAN)

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night I had a chance to speak with Bryce Smith at the Valley Sports Foundation Battle of the Valley Senior All-Star Game banquet at Universal Studios.

Smith, the sharpshooter who teamed with McDonald's All-American Larry Drew and Long Beach St.-bound Eugene Phelps to help lead the Toreadors to the City championship this past season told me he is down to Air Force, San Diego St. and Pepperdine as his college choices.

I also ran into Lorne Jackson from Simi Valley High and he said Pepperdine or George Mason could be his next stop come September.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saturday April 5

Cleveland High School in Reseda site-ALL BOYS
10 am Oak Park 1 vs. Harvard-Westlake 1 (var)
11 am Oak Park 2 vs. Harvard-Westlake 2 (jv)
12 pm St. Francis 3 vs. Arleta 2 (jv)
1 pm St. Francis 2 vs. Arleta 1 (var)
2 pm St. Francis 1 vs. SCV Bulldogs 1 (var)

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS unless noted
10 am Taft vs. Burroughs (girls)
11 am Birmingham vs. La Canada (girls)
12 pm Notre Dame vs. Skywalkers (girls)
1 pm SF Jaguars vs. Bengals (girls)
2 pm Agoura 4 vs. Bengals (boys jv)
3 pm Agoura 2 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. (boys var)
4 pm Agoura 3 vs. Notre Dame (boys jv)
5 pm Agoura 1 vs. St. Bonaventure (boys var)

Van Nuys High School in Van Nuys site-ALL BOYS
12 pm Gametymers 3 vs. Buckley (var)
1 pm Gametymers 1 vs. L.A. Baptist (var)
2 pm Gametymers 2 v. Channel Islands (var)
3 pm La Canada vs. Van Nuys (var)
4 pm Reseda vs. Van Nuys (var)
5 pm Pasadena Eagles vs. SF Jaguars (jv)

Saturday April 12

Cleveland High School in Reseda site-ALL BOYS unless noted
9am St. Francis 1 vs. Oak Park 1 (boys var)
10 am St. Francis 3 vs. Oak Park 2 (boys jv)
11 am St. Francis 2 vs. St. Bonaventure (boys var)
12 pm Bengals vs. Skywalkers (girls)
1 pm Bengals vs. SF Jaguars (boys jv)
2 pm Agoura 1 vs. Arleta 1 (boys var)
3 pm Agoura 3 vs. Arleta 2 (boys jv)
4 pm SCV Bulldogs 2 vs. SF Jaguars (boys jv)
5 pm SCV Bulldogs 2 vs. Notre Dame (boys jv)
6 pm La Canada vs. Reseda (boys var)

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS unless noted
9 am Taft vs. Notre Dame (girls)
10 am Birmingham vs. Burroughs (girls)
11 am Agoura 2 vs. Harvard Westlake 1 (boys var)
12 pm Agoura 4 vs. Harvard Westlake 2 (boys jv)
1 pm Gametymers 1 vs. Sherman Oaks CES (boys var)
2 pm Gametymers 3 vs. Pasadena Eagles (boys var)
3 pm SCV Bulldogs 1 vs. Buckley (boys var)
4 pm Gametymers 2 vs. Van Nuys (boys var)
5 pm Westlake vs. La Canada (girls)
6 pm Stockdale vs. Channel Islands (boys var)
7 pm Stockdale vs. L.A. Baptist (boys var)

bye week: sf jaguars girls

Saturday April 19
Cleveland High School in Reseda site-ALL BOYS unless noted
10 am Notre Dame vs. La Canada (girls)
11 am Burroughs vs. Skywalkers (girls)
12 pm Gametymers 1 vs. St. Bonaventure (boys var)
1 pm Gametymers 2 vs. Channel Islands (boys var)
2 pm Gametymers 3 vs. SF Jaguars (boys jv)
3 pm Bengals vs. Notre Dame (boys jv)
4 pm Reseda vs. Arleta 1 (boys var)
5 pm Pasadena Eagles vs. Arleta 2 (boys jv)

Van Nuys High School in Van Nuys site-ALL BOYS unless noted
9 am La Canada vs. Agoura 2 (boys var)
10 am Oak Park 1 vs. Agoura 1 (boys var)
11 am Oak Park 2 vs. Agoura 3 (boys jv)
12 pm Sherman Oaks C.E.S. vs. Buckley (boys var)
1 pm SCV Bulldogs 1 vs. Van Nuys (boys var)
2 pm L.A. Baptist vs. St. Francis 2 (boys var)
3 pm Harvard Westlake 1 vs. St. Francis 1 (boys var)
4 pm Harvard Westlake 2 vs. St. Francis 3 (boys jv)
5 pm Westlake vs. Birmingham (girls)

bye week: agoura 4 and taft girls and sf jaguars girls and bengals girls

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bort Escoto, head coach at Sylmar High is running the 13th annual War on the Floor Summer Boys and Girls Basketball tournament.

The dates are June 21-24.

The star studded event will be held at Taft High in Woodland Hills, Van Nuys High and other area locations.

The tournament is looking for 24-32 teams.

Teams that have signed up already are Taft, Sylmar, Van Nuys, Dorsey, Highland, El Camino Real, Golden Valley, Clovis West, Arleta and Ripon.

The tournament has arguably one of Southern California's biggest and best during the summer period

For more information on this event email jhp9436@lausd.net

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

2008 Battle of the Valley
Boys Senior All Star Game
Sunday April 13
Cal State Northridge 5 p.m.

West Roster
32-Lorne Jackson-Simi Valley
4-Michael Meza-Simi Valley
10-Andy Winningham-Oak Park
0-Matt Johnson-Oaks Christian
12-Bryce Smith-Taft
24-Joseph Fauria-Crespi
14-David Buchanan-Moorpark
13-Derrell Powers-Sylmar
30-Kyisean Reed-Highland
22-Ben Ricard-Agoura
2-Bobby Hillard-Oak Park
20-Levi Wenrich-Hart
21-Chris Smith-Burroughs
34-Kyle Olandt-Westlake
35-Dalton Francis-Newbury Park
COACH-CHRISTIAN AURAND-SIMI VALLEY (caurand@sbcglobal.net)
Assistants-Ryan Moore and Chris Garton

East Roster
33-Dallas Rutherford-Campbell Hall
11-John Otavka-Valencia
10-Paul George-Knight
21-Cody Anderson-Canyon
1-Ryan Walczuk-Malibu
0-Charles Cole-Monroe
2-Clayton Sierra-Crescenta Valley
15-Teilden McKissic-Lancaster
31-Jesse Zarate-North Hollywood
23-Renaldo Woolridge-Harvard-Westlake
25-Eric Strangis-Crescenta Valley
13-Justin Cook-Renaissance Academy
5-Cory Davis-Reseda
3-Mat Hankins-Van Nuys
4-Shara Babakhanians-Hoover
COACH-KEITH HIGGINS-RESEDA (ksh91331@yahoo.com)
Assistants-Derrick Higgins, Thurman Moore, Ramon Zuniga

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The brackets are out.

Several players with ties to the area will be playing this week.

Andre Murray-Portland St. (Cleveland of Reseda)
Alex Stepheson-North Carolina (Harvard-Westlake)
Bryce Taylor-Oregon (Harvard-Westlake)
Joey Ellis-UCLA (Crespi of Encino)
Frank Robinson-Sylmar (Cal St. Fullerton)
Brook and Robin Lopez-Stanford (Lived in the area when brother Alex starred at Campbell Hall of North Hollywood)

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

2008 Battle of the Valley
Boys Senior All Star Game
Sunday April 13
Cal State Northridge 5 p.m.

West Roster
32-Lorne Jackson-Simi Valley
4-Michael Meza-Simi Valley
10-Andy Winningham-Oak Park
0-Matt Johnson-Oaks Christian
12-Bryce Smith-Taft
24-Joseph Fauria-Crespi
14-Ryan Walczuk-Malibu
30-Kyisean Reed-Highland
22-Ben Ricard-Agoura
2-Bobby Hillard-Oak Park
20-Levi Wenrich-Hart
34-Kyle Olandt-Westlake
35-Dalton Francis-Newbury Park
COACH-CHRISTIAN AURAND-SIMI VALLEY (caurand@sbcglobal.net)
Assistants-Ryan Moore and Chris Garton

East Roster
33-Dallas Rutherford-Campbell Hall
11-John Otavka-Valencia
10-Darrell Powers-Sylmar
21-Cody Anderson-Canyon
1-David Buchanan-Moorpark
0-Charles Cole-Monroe
15-Teilden McKissic-Lancaster
31-Jesse Zarate-North Hollywood
23-Mitch Weber-Saugus
25-Eric Strangis-Crescenta Valley
13-Justin Cook-Renaissance Academy
5-Cory Davis-Reseda
3-Mat Hankins-Van Nuys
4-Shara Babakhanians-Hoover
COACH-KEITH HIGGINS-RESEDA (ksh91331@yahoo.com)
Assistants-

Posted by Jack Pollon at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SACRAMENTO -- It's a wrap. Final score: Branson 40, Renaissance Academy 33

Still haven't got the final stats, but i would be surprised if Renaissance shot better than 30 percent in this D5 loss to Branson at Arco Arena. The Wildcats just did not have any fire, turning the ball over way too much, and generally making poor decisions.

Nervous? Perhaps. Otherwise, Branson is simply a much better team. Wouldn't be a shock, considering this was Branson third consecutive D5 state title.

It didn't help that leading scorer Justin Cook did not hit a field goal and finished with just three points. That was a killer.

But there is lots of talent returning, including big man Anthony Stover, so perhaps Renaissance Academy will be heard from again.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This one is tight and low-scoring, just as expected. The teams are tied at 10 after one quarter, but if Renaissance Academy can take better shots, they’ll be in better shape. They’re forcing everything in a building that is notoriously unfriendly to outside shooters.

We shall see if things pick up …

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Unfortunately, only the Division I and II boys' and girls' games will be televised, so Campbell Hall fans and Renaissance Academy fans will have to read the Daily News on Saturday to find out if their teams won state titles.

But the Division I and II games on both sides should be very entertaining, so it's worth tuning in to Fox Sports Prime Ticket. Here's the schedule:

2008 CIF STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE ON FSN PRIME TICKET

DATE GAME MATCHUP TIME

Fri., March 14 Div. II Boys’ Championship Mater Dei vs. Archbishop Mitty 8:00pm (LIVE)

Fri., March 14 Div. II Girls’ Championship Mira Costa vs. Archbishop Mitty 10:00pm (DELAY)

Sat., March 15 Div. I Girls’ Championship Long Beach Poly vs. Berkeley 6:00pm (LIVE)

Sat., March 15 Div. I Boys’ Championship Dominguez vs. McClymonds 8:00pm (LIVE)

Posted by Ramona Shelburne at 2:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chelsea Carlisle, the Ventura County Player of the Year from Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Joseph Fauria, a top tight end in football for Crespi of Encino, headed to Notre Dame next September are confirmed to play in the 2008 Battle of the Valley senior all-star games.

The games will be held Sunday April 13 at CSUN.

The girls game starts at 3 p.m. and the boys game at 5 p.m.

Rosters will be released at the end of the month.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All games at Arco Arena, Sacramento

Friday

1:30 p.m.: Boys Division IV, Campbell Hall vs. St. Mary's of Berkeley
3:30 p.m.: Girls Division IV, La Jolla Country Day vs. St. Patrick/St. Vincent
5:30 p.m.: Girls Division II, Mira Costa vs. Archbishop Mitty
8 p.m.: Boys Division II, Mater Dei vs. Archbishop Mitty

Saturday

9:30 a.m.: Girls Division V, Mission Prep vs. Branson
11:15 a.m.: Boys Division V, Renaissance Academy vs. Branson
1 p.m.: Girls Division III, Magnolia vs. Sacred Heart Catholic
2:45 p.m.: Boys Division III, Santa Margarita vs. Sacramento
6 p.m.: Girls Division I, Long Beach Poly vs. Berkeley
8 p.m.: Boys Division I, Dominguez vs. McClymonds

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Gerry Gittelson
Staff Writer

Hobbled by a recurring knee injury, Josh Thomas was nearly kept out of Renaissance Academy of La Canada’s Southern California Regional basketball championship against Price of Los Angeles on Saturday at Mater Dei High.

Renaissance Academy coach Sid Cooke was leaning toward not playing him until Thomas’ grandmother called, pleading not to sit him with a state-championship berth on the line.

“His grandmother is a minister, and she said she believed Thomas would play and do well, and I couldn’t argue with that,” Cooke said. “What an awesome moment for Josh.”

Thomas was wobbly for most of the game, making just 2 of his first 13 shots with 38 seconds remaining and his team down by one point when he found himself with the basketball near the left corner.

With no time to wonder about the what-ifs, Thomas swished an 18-footer to put Renaissance Academy ahead for good in a 55-52 victory to give the building program its biggest win in school history.

“I had to shoot it. It was a big shot,” Thomas said. “My knee was hurting, but right now I’m so excited I can’t feel a thing.”

Justin Cook, who led Renaissance Academy with 20 points, had total faith in Thomas.

“I knew he would nail it. I knew it was going in,” Cook said. “Josh has actually hurt both knees this season, but he’s tough. I’m glad he played today because he is a big part of our team offensively and defensively.”

Renaissance Academy faces Lick-Wilmerding or Brandon in the CIF State Div. V championship at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Motivated by its own past success, Campbell Hall of North Hollywood is two victories shy of what could be its third state basketball title in four years, and the Vikings remain poised even though the pressure continues to build.

It’s difficult not to look past tonight’s opponent, San Joaquin Memorial of Fresno, in the Southern California Regional Div. IV final at 7 at Mater Dei in Santa Ana. But when you have so much talent, especially in the form of national player of the year candidate Jrue Holiday, and so much momentum and tradition, it would be quite a surprise – not to mention a grand disappointment – if top-seeded Campbell Hall (29-5) does not take care of business.

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Besides UCLA-bound Holiday, who averages 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game and is closing in on the area’s career scoring record, many of the other key faces who played a key role in last year’s state-championship run are back: fellow senior Dallas Rutherford, who averages 16.7 points per game and has been offered a Cal State Northridge scholarship; sophomore sensation James Johnson, a major force in the post who is averaging 14.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks; junior Keegan Hornbuckle, a 6-6 ½ forward who averages 8.6 points and eventually figures to be the third Hornbuckle brother sign a Division I scholarship.

Then you have freshman point guard Austin McBroom (6.7 points, 3.9 assists), who has steadily evolved into one of Valley’s top young talents, and it’s a pretty tight starting five.

Too good for San Joaquin Memorial? Probably. But there is too much to lose by taking anyone lightly, so expect Campbell Hall to be more focused than ever tonight. The dangling carrot of another state-championship berth means motivation should supersede overconfidence.

“We’ve got to come out and do what we do and stick to our game plan, and we should be all right,” Rutherford said. “Does each win build on the next one? I think so, especially for us seniors because every game could be our last high school game. so we’ll do whatever it takes to finish our careers with a win.”

Campbell Hall is 121-12 over the past four years (winning 27 games or more every season), rivaling only Harvard-Westlake of Studio City for being the Valley’s most successful dynasty ever.

“I want to say there’s no pressure. Let’s just say winning a state title is something we know we’re capable of doing,” Rutherford said. “We did it last year, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t do it again. I think we’re playing really well, we’re getting things together, and we’re doing what we have to do.”

And Rutherford swears he and his teammates have perspective, realizing a lot of local programs undoubtedly will go 100 years without getting to a state-championship game, much less winning one.

“It’s pretty special. Not a lot of high school players get to go there,” Rutherford said. “So we take it for what it is. It’s a lot of fun.”

There is the added factor of revenge, too. San Joaquin Memorial (26-9) eliminated Campbell Hall from in the second round of the state playoffs in 2006, one of two playoff losses in Holiday’s career.

If nothing else, San Joaquin Memorial has guts. The team has taken 52 charges this season and has won two tight regional games in a row after falling in the section final by two points to Garces of Bakersfield, the team Campbell Hall defeated Thursday by a score of 82-56.

“San Joaquin is very much like (Garces). They’re smaller and very physical,” Campbell Hall coach Terry Kelly said. “They like to run up and down the floor and play man-to-man defense.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Southern California Regional finals

Today at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana

Div. IV

Campbell Hall (29-5) vs. San Joaquin Memorial (26-9), 7 p.m. – Campbell Hall’s Jrue Holiday is 58 points shy of breaking the all-time Valley scoring record, as Campbell Hall looks to qualify for another state final after winning in 2005 and 2007.

PHOTO: JRUE HOLIDAY

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Catching up with Oak Park's loss to Hanford in the state playoffs, here is the Ventura County Star's story about the game.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Five local teams are still alive in the state playoffs.

Regional semifinal game are Thursday.

Here is the schedule:

Boys Games:
Martin Luther King of Riverside at No. 1 Taft of Woodland Hills, Div. I
Garces of Bakersfield at No. 1 Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, Div. IV
Immanuel of Reedley at Renaissance Academy of La Canada, Div. V

Girls Games:
No. 7 Chatsworth at No. 3 Narbonne of Harbor City, Div. I
Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth at Calvin Christian of Escondido, Div. V

The regional finals are scheduled for Saturday.

Divisions 1-3 are at the Sports Arena.
Divisions 4 and 5 are at Mater Dei High of Santa Ana

Posted by Jack Pollon at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not that it's a surprise, but Campbell Hall is ahead 28-4 after one quarter over Rosamond in the first round of the D4 Southern California Regionals. Jrue Holiday scored 11 points in the first three minutes.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talk about standing room only. This place is so packed for Campbell Hall's state playoff game against visiting Rosamond that fans are waiting OUTSIDE, hoping enough will exit so they can get into the gym.

I've got the picture to prove it. Yes, high school games DO sell out.

But hey, if ever fans would leave early, it might be a game like this, as Campbell Hall leads 59-14 at halftime. Holiday has 20 points; he has moved into the No. 2 spot all time on the Valley scoring list, trailing only Mitchell Butler from Oakwood.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Give Chino Hills High credit for sticking around longer than expected against high-powered Taft of Woodland Hills.

The visiting Huskies were only two points down through the first 10 minutes before Taft decided to get serious in a Southern Regional first-round game Monday at Taft, as the Toreadors went on a 16-4 tear and never looked back in a 78-52 basketball victory that put the City Champions one step closer to a CIF State Div. I title.

Michael Williams sparked the rally with two 3-pointers, and Justin Hawkins’ flying slam dunk extended the lead to 14 at the half.

“You could see this coming after coming off a City championship on Saturday,” Taft’s Larry Drew said. “I think we might have celebrated a little too hard, and we came out flat tonight. But once we got the ball rolling and found our rhythm, we took over.”

Any chance of a comeback was wiped out when Taft (26-3) used three inside baskets by Eugene Phelps during a 10-2 run to begin the second half, extending the advantage to 47-25.

“I don’t think any player on our team didn’t try to do everything they could,” Chino Hills’ Cory Harkey said. “Taft is just stacked.”

Drew scored 21 points with 13 rebounds and nine assists. Hawkins and Terran Carter added 14 points, and Eugene Phelps scored 11. More than anything, Taft took good care of the basketball, committing just seven turnovers and allowing one steal.

Taft (26-3) plays host to Clovis East or Oceanside Tuesday night at 7 in the second round. The Southern California Regional semifinal is Thursday, followed by the final Saturday at the L.A. Sports Arena, then the State Championship on March 15 at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brian Taylor, former girls' coach at Harvard Westlake, coached View Park of L.A. to a 67-49 victory today over LACES at the Sports Arena. Three hours to Taft-Fairfax of L.A. Can't wait.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM – With a lethal combination of tight defense, smooth fundamentals and deadly outside shooting – plus a lot of Jrue Holiday thrown in – Campbell Hall High of North Hollywood’s burgeoning basketball dynasty expanded in a big way Saturday.

The Vikings (27-5) defeated eight-time section champion Price of Los Angeles in the Southern Section Div. III-A championship at Honda Center – and it wasn’t even close, a 73-38 victory that could have been even more decisive had a running clock not been employed for the final six-plus minutes after Campbell Hall stretched the lead to 40 points.

Appearing in its fourth consecutive final, Campbell Hall won its third title since 2005 and fifth overall, this time over a Price program that had won eight in a row from 1999 to 2007, a stretch that has included five state titles.

“The (newspaper) called Price ‘Valley killers’ because they’ve beat Valley teams in the final (six) times, and we took that personally,” Campbell Hall coach Terry Kelly said. “We wanted to beat the Valley killers and establish ourselves as a top-notch program.”

Holiday, the area’s third-leading all-time scorer, finished with 20 points, including several awe-inspiring drives to the basket, with 12 rebounds and eight steals. Freshman Austin McBroom added 13 points, Dallas Rutherford chipped in 12, and Bryce Brady scored 11.

Price (29-3) proved competitive for about five minutes, leading 13-12 before Campbell Hall reeled off a 17-0 spree to gain control. Later, the Vikings scored the first 14 points of the second half to make it 57-19, and the Knights could only shake its head and wonder what hit them.

“We’re always confident, and we did what we had to do,” Rutherford said. “I wouldn’t say overconfidence. We just followed our game plan.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM -- No surprise: Campbell Hall is putting on a show, leading 43-19 over Price at halftime in the Div. III-AA championship at Honda Center. Jrue Holiday has 15 points, and freshman Austin McBroom has 11, as the Vikings reeled off an 17-0 spree to all but put this thing away midway through the second quarter.

If Price comes back strong, I'll touch base. Otherwise, probably not till after. By that time, Campbell Hall figures to have its third title in four seasons

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Former Grant of Van Nuys standout Gino Riney recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Los Angeles Valley College to an 82-65 Southern California Junior College first round playoff victory.

Valley had four players score in double figures. Shawn Johnson had 21 points and 15 rebounds while Germel Coleman and Chris Horstman added 19 and 11 points for the Monarchs (18-11).

Horstman made three 3-pointers in the first half helping Valley go on a 16-2 to lead comfortably at halftime, 43-26.

Long Beach City tried to comeback behind Vance Lawrence (30 points) and Steve Richard (16 points), cutting the deficit to 11 points with 5:09 remaining but didn’t have enough gas in the tank to complete the task. Lawrence made seven 3-pointers but shot 11 of 34 from the field.

Valley advances to play at No. 4 Ventura Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOYS BASKETBALL

* DIVISION I: Dominguez, King, Etiwanda, Rancho Verde, Knight, Perris and West Valley are in. Also, one of these seven semifinalists: Long Beach Wilson, Chino Hills, Glendora, Arroyo Valley, Corona Santiago, Cathedral City, Kaiser.
* DIVISION II: Mater Dei, Colony, Jurupa Valley and Patriot are in.

* DIVISION III: Bishop Montgomery is in. Also, three of these five semifinalists: Santa Margarita, La Canada, Oak Park, South El Monte, Pasadena Marshall.
* DIVISION IV: Six teams are vying for four berths. The Cerritos Valley Christian/Twentynine Palms and Rosamond/St. Bonaventure winners will claim two berths. If Campbell Hall and Pacific Hills both win, they claim the other two berths; if either loses, the remaining berths will be filled from among the losing finalists.
* DIVISION V: Price, Renaissance Academy and La Verne Lutheran are in. Also, one of these four quarterfinalists: Capistrano Valley Christian, Joel John, Tarbut V’Torah, Marywood-Palm Valley.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

* DIVISION I: Long Beach Poly, Millikan, Miller, Los Osos, Cajon and Chaffey are in. Also, two of these eight semifinalists: Lynwood, Ventura, San Clemente, Etiwanda, Perris, Knight, Silverado, Walnut.
* DIVISION II: Five teams vying for four berths. The Redondo/Mira Costa winner is in. Ayala, Colony and Irvine University can all earn berths with finals wins; if any of those three loses, any remaining berths will be chosen from among all of the finals losers.
* DIVISION III: Summit and Laguna Hills are in. Also, two of these three semifinalists: Muir, Magnolia, Beaumont.
* DIVISION IV: Six teams vying for four berths. The Bell-Jeff/St. Mary’s Academy and Whittier Christian/Maranatha winners are in. Marlborough and Crossroads can earn berths with finals wins; if either loses; any remaining berths will be chosen from among all of the finals losers.
* DIVISION V: Sierra Canyon and Mesa Grande Academy are in. Also, two of these seven second-round losers: Liberty Christian, South Bay Lutheran, Lone Pine, Packinghouse Christian, Calvary Baptist, Noli Indian, Southwestern Academy.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Southern Section Championship games for basketball are this weekend. Here is a rundown of area teams in the big dance.

Boys:
Eagle Rock vs. University, City Invitational, 9 a.m. at the Sports Arena, Saturday
No. 1 Taft vs. No. 3 Fairfax, City Championship, 8 p.m. at the Sports Arena, Saturday

No. 1 Campbell Hall vs. No. 2 Price, Div. III-AA, time T.B.A., Honda Center in Anaheim, Saturday
No. 6 Knight vs. No. 1 Rancho Verde, Div. II-A, time T.B.A., Honda Center, Saturday

Girls:
El Camino Real vs. Bell, City Invitational, 11 a.m. at the Sports Arena, Saturday
No. 1 Chatsworth vs. No. 3 Narbonne, City Championship, 6 p.m. at the Sports Arena, Saturday

No. 1 St. Mary's Academy vs. No. 2 Bell-Jeff, time T.B.A., Friday or Saturday, Long Beach Pyramid
No. 1 Crossroads vs. No. 3 Sierra Canyon, time T.B.A., Friday or Saturday, Long Beach Pyramid

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sam Levine missed a wide open 3-pointer from the left corner off of a pass from point guard Andy Winningham at the buzzer in overtime as Oak Park came up just short in a 47-44 defeat to Price of Los Angeles in a Div. III-AA semifinal at Morningside High in Inglewood.

“We practice that play everyday in practice and I usually hit it eight out of ten times”. Levine said. “It just didn’t go in. I don’t know what to say. I guess we are going home”.

Price advances to the championship game Saturday morning at the Honda Center in Anaheim against defending champion Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, an 81-48 winner against La Canada.

Winningham scored 14 points including four 3-pointers to lead Oak Park. His 3-pointer with 23 seconds remaining in regulation tied the score at 41 and sent the game to overtime after Price’s Kenny Albritton missed a 17 footer at the buzzer.

Bobby Hillard, sophomore Blake Davenport and Levine scored nine, eight and seven points respectively for Oak Park, which led 21-19 at halftime and trailed 33-31 after three quarters.

Davenport buried a three pointer from the right corner with 30 seconds remaining in overtime to close the gap to one but Oak Park blew an opportunity after Washington-bound forward Tyrese Breshers missed two free throws for Price with 23 seconds remaining.

Winningham drove the lane but Breshers came up big, blocking the shot and sophomore Keith Taylor came down with the rebound and made one of two free throws setting up the final play of the game.

Breshers finished with 15 points to lead Price including several key rebounds in the second half.

Taylor had 11 points and sophomore Allen Crabbe had seven points for the Knights.

“We just didn’t get enough scoring opportunities,” Winningham said. “We practiced against the zone defense but they were more spread out and had longer players”.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Unless he makes a miraculous recovery from a nasty case of Strep throat, standout James Johnson isn’t expected to play tonight for Campbell Hall against La Canada in a Southern Section Div. III-AA semifinal at Harvard-Westlake High.

The team is in the midst of a shoot-around, so I’ll try to provide an update soon. I’ll also be covering the game tonight – a rematch of last year’s section final won by eventual CIF State champion Campbell Hall.

Johnson, a 6-6 sophomore, is averaging 15.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

His expected absence could open the door for a huge night for Jrue Holiday, the Valley-area’s third all-time leading scorer. This season, Holiday is averaging 25.9 points.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a quick list of top returning players in the region.

No particular order. Year in school listed as next season.

Prince Obasi, Cleveland, Sr.
Dagem Asfaw, Cleveland, Sr.

Justin Hawkins, Taft, Sr.
Terran Carter, Taft, Sr.
Michael Williams, Taft, Sr.

Tyler McGrath, Oaks Christian, Sr.
Taylor Hange, Oaks Christian, Sr.

Keegan Hornbuckle, Campbell Hall, Sr.
James Johnson, Campbell Hall, Jr.
Austin McBroom, Campbell Hall, So.

Erik Swoope, Harvard Westlake, Jr.
Damiene Cain, Harvard Westlake, So.

Daymond Cowlah, Montclair Prep, Sr.
Jake Boger-Trentalange, Montclair Prep, So.

Alex Tiffin, Thousand Oaks, Jr.
Michael Taxter, Thousand Oaks, Sr.

Brad Lewis, Simi Valley, Sr.

Matthew Graditor, Calabasas, Sr.

Matt Trabold, Lancaster, Sr.
Javion Garner, Lancaster, Sr.
Tre Mauldin, Lancaster, So.

Jon Conley, Littlerock, Jr.

Chandler Abbott, Malibu, Jr.
Ben Rotman, Malibu, Jr.
Shya Mousavipour, Malibu, Jr.

Cameron Broomi, Van Nuys, Sr.
Willie Hankins, Van Nuys, Jr.
Dominique Evans, Van Nuys, So.

Tyler Honeycutt, Sylmar, Sr.
Gary Ricks, Sylmar, Sr.

Ian Clarke, Birmingham, Sr.
Jordan Friedman, Birmingham, Sr.
Rene Reyes, Birmingham, Jr.

Anthony Stover, Renaissance Academy, Sr.
Hector Harold, Renaissance Academy, Sr.
De'Andre Daniels, Renaissance Academy, Jr.

Lonnie Jackson, Valencia, So.

Andrew Farhadi, Buckley, Jr.
Jake Brodsky, Buckley, Jr.

Albert Rabago, San Fernando, Jr.

Randall Harris, Reseda, Sr.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One year after giving eventual CIF State champion Campbell Hall of North Hollywood all it could handle in a four-point loss in last year’s Div. III-AA championship game, La Canada is the underdog once more against the Vikings Tuesday in the section semifinals at Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood.

“I think it’s a challenge. We’re playing very well but obviously Campbell Hall is one of the premier teams in the state,” La Canada coach Tom Hofman said. “We might have to play over our heads to compete, but we’re here and we’re going to give it our best shot.”

Last year, La Canada relied almost exclusively on its star center, Adam Malik, now a red-shirt at UC Davis. Will Baldwin, a reserve last year, is the only experienced returnee, and he is the Spartans leading scorer with 17.5 points per game.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

last night i was covering the Knight of Palmdale girls basketball semifinal playoff game against top-seeded Ayala of Chino Hills and ran into boys coach Tom Hegre.

Hegre has the boys in Tuesdays semifinals against No. 2 Centennial of Corona. The game will be played at Antelope Valley College at 7:30 p.m.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It wasn’t slick and pretty like a lot of Taft High’s basketball victories this season, but the Toreadors of Woodland Hills will take their 77-51 victory Friday over Fremont of Los Angeles in the City Section quarterfinals before a crowd of about 3,000 at the Galen Center at USC.

“It took a little longer this time,” Taft’s Justin Hawkins said. “I think on a big stage, it just takes a while to get your depth perception. But we always expected to get to a final from the beginning of the season. So we took care of business and won the game.”

Taft (24-3) faces defending champion Fairfax of Los Angeles (25-4) in the championship game March 1 the Sports Arena.

Eugene Phelps scored 27 points (11 of 12 from floor) with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Hawkins added 21 points (three 3-pointers), and Larry Drew scored 11 points with 15 assists and seven rebounds. Drew’s 15 assists surpassed Fremont’s team total of 14.

Once Taft found its confidence, the Toreadors looked like their usual selves, winning their 10th in a row – all by 26 points or more.

“We came out a little slow, and the Coach (Derrick Taylor) dogged us about it at halftime,” Taft’s Terran Carter said. “It’s great to be going to a final. I think we can beat anyone if we play our game.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Valencia will have to wait at least one more year to qualify for the semifinals for the first time, as the Vikings lost at Arroyo Valley in San Bernardino in a Div. II-AA quarterfinals. It's still the furthest Valencia has ever advanced.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Valencia 53, Arroyo Valley 52, with two minutes left. Will follow up soon. Stay tuned.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Halftime score: Arroyo Valley 34, Valencia 28

Arroyo Valley rallied in the second quarter after being tied after one quarter. Will update when I can.

Gerry Gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Taft Toreadors, warming up for tonight's semifinal against Fremont at USC's Galen Center, are shooting for the school's fifth championship appearance.

Taft finished as the 3-A runner-up in 1979 and won the City 3-A title in 1980and finished as the 3-A runner-up in 1980, and it won the City Championship Division title in 2004 and finished as a Championship runner-up in 2006.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lance Jackson, the former Lakers pregame radio host and a longtime family friend, has promised to relay updates from the Valencia-Arroyo Valley Div. I-AA quarterfinal in San Bernardino. His son, Lonnie, is a promising freshman guard for Valencia, which is trying to qualify for a Final Four for the first time in school history ...

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jrue Holiday of Campbell Hall of North Hollywood and Larry Drew Jr. of Taft Woodland Hills were selected to the West team in the McDonalds All-American game to played on March 26 in Milwaukee.

The UCLA bound Holiday is averaging 25.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. he lead Campbell Hall against St. Joseph of Santa Maria in a Southern Section Division III-AA semifinal game.

Drew, who has committed to North Carolina, leads Taft against Fremont of Los Angeles in a City Section Championship Division semifinal at the Galen Center. The Senior guard is averaging 13.8 points per game to along with 8.8 assists.

Posted by Alex Valladares at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jrue Holiday of Campbell Hall of North Hollywood and Larry Drew Jr. of Taft Woodland Hills were selected to the West team in the McDonalds All-American game to played on March 26 in Milwaukee.

The UCLA bound Holiday is averaging 25.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. he lead Campbell Hall against St. Joseph of Santa Maria in a Southern Section Division III-AA semifinal game.

Drew, who has committed to North Carolina, leads Taft against Fremont of Los Angeles in a City Section Championship Division semifinal at the Galen Center. The Senior guard is averaging 13.8 points per game to along with 8.8 assists.

Posted by Alex Valladares at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After winning nine in a row by 28 points or more, City Section boys’ basketball top-seed Taft’s only worry tonight in the quarterfinals against heavy underdog Dorsey of L.A. might be overconfidence.

But after Taft was forced to miss the playoffs last year because of ineligible players, there’s no way the Toreadors will take anything for granted, according to post player Terran Carter.

“Basically, we’re taking it game by game and not looking ahead,” Carter said. “We’re not trying to take any team lightly. If we think, ‘Oh, we’re going to beat this team,’ they might come out harder than us. … But we can taste it. We think about winning the City championship and state championship every day.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the end, it didn’t matter how much momentum Harvard-Westlake High of Studio City had, or what a dramatic Cinderella story it would have been Tuesday to upset national power Mater Dei of Santa Ana.

When your X’s simply don’t measure up to the other team’s O’s, there is only so much you can do.

Harvard-Westlake (21-8) pushed as hard as it could. Played its heart out for all 32 minutes against an undefeated opponent ranked No. 2 in the nation by USA Today and No. 1 in California by Cal-Hi Sports.

But it was not nearly enough in an 84-59 loss in the second round of the Southern Section Div. I-AA basketball playoffs.

“Mater Dei was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They were unreal,” Harvard-Westlake’s Renaldo Woolridge said. “They were more talented than any team I’ve ever seen. It was a shock for us.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the first time in school history, the Malibu Sharks boys team advances to the semifinals in Div. V-A playoffs after an 87-68 win over Kern Valley of Lake Isabella. Ryan Walczuk scored 24 points, Chris Peck added 19, Shya Mousavipour had 18 and Chandler Abbott had 14 to lead the Sharks to the upset win.

Because the box came in too late to print, here is the game's breakdown.

Malibu 87, Kern Valley 68
Malibu - 16 - 24 - 21 - 26 —87
Kern Valley 12 - 17 - 14 - 25—68
Malibu: Ryan Walczuk 24, Chris Peck 19, Shya Mousavipour 18, Chandler Abbott 14, Rotman 4, Helm 3, Dorn 2, Johnson 1, Hunter 1, Schoenbrun 1.
Kern Valley: Tyler Thompson 25, Trevor McBurney 10, Wilson 8, Bennett 8, Barlow 7, Pappas 5, Hughes 3, Anzaldo 2,.
Records: M 20-9, KV: 19-7

Posted by John Wareham at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Late Division III-AA score with an impressive outing for three Vikings players
Campbell Hall 91, Azusa 33

Campbell Hall stats:

James Johnson: 31 points. 14 rebounds. 11 blocks. He's a sophomore.
Dallas Rutherford: 20 points. 12 rebounds. 6 assists.
Jrue Holiday: 20 points, 11 steals. 8 assists. 8 rebounds.

Azusa scored 33 points the whole game. Campbell Hall scored 33 points in the third quarter

Posted by John Wareham at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Give Westlake High of Westlake Village some credit for not being intimidated .

After surviving a wild-card victory three days earlier, the underdog Warriors gave Harvard-Westlake all it could handle in the first quarter, hitting five 3-pointers in the opening minutes in a Southern Section Div. I-AA first-round matchup.

But Westlake went scoreless for nearly five minutes to begin the second quarter, as Harvard-Westlake (21-7), taller and more athletic, steadily pulled away in an 81-49 victory.

“You can’t shoot like that forever. Eventually you cool down,” Westlake’s Adam Kalodney said. “We just couldn’t keep pushing them, and we got outrebounded.”

Harvard-Westlake faces Mater Dei of Santa Ana in the second round Tuesday.

The Wolverines received a huge boost Friday from sophomore Austin Kelly, who scored a career-high 22 points (15 in the first quarter) and impressed defensively.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Westlake shot the ball great in the first quarter, hitting five 3-pointers while scoring 25 points in the first quarter. But the Warriors went scoreless for nearly five minutes of the second quarter, as Harvard-Westlake went on a 13-0 spree and leads 45-27 at the half.

HW sophomore Austin Kelly is putting on a show. He scored 15 points in the first quarter, 17 at the half, and he has looked terrific on defense with several steals and fast-break layups.

I would be SHOCKED if Westlake can even make a game of this thing in the second half. Harvard-Westlake looks extremely focused.

Stay tuned ...

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713-3691

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That's the compelling issue, in what otherwise figures to be a fairly easy evening for Harvard-Westlake (20-7), which has won seven section titles but has slipped to the No. 15 seed in Div. I-AA.

Nine days is a long time in high school basketball, especially when you consider Westlake (18-9) is brimming with momentum after coming back Tuesday from a 12-point deficit to defeat El Segundo in a wild-card game.

"The nine-day layoff, I've seen it go both ways," Harvard Westlake coach Greg Hilliard was saying a minute ago. "I'm seen it be an advantage, and I've seen it be a disadvantage. It's one of those things where you just have to wait to see what happens."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The athletic directors of schools that comprise the Tri-Valley Athletic Association agreed on Tuesday to make changes for 2009.

Instead of one seven team league and one five team league in boys basketball, it was decided that six teams in each league would better serve all schools especially in scheduling.

The only drawback is one guaranteed playoff spot is nixed. The seven team league used to get four entries and the five team league received three into playoffs. Now each league only gets the maximum three entries.

After much debate about how many teams should move up and down in accordance with the two year re-leaguing cycle it was decided that St. Bonaventure of Ventura and Malibu would move up to the Tri-Valley and Nordhoff of Ojai, Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara and Santa Paula would drop down to the Frontier.

The new leagues for 2009 look like this:

Tri-Valley:
Santa Clara
Oaks Christian
Oak Park
Carpinteria
St. Bonaventure
Malibu

Frontier:
Fillmore
Nordhoff
Villanova Prep
Bishop Diego
Santa Paula
Grace Brethren

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 16 Manual Arts at No. 1 Taft
No. 8 Dorsey at No. 9 Gardena (gardena home because league champ)
No. 12 Cleveland at No. 5 Palisades
No. 13 King Drew at No. 4 Fremont

No. 14 Van Nuys at No. 3 Fairfax
No. 11 Sylmar at No. 6 Washington
No. 10 Crenshaw at No. 7 Jordan
No. 15 Birmingham at No. 2 Westchester

All games Friday night at 7 p.m.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Taft has earned the No. 1 seed at the playoff meeting today, followed by No. 2 Westchester, No. 3 Fairfax and No. 4 Fremont. Check back for complete brackets.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hart is looking to play the spoiler role, surging to a 19-point lead before Saugus roared to make it 31-24 at the half at Hart. Saugus must win to earn a league title for the first time in 25 years, but Hart isn't going to roll over.

This place is rocking -- packed to the back, standing-room only. And you know it's going to come to the wire ... It's one of those nights.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reseda's boys' basketball team topped Kennedy 55-53 tonight at home on a buzzer-beater by Cory Davis from three-quarters out.

The team had originally set up a hail mary play for Mike Mendes but Randall Harris decided to give the ball to Davis. It worked and all went nuts at the gym, according to assistant coach Thermon Moore.

Kennedy had gone up by one with two seconds left prior to the big shot.

Posted by Lindsay Czarnecki at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

North Hollywood (19-6, 8-0) already has clinched a share of the Sunset Six League title, but style points are on the line tonight. Not just for the Huskies, who want to remain undefeated in league with a win over visiting Van Nuys, but for Van Nuys, too, as the Wolves (11-16, 6-2), now fully together with transfer Will and Mat Hankins and Victor Rudd, want the other share -- plus a favorable City tournament seed (read: not bottom four).

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is the last week of the regular season for hoops.

Some intriguing boys games for this week.

Tuesday February 5

Montclair Prep at Campbell Hall
Foothill league games

Wednesday February 6

Thousand Oaks at Simi Valley
St. Bonaventure at Malibu
Loyola at Chaminade
Van Nuys at North Hollywood

Thursday February 7

Crossroads at Montclair Prep
Campbell Hall at Brentwood
Foothill league games

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ocean View 80
Servite 60

Canyon of Anaheim 62
Los Alamitos 50

UCLA bound guard Jerime Anderson scored 26 points to lead Canyon.

JSerra 74
Colony of Ontario 53

Junior Demetrius Walker poured in 25 points to lead JSerra. Alec Williams added 22 points.

Sophomore Tyler Lamb scored 23 points but had 10 turnovers and no assists for Colony.

Orange Lutheran 78
Brea-Olinda 59

Dominguez of Compton 59
Santa Margarita of Rancho Santa Margarita 55

Jordan Hamilton scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds to lead Dominguez, whose only two losses this season have come against Taft of Woodland Hills..

Zack Zaragoza, Jaime Serna and Klay Thompson scored 16, 14 and 11 points respectively for Santa Margarita.

Westchester of Los Angeles 75
De La Salle of Concord 56

Five players scored in double figures for Westchester. Oscar Bellfield and Jarred Dubois each had 13 points.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With one week left in the regular season many area teams look like they will qualify for the post-season.

Here is a brekdown.

Agape league

Antelope Valley Christian of Lancaster has a chance for fourth place. Division IV-A for the playoffs.

Alpha league

L.A. Baptist could finish in second place. Also IV-A playoffs.

Delphic league

Paraclete of Lancaster is out.

Desert Mountain league

Desert Christian of Lancaster can finish in second or third place. V-AA for playoffs.

Foothill league

Valencia and Saugus battling for first place. All teams in this league can qualify. Golden Valley, despit being winless in league needs only one win for 12 wins, which would make them eligible for an at-large berth.

Frontier league

Malibu has good chance for second place. V-A for playoffs.

Golden league

Three way tie for first right now between Lancaster, Highland and Knight. Antelope Valley should hold on for fourth place.

Heritage league

Faith Baptist of Canoga Park should finish in second place behind Milken Community of Los Angeles. Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills should get third place.

High Desert league

Rosamond, Desert and Kern Valley; 1,2,3.

International league

Delphi Academy of Lake View Terrace might get fourth place. IV-A playoffs.

Liberty league

Buckley of Sherman Oaks, Holy Martyrs of Encino and Viewpoint of Calabasas; 1,2,3. IV-A playoffs.

Marmonte league

Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Agoura and Westlake; 1,2,3,4.

Mission league

Loyola, Harvard Westlake, Crespi and either Chaminade or Verbum Dei for last spot. I-AA playoffs.

Olympic league

Campbell Hall will win league. Montclair Prep should hang on for third place. III-AA playoffs.

Omega league

Newbury Park Adevntist will win league. Westmark of Encino and First Lutheran of Sylmar should also qualify. San Fernando Valley Academy has a chance.

Pacific league

Hoover, Crescenta Valley, Glendale all tied for second place. Burroughs and Burbank should qualify as well.

Pacific View league

Camarillo in second place

Prep league

Flintridge Prep and Pasadena Poly tied for first place.

Santa Fe league

St. Genevieve and possibly Bell Jeff.

Tri-Valley league

Oak Park and Oaks Christian looking good.

Westside league

Valley Torah of Valley Village top two in this league

Posted by Jack Pollon at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There will be no drought of talent at Mater Dei of Santa Ana today.

Mater Dei hosts the Nike Extravaganza featuring teams such as Dominguez of Compton, Westchester of Los Angeles, Fairfax of Los Angeles and host Mater Dei.

Top players such as Jordan Hamilton (Dominguez), Klay Thompson (Santa Margarita), Dwayne Polee (Westchester), Renardo Sidney (Fairfax) and David and Travis Wear (Mater Dei) will be on hand trying to lead their teams to victory.

The evening session is when things will get interesting.

Dominguez vs. Santa Margarita, 4:30 p.m.
Westchester vs. De La Salle of Concord, 6:00 p.m.
Fairfax vs. St. Patrick's, N.J., 7:30 P.M.
Mater Dei vs. Farragut Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 9:00 p.m.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Taft-Cleveland series is always one of the San Fernando Valley's most anticipated showdowns, as the area's top two City teams go to head to head.

Tonight, Taft can win the West Valley League title for the seventh time over the past eight years -- last year's title was forfeited -- so there is plenty on the line in this attractive matchup between the high-powered Toreadors (18-3, 7-0) and the host Cavaliers (17-6, 6-1).

Taft, led by Larry Drew, has defeated Clevelan six times in a row since late 2004.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With its lone loss of the season an 84-83 setback Dec. 29 to No. 21 Dominguez of Compton (19-2) in the final of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in San Diego, the Simi Valley boys' basketball team finally cracked the Rivals.com national Fab 50 poll, making its debut at No. 50.

Taft of Woodland Hills (18-3) moved up one spot to No. 20. The Toreadors play at 7 tonight at West Valley League rival Cleveland of Reseda (17-6).

Simi Valley (21-1), which has won eight in a row, plays at 7:30 tonight at Westlake (14-8) in a Marmonte League showdown. The Pioneers overcame a 23-point, third-quarter deficit in the teams' first meeting Jan. 7, before prevailing 88-86 in overtime.

Campbell Hall of North Hollywood (19-5) was ranked until last week, but fell out of the poll following a double-overtime loss Jan. 19 to No. 22 South Atlanta at Pauley Pavilion

To see the full Fab 50 national rankings, click below:

Continue reading "Simi Valley cracks Fab 50 national rankings, Taft at No. 20" »

Posted by Erik Boal at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kimo Atkins has been relieved of his duties as boys' basketball head coach at St. Genevieve of Panorama City.

I caught up with athletic director Marlon Archey, who was watching the St. Mary's Academy of Inglewood at Bell-Jeff of Burbank girls' basketball game Thursday night.

When asked what happened Archey said, "I can't talk about it. Call our principal."

Atkins had turned around the program in recent years, leading the Valiants to the finals of the Viewpoint tournament this season.

Archey said the J.V. coach is now coaching varsity for the remainder of the season.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HERITAGE
Faith Baptist 93, L.A. Lutheran 47
Gian Cook scored a game-high 31 points, Manat Khaira had 19 and David Flores added 13 for the Contenders (11-6, 5-2).
Eric Encias scored 13 and Elliott Percella added 12 for L.A. Lutheran (3-15, 1-6).

INTERNATIONAL
Delphi Academy 85, Waverly 28
Nick Brown scored 26 points, while Cameron Celilker, Eloy Jordan and Chris Krios each scored 14 points. Arya Tabibzadeh added 11 for Delphi Academy (5-13, 3-6).

NONLEAGUE
Milken 70, Vistamar 60
Sam Else scored 27 points and had 11 rebounds and Josh Russ added 16 points for Milken (16-5).

L.A. Baptist 73, Paraclete 47
Mike Chrzanowski scored a game-high 26 points and Jimmy Augur added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Knights (9-11).
Paraclete (5-19) was led by Mike McCurtis' 14 points.

Posted by Alex Valladares at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Malibu 63, Fillmore 55
Ryan Walczuk had 29 for the Sharks in the win.

Buckley 59, Yeshiva 53
Andrew Fahadi had 19 points and Shawn Brouhaim scored 15 for Buckley.

Westlake 77, Newbury Park 63
Adam Kolodny scored 27 for the Warriors in the Marmonte League win.

Crespi 69, St. Francis 49
Joe Fauria led the Celts with 14 points and Gino Zanrosso added 13 for the Mission League win.

Alemany 42, Notre Dame 26
Eric Rivero scored 11 for Alemany.

Chaminade 64, Harvard-Westlake 54
Jules Montgomery had 16 points, Evan Grossi scored 14 and and Jamal McClurkin tossed in 13 for the Eagles in the Mission League upset win. Renaldo Woolridge led the Wolverines with 18 points.

Flintridge Prep 61, Kilpatrick 37
Aaron Fried almost outscored the opposing team by himself with a career-high 36 points for Flintridge Prep.

North Hollywood 59, Grant 45
Jesse Zarate again led the Huskies - this time with 18 points - for the Sunset Six League win.

Verdugo Hills 59, Poly/SV 55
Bobby Blake scored 24 points for Verdugo Hills, who move to 14-8 and 2-5 in the Sunset Six League.

Van Nuys 95, Canoga Park 75
The Wolves opened up the flood gates offensively with Mat Hankins leading Van Nuys with 27 points, while Victor Rudd added 24 points and 10 rebounds and Dominique Evans had 16 points.

Reseda 82, Monroe 74
Randall Harris scored 18 and had 11 assists and Mycal Mendes had 17 for the Regents in the win.

Taft 80, Granada Hills 42
Eugene Phelps had 21 points, Justin Hawkins had 19 and Michael Williams added 17 for Taft to cruise to the easy win.

Highland Hall 74, West Valley Christian 67
Taylor Waldroff scored 22, Quentin Wade had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Sam Rappaport threw in 10 for the Westside League win.

Posted by John Wareham at 9:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hot-shooting Dovie Hoffman has helped lead Valley Torah of Valley Village to a five-game winning streak. He is averaging 20.8 points, including 22 with 13 rebounds Saturday in a 59-50 victory over West Valley Christian.

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daymond Cowlah scored 17 points and made two free throws with 13 seconds remaining to give Montclair Prep of Panorama City a big 52-48 victory against Brentwood of Los Angeles Tuesday night.

Cowlah was almost the goat missing the front end of one and one situations twice in the final 19 seconds but Montclair Prep rebonded both misses and Cowlah became hero with two made free throws.

Roland Makoge scored 12 points for Montclair Prep, which earned its 12th win of the season and moved into sole posession of third place in the Olympic league behind Campbell Hall and Windward.

Brentwood, which beat the Mounties by 27 points nearly a month ago, got off to a hot start behind three 3-pointers from Adam Carneol for a 9-0 lead.

Montclair Prep came right back with a 13-2 run to end the first quarter. The game was tied at halftime and after three quarters.

The Mounties trailed 47-44 after a Peter McMillan 3-point play with 2:30 remaining but Cowlah scored on two lay-ups and freshman Jake Boger made a rebound putback for another basket giving the Mounties a three point lead.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This one looks like it might come down to the wire. Packed house, lots of excitement. Wyche hit another 3-pointer, and here comes Hart.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713-3691

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fifteen days after defeating Hart by 27 points, Valencia is rolling again. The Vikings lead 40-30 at halftime in a key Foothill League game. Hart's Brad Wyche has been most impressive, scoring 13 points with three 3-pointers, including a couple of 24-footers that would have been NBA 3-pointers.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713-3691

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a buzz in the air about Hart's longtime football assistant, Rick Herrington, resigning today to take the defensive coordinator job at Alemany of Mission Hills. Meantime, there is basketball to be played against visiting Valencia (16-6, 5-1), and it's a big one. With four games left, Valencia can put a stake through Hart's heart by all but eliminating the Indians (17-6, 3-3) from Foothill League championship contention.

Stay tuned ...

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 6:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Girls basketball:

Chaminade at Notre Dame 7 p.m.

St. Bonaventure at Oaks Christian 6 p.m.

Malibu at La Reina 7 p.m.

Montclair Prep at Windward 5:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball:

Brentwood at Montclair Prep 7 p.m.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, here is how local league races should pan out.

Marmonte league: Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks

Mission league: Loyola and Harvard Westlake

Golden league: Lancaster and Highland

Foothill league: Valencia and Saugus

Pacific league: Pasadena

Pacific View league: Oxanrd

Tri-Valley league: Oak Park and Santa Clara

Olympic league: Campbell Hall

Alpha league: Valley Christian of Cerritos

Delphic league: Pacific Hills

Liberty league: Buckley and Holy Martyrs

Frontier league: St. Bonaventure

Santa Fe league: Salesian

Prep league: Flintridge Prep and Pasadena Poly

Westside league: Valley Torah

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to the Cal St. Northridge Mens basketball game Saturday against Long Beach St.

I just happened to run into Mark Adamiak, facilities operator.

He told me the annual Battle of the Valley Boys and Girls Basketball All Star games were in the works for Saturday April 26.

Official announcement should come in the next two weeks.

The games have always attracted the best senior boys and girls in the area including current NBA player Nick Young (Cleveland of Reseda).

Posted by Jack Pollon at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Local teams ranked by CalHiSports.com in the state.

Division I

1. Taft of Woodland Hills

Division 2

3. Simi Valley

Division 3

4. Harvard Westlake

Division 4

1. Campbell Hall

Division 5

1. Renaissance Academy

Posted by Jack Pollon at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Victor Rudd, one of California's top juniors according to various scouting sites, has been declared eligible to play for Van Nuys after sitting out nearly the entire season awaiting his fate. The decision follows favorable rulings last week for Mat Hankins and Willie Hankins, who transferred before the season with Rudd from Sylmar to Van Nuys. They were first ruled ineligible by City commissioner Barbara Fiege under a new rule that disallows transfers to follow a former coach; former Sylmar assistant Charles White is Van Nuys' new coach.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since Palmdale standout Justin Haynes left the team after a loss to Quartz Hill on Jan. 2, the Falcons (7-12, 2-6 in Golden League) are 2-5, including three consecutive defeats heading into tonight’s game against Knight of Palmdale.

Haynes, who leads the league with an average of 21.6 points, is not expected to return.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After big victories against Holy Martyrs of Encino and Viewpoint of Calabasas, Buckley of Sherman Oaks is in the drivers seat for the league title.

Sophomore Andrew Farhadi's 3-pointer with 1:30 remaining was huge in Tuesdays 53-52 win at Viewpoint.

Thought to be in a rebuilding year after graduating Richie Polan and Hussein Habibi and losing in the Division IV-A championship game, the Griffins might be playing the best basketball of any team in the divsion.

Buckley will have to take its game up another notch though to knock off Cathedral of Los Angeles, Twenty-Nine Palms and Valley Christian of Cerritos.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Van Nuys High School went through a long process to get brothers Mat and Willie Hankins eligible to play basketball.

The brothers transferred to the school from Sylmar but were initially denied eligibility because Charles White was an assistant coach at Sylmar before landing the head coaching position at Van Nuys.

City section official Barbara Fiege cited a new transfer rule that players can't follow coaches from school to school in denying the eligibility of the brothers.

However, before a three person state appeals panel, the brothers with lawyers in tow won an appeal gaining immediate eligibilty last week.

Good or Bad for Van Nuys?

Obviously the brothers are talented and it is ultimately good for Van Nuys but after winning three league games without them, the Wolves have dropped two straight league games with Mat and Willie in the line-up.

Losing to undefeated North Hollywood last Friday can be accepted but dropping a game to Poly of Sun Valley Wednesday is troubling.

Van Nuys needs to figure out a way to get everybody on the same page very quickly. There is only two more weeks (5 games) left in the regular season.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Salesian boys’ basketball team made nine 3-pointers en route to a 54-49 victory Wednesday night over host St. Genevieve of Panorama City in a first-place showdown in the Santa Fe League.

James Hidalgo scored 21 points for Salesian (13-6, 4-0), including four 3-point field goals in the first half.

"We came in wanting to leave in first place," Hidalgo said. "We were sure that the only way we would lose was if we beat ourselves."

Matt Valdez added 16 points for the Mustangs, including several uncontested layups.

"We got in foul trouble and that threw us off," Valiants coach Kimo Atkins said. "We wanted to make some stops on defense and turn them into baskets, but it just didn’t work out for us."

St. Genevieve (13-6, 2-2) trailed for most of the first half, before rallying to tie the score at 27-27. However, Salesian’s Mike Reese hit a buzzer-beater from midcourt to end the half.

"That shot took some of the wind out of our sails," Atkins said.

St. Genevieve cut the lead to 50-48 on a 3-pointer by George Vogiatos with 50 seconds left, but couldn’t get any closer, as Salesian sank several clutch free throws down the stretch.

Report courtesy of Frank Carulli

Posted by Erik Boal at 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alberto Aranda had 15 points and Tommy Cruz added 12 for Poly of Sun Valley as they downed Van Nuys 69-65. The Hankins brothers - Willie and Mat - of Van Nuys combined for 34 points and Dominique Evans tossed in 19....

Jesse Varate had 20 points and Jordyn Carroll and Julio Mejia had 15 apiece to power the North Hollywood Huskies to a 64-57 win over Sunset Six foe Verdugo Hills....

San Fernando had four players score in double figures to lead the Tigers to a 70-60 home win over Monroe of North Hills. Ricky Ruvalcaba led all scorers with 20 points while Brian Sanchez had 17, Fernando Galindo threw in 12 and Andrew Sandoval had 11....

Gary Ricks had 27 points and Tyler Honeycutt had 14 to lead Sylmar to a Valley Mission league win over Kennedy of Granada Hills...

Thirteen players scored for Reseda - led by Ryan Watkins' 22 - to breeze to a 96-36 win over Panorama.

Chris Peck had 26 points and Ryan Walczuk added 13 for Malibu, but the Sharks lost to St. Bonaventure 64-54....

Posted by John Wareham at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Gerry Gittelson
Staff Writer

North Hollywood's talent wore down Verdugo Hills tonight. Final: Huskies 64, Dons 57.

North Hollywood's Julio Mejia said he was never worried when Verdugo Hills opened its 15-point lead.

“You always have to keep the mentality that you’re going to win,” he said.

Verdugo Hills pulled to within 57-52 on Bobby Blake’s two free throws with 2 minutes, 51 seconds remaining. But Mejia scored six points over the next minute on a three-point play, followed by three free throws, and the cold-shooting Dons managed just one field goal the rest of the way.

“It’s the same thing again. My team doesn’t contain for a whole game – just spurts,” first-year coach Gregory Gibson said. “It’s almost like we’re schizophrenic to tell you the truth. North Hollywood is a good team, and they adjusted to what we were doing.”

North Hollywood’s Jesse Zarate scored 20, and Mejia and Jordin Carroll both added 15.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Posted by Gerry Gittelson at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The second round of Top 10 polls were released by the southern section on Tuesday and many area schools were well represented but two schools deserving of inclusion were nowhere to be found.

Schools that made the cut:

Division I-AA

3. Simi Valley
7. Harvard Westlake
14. Thousand Oaks
15. Loyola

Division II-AA

11. Saugus
15. West Ranch
16. Hart

Division II-A

5. Lancaster
7. Highland
16. Knight

Division III-AA

1. Campbell Hall
3. La Canada
6. Oaks Christian
8. Oak Park

Division III-A

1. Renaissance Academy

Division IV-A

6. Flintridge Prep
7. Viewpoint
10. St. Genevieve
14. Holy Martyrs
15. Bell-Jeff

Division V-AA

14. Valley Torah

Division V-A

1. Rosamond
3. Desert
5. Malibu
10. Newbury Park Adventist

Montclair Prep was left out of the Division III-AA poll despite wins over No. 3 Windward and No. 7 Crossroads.

Buckley is not in the Division IV-A poll despite wins over No. 14 Holy Martyrs and No. 7 Viewpoint.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sylmar might have lost four key players from last years team but that has not slowed down head coach Bort Escoto and the Spartans one bit.

Sylmar takes a perfect 4-0 record in league play on the road at Kennedy of Granada Hills tonight in an important league game.

Despite losing brothers Mat and Willie Hankins, junior Victor Rudd and Guy Landry; the Spartans have fared just fine with seniors Darren Rosborough and Darrell Powers and juniors Tyler Honeycutt and Gary Ricks.

Honeycutt was especially impressive with a 16 point, 28 rebound peformance against Cleveland of Reseda last Saturday night at Taft of Woodland Hills in a showcase game of the War on the Floor Extravaganza.

Ricks can shoot from anywhere, Powers is a high powered, gun slinging type of a guard and Rosborough does all the dirty work in the paint.

Kennedy won its first three league game before falling to Reseda but has been playing inspired ball as of late. The Golden Cougars are led by seniors Patrick Gbewonyo and Ashimadi Ladzekpo. Chris Knott has also had some big games for Kennedy.

First place is on the line in this one that begins at 7:00 pm. on Woodley Ave. just north of San Fernando Mission Blvd.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

18 games were played at three local area schools on January 19 in the annual War on the Floor Extravaganza. There were some notable performances by individuals. Here is the list of top ballers from the event. Keep and eye on these players as the playoffs begin in three weeks.

Daymond Cowlah-Montclair Prep, Jr.

Tyler Honeycutt-Sylmar, Jr.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Will Taft have a letdown Wednesday night against Chatsoworth as it tries to remain perfect in West Valley league play through the first round?

It shouldn't happen even though the Toreadors played in Springfield, Massachusetts on Monday, flew back Monday evening and didn't practice Tuesday figuring rest would be more important.

With three starters headed to division 1 universities and the other two likely to follow suit, Taft has too much firepower for the Chancellors.

Chatsworth is in a rebuilding year after losing key guards Michael Palarca (North Dakota St.) and Jeffrey Osborne to graduation.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With the current basketball season winding down, the following have been some of the most impressive freshman out there.

Dominique Evans-Van Nuys

Has routinely been the Wolves leading scorer this season

Austin McBroom-Campbell Hall

Could be the next great guard from North Hollywood school.

Tre Mauldin-Lancaster

Newcomer getting plenty of minutes on first place undefeated team in Golden league.

Reggie Coates-Crespi

Already in starting line-up for Celts.

Jake Bodger-Montclair Prep

Wiry wingman getting early intrduction to high level basketball.

Damiene Cain-Harvard Westlake

Coach Greg Hilliard says more advanced than North Carolina forward Alex Stephenson at same age.

Taylor Hange-Oaks Christian

Good perimeter player for Lions.

Alex Moreno-Arleta

Big post player putting up huge numbers in first year.

Posted by Jack Pollon at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Buckley of Sherman Oaks eeked out a 53-52 victory against host Viewpoint of Calabasas to take over first place in the Liberty league.

Andrew Farhadi buried a 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:30 remaining which proved to be the difference for the Griffins.

Phil West scored 13 points and Shawn Broukim had 12 points for Buckley.

Hunter Carlin scored 14 including 12 in the second half for Viewpoint.

Posted by Daily News at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight: Buckley at Viewpoint 8:00 p.m.

Winner moves closer to Liberty league title

Wednesday: Sylmar at Kennedy 7:00 p.m

Kennedy trying gain share of first place in Valley Mission league

Thursday: Crespi at Chaminade 7:00 p.m.

Winner moves closer to playoff spot.

Friday: El Camino Real at Taft 7:00 p.m.

Tune-up before game against Torrey Pines on Saturday for Toreadors

Saturday: Renaissance Academy at Reseda 7:30 p.m.

State ranked Wildcats take on City Section team.

Saturday: Taft vs. Torrey Pines at Carlsbad High School 5:30 p.m.

Last chance for Toreadors to lose before playoffs begin in mid February.

Saturday: Birmingham vs. Bishop Montgomery at Daniel Murphy High 4:30 p.m.

Posted by Daily News at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Following a sensational 35-point performance in Campbell Hall of North Hollywood's 78-77 double-overtime loss to South Atlanta in Saturday's marquee game of the 14th annual Pangos Dream Classic at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA-bound guard Jrue Holiday is third in the latest EA Sports National Player of the Year tracker, appearing on nine of 10 ballots.
Louisville-bound Samardo Samuels of St. Benedict's, N.J., is the front-runner (also appearing on nine ballots), followed by Arizona-bound Brandon Jennings (eight ballots) -- a former Dominguez of Compton standout -- at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
South Atlanta's Derrick Favors ascended from eighth to fifth following his 32-point, 29-rebound performance against Campbell Hall, appearing on six ballots.

Posted by Erik Boal at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Justin Frank at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bryce Smith has got 14 points and four 3-pointers and Eugene Phelps has 10 as Taft is tied with St. Raymond of New York 37-37 at halftime in Springfield, Mass. ESPN U is channel 251 on Time Warner and I believe it is 609 on Direct TV.

Posted by Justin Frank at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)