Above: Whittier s Juan Quintero (#15)
makes a shot as they play Lawndale in the Championship game
of the Whittier High School Holiday Invitational on Thursday Dec. 29, 2011.
(SGVN/Staff Photo by Keith Durflinger/SPORTS)

Two years, two final-round losses for the Whittier boys basketball team, which lost Lawndale in the finals of its own tournament on Thursday.
The Whittier girls team suffered the same fate, losing to Campbell Hall in the semifinals at the Cantwell Tournament. The Cardinals finish the tourney against Rosemead in the third-place game at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

Here’s the game story from the Whittier boys game:

By John Sherrard Correspondent
WHITTIER – The Whittier High School boys basketball team knew it had a tall order – literally – in Lawndale on Thursday night in the title game of Whittier’s own Second Annual Holiday Invitational.
That tall order was 6-foot-7 freshman center Chimezie Metu. He was a factor in the middle early, but a balanced scoring attack led Lawndale to a 70-65 victory.
Lawndale (11-3) was led by three players in double figures. Chris Munoz, Lemar Young and Will Newman had 17, 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Young had all of his points in the second half.
Whittier (7-8), which trailed by 10 points in the third quarter, 44-34, whittled away at the lead and came within four points with less than a minute remaining in the game.
Senior guard Damien Salcedo hit a short jumper and knocked down two free throws to bring Whittier close, 67-63.
“You know, it’s tough, two years in a row in our own tournament,” Whittier coach Joey Mata said.
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Associated Press photo

As part of our coverage of the 98th Rose Bowl Game, here’s my story on Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson:

LOS ANGELES – There are a lot elements that were key for Wisconsin as the Badgers returned to the Rose Bowl Game
The X-factor is quarterback Russell Wilson, who is not a typical Wisconsin signal caller.
Wilson, a senior transfer from North Carolina State, added athleticism to a position that for years required nothing special, just someone who minimized mistakes while guiding an offense that used its mammoth front line and big running backs such as Ron Dayne and John Clay as focal points.
Wilson, at least for this season, changed that perception.
“The true sign of a great player is someone who can make something out of nothing,” said Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, whose Badgers face Oregon in the 98th Rose Bowl Game on Monday. “A lot of times it might be a call offensively where the scheme for the success of that play shuts down and you have to make a change.
“Russell has made changes this year on first, second, third and even fourth down that have allowed us to stay alive and make a play.”
Wilson’s biggest audible came not at Camp Randall Stadium, but off the field.
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Above: Cantwell-Sacred Heart’s Priscilla Rodriguez drives for two points against Campbell Hall during the Cantwell Tournament on Wednesday at the Montebello campus. (Leo Jarzomb / Staff Photographer)

The Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary girls basketball gave it a valiant effort before coming up short against ranked Campbell Hall in the quarterfinals of its Cardinal Classic. Whittier advanced and is playing Campbell Hall tonight. The finals are scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m.
In boys action, Whittier advanced to the finals of its second annual tournament for the second time, and is hosting Lawndale tonight.

Here is correspondent John Sherrard’s story of the Cantwell-Campbell Hall game:

MONTEBELLO – The Cantwell Sacred Heart girls basketball team took the second-ranked Campbell Hall Vikings to the limit in the Cardinal Classic Wednesday night, but fell just short.
Trailing by as many as 15 points early in the third quarter, host Cantwell fell to CIF-SS Division 4 power Campbell Hall, 62-55, in the quarterfinals of its own tourney.
The Cardinals trailed Campbell Hall, 42-27, to begin the third quarter and were led by sophomore guard Justine Manjarrez with nine points in the quarter to put Cantwell within striking distance in the fourth.
Manjarrez scored 13 points, including 5 for 6 at the line in the game.
The Cardinals, who are a young team, were led by sophomore forward Sylvia Garcia with 20 points (9 for 10 free throws) and junior guard Priscilla Rodriguez (17 points, 7 of 8 free throws).
Trailing by seven, 59-52, with 43 seconds left, Rodriguez hit her only 3-pointer of the game to cut Campell Hall’s lead to four points, but Campbell Hall’s Lauren Holiday and Nicole Tolbert combined to make three free throws to seal the victory for the Vikings.
“We did everything we could and actually had a game plan and followed it,” Cantwell first-year coach Jose Herrera said.
“Our game plan was to get Holiday out of her game and did that early,” said Herrera.
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I’m on the Rose Bowl beat this week, and Tuesday was a day at “The Happiest Place on Earth” — Disneyland. Here’s a photo of some members of the Wisconsin, on the left, and Oregon in front of the Magic Castle.

Here’s my story from Tuesday’s Arrival Press Conference at Disneyland:

ANAHEIM – For some, going to Disneyland never gets old.
You can put the Oregon and Wisconsin football teams in that group.
The Ducks and Badgers, who meet in Monday’s 98th Rose Bowl Game, kicked off festivities Tuesday with the traditional stop at Disneyland.
It’s the second trip for both teams within the past three years. Wisconsin also is playing in “The Granddaddy of Them All” for the sixth time since 1994 while Oregon is seeking its first victory in the Rose Bowl Game since beating Pennsylvania, 14-0, in 1917.
“It’s a real honor to be back here again,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. “I know (Wisconsin) was here last year, and we were here two years ago.
“When you talk about a college football game and you talk about tradition, it starts with the Rose Bowl. And there’s no better place to kick it off than Disneyland.”
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Whittier and Cantwell, two of the better programs in the area, have each advanced to the Cardinal Classic quarterfinals at Cantwell after winning their respective pools.
Whittier, 9-1 with the only loss coming to traditional power Bishop Amat, faces Paramount at 8 p.m. tonight. Cantwell, 9-6, after winning a doubleheader on Monday, faces Campbell Hall at 6:30 tonight. If both win, they will meet in Thursday’s semifinals at 6:30 p.m. The other quarterfinals will feature El Segundo vs. Rosemead at 3:30 p.m., with Rialto vs. St. Joseph at 5. Finals are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday.

The final week of tournament boys basketball is heating up, and so are some of the Whittier area teams, with three advancing to selected semifinals.
Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary, which won its own tournament for the first time last week, has won its first two games to advance to the semifinals of the La Salle/Temple City Tournament and will face Muir at 7:30 p.m. tonight at La Salle High School in Pasadena. The Cardinals are 12-0 under first-year coach George Zedan.
La Serna, which is 5-5 after winning back-to-back games, is in the Nogales Tournament semfinals. The Lancers face Savanna, which beat host Nogales Tuesday, at 8 p.m. tonight.
Whittier, which is 6-7, advanced to the semifinals of its second annual tournament after defeating Fullerton and Claremont the past two games. The Cardinals face Bellflower tonight at 7:30, with the finals scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

There are plenty of after-Christmas tournaments that begin today, but due to today being a national holiday, there will be nobody to take your calls until after 6 p.m. All our three newspapers are asking teams to email results to scores@sgvn.com, and leave a number in case we have questions, or call after 6 p.m., to 626-962-8811, ext. 2233 or 2242, thanks.
We will pick-up coverage on Tuesday.

This week marks the final week of the tournament season in boys and girls basketball, with nine area teams competed in selected tournaments.
On the boys side, Whittier is hosting a four-day tournament, while La Serna, El Rancho and La Mirada will be in the 16-team Nogales Tournament, with California in the Covina Tournament.
On the girls side, Whittier, El Rancho and host Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary compete in the Cardinal Classic.
The two boys tournaments are four-day bracket tournaments and run through Thursday, with the Cantwell girls tournament being pool play Monday and Tuesday before switching into bracket play with the quarterfinals slated for Wednesday, the semifinals on Thursday and the finals on Friday.
Here’s the schedule for each tournament:
Girls
Cantwell Cardinal Classic
December 26th
@ Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary
Game 1 9:30 am CSHM vs. South Gate
Game 2 11:00 am Azusa vs. Sotmayor LA
Game 3 12:30 pm Huntington Park vs. CSHM JV
Game 4 2:00 pm John Glenn vs. Mary Star
Game 5 3:30 pm Whittier vs. Pomona Catholic
Game 6 5:00 pm Saint Josephs vs. CSHM JV
Game 7 6:30 pm CSHM vs. LACES
Game 8 8:00 pm Whittier vs. St. Marys
@ Cathy Hensel Park
Game 9 11:00 am Paramount vs. Mountain View
Game 10 12:30 pm Torres vs. Rosemead
Game 11 2:00 pm Paramount vs. South East
Game 12 3:30 pm Bishop Conaty vs. Lincoln
December 27th
@ Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary
Game 13 9:30 am Rialto vs. Bishop Conaty
Game 14 11:00 am Torres vs. EL Rancho
Game 15 12:30 pm Campbell Hall vs. Sotomayor
Game 16 2:00 pm Rialto vs. Lincoln
Game 17 3:30 pm EL Segundo vs. John Glenn
Game 18 5:00 pm Campbell Hall vs. Azusa
Game 19 6:30 pm Rosemead vs. EL Rancho
Game 20 8:00 pm EL Segundo vs. Mary Star
@ Cathy Hensel Park
Game 21 11:00 am LACES vs. South Gate
Game 22 12:30 pm Mountain View vs. South East
Game 23 2:00 pm Pomona Catholic vs. St. Marys
Game 24 3:30 pm Huntington Park vs. Saint Joseph’s
December 28th
@ Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary
Game 25 9:30 am Pool A 2nd vs. Pool B 2nd
Game 26 11:00 am Pool C 2nd vs. Pool D 2nd
Game 27 12:30 pm Pool E 2nd vs. Pool F 2nd
Game 28 2:00 pm Pool G 2nd vs. Pool H 2nd
Game 29 3:30 pm Pool C 1st vs. Pool D 1st
Game 30 5:00 pm Pool A 1st vs. Pool B 1st
Game 31 6:30 pm Pool H 1st vs. Pool G 1st
Game 32 8:00 pm Pool E 1st vs. Pool F 1st
@ Cathy Hensel Park
Game 33 11:00 am Pool A 3rd vs. Pool B 3rd
Game 34 12:30 pm Pool C 3rd vs. Pool D 3rd
Game 35 2:00 pm Pool E 3rd vs. Pool F 3rd
Game 36 3:30 pm Pool G 3rd vs. Pool H 3rd
December 29th
@ Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary
Game 37 9:30 am Loser Game 25 vs. Loser Game 26
Game 38 11:00 am Loser Game 27 vs. Loser Game 28
Game 39 12:30 pm Winner Game 25 vs. Winner Game 26
Game 40 2:00 pm Winner Game 27 vs. Winner Game 28
Game 41 3:30 pm Loser Game 29 vs. Loser Game 30
Game 42 5:00 pm Loser Game 31 vs. Loser Game 32
Game 43 6:30 pm Winner Game 31 vs. Winner 32
Game 44 8:00 pm Winner Game 29 vs. Winner 30
@ Cathy Hensel Park
Game 45 11:00 am Loser Game 33 vs. Loser Game 34
Game 46 12:30 pm Loser Game 35 vs. Loser Game 36
Game 47 2:00 pm Winner Game 33 vs. Winner Game 34
Game 48 3:30 pm Winner game 35 vs. Winner Game 36
December 30th
@ Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary
Game 49 9:30 am Loser Game 38 vs. Loser Game 37 (15th Place)
Game 50 11:00 am Winner Game 38 vs. Winner Game 37 (13th Place)
Game 51 12:30 pm Loser Game 40 vs. Loser Game 39 (11th Place)
Game 52 2:00 pm Winner Game 40 vs. Winner Game 39 (9th Place)
Game 53 3:30 pm Loser Game 42 vs. Loser Game 41 (7th Place)
Game 54 5:00 pm Winner Game 42 vs. Winner Game 41 (5th Place)
Game 55 6:30 pm Loser Game 44 vs. Loser 43 (3rd Place)
Game 56 8:00 pm Winner Game 44 vs. Winner Game 43 (Championship)
@ Cathy Hensel Park
Game 57 11:00 am Loser Game 45 vs. Loser Game 46 (23rd Place)
Game 58 12:30 pm Winner Game 45 vs. Winner Game 46 (21st Place)
Game 59 2:00 pm Loser Game 47 vs. Loser Game 48 (19th Place)
Game 60 3:30 pm Winner Game 47 vs. Winner Game 48 (17th Place)
BOYS
WHITTIER TOURNAMENT
Monday, Dec. 26, first round at Whittier High
Rosemead vs. Salesian, 9 a.m
Katella vs. Warren, 10:30 a.m.
La Puente vs. Lawndale, noon
Pioneer vs. Pacifica/GG, 1:30 p.m.
Huntington Park Academy vs. Bellflower, 3 p.m.
University vs. Cabrillo/LB, 4:30 p.m.
Claremont vs. Alhambra, 6 p.m.
Whittier vs. Fullerton, 7:30 p.m.
NOGALES TOURNAMENT
Monday, Dec. 26 first-round at Nogales High
Top Bracket
Walnut vs. Alta Loma, 6:30 p.m.
Nipomo vs. Notre Dame, Noon
La Mirada vs. Don Lugo, 1:45 p.m.
Renaissance Academy vs. El Rancho, 3:30 p.m.
Bottom Bracket
Serrano vs. Bloomington Christian, 10:30 a.m.
West Covina vs. La Serna, 5 p.m.
Savanna vs. Glenn, 9 a.m.
Basett vs. Nogales, 8 p.m.
COVINA TOURNAMENT
Monday’s First-Round games at Covina High School
Top Bracket
Bosco Tech vs. California, 10 a.m.
Rowland vs. Azusa, 11:30 a.m.
Northview vs.Garey, 1 p.m.
Wilson vs. Damien, 2:30 p.m.
Bottom Bracket
J.W. North vs. Charter Oak, 4 p.m.
Bishop Amat vs. Los Altos, 5:30 p.m.
South Hills vs. Jurupa Hills, 7 p.m.
Covina vs. Sierra Vista, 8:30 p.m.

Hi All: I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas on this joyous day!

- Steve

Above: Player of the Year Aaron Porter of La Habra (Staff photo by Keith Durflinger)
To read Aaron Porter’s Player of the Year story, along the La Serna duo of OJ Medina and Craig Jones receiving offensive and defensive player of the year honors, and Santa Fe’s Jack Mahlstede being named Coach of the Year, along with the first and second team lists, click the thread.

PORTER MAHLSTEDE MEDINA JONES

Player of the Year – Aaron Porter, La Habra, Sr.
Coach of the Year - Jack Mahlstede, Santa Fe
Offensive Player of the Year – OJ Medina, La Serna, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year – Craig Jones, La Serna, Sr.
Offense
QB:Paul Telles, St. Paul, Jr.
RB: Joey Davis, Santa Fe, Sr.
RB:OJ Medina, La Serna, Sr.
AP: Corey Collins, Cantwell, Sr.
WR:Brett Bartolone, La Habra, Sr.
WR: Dallis Shipp, La Mirada, Jr.
TE: Tyler Carrillo, St. Paul, Sr.
OL: Cristian Garcia, St. Paul, Jr..
OL: Spencer Fox, La Mirada, Sr.
OL: Pete Morales, La Habra, Sr.
OL: Spencer Long, La Habra, Sr.
OL: Isaiah Osorio, La Serna, Jr.
PK: Sean Wale, La Habra, Sr.
Defense
DL: Abraham Torres, Cantwell, Sr.
DL: Tony Casados, La Habra, Sr.
DL: John McFarland, La Serna, Jr.
LB: Kevin Romo, St. Paul, Sr.
LB: Craig Jones, La Serna, Sr.
LB: Miguel Cardiel, California
LB: Willie Blauser, Santa Fe, Sr.
DB: Daniel Abernethy, Whittier Christian, Sr.
DB: Cedrick Franklin, La Habra, Jr.
DB: Andy Gramajo, La Mirada, Sr.
DB: Christian Mahlstede, Santa Fe
P:Daniel Chacon, Whittier Christian, Sr
Second Team
Offense
QB:Frankie Palmer, La Serna, So.
RB:Johnny Hills, La Mirada, Jr.
RB:Ryan Morales, Whittier Chr., Sr.
AP: Michael Ortega, St. Paul, Senior
WR: Zach Ramsey, St. Paul, Senior
WR: Cody Bronkar, Whittier Christian, Jr.
WR: Adam Aguirre, Cantwell, Sr.
OL: Carlos Tovar, Santa Fe, Jr.
OL: Paul Governale, St. Paul, Sr.
OL: Cris Cisneros, La Mirada, Jr.
OL: Andrew Sagaio, La Habra, Sr.
OL: Memo Monreal, La Mirada, Sr.
PK: Eric Amezquita, California, So.
Defense
DL: Daniel Servin, Montebello, Sr.
DL: Omar Luna, Whittier, Jr.
DL: Mario Bonilla, Santa Fe, Sr.
DL: Tyler Luatua, La Mirada, So.
LB: Eric Magos, Schurr, Sr.
LB: David Cabral, St. Paul, Sr.
LB: Austin Ybarra, La Habra, Sr.
DB: Jacob Alaniz, Cantwell, Sr.
DB: Grant Escobar, Whittier Chr., Sr.
DB: Marcus Garcia, St. Paul, Sr.
DB: Lawrence Gomez, California, Sr.
P: Jordan Rincon, Santa Fe, Sr.
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