City Basketball Playoffs : Unbeaten Crenshaw High Begins Defense of Its Title

If somebody can beat defending champion Crenshaw High School in the City basketball playoffs, it doesn’t figure to be soon.

The top-ranked and top-seeded Cougars (17-0) will play host to Dorsey, an at-large entry, tonight at 7:30 in the first round of the playoffs. It will be the third time the teams have met this season.

Crenshaw easily handled the Dons in Central League play, just as it has so many other opponents this season. The Cougars won the first game, 128-53, and the second, 103-53.

The second- and third-seeded teams--Cleveland (21-1), playing host to Locke, and Manual Arts (15-5), playing host to San Fernando--are both in the bracket opposite Crenshaw. The No. 4 team, Carson (15-7), will play host to Palisades.

Fairfax, seeded first in the 3-A and the The Times’ No. 3 team, could have its hands full with Venice, which got an at-large berth after finishing fourth in the Western League. This league rematch, unlike Crenshaw-Dorsey, will be an exciting game if it resembles the one the teams played Feb. 1 at Fairfax.

Then, Venice led, 69-65, and had the ball at the free-throw line with 18 seconds to play in overtime, but Fairfax, with clutch shooting from Jerome Jenkins and Peter Gerber, won, 71-70, in two overtimes.

Also at 7:30 tonight, second-seeded Van Nuys will entertain Roosevelt; Chatsworth will play at third-seeded San Pedro and Wilson, the fourth seed, will play host to Bell.

In the girls 4-A Division, Central League champion Locke is top-seeded and has a bye. Second-seeded Kennedy will play host to Gardena at 6 p.m.; Grant will travel to Manual Arts, the third-seeded team, and fourth-seeded Fremont will play host to University at 2:30.

Crenshaw’s girls are top-seeded in the 3-A Division and will play host to Bell at 5:30. Monroe will travel to No. 2 Jordan, and No. 3 Belmont will play host to Sylmar in 7:30 games. San Pedro will be at No. 4 Reseda at 7:30.