<i> Petite</i> ? It’s <i> Passe</i> ; Girls Cage Stars Are Tall, Talented

Basketball used to be the province of the big man. Now the big women are moving in, as attested by the 1984-85 Times All-South Bay high school team.

The 10-girl team, though a bit shorter overall than last year’s, features one six-footer and six girls 5-8 or taller--three of them guards. Since three of the 10 are underclassmen, prospects should be looking up for them.

The team features a balanced selection of guards, forwards and centers from nine schools, including a sister act: Celine and Andrea Kabwasa, center and guard-forward from Hawthorne; forward Christine Bogdanovich, Mary Star of the Sea; center Karyn Bolger, San Pedro; center Catherine Erhard, Mira Costa; point guard Donna Hervey, Inglewood; forward Sandra Johnson, St. Mary’s; guard-forward LaRonda Poydras, Morningside; guard Jennifer Rosen, South Torrance, and forward Corine Sandfry, Bishop Montgomery.

Three are repeaters from last year’s team--Celine Kabwasa, Poydras and Sandfry.

2 Juniors, 1 Sophomore

There figure to be more repeaters next year: juniors Bolger and Rosen and sophomore Andrea Kabwasa.

The players were chosen through a a poll of South Bay coaches and the observations of sportswriters and scouts.

The 10, their parents and coaches will be honored along with all-star teams from other Times circulation areas Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in an awards ceremony in Harry Chandler Auditorium at Times Mirror Square. The girls will receive traditional Times plaques and all-star certificates, and a South Bay player and coach of the year will be announced. Cal State Long Beach Coach Joan Bonvincini will be the speaker.

Mira Costa’s Erhard, perhaps the most improved player in the area, leads the all-stars statistically. The Mustang center averaged 20.3 points and ranked fourth in the CIF in rebounding with 17.3. Those stats helped Mira Costa earn a share of the Bay League title at 11-1 and gained all-league honors for Erhard.

South Torrance’s Rosen, a 5-9 point guard, led South to the other half of the Bay League title and earned league MVP honors despite her underclass status. Her numbers: 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 5.7 steals per game.

Coaches Hail Johnson

Another league MVP and one of the most popular players in coaches’ balloting was St. Mary’s Johnson, the Camino Real League’s standout player and one of three Belles to ring up first-team all-league honors (the others were Sylvia Hudson and Tina Torres). Johnson led St. Mary’s to its second straight CRL title and a 21-3 record by averaging 16.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals.

Poydras, who led Morningside to its perennial Pioneer League title this season with an 8-0 mark, topped the Monarchs with 16 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds per game, mostly as a guard. She was also a key performer in Morningside’s CIF 4-A title last season and a three-year starter in the South Bay’s strongest program.

Sandfry, one of the CIF’s leading scorers at 23.4 points per game, was one of the top all-around players, accounting for 10 rebounds per game. She helped lead Bishop Montgomery to a 14-10 mark in the tough Angelus League.

The Kabwasa sisters helped Hawthorne place third in the Ocean League, 17-7 overall. Senior Celine, a three-year all-league selection, is a four-year starter and first-team all-Ocean League. As a junior she was Pioneer League player of the year. She accounted for 16.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots per game.

Tough in Big Games

While Celine’s game was power, sophomore Andrea, another big guard, put her shooting skills to good use, making second-team all-league with 11.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 5.2 assists per game. Coach John Wheeler noted, “The tougher the game, the better she performs.”

Another representative from the Ocean League is Hervey, who teamed with junior Rosalind Moore to give Inglewood one of the league’s toughest inside-outside combos. Hervey averaged 12 points and 6 assists and showed a deft shooting touch to lead Inglewood to a second-place finish in the league and a 15-8 record.

Bogdanovich was a study in fortitude for Mary Star, playing most of the season after breaking her arm in December. She missed only eight games, was a unanimous all-Camino Real League choice and led the Stars to a 15-11 record. She averaged 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds despite two sub-par performances in her early games after the injury.

Her San Pedro neighbor, Bolger, averaged 12 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and had a 19-point playoff game for a Pirates team that should be very tough next season; six of the top players, including Bolger, return.

Honorable Mention: Nancy Alford, Torrance; Sylvia Hudson, St. Mary’s; Vanessa Johnson, Carson; Kelly Lynch, Mira Costa; Rosalind Moore, Inglewood; Patty O’Brien, Palos Verdes; Tia Thomas, Morningside; Tina Torres, St. Mary’s.

Centinela-South Bay All-Star Girls’ Basketball Team

Scoring Name, school Year Height Average Christine Bogdanovich, Mary Star Senior 5-7 12.7 Karyn Bolger, San Pedro Junior 6-0 12.0 Catherine Erhard, Mira Costa Senior 5-11 20.3 Donna Hervey, Inglewood Senior 5-3 12.0 Sandra Johnson, St. Mary’s Senior 5-5 16.7 Andrea Kabwasa, Hawthorne Sophomore 5-8 11.7 Celine Kabwasa, Hawthorne Senior 5-10 16.5 LaRonda Poydras, Morningside Senior 5-6 16.0 Jennifer Rosen, South Torrance Junior 5-9 20.3 Corine Sandfry, Bishop Montgomery Senior 5-8 23.4