Torrid Toro Cagers Face Dangerous Northridge, Powerful Golden Eagles

Cal State Dominguez Hills takes a three-game winning streak into the second week of California Collegiate Athletic Assn. basketball action and looks to even its record, playing host to Cal State Northridge on Friday and Cal State Los Angeles on Saturday. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.

The Toros are 6-8 overall, 1-0 in the CCAA. Northridge is 7-6 and 0-1, Cal State L. A. is 6-3 and 1-0. Northridge, the defending CCAA champ, is led by forward Paul Drecksel’s 16.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The Matadors are 7-0 at home, 0-6 on the road. Cal State L. A., expected to be one of the conference front-runners, is led by All-American guard Sam Veal, averaging 20.2 points; point guard Shawn Holliday, averaging 10 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, and 6-10 center Tony Brown, leading the conference with a 12.2 rebound average. The front line includes 6-8 James Stewart and 6-6 Cary Brooks. The Eagles’ three losses were to Division I teams.

The Toros are coming off a 48-45 victory in which they limited Chapman College to 10 points in the final 10 minutes and only one basket in the final four minutes. Junior William Alexander had 17 points and 7 rebounds to improve his season averages to 15.6 and 5.5 while shooting a team-high 54%. Freshman Tony Akins had only five points against Chapman but is still averaging 18.8.

Serra High this week made the big jump in the CIF basketball coaches 5-A poll, from sixth to fourth, after beating league rival St. Bernard, which fell from fifth to a tie for ninth by losing two straight. Inglewood, previously unranked, is the ninth-rated team in the 4-A poll. Other ranked South Bay teams are Morningside, sixth in 3-A; Chadwick, eighth in 1-A, and the Morningside and Hawthorne girls, seventh and eighth, respectively, in girls 4-A.

In the CIF coaches soccer poll, Torrance is No. 1 in girls 4-A, with South Torrance fifth and Bishop Montgomery third in 3-A. Rolling Hills is ranked second in boys 4-A, with South Torrance fourth and Palos Verdes ninth. Culver City is No. 1.

The only ranked wrestling teams are Torrance, second in 2-A, and El Segundo, eighth in 1-A.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s basketball team plays host tonight to Chapman College at 7:30. The Lady Toros are 4-11 overall and 0-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. Chapman, expected to be a conference power, is 10-5 and 1-1. Chapman boasts the returning CCAA player of the year in center Leone Patterson, averaging 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds. The Toros women, suffering a six-game losing streak, are led by Deborah Shepherd’s 10.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. Junior Cheryl Newman has been the standout recently, scoring 44 points in two CCAA games.

A charity football game between police and firefighters from various Los Angeles County departments will be start at 2 p.m. Saturday at El Camino College. The eighth annual full-tackle game will benefit the Exchange Club child abuse prevention program. Tickets will be available at the door at $10 per person, $15 per couple and $20 per family of four. Activities include a waitress relay race and performances by South Bay high school bands.

Correction: A Manhattan Beach girls youth volleyball team was identified in this column last week as a soccer team. The American Martyrs School girls won a Southern California volleyball title.