Granada Hills Bids O’Hara of Birmingham a Rude Farewell

Bob Johnson, coach of Northwest Valley League champion Granada Hills High, was too busy celebrating to give Birmingham Coach Jim O’Hara a nice going-away present.

O’Hara, who coached his last league game after 30 years at Birmingham, watched his Braves lose a 10-point lead and fall to the Highlanders, 70-62, in Friday night’s league finale at Granada Hills.

“We played very well for a young, inexperienced team,” said O’Hara, whose Braves ended the season 10-10 overall and 5-5 in league. “We just didn’t know how to handle success.”

Actually, Birmingham’s success rides on the outcome of Tuesday’s makeup game between San Fernando and Chatsworth. If San Fernando wins, Birmingham will go to the playoffs as a third-place team.

The Highlanders (17-3 overall, 10-0 in league) already had a lock on a playoff berth. Granada Hills clinched its second straight league title last week.