SportsScope : Valley Prep Stars Have Chance to Shine in Sunkist Track Meet

Many of the top high school track performers in the San Gabriel Valley will compete in the prep division of the 28th annual Sunkist Invitational Indoor Track Meet at 4:45 p.m. Friday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

The best may be senior sprinter and hurdler Janeene Vickers of Pomona, who will compete in the 500-yard dash. Vickers, the state CIF champion in the 100- and 300- meter hurdles last year, is defending champion in the Sunkist.

The valley will also be represented in distance events by Aaron Mascorro of Rosemead in the boys two-mile run and Tracey Williams of Mountain View in the girls two-mile.

Both recently completed excellent cross-country seasons. Mascorro won the CIF 3-A Division individual title last November and Williams finished ninth in the Kinney National Cross Country Championship in December.

Valley runners will also be among the favorites in both sprint events for boys.

Seniors Corey Ealy of Muir and Martin Cannady of Duarte may be favored in the 60-yard dash. Both posted top times of 10.59 seconds in the 100-meter dash last season. Ealy finished fourth in the 100 meters at the CIF state meet and Cannady was sixth.

Three other valley runners may be favored in the 60-yard dash for football players: All-San Gabriel Valley running backs Ricky Ervins of Muir, Eric Bieniemy of Bishop Amat and Anthony Wallace of Pasadena.

Other boys in the meet include Steve Provenzano of Arcadia in the 500-yard dash, Marcus Robertson of Muir and Maurice Horton of Duarte in the 880-yard run and Scott Hempel of Walnut in the seeded two-mile.

Girls competing include Janine Stewart of Duarte in the 500-yard dash, Jeannie Young of San Marino in the 880 run, Karen Hecox of South Hills in the two mile and Diane Pettit of San Marino and Jamie Gunn of Walnut in the seeded mile.

Several streaks will be on the line when Cal Poly Pomona plays women’s basketball games Friday and Saturday at home.

The Broncos, who have a 14-1 record and are ranked No. 1 nationally in NCAA Division II, bring streaks of 12 straight wins, 25 California Collegiate Athletic Assn. victories in a row and 40 consecutive Division II wins into conference games against Cal State Los Angeles at 5:45 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Gym and Cal State Northridge at 8 p.m. Saturday at Poly Pavilion.

The Broncos will face a Cal State L.A. team that has been steadily improving under second-year Coach Fran Buckless. The Golden Eagles, who suffered a 68-57 loss to Northridge last week, are 10-4 overall and 0-1 in the CCAA.

Cal State L.A. is led by 6-0 sophomore center Lupe Quintana, who averages 9.9 points and 11.3 rebounds, and 5-8 junior guard Shelly Bowcutt, who averages 13.2 points and 5.1 rebounds. Two other standouts are forward Sue Doody and guard Geri Montanio.

The Broncos may receive a stronger challenge against Northridge (8-6, 1-0), a Division II playoff participant last year that has improved since losing to Pomona (66-52) in the second game of the season. Northridge has a good front line led by forward Denise Sitton, who averages 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds, and center Kathleen Dixon, who averages 10.6 points and 7.2 rebounds.

However, the Broncos will not have problems matching up with either team. Not with their steady front line of forwards Debra Larsen (5-10) and Marcine Edmonds (6-0) and center Niki Bracken (6-2) and guards Michelle McCoy (5-6) and Paula Tezak (5-8).

Larsen, a Division II All-American who leads the team offensively, averages 17.1 points and 11.1 rebounds. Other scorers in double figures are McCoy, who averages 13.7 points, and Bracken, a freshman averaging 13.1 points.

Cal State Los Angeles and Cal Poly Pomona will be seeking their first conference win when they meet in a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game at 8 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Gym in Pomona.

Cal State L.A., 5-7 overall, dropped a 71-64 decision to Cal State Northridge in its conference opener last week. Pomona, 7-7, lost its CCAA debut to UC Riverside (85-75).

Pomona has balance on offense with forwards Zenon M (6-7) and Terry Stevens (6-4) and guards Darron Suttle (5-10) and Bill Dobbs (6-2). M is averaging 12.8 points, followed by Suttle at 12.4, Dobbs at 11.6 and Stevens at 11.4.

Cal State L.A. has been headed by swingman Marty Heede (6-5), who is scoring 12 points a game, and forward Curtiss Bradley, a 6-7, 200-pound junior who averages 14.6 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Both teams will also play conference games Saturday. Pomona hosts Northridge at 5:45 p.m. at Poly Pavilion and Cal State L.A. visits Riverside at 8 p.m.

It will be a matchup of two teams that are undefeated in the Golden State Athletic Conference when Azusa Pacific University plays host to Fresno Pacific in a women’s basketball game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Azusa.

Both are 1-0 in Golden State play. Fresno may be the favorite because the Sunbirds are 12-2 overall and Azusa Pacific is 5-9.

But Azusa Pacific has won its last two games over Southern California College (93-65) and Evangel of Missouri (82-78) behind the play of junior forward Tina Ray, freshman center Amy Walter and senior point guard Diane Grove.

Ray, the team’s offensive leader, is averaging 14.2 points and 9.4 rebounds. Walter is averaging 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds and Grove, the floor leader, 10.4 points and 3.8 assists.

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s tennis team, which finished third in the NCAA Division II last year, opens its season against Cal State Fullerton at 1:30 p.m. today at Pomona.

Pomona, 18-9 overall and 10-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. last season, has eight returning players led by All-Americans Mary Holycross, Chris Ryan and Xenia Anastasiadou.