AROUND THE LEAGUES : Granada Hills Prepares to Give Birmingham a History Lesson

When the Birmingham Braves play in the City Section 3-A championship Friday, they’ll be facing more than a Granada Hills team that has won nine straight. Granada Hills Coach Bob Johnson intends to throw a few ghosts from championships past at the Braves. Johnson has encouraged Al Stone, who coached the school’s 1963-64 championship team, and Barry Bass, coach of the 1975-76 championship team, to attend. . . . Sam Puathasnanon of Granada Hills averaged 11 points per game during the regular season, but during the playoffs opponents have had better success spelling his name than containing him. The senior forward scored 55 points in the Highlanders’ two wins last week and is averaging 24 per playoff game. “If there’s a reason for the way we’ve been playing, it’s Sam,” Johnson said. “I’ve been shooting more because I guess I want it more now that I’m a senior,” Puathasnanon said. “In league, no one could stop Gary Gray so we kept giving him the ball. There’s no point shooting outside shots if you can get layups.” . . . In January, when Johnson was given the opportunity to play San Fernando before a Clippers game at the Sports Arena, he didn’t hesitate to give up a home game. The Highlanders lost that game and it cost them a chance to tie Birmingham for the Northwest Valley League championship. Now the Highlanders are hoping that experience will give them an advantage in the final. “It should make a huge difference,” Puathasnanon said. “We had a lot of trouble handling the wide court. We had a lot of cross-court passes picked off.”

Greer isn’t grieving: Junior guard Damon Greer of Cleveland is a third-year varsity player who was expected to be the Cavaliers’ best player. Injuries forced him to miss half the season, however, and have reduced his role in the playoffs. “Damon’s wrist is still bothering him; he’s about 75%,” Coach Bob Braswell said. During Cleveland’s win over Crenshaw in the semifinals last Friday, it was strange not to see Greer on the floor during most of the fourth quarter. “Coach Braswell still has confidence in me,” Greer said. “I’ll contribute in the final any way I can.”

Miller time: It took Steve Miller a while to win his first City Section title when he was coaching at Fairfax. Now Miller has moved to North Hollywood, and the Huskies have compiled 8-2 and 9-1 marks in East Valley League play over the past two seasons. North Hollywood advanced to the second round of the 3-A playoffs this season. Next year, however, could be Miller time again: Four starters will return. “It took me three years to win my first title at Fairfax,” Miller said. “Maybe history will repeat itself.” . . . Although Chaminade (18-8) and Montclair Prep (16-7) both were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 1-A playoffs, coaches Mike Lynn and Howard Abrams were pleased with the season. “I think we went as far as we were capable of going,” Lynn, the Chaminade coach, said. Abrams, who coached Montclair Prep to a 12-0 Alpha League record, had no complaints, either. “We got beat by a very talented team,” he said. “We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Girls basketball: Rich Allen will lead North Hollywood to the Sports Arena for the City 3-A final against Reseda. But four years ago, Allen was the boys junior varsity coach at North Hollywood and didn’t want to switch over to coach the girls. When Allen was offered the job he declined at first but then called Craig Raub, the Kennedy girls coach who was Allen’s teammate on the North Hollywood basketball team several years before. “Raub talked me into it,” Allen said. “Craig said I would really enjoy it.” Allen’s other exposure to a City basketball final was against Fairfax in 1978. Fairfax, coached by Steve Miller, defeated North Hollywood in the final. Miller is now the boys basketball coach at North Hollywood. “And don’t think he ever lets me forget it,” Allen said. . . . With Diane DeCree in foul trouble and Tisa Rush not shooting well, the ball-handling of guard Yolanda Lewis was the difference in Kennedy’s 41-38 win over Westchester last Friday in a City 4-A semifinal at the Sports Arena. “Yolanda took their point guard apart,” Raub said. DeCree, who picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game, and Rush, who made only 6 of 25 shots, are Kennedy’s All-City players.

Hardwood to hardball: Many people in Simi Valley are still in shock over the basketball team’s loss in the Southern Section 4-A playoffs last Friday, but junior forwards Shawn DeLaittre and Scott Sharts found that the best way to deal with the disappointment is to keep playing--baseball, that is. At 8 the morning after the loss, they were up and on their way to the baseball field for a doubleheader at Buena. “I’m counting on Scott and Shawn as two of my top three pitchers,” Coach Mike Scyphers said. . . . Bo Schembechler has given Canyon senior Ken Sollom, a quarterback who received a football scholarship from Michigan, permission to pitch for the Wolverines baseball team. Sollom currently is pitching at Canyon. “He throws 85 miles per hour with an effective changeup, forkball and slider,” Canyon Coach Wally Hammond said. “I think his future is in baseball.” . . . Thousand Oaks is short on experienced pitchers. Coach Jim Hansen is trying out Steve Sisco and Joe Sturges--the only returning starters--on the mound. Neither has ever pitched. “I’m looking at every good arm we have,” Hansen said. . . . Canoga Park’s top two pitchers--Mike Kerber and Adam Schulhofer--have sore arms and a third, Mike Roberts, is academically ineligible, but the Hunters’ hitters make them a strong contender for the West Valley League title. Canoga Park scored 53 runs in its first three scrimmages. Aaron Marks bats ninth for the Hunters. Last season in 15 games, he hit .326 and had 11 runs batted in.

Wrestling: Simi Valley High’s Andy Silvestro was the only Valley wrestler to earn a spot in the state championship meet scheduled for this weekend in Fresno. Silvestro won the Southern Section title at 194 pounds in last Saturday’s Masters meet at Fountain Valley High.