High School Basketball : North Hollywood, Grant Tie for Title

North Hollywood finished in a first-place tie with Grant in the East Valley League with a 50-48 win over Van Nuys on Thursday night at Van Nuys.

Dana Jones scored a game-high 15 points and Dominic Nappi added 13 for North Hollywood (16-4, 9-1 in league play), which came from behind in the fourth quarter.

“We did a good job of shutting down Nappi,” said Van Nuys Coach Kevin Duford, whose team blew a playoff berth by losing. “But we couldn’t stop Jones.”

Jones scored nine points in the fourth quarter, including a basket late in the game to give the Huskies a 44-42 lead and trigger a strong finish. Van Nuys (7-10, 4-6) had taken its first lead, 37-36, at the end of the third quarter and the lead changed hands several times thereafter.

“We had a chance at the end, but we missed some free throws,” Duford said.

The Wolves made only 5 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter, and Alonzo Galloway, who led Van Nuys with 14 points, fouled out with two minutes to play.

Grant 61, Verdugo Hills 33--Grant clinched a tie for its first East Valley League championship since 1982 by routing the last-place Dons at home. Grant (17-3, 9-1) used a 22-8 run in the second quarter to forge a 32-14 halftime lead.

Grant’s Danny Enowitz, who led all scorers with 23 points, scored nine in the second period. Enowitz, who is averaging 17 points a game, made 9 of 10 field-goal attempts.

Grant center Troy Mcleod pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds--9 offensive--to go with his 6 points.

Verdugo Hills (2-16, 0-10) was led by Ron Powell’s 18 points.

Cleveland 88, El Camino Real 66--Inspired by an all-senior starting lineup, the Cavaliers started strongly and built a 20-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.

“We had a night in honor of the seniors,” Cleveland Coach Bob Braswell said.

Braswell had particular praise for Michael Gray, who came off the bench and had 20 points and 11 assists in his second game after being academically ineligible most of the season.

The win keeps Cleveland (18-2, 10-1) tied for first place in the Valley League with Fairfax.

Granada Hills 88, Monroe 52--John Johnson led all scorers with 22 points and Alvin Brown added 21 and pulled down a season-high 22 rebounds at Monroe as Granada Hills clinched a second-place tie with Birmingham in the Northwest Valley League.

William Moringlane added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Edward Thomas had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Granada Hills (11-6, 7-3).

L.A. Baptist 72, Maranatha 60--L. A. Baptist wrapped up a share of the Alpha League championship with the win at L. A. Baptist. The Knights will be seeded No. 1 for the Southern Section 1-A Division playoffs.

Brett Craig and James Hoback both scored 18 points for L. A. Baptist (17-4, 9-1) to lead all scorers.

Montclair Prep 81, Marshall Fundamental 61--Craig Handschu scored a game-high 27 points, one of three Montclair Prep players in double figures, as the Mounties clinched a tie for the Alpha League championship.

Duane Johnson scored a career-high 25 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and had 6 assists. David Sanger added 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocked shots for Montclair Prep (15-6, 9-1). Jerry Joiner led Marshall Fundamental with 16 points. The Eagles (11-9, 6-4) finished in third place.

Saugus 42, Canyon 32--Rick Bilek scored a game-high 16 points to spark Saugus to its second win this season over cross-town rival Canyon (3-17, 2-8). Sean Legaux added 9 points and 12 rebounds for Saugus (3-20, 3-7).

Highland Hall 78, Clearview 28--Craig Ernst led all scorers with 20 points and J. J. Pope had a season-high 14 points and 5 steals for host Highland Hall. Bob Ramirez added 11 points and 7 assists to lead the Hawks (11-9, 7-5) to their first winning season since 1981.

GIRLS

North Hollywood 55, Canoga Park 49--Three-point plays by Nikki O’Neal and Gwen Mickelson in the final two minutes lifted North Hollywood (14-4, 8-2) to a second-place finish in the West Valley League. Canoga Park finished third.

Stephanie DeLange led Canoga Park (8-6, 6-4) with 13 points.

Reseda 79, Birmingham 39--The Regents took a 23-2 lead after one quarter of the West Valley League game at Reseda.

The victory was the 13th in a row for Reseda (17-1, 10-0).

Buckley 56, Providence 34--Laura Kirkpatrick scored 35 points to lead the Griffins to a Delphic League victory at Buckley.

Kirkpatrick, who also grabbed 21 rebounds, 8 assists and 8 steals, has scored 115 points in the past three games and is Buckley’s career scoring leader with 1,029 points.