Sizzling Corsair Cagers to Face Valley After Santiago Tournament Triumph

The Santa Monica College men’s basketball team, which completed its non-conference schedule with a 15-3 record, will play its second Western State Conference game at Los Angeles Valley College at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Corsairs will play host to West Los Angeles College in a conference game at 7 p.m. Monday at Corsair Gymnasium.

Last week Santa Monica cruised to the championship of the Rancho Santiago tournament, defeating the host team, 101-77, in the final. In other tourney games, the Corsairs routed Mt. San Antonio, 108-54, and Saddleback, 90-54.

SMC’s Keith Amerson was named the tournament’s most valuable player, and teammates Von Shuler and Terry Clark were chosen for the all-tourney squad.

Shuler is averaging 14.7 points a game to lead 6 Corsairs in double figures: Kemo Patrick (12.7), Amerson (12.5 and a team-high 9.6 rebounds), DeShawn Pullard and Mark Day (11.4 each) and Troy Batiste (10.7). Pullard has posted team-high marks with averages of 6.5 assists and 2.3 steals, and Batiste is averaging 5.8 assists.

With only six players on the roster, the Santa Monica College women’s basketball team still managed an 11-4 mark in non-conference play. The Corsairs will play their second Western State Conference game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Los Angeles Valley.

Last week SMC won three of four games and finished third in the Grossmont College Tournament in San Diego. In the third-place game, the Lady Corsairs defeated Grand Rapids of Michigan, 75-59, despite losing Katarina Nordin, the team’s second-leading rebounder, because of a back injury. In other tournament games, SMC defeated Grossmont, 69-55, and Glendale of Arizona, 69-65.

Corsair Jenise Cooley was named the tournament’s most inspirational player, and teammate LaVern Moore was named to the all-tourney team.

The UCLA women’s basketball team (3-6), coming off a 63-46 home loss to Ohio State, will open Pacific 10 Conference play when it plays host to California at 7 p.m. Friday and ninth-ranked Stanford at 7 p.m. Saturday at John Wooden Center.

Molly Tideback, the Bruins’ freshman center, continues to impress. She leads the team with an average of 12.9 points a game, 10 blocked shots and a 79.2% average on free throws. She set a school record by hitting 14 free throws against Pepperdine, and her 23 straight foul shots over three games just missed tying Denise Curry’s UCLA record of 24.

The Pepperdine women’s basketball team (5-7 as the week began) will play its final non-conference game against UC Irvine at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Irvine’s Bren Events Center.

At home last week the Waves were routed by Cal State Fullerton but defeated Holy Cross, 75-69.

Junior guard Dionne Burgess is averaging 15.3 points to lead the Waves, and senior forward April Marion is averaging 14.4 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.

Angela Rolfe of Dorsey High School and Crenshaw’s Latrel Jackson have been invited to compete in the 500-yard run at the Sunkist Invitational, which starts at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Sports Arena.

Angela Burnham of Oxnard Rio Mesa High is the girl to beat in the 500. Burnham, who competed in last year’s Olympic trials, won last year’s Sunkist 500 and has run 100 meters in 11.28. Rolfe ran a 54.17 400 meters to finish fourth at last year’s state prep meet, and Jackson has a top mark of 57.37 in the 400.

Names in the News Mike Lodish, UCLA defensive tackle, was named Southern California lineman of the year by Lawry’s The Prime Rib.

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue called Lodish, a 6 foot-3 inch, 253-pound junior, “one of our best and most consistent defensive players throughout the year, and (he) is certainly deserving of this outstanding award.”

A native of Birmingham, Mich., Lodish, 21, received honorable mention for the All-Pacific 10 Conference team. Against Stanford this season, he knocked the football from the quarterback’s hand, caught the ball and ran for a 17-yard touchdown.