Close Race Seen in Tough San Andreas League

The competition is strong in the boys’ basketball division of the San Andreas League, where 4 of the 6 teams have a combined 52-7 record going into league play tonight.

San Bernardino is 16-0, Barstow is 13-1, Victor Valley is 12-3 and Cajon is 11-3. The other two teams are Apple Valley (7-5) and Hesperia (8-6).

San Bernardino has three returning starters from last season’s 28-2 team, which lost to Irvine Woodbridge, 59-50, in the 2-A division semifinals.

“We’ve got good size and are getting the ball inside,” said Scott Kay, San Bernardino’s coach. “We play man-to-man defense 90% of the time, and don’t run the press as much as last season because we are not as quick.”

Three of the team’s starters are averaging in double figures: senior Brian Russell, a 6-foot 7-inch forward, is averaging 18 points a game; senior Carlos Dew, a 6-3 point guard, averages 17 points a game, and sophomore Ray Owes, a 6-8 center, is averaging 11 points.

Tonight, San Bernardino will play host to Barstow, which is perhaps its toughest league competition.

Kay said that Eric Shipley, a point guard who is the son of Barstow’s coach, Ron Shipley, is perhaps the team’s best player.

Add Inland Empire: Ontario Chaffeyboys are also off to a good start, 8-3, 1-1 in the Baseline league, primarily because of the return of senior Reggie Cain, who played at Chaffey as a sophomore, moved and returned this season. In Cain’s first 6 games, he shot 63% from the field, and scored a total of 140 points in 4 games last week.

Unfortunately for Chaffey, though, it is in the same league as Glendora (14-1, 2-0), which has 6-8 center Tracy Murray, whose low game is season is 33.

In 13 games this season, Murray has averaged 42 points and 15 rebounds, including a 58-point game against El Camino of Oceanside.

Murray scored 46 points in Glendora’s 91-67 victory over Chaffey in their league opener last week. Upland (9-5, 2-0) looks to be Glendora’s toughest league competitor.

Baseline girls: The Chino girls’ team is 14-0 and shares first place in the Baseline League with Don Lugo (10-3, 2-0) and Alta Loma (9-2, 2-0).

Chino, last season’s 2-A division champion with a 25-7 record, dominated the Hacienda League before changing to the Baseline League this season. It is one of several teams that chose to move up in postseason competition, and will compete in 5-AA, the division of schools with the highest enrollment.

Chino is led by senior Felicia Franke, a 6-1 forward, who had 106 points in 5 games at the Point Loma tournament last week. Chino beat Point Loma, 50-39, for the title, ending Point Loma’s streak of 144 victories at home.

More Inland girls: Fontana’s Danielle Carter, a 6-1 senior forward, is averaging 29.6 points a game, including a 48-point performance against Rialto in the Kiwanis tournament, which the Steelers won. Carter’s 3.75 grade-point average makes her a prime recruit.

Fontana (13-1, 3-0) faces stiff competition in the Citrus Belt League. Rubidoux is 10-0, 3-0, and after a 7-2 start, Redlands is 8-4, 1-2.

Fontana’s only loss was to Brea-Olinda.

TIMES’ POLLS Through Jan. 8 BOYS City No., School, League: Record 1. Manual Arts, Metro-4A: 12-0 2. Cleveland, North Valley-4A: 11-2 3. Crenshaw, Southern-4A: 8-2 4. Westchester, Metro-4A: 8-3 5. Taft, North Valley-4A: 11-1 6. Carson, Pacific-4A: 12-3 7. University, Western-3A: 9-3 8. Los Angeles, Western-3A: 8-5 9. Fremont, Central-3A: 12-3 10. Palisades, Metro-4A: 6-5 Southern Section No., School, League: Record 1. Saddleback, Sea View-5AA: 14-1 2. Mater Dei, Angelus-5AA: 16-2 3. Pasadena, Pacific-5A: 12-2 4. Loyola, Del Rey-5AA: 13-2 5. Irvine, South Coast-5A: 15-2 6. Lakewood, Moore-5AA: 12-5 7. San Bernardino, San And.-4AA: 16-0 8. Glendora, Baseline-4AA: 13-1 9. St. Bernard, Camino Real-5AA: 13-2 10. Millikan, Moore-5AA: 14-3 11. Santa Clara, Frontier-2A: 11-3 12. St. Paul, Angelus-4A: 12-5 13. Rolling Hills, Bay-3A: 11-3 14. Ocean View, Sunset-5A: 10-5 15. Compton, Moore-3A: 12-4 GIRLS City No., School, League: Record 1. Crenshaw, Southern-4A: 13-0 2. Washington, Southern-4A: 10-2 3. Reseda, Mid Valley-4A: 5-3 4. North Hollywood, Mid Valley-4A: 8-3 5. Dorsey, Southern-4A: 11-2 6. Palisades, Metro-4A: 7-4 7. Carson, Pacific-4A: 8-3 8. El Camino Real, North Valley-4A: 6-4 9. Fremont, Central-4A: 5-5 10. Banning, Pacific-4A: 5-5 Southern Section No., School, League: Record 1. Morningside, Ocean-5AA: 12-1 2. Chino, Baseline-5A: 13-0 3. Brea-Olinda, Orange-3A: 10-2 4. Buena, Channel-5A: 9-2 5. Hart, Foothill-5A: 13-2 6. Santa Barbara, Channel-5A: 8-5 7. Palos Verdes, Bay-4A: 10-3 8. Santa Clara, Frontier-2A: 10-2 9. Muir, Pacific-4A: 10-3 10. Los Altos, Sierra-4A: 13-0 11. Bell Gardens, Whitmont-5AA: 10-2 12. Katella, Empire-4A: 13-3 13. Ocean View, Sunset-5A: 13-2 14. Fountain Valley, Sunset-5AA: 10-7 15. Ontario, Hacienda-5A: 15-2