The Top 25 Teams : Lakewood Keeps Undefeated League Record to Lead Prep Teams Toward Titles, Then Into CIF Playoffs

As the high school basketball season winds down toward the CIF playoffs, here is a look at the best 25 area teams, compiled by The Times’ Southeast/Long Beach sports staff. Records are through games of Tuesday night.

1 LAKEWOOD--Tim Sweeney’s experienced Lancers (18-5 won-lost record for the season, 7-0 in league play) can wrap up the Moore League title with a victory Friday night against Jordan High of Long Beach. Brian Camper, a 6-5 senior who has signed with Arizona State University, is averaging 21 points and seven rebounds a game. The team, No. 3 in the CIF Southern Section Division 5-AA, is so balanced that the sixth man, Tom Sellers, is averaging 10 points a game. Other senior starters are 6-8 Victor Camper (Brian’s cousin), 6-6 Aaron Adams, 6-3 Andre Miller and 6-0 point guard Joey Sweeney, the coach’s son who is averaging 10 assists a game and has broken the school assists record. “I’ve seen all the teams in 5-AA and have to believe if we are playing well we can beat anybody and win the whole thing (CIF).” Coach Sweeney said.

2 DOMINGUEZ--The Dons (17-4 overall, 9-0 in the San Gabriel Valley League) kept rolling Friday night with a 74-68 victory over Gahr High of Cerritos, despite the absence of Xavier Edison and Cory Cothrine, two starters benched by Coach Russell Otis for disciplinary reasons. Edison is averaging 14.1 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. Derrick Thomas has picked up the slack, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Everyone in the starting five averages between 10 and 14 points, including Dijon Bernard (13.6) and Thomas (10.1). Seven different players have led the team, ranked No. 1 in Division 4-A, in scoring.

3 ST. PAUL--The Swordsmen of Santa Fe Springs are 15-6 overall and 3-1 in the Angelus League for Catholic schools. Greg Willig, a 6-7 senior, is averaging 27 points a game--11th in the Southern Section--and 12.5 rebounds. Jason Hart, a 6-2 senior, is averaging 20 points and has made 83 of 175 shots from 3-point range. John Overbeck, a 6-7 senior, averages 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. The team is averaging 86 points a game and defeated St. Bernard, 103-101, Monday night, with Willig scoring 35. “The Angelus League is a good league,” Coach Mike Dinneen said. “We hope to play Mater Dei for the league title. We lost to them the first time, but that was without Willig.”

4 MILLIKAN--The Rams, 17-6 overall and 3-4 in the Moore League, have four starters averaging in double figures, led by Terry Hilliard (13.7) and 6-6 senior Jeep Jensen (12). The Rams of Long Beach, No. 9 in Division 5-AA, lost by three points at Lakewood in overtime. “These kids have been in a winning program and are continuing to play like winners,” Coach Bill Odell said. “This is the best Moore League I have ever seen from top to bottom in the 18 years I have been here.”

5 JORDAN--The talented Panthers of Long Beach (12-6 overall, 2-3 in the Moore League) are led by 6-3 senior guard David Mitchell, who is averaging 19.3 points a game, and 6-5 Kasey Brown, who is averaging 10 rebounds. “We need to get healthy,” said Coach Ron Massey, who has been without Brown and Brent Woods in recent games. Massey does not anticipate Lakewood losing--”they are head and shoulders above the rest right now.”

6 LYNWOOD--The Knights have the Southern Section’s fourth most prolific scorer in 6-3 junior Earnest Killum, who is averaging 29.5 points a game. He scored 38 in a recent victory over Cerritos High. “He has outstanding range, jumps well and goes to the hole,” Coach Bill Notley said. Lynwood, which has only one senior--point guard Mike Singleton--was picked to finish sixth in the San Gabriel Valley League, but has an 11-8 season record, 7-1 in the league. Charles Levy, a football star playing basketball for the first time, has made a big impact as a 6-2 center.

7 POLY--The young Jackrabbits, 14-8 overall, 4-3 in the Moore League, have been up and down but Coach Chris Kinder said, “I think we’ve learned how to win.” The starters and their point averages: 6-6 center Willie McGinest (15), 6-3 forward Melvin Jones (16), 6-4 forward Roderick Hannibal (8), 6-0 guard Russell Edney (12) and 6-0 guard Keith Lester (9). Lester’s two free throws gave Poly a 74-73 double-overtime win Friday night at cross-town rival Millikan. It was the Jackrabbits’ second win over Millikan. Kinder said the Moore League is more competitive than ever.

8 WILSON--”We have a lot of balance, with eight or nine quality players,” Coach Jim Ferguson said of the Bruins, who are 15-9 overall and 3-4 in the Moore League. Among the top players are 6-1 junior Sheldon Grigsby, who is averaging 19 points in league games, and 6-4 senior forward Josh Levine, who is averaging 11 points and seven rebounds. The Bruins of Long Beach lost two league games after blowing 10-point leads. They won by nine at Poly. “We’re extremely small but very quick and play with intensity and defense that has kept us in a lot of games,” Ferguson said. “We’re successful because the kids try real hard.”

9 COMPTON--The Tarbabes had high hopes this season under new Coach Louie Nelson, but things have soured recently and the record has slipped to 12-9 overall and 1-6 in the Moore League. Nelson has missed the last two games after being suspended for allegedly striking one of his players in a locker room scuffle. The best players are 6-3 Terrance Adams, 6-5 junior Calvin Curry, 6-0 point guard Alonzo Lemmons and 6-3 center Darnell Patterson. Most of Compton’s league losses have been close.

10 BELLFLOWER--Sean Taylor, a 6-foot senior averaging 16 points a game, leads Rich Weiman’s Buccaneers, while Marc Benjamin, a 5-8 senior, has chipped in with 13 a game. The Bucs are 14-5 for the season and first in the Suburban League with a 6-0 record. The team has reached all the goals it set so far, and Weiman believes they can get past the first round of the CIF playoffs for the first time in his nine-year career at Bellflower. The Bucs play at Artesia on Friday night in a game that may decide the league title.

11 ARTESIA--Wayne Merino’s Pioneers, ranked seventh in 4-A, are 15-5 overall and 5-1 in second place in the Suburban League. Their only league loss was 55-54 to Bellflower. Ed O’Bannon, considered one of the best prep players in the nation, is averaging 28 points and 14 rebounds a game, and DeAndre Austin is averaging 11 points. “It’s a very competitive league this year,” Merino said. The flu hurt the team for about two weeks.

12 GAHR--The Gladiators of Cerritos, a veteran, balanced team coached by Vern Stewart, are 14-7 overall and 6-3 in the San Gabriel Valley League and ranked seventh in Division 5-A. They may have the best point guard in the league in Eddie Martinez, who is averaging 15.1 points a game. He is a three-year starter, as is forward Mark Chabonnet, who is averaging 14.2 and who scored 21 Friday night against Dominguez High. Other double-figure scorers are center Rod Summers (12.3) and Raymond Johnson (11.3).

13 CANTWELL--Coach Mitch L’Angelle’s Cardinals of Montebello are ranked fourth in the Southern Section 2-A Division. They are 15-3 overall and 7-1 in the Santa Fe League, which they lead by a half-game over Cathedral. Their leading scorer is Art Ramos, who is averaging 16 points a game. They have a promising point guard in Ace Ayala, who scored 21 points against El Segundo.

14 CALIFORNIA--Paul Turley’s Condors of Whittier are 9-2, tied with Bell Gardens for first place in the Whitmont League, and 15-5 overall. Paul White, a 6-7 junior, sored 25 points and had 15 rebounds in a game against Bell Gardens. He is averaging 11.7 points a game. Other top players are Paul Juarez, a 6-7 rebounder, and Deon Travers, a 6-1 shooting guard.

15 BELL GARDENS--Ed Loera, a 6-foot transfer from St. John Bosco, leads the Lancers (13-5 overall, 9-2 and tied with California High for first place in the Whitmont League) with averages of 16 points and eight assists. Other top players for Coach Charlie LaCommare’s team are 6-3 senior David Salcedo, who is averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds, 6-2 senior Ozzie Acosta, who is averaging 12 points, and 5-9 senior Richard Garcia, who is averaging 10 points. “We’ve played better than expected,” LaCommare said. “There’s a lot of parity in the league; every game is tough.” The Lancers edged Montebello, 52-50, Tuesday night.

16 MONTEBELLO--The Oilers, who had a 10-game winning streak earlier in the season, are 14-5 overall and 8-3 in the Whitmont League. Coach Jeff Schwartz’s team is led by John Brown, who is averaging 20.1 points a game, followed by Marcus Walley (14.6), Paul Hernandez (10.4) and Mando Rios (9.8). The Oilers, who are a game behind California and Bell Gardens, scored 114 points against Santa Fe.

17 WARREN--The Bears of Downey, coached by veteran Jay Young, are 11-8 overall and 4-4 in the San Gabriel Valley League. Tony Rodriguez, a 6-4 senior who was the league’s most valuable player last year, is averaging 18.5 points and 14 rebounds. Another three-year starter is 6-8 Ray Winick, who is averaging 18 points and 14 rebounds.

18 WHITTIER CHRISTIAN--The Heralds, 14-5 for the season, are 7-2 and in second place in the highly competitive Olympic League. They are ranked fourth in Division 2-AA. “We’ll play with great intensity and then lose it and let a team back in the game,” Coach Bob Brown said. Paul McKinley, a 6-4 senior, is averaging 17 points a game, and Scott Ferguson, a 6-7 senior, is averaging 13.7 points and 9.1 rebounds. The Heralds will play host to league leader Orange Lutheran on Friday night.

19 ST. ANTHONY--Coach Tom Roanhaus’ Saints of Long Beach, ranked third in Division 2-A, are 8-9 overall and 5-3 in the high-quality Camino Real League. Their best player is 6-3 Alan Aragon, who is averaging more than 15 points a game. He also excels on defense as the one in the box-and-one formation. Oscar Encinas is only 5-10, but Roanhaus calls him an “unbelievable rebounding machine.” He’s averaging 11.5 rebounds and 12.5 points. Another top player is 6-4 Kevin Johnson, who is averaging 11 points and nine rebounds. The Saints are not big and can’t afford to play at less than their potential.

20 WHITTIER--The Cardinals, coached by Ray Cooper, are 13-8 overall and 7-4 in the Whitmont League. Leading players are Jeff Polloreno, a 6-foot junior guard who is averaging 17.3 points and four assists a game, and 6-7 junior center Chris Emch, who is averaging 13.7 points and 11.2 rebounds. “We’ve done very well, and if we can win our remaining games we will have an excellent shot of finishing in the top three (of the league),” Cooper said. “We may have fallen a little short of expectations, but the main thing was to make CIF this year and right now we have an excellent chance.”

21 VALLEY CHRISTIAN--”We haven’t been able to make the key play at the right time to win the close games,” Coach Harold DeBie said of the Crusaders of Cerritos, who are fifth in Division 2-A, 14-5 overall and 5-4 in the Olympic League. Mike Blackstad, a 6-1 senior, leads the team with a 14.8-point average, followed by Brent Van Kampen, a 6-3 junior who is averaging 13.6 points. Brad Schmidt, a 6-6 senior, is averaging 9.8 rebounds.

22 SOUTH GATE--Tak Aoki’s 3-A club in the Los Angeles City Section is 10-8 overall and 5-5 in the Southeastern Conference. The leading players are Randy Vargas, a 6-1 senior who is averaging 25 points a game, and Paul Sims, a 6-2 senior who is averaging 12 points and 11 rebounds. “The city’s releaguing is the most screwed-up mess I’ve seen in my 20 years of coaching,” Aoki said. South Gate, which in the past has had rivalries with Roosevelt and Huntington Park, now competes with powerhouses Locke, Fremont and L.A. Jordan.

23 CENTENNIAL--Willie Emmanuel’s Apaches of Compton are 9-8 overall and 6-3 and third in the Ocean League. They are led by Zachary Allison, a 6-3 senior who is averaging 17.3 points and seven rebounds a game. Darmu Herbey, a 6-4 junior, averages nine rebounds. “Pre-season was disappointing, but we have made it up in league,” Emmanuel said. “I think we will be competitive in the playoffs.”

24 PARAMOUNT--”Fourteen of the top 20 kids for basketball were on the football team that won CIF, so it took a lot to get them ready to play,” Coach Tine Hardeman said. The Pirates, 10-12 overall and 4-5 in the San Gabriel Valley League, are led by 6-1 senior forward Gerald Williams, who is averaging 19.9 points and seven rebounds a game, and 6-2 sophomore guard Carl Henderson, who in his last three games is averaging 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

25 BRETHREN--The Warriors are 8-10 overall and 5-5 in the tough Olympic League. They have beaten Valley Christian twice, but lost to last-place Whitney, 70-65, Tuesday night. Top players are 6-3 senior Doug Grove, who is averaging 18.2 points a game and nine rebounds, and 6-2 junior Todd Mitchell (15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds). “I wasn’t real sure coming into league (play) with a bunch of new kids, (but) they have done well,” Coach Rich Thomas said.

Mike Coil and Mike Ramos of The Times sports staff contributed to this article.