3-A Newcomers Reach Semifinals : El Camino Real, Fremont to Meet in Declassified City Showdown

Two teams that have benefited from a drop in class will meet tonight in the semifinals of the City Section 3-A Division playoffs.

Perhaps the key in that pronouncement is 3-A. El Camino Real and Fremont, which play at 7:30 tonight at Fremont, have flourished under the City’s releaguing plan that bumped each school to the 3-A level in basketball.

Fremont advanced to the 4-A playoffs last season and even knocked off Cleveland and Taft in the first two rounds, but the Pathfinders were overmatched against Crenshaw in the 4-A semifinal, losing, 93-72.

But a year later, Fremont is king of the hill in the 3-A. The top-seeded Pathfinders breezed to the Central League title with a 12-0 record and will take a 24-3 mark into tonight’s game. Behind the play of 6-5 senior Tyrone Phillips, who has scored 50 points in postseason play, they squashed Eagle Rock in the first round, 96-57, and dispatched University, 58-51, Wednesday.

Four Fremont players score in double figures, led by Phillips at 18.8. He is followed by Chris Ford (16.5), Lionel Pandy (14.4) and Maurice McKenzy (10.5., 8 assists, 5 steals), all of whom play guard in Fremont’s three-guard offense.

El Camino Real also has found life in the 3-A less hazardous to its health. The Conquistadores opened Northwest Valley Conference play with four games against North Valley League opponents, who compete at the 4-A level. El Camino Real lost three of the four but then won five of six West Valley League games to enter the playoffs as the league’s first-place representative. Two rounds later, they are the only Valley-area boys’ team still playing.

Along with the drop in class, the Conquistadores (11-8) have benefited from the play of Brent Lofton.

The 6-6 senior forward is averaging 23.1 points a game and 8.3 rebounds. He scored 33 in a 72-57 win over Lincoln and 19 in Wednesday’s 67-63 victory over Jefferson.

Perhaps as critical to El Camino Real’s success is senior Jason Steele, who averaged fewer than 10 points during the regular season but has blossomed in the playoffs. After an 11-point, 10-rebound effort against Lincoln, he scored a team-high 23 points and also blocked eight shots against Jefferson. Controlling his emotions has given him as much difficulty as opponents this season. He was suspended for a game this season for his role in an on-campus fight, and Coach Mike McNulty benched him for two minutes after receiving a technical foul Wednesday.

“Some of those teams talk a lot and he has to tune it out,” McNulty said.

“But even though he lost his temper, that was the best game he’s played. He was probably worth 15 or 20 points on defense. If he gets in foul trouble we’re not the same team.”

Two days after recording one of the biggest wins in its history, the Reseda girls’ team will make its third Sports Arena appearance in three years in today’s 4 p.m. City 4-A semifinal against Washington.

The Regents boosted their record to 16-4 with a 79-72 victory over Kennedy on Wednesday, the Golden Cougars’ first playoff loss to a Valley team this decade. Apparently, the releaguing plan that promoted Reseda to the 4-A level has not hurt the Regents, City 3-A champions the past two years.

Although Regent Coach Andrea Francola is not thrilled about returning to action so soon after the Kennedy game, nothing can diminish the importance of that win.

“We’re disappointed we have only one day between games, but we’re never going to forget that game,” she said. “It will always be a good memory.”

Washington is no stranger to the Sports Arena, either. The Generals, co-champions of the Southern League, own a six-game win streak. Washington has reached the semifinals four of the past five years and twice has been 4-A runner-up.

Washington is led by a pair of 5-6 junior guards. Detra Lockhart (17.6 ppg) and Remitha Houston (20.7) are cousins who run the offense.

Reseda will counter with a diversified attack featuring Jennifer Marzahl, Cheryl Hightower and Aggie Garcia.

In a 3-A semifinal, Canoga Park will travel to Roosevelt for a 7:30 p.m. game. The Hunters (9-7) won the West Valley League championship behind the play of Soo Yoon and her twin Joo, who emigrated from South Korea last year. Soo is a 5-10 forward who averages 19 points and Joo is a 5-7 point guard averaging 7 assists a game.

Roosevelt (11-3), the Eastern League champion, is led by Luscinda Silva, the league MVP who averages 29.2 points.