Southern California High School Basketball Regionals : Crenshaw, Manual Arts to Play for Title in Rematch

Ten Southern California Regional high school basketball titles will be decided today, highlighted by a replay of the boys’ City 4-A Division title game between Crenshaw and Manual Arts, with the winners advancing to the State championship games next week.

The boys’ and girls’ Division I, II and III games will be played at the Sports Arena, with the first game starting at 11 a.m. The Division IV and V games will be played at Cal State Dominguez Hills beginning at 2:30 p.m.

In the boys’ Division I matchup, City champion Crenshaw will meet Manual Arts, the defending state champion, for the second time in eight days. Last Friday night, Crenshaw defeated the Toilers, 85-72, to gain its fifth City 4-A Division title in the last six years.

Manual Arts (26-1) is hoping that history repeats. Last season, the Toilers lost to Crenshaw, 83-67, in the City championship game and then upset the Cougars, 89-82, in overtime in the Southern California Regional final a week later.

The Toilers are coming off a 65-64 overtime victory over Fremont, the City 3-A champions, Thursday night. Guard Marcell Capers was the game’s hero, driving the length of the court and making a running jump shot at the buzzer to give Manual Arts the victory.

Capers, a 6-foot-1 junior, also led the way in Manual Arts’ quarterfinal victory over Capistrano Valley, scoring 21 points, including nine fourth-quarter free throws. In the Toilers’ loss to Crenshaw, Capers was held to four points.

The Toilers will also need a big game from 6-6 center Kent Bennett, who scored 26 against Fremont, and Charlo Davis, who had 12. Their scoring will be needed to offset a hot Crenshaw team, which defeated Fresno Edison, 110-92, Thursday night.

In the boys’ Division II game, Tracy Murray-led Glendora (30-2), the Southern Section Division 4-AA runner-up, will face Dominguez, the Southern Section 4-A champion, at 5 p.m. In the Division III matchup, top-seeded Morningside (23-5) will play Trabuco Hills (24-6) at 1 p.m.

In the girls’ Division I game, San Diego Point Loma, which has won a State title four of the last five years, will meet Morningside, the Southern Section 5-AA champion, at 7 p.m. In the Division II game, Chris Enger, who has scored 66 points in two previous State playoff wins, will lead Vista against Anaheim Katella at 3 p.m. In the Division III game, Brea-Olinda, the Southern Section 3-A champion, will face Lemoore, the Central Section champion, at 11 a.m.

In four games at Cal State Dominguez Hills: Avenal (27-2) will play Mission Prep (23-3) in the girls’ Division V final at 2:30 p.m.; Bel-Air Prep (22-8) will meet Reedley Immanuel (22-4) in the boys’ Division V final at 4:30 p.m.; Santa Clara (26-1) will play Wasco (22-2) in the girls’ Division IV final at 6:30 p.m., and Santa Clara (25-3) will face Easton Washington (25-5) in the boys’ Division IV final at 8:30 p.m.