THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Cleveland’s Basketball Team Also Suffering Tough Losses Off the Court

The names have changed after all.

Cleveland High’s basketball team, which seemed as deep in returning talent as any in the area a few days ago, has been dealt a dual blow with the loss of Andre Chevalier and Brandon Battle to academic ineligibility.

Chevalier, who would have been playing his third season on the varsity, is probably the team’s best defensive player and ballhandler. Battle, who was in former Coach Bob Braswell’s doghouse most of last season and played sparingly, was nonetheless expected to contribute from the forward position. Both are seniors.

The academic problems have forced inexperienced players into the lineup sooner than expected.

“I looked out there once and I only saw one guy on the court who’d ever played in a varsity game before,” Coach Marc Paez said after Cleveland’s 78-75 loss to Westchester in its opener Wednesday night.

Chevalier might have an outside chance of regaining his eligibility. He received a failing grade, but the mark is pending review, Cleveland assistant Larry White said.

In Cleveland’s loss to Westchester, the Cavaliers’ reserves scored only eight points. The starting front line of Bobby McRae, Brandon Martin and Trenton Cornelius wasn’t very effective, either, accounting for 18 points.

‘Land of the loss: The Cavaliers lost one home game last season--to Fairfax in the second round of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs. Wednesday’s loss to Westchester technically gives Cleveland a two-game losing streak at home.

East meets West: First-year Buckley basketball Coach Byrd Milic is from New York City, where basketball can be a way of life. It did not take Milic long to come to the following conclusion: “Kids don’t seem to take it as seriously here.”

But Milic has found at least one player who shares his addiction for the game. And he comes directly from rubbing elbows with Jack and Dyan--courtside at the Forum.

Brett Wallette, a 6-1 junior forward, is one of the Laker ball boys, Milic said.

“He really knows the game,” Milic said. “He tells me a lot of things, like, ‘Maybe we should do it this way.’ ”

A dose of Doss: He stands on the sideline at Canyon High, hands cupped around mouth. His face strains as he yells at inside linebackers, running backs and members of the special teams. As the game grows more intense, so does he.

Coach Harry Welch?

No. This guy wears an earring.

The coach is Kevin Doss. That’s right, Coach Kevin Doss, a first-year assistant at Canyon and a senior linebacker on the 1987 Canyon team that reached the Coastal Conference semifinals.

Doss, one of Welch’s all-time favorites because of his tenacity, joined the coaching ranks this season while attending College of the Canyons. Doss works with inside linebackers, running backs and special teams.

“He has all the marvelous potential in the world as a coach,” Welch said. “He bridges the age-gap between players and coaches. That’s always a concern, but he handles any challenge.”

Flirting with disaster: Kickoff returns for touchdowns can be sudden and momentum-shattering, and, in back-to-back games in the Division II football playoffs this season, Thousand Oaks--seeded No. 1--has given up the swift six.

The first return--in the midst of a 33-6 whipping of Palmdale--only cost the Lancers their sixth shutout. But in last week’s quarterfinals, Leuzinger appeared to be a beaten team until Courtney Overton ran the second-half kickoff back 95 yards for a 10-6 Olympian advantage.

Leuzinger, which up until then had not been able to move the ball, suddenly was marching down the field with ease. The kickoff return had swung the game’s momentum.

The Lancers did not regain momentum until they recovered a late Leuzinger fumble and drove 29 yards to the winning touchdown.

“Sure it upsets me,” Thousand Oaks Coach Bob Richards said. “We had better do a whole lot better job on special teams. There have been some (personnel) changes.”

Safety first: One minute, 22 seconds remained. Laguna Hills was 95 yards from a touchdown that could have tied or won the game.

Laguna Hills quarterback Mark Wells had completed all of two passes so far--none before the fourth quarter. Agoura, leading, 14-7, in the Division VIII quarterfinal game, looked like a lock.

But then came Wells. He completed four of eight passes on the drive for 54 yards. Agoura helped with a couple of penalties. So, with no time remaining, Laguna Hills was looking at one last chance from Agoura’s 25-yard line.

“We played sound pass defense all along,” Agoura Coach Frank Greminger said, “and then on this last series . . .”

In a crowd, Darrin Chapman gathered in Wells’ final pass on the five and sliced to the two before free safety Todd Cribari sealed the win.

“We thought he had a shot at going in,” Greminger said of the receiver.

Cribari, however, stood Chapman up and Agoura lived to play again. In the past three weeks, Agoura has lost to Santa Ynez in quadruple overtime, 27-21; beaten St. Monica, 15-14, with a two-point conversion with 13 seconds left and won again, beating Laguna Hills.

“These guys play with a lot of heart,” Greminger said. “A lot of emotion. They don’t know when to quit. I’ve had other teams like that, but this one even more so.”

Staff writers Tim Brown, Steve Elling, Sam Farmer and Vince Kowalick contributed to this notebook.