Familiar Story: Manual Arts vs. Crenshaw in City

Manual Arts High’s Marcell Capers is familiar with Crenshaw’s City Section dominance in boys’ basketball. He played on the Cougars’ junior varsity as a sophomore two seasons ago before transferring to Manual Arts.

He admits that despite living only three blocks from Manual Arts, he was more a Crenshaw follower than a Toiler fan when he was in junior high school. So, when his parents decided to send him to Crenshaw to begin his sophomore year, he did not object.

Capers transferred after one semester.

“I guess I wanted to go to Manual Arts all along,” said Capers, a 6-foot-2 guard who has caught the eye of many college scouts. “I wanted to go to Crenshaw because of their coaches and winning tradition, but I was just unhappy there. I just wanted to go to school closer to home.”

Now, two years later, Capers will be matched against his former school when Manual Arts (24-3) and Crenshaw (22-4) meet for the City 4-A Division title at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Sports Arena for the third consecutive year.

“This is what it’s all about . . . playing for the City championship at the Sports Arena,” said Capers, who is averaging 16 points and 11 assists a game.

Crenshaw defeated the Toilers in the last two City title games, 83-67 in 1988 and 84-72 last season. Manual Arts has not won a City title since 1981 when it defeated Crenshaw, 82-69.

This season, the Toilers hope their depth will make a difference. In Manual Arts’ 72-48 semifinal victory over Dorsey last Friday night, four Toilers scored in double figures.

“Last year, we got caught up in the Crenshaw hype,” said Capers, who scored 19 points against Dorsey. “But this year, we are a lot deeper.”

Junior swingmen Dwain Bradberry and Kevin Beal average nearly 14 points per game for the Toilers. Against Dorsey, versatility on defense helped the Toilers shut down the Dons’ high-scoring offense.

Manual Arts also has the outside shooting of Cedric Jones, a senior guard who specializes in shutting down opposing point guards; and the inside strength of William Celestine, a 6-5 senior center averaging 12 rebounds and five blocked shots a game.

For the Toilers to win their third City title in the last 22 years, they will have to stop Crenshaw guards Kevin Ollie and Alexous Scruggs, who combined to score 50 points in the Cougars’ semifinal overtime victory over Cleveland last Friday.

Ollie, a 6-2 junior who scored 33 points against Cleveland, is the emerging star for the defending State champion Cougars. After being a defensive backup for Terry Cannon, last season’s City player of the year, Ollie has become the leader of the Cougars.

“Where last season Terry was smooth in getting the job done, Kevin has to really work at what he’s doing,” said Crenshaw Coach Willie West, who is going for his 12th City title. “But they both still get the job done.”

Ollie is not surprised with the success he has had despite his lack of previous varsity experience.

“I have always had it in me to take control and create,” Ollie said. “I have taken it all in stride in becoming the leader of the team. We have a lot of good players who play well together, and I just try to lead by example.”

Scruggs, a sophomore, is another underclassmen on whom Crenshaw relies. Against Cleveland, Scruggs scored 11 points in the second half, including two scoring drives late in the fourth quarter.

“This is not a typical Crenshaw team,” West said. “We did not have players returning with a lot of varsity experience from last season, and we don’t have a big man in the middle.

“But I am pleased with the team’s development because they have come a long way. Especially when you look on the floor and the players leading you are a junior, who had to switch from being a defensive player to a point and scoring guard; and a 10th grader, who has had to step in and do a lot more than I had planned on him doing.”

Opponents agree with West. “They are not as talented as usual, but, they are just as big on heart and knowing how to win,” Manual Arts Coach Randolph Simpson said. “The key for us is to slow down their guards, who are very aggressive offensively. Hopefully, our guards will be tougher on them defensively than what they are used to.”

Friday’s game will be the seventh playoff meeting between Crenshaw and Manual Arts in the last five years. The Cougars have won five of the last six, with the Toilers’ only win coming in the 1988 State semifinals.

In the 3-A Division championship game, defending champion Fremont (29-2) will play North Hollywood (23-3) before the 4-A final at 6:30 p.m. at the Sports Arena.

Fremont guard Lionel Pandy led a balanced scoring attack with 19 points in the Pathfinders’ 72-53 rout over San Fernando in the semifinals. For the last two seasons, Fremont has dominated 3-A play.

“I have to be honest, but I think that this is the best (3-A) team ever,” Fremont Coach Sam Sullivan said. “We have played well the entire season and have won more games than any other team in Fremont’s history. We are a game away from 30 wins and that is a goal that we had at the beginning of the season.”

Aside from Pandy, who is averaging 19 points and six assists per game, the Pathfinders have Chris Ford, who leads the team with a 19.5 scoring average; Michael Tate, who is averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds per game; and Robert Moore, who averages 10 points and five assists a game.

The State tournament will offer a different challenge for the Washington girls’ basketball team, which will play Van Nuys (22-3) in the City 4-A finals Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena.

Washington (27-3) has not lost to a City team in almost two years. The Generals defeated Carson, 73-34, in the City 4-A semifinals with Detra Lockhart scoring 22 points.

“We are looking forward to playing in the State tournament,” Lockhart said. “Teams we play in the City are either not aggressive enough or not talented enough. Van Nuys is a good team, but they are not a Morningside or a Lynwood.”

Prep Notes

In the City girls’ 3-A final, Marshall will play University at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the Sports Arena. . . . In the Southern Section boys’ 5-A final, Loyola of Los Angeles will meet Santa Ana Mater Dei at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in the Sports Arena. Loyola last won the Southern Section Large Schools Division in 1953. . . . The National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame banquet honoring top area scholar-athletes is March 6 at the Casa Italia in Los Angeles. . . . Bell defeated Kennedy of Granada Hills, 1-0, to win the City 4-A soccer title last Saturday, after replacing Monroe, which was disqualified for using ineligible players last Friday. . . . In wrestling, Fremont’s Ricardo Peralta won the City 105-pound crown for the second consecutive year by defeating Oswaldo Ramirez of San Fernando. Pascual Moreno of Wilson won the 138-pound title.