City, Southern Section to Meet in Basketball

One City Section all-star basketball team will be seeking to continue a hot streak while a second will attempt to stop a losing trend when the Southern California Prep Basketball Classic is played this afternoon at the Forum.

The games pit standout players from the City Section against those from the Southern Section in boys’ and girls’ competition.

The City boys have defeated the Southern Section seven times in eight meetings, while the Southern Section girls are equally as dominant over their City rivals.

The girls’ game will start at noon, followed by the boys’ game at 2:30 p.m.

Area players expected to compete for the City boys are Kenny Collins of Cleveland and Jerry Allen of Granada Hills while John Harbour of Camarillo and Chris Loll of Thousand Oaks will play for the Southern Section.

Girls competing for the City entry include Amy Horst and Laurie Williams of Cleveland, Karla Parade and Monique Young of Grant, as well as Angela Rich (El Camino Real), Jacinda Sweet (North Hollywood) and Huong Thai (Van Nuys).

Lori Herman of Ventura will play for the Southern Section.

The California Spring Classic, a basketball tournament featuring teams composed of high school underclassmen from throughout the state, opens Saturday night at Montclair Prep. Games are scheduled for 5, 6:30 and 8 on Saturday and Sunday.

The Cal State Northridge softball team received six points in the latest national softball poll, missing the Top 20 by four points. The Matadors, NCAA Division II runners-up last season, have never been ranked at the Division I level.

UCLA, the three-time defending Division I champion, remains the top-ranked team.

Despite a career-high 9.80 floor routine, UCLA’s Natalie Britton, an Agoura High product, ended her collegiate gymnastics career with a disappointing 20th-place finish at last weekend’s NCAA Western Regionals.

UCLA’s fourth-place finish was not enough to qualify for the 12-team NCAA championships, marking the first time in five years that UCLA (19-5) has not qualified for the NCAA meet. Last year the Bruins finished fourth in the NCAA meet.

Deborah Mink, 12, of Tarzana, scored a 35.00 in the Junior Elite Training Center Regional gymnastics meet at UC San Diego last Sunday. Mink’s score qualified her for the national U. S. Classic.