HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK : Holy Martyrs Guards Against Ills of a Crossing

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale. . . .

The Holy Martyrs High boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will set sail today for Santa Catalina Island for two games each against Avalon this weekend.

It marks the beginning of a new--and, possibly nauseating--era in Liberty League play.

Over the past few seasons, Avalon’s basketball teams have journeyed to Long Beach to play their home games. But with the opening of the school’s new gym this season, league opponents, starting with Holy Martyrs, will make the boat trip to Catalina.

The Holy Martyrs boys (10-5, 4-1 in league play) will play Avalon tonight at 7 and Saturday at 11 a.m.

Holy Martyrs Coach Varant Vartabedian will be on hand with plenty of Dramamine for anyone unable to stand . . . well, anyone unable to stand.

“Our softball and soccer teams have gone over there and they all got seasick,” Vartabedian said. “We’re expecting some people to get sick. We’re going over early so we can rest.”

NOT EVEN CLOSE

The Holy Martyrs girls’ basketball team, which Vartabedian also coaches, has been torpedoing opponents.

The Armens (15-2, 5-0), ranked sixth in Southern Section Division V, have defeated Yeshiva, 70-22; Windward, 50-20; Providence, 51-16; Oakwood, 50-24; and Marlborough, 55-25.

Games have become so lopsided so quickly that senior Karineh Abramians, a four-year starter with 163 career three-point baskets, has been taking a seat after one quarter.

For competition, Vartabedian has the girls scrimmage the Armen boys’ junior varsity once a week.

“That’s their competition,” he said. “There’s no way they’ll be ready for the playoffs without any tough games in January.”

BEACHED

Littlerock basketball coach Mark Groh loves working in the Antelope Valley, but that doesn’t mean he wants to live there.

Instead, Groh commutes 70 miles one way from his beachfront home in Venice.

It is a lengthy commute for Groh, in his second season with the Lobos (14-3), but some days seem better than others.

“Actually the more games you win, the shorter it gets,” Groh said.

GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP

Every member of the Faith Baptist varsity played in last Friday’s 93-70 victory over Bel-Air Prep and, for the first time this season, each player scored.

Coach Stuart Mason said he was gratified that his young reserves--who spend much of their basketball lives being banged around by the starting five in practice--finally had the chance to play.

“You have to keep the lollipop wet for ‘em,” Mason said. “They’re out there every day in practice working hard, and it’s nice to get them some time.”

LONG ROAD HOME

Buckley (4-8, 0-4) finds itself in the unenviable position of playing Delphic League leaders Crossroads and Faith Baptist on the road this weekend. But half of the preceding sentence isn’t newsworthy.

Buckley is in the midst of a seven-game streak in which it will play nothing but road games--the result of a scheduling quirk.

This week will be particularly tough on the last-place Griffins.

“We’re up against it in the next few,” Coach Byrd Milic said. “We can’t even practice this week because of finals. The first time I’ll see (the players) this week is when they walk in the locker room on Friday.”

Buckley will play its next four games on the road and won’t play at home until Feb. 4.

MOONSTRUCK

OK, so finesse isn’t Steve Moon’s strong suit, but considering his physical disadvantages, leverage has its benefits.

The Buckley center, who is 6-foot-1, routinely draws the opposition’s tallest player. In the Delphic League, that could mean guarding 6-8 Peter Rasmussen of Faith Baptist, 6-6 Austin Croshere of Crossroads or 6-10 3/4 Alex Lopez of Campbell Hall.

Milic said that Moon, who is averaging six points and nine rebounds, loves to mix it up. In fact, that seems to be Moon’s primary objective.

“He just gets in there and bangs,” Milic said. “He doesn’t look for the ball--and I wish he’d look to score more often--he looks to put a body on somebody.”

Moon might slam, twist, push and shove, but there’s nothing personal--except the foul.

“He gets called in all these double fouls, but when the game ends, he always finds the other guy and shakes his hand,” Milic said.

“With him, it’s nothing personal, it’s just the way he plays.”

Vince Kowalick and staff writers Steve Elling and Paige A. Leech contributed to this notebook.