NOTEBOOK / GARY KLEIN : Bible Institute Wins Another National Title

The Latin American Bible Institute men’s basketball team won its second national championship in two weeks Saturday when the Lions defeated Hillsdale Freewill Baptist of Oklahoma for the National Bible College Athletic Assn. Division II title at Oklahoma City.

LABI, located in La Puente, won the National Christian College Athletic Assn. championship in Cincinnati on March 15. The Lions, under first-year Coach Ken Elisaldez, finished 33-2 after compiling an 0-41 record in the school’s first two seasons of competition.

Senior guard John Guerrero was named first-team NBCAA All-American and center Alfonso Parga was named most valuable player at the Oklahoma City tournament.

“It was a miracle season, that’s the only way to put it,” LABI Athletic Director David Aguilar said. “Winning the second championship in Oklahoma was like putting the finishing touch on a fantastic year.”

We are the champions: The Pomona-based Casa Colina men’s wheelchair basketball team won its eighth national championship in 13 years by defeating the Ottawa Royals, 84-60, Saturday at Albuquerque, N.M.

Jim Miller of Rancho Cucamonga led the Condors with 27 points.

Curtis Bell of La Puente was selected most valuable player of the tournament and Dave Kiley of San Dimas was named to the all-tournament team.

Miller, Bell and Kiley will compete for the U.S. team at the Summer Paralympic Games at Barcelona, Spain.

On your mark: More than 50 high school track teams are expected to compete Saturday in the 50th annual Pasadena Games at Occidental College.

The meet begins at 4 p.m. and features an opening ceremony that will include several former Olympians.

All-American: Chris Greene, Claremont College’s all-time leading scorer in men’s basketball, was selected first-team All-American in NCAA Division III.

Greene, a 6-foot-5 senior guard from Belvedere, Calif., is the first Claremont player to be selected first-team All-American.

Greene averaged 22.3 points a game this season and led the Stags in 10 other categories. He scored 1,757 points in four seasons and established a single-game scoring record with 40 points against Redlands in 1991.

All-Star games: The West San Gabriel Valley All-Star basketball games, which will include more than 50 graduating seniors, will be played Saturday night at La Canada High.

The girls’ game will begin at 6 p.m. and the boys’ game will start at 8.

Information: (818) 952-7924.

Honor roll: Tristin Alfred of Mt. San Antonio College was selected first-team All-South Coast Conference in women’s basketball.

Alfred was the Mounties’ leading scorer averaging 14.3 points. She also averaged 9.6 rebounds.

Olympic Trials: The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena will be the site of the U.S. Olympic Trials for Synchronized Swimming April 2-5.

The competition will determine the recipients of the solo and duet berths on the U.S. Olympic Team that will travel to Barcelona this summer.

Reigning U.S. champion Kristen Babb-Sprague of Pleasanton, Calif., is favored in the solo event. World and U.S. champions Karen and Sarah Josephson of Bristol, Conn., and Concord, Calif., are favored in the duet.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

On the road: The Cal Poly Pomona women’s softball team is competing this week in one of the nation’s strongest collegiate tournaments at Cal State Fullerton.

Pomona (17-10), which is ranked sixth in Division II, is in the same pool with defending Division I champion Arizona, No. 8 Minnesota and No. 12 Oklahoma State. The Broncos play Arizona and Oklahoma State in a doubleheader Friday.

Teams advance from pool play into the championship bracket. The winner will be determined Sunday.

Senior utility player Kristin Hauge is Pomona’s leading hitter with a .333 average

Aloha: The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team is competing this week in the Hawaii Rainbow tournament.

The Broncos lost their opener against Lewis & Clark State, 8-3, on Sunday. Pomona will have played Hawaii Hilo, Meiji of Japan and Lewis & Clark State again in pool play before the participants for Saturday’s championship game are determined.