Holiday Is Over for Basketball Teams; the Quest Begins for League Championships

With the end of the holiday tournament season, Southern Section boys’ basketball teams have turned their attention toward league play.

Going into league competition, South Torrance is 12-1, followed by Bishop Montgomery (8-1), Mira Costa (12-2) and defending State Division III champion Morningside (11-4).

Here is a look at the league races:

BAY

Based on its difficult nonleague schedule, Peninsula (8-5) appears to have established itself as the league favorite. But Coach John Mihaljevich said Inglewood should be the favorite.

“They’re a veteran team and they have four starters back,” he said.

The Sentinels (7-7), under first-year Coach Patrick Roy, appear to be healthy after several injury problems. Inglewood is led by forward Givon Hester, who averages 22.3 points, and guard Sam Turks.

Mihaljevich said his team will have to stay healthy to contend. Three starters have been out of the lineup in recent games: center Andrei Maglica and point guard Tim Akins with ankle injuries and forward Ryan Howley with flu.

“It’s just like anyone else,” Mihaljevich said. “If you can avoid injuries, you can have a good season.”

Santa Monica is expected to be competitive and Leuzinger (6-6) might be the league’s most-improved team. The Olympians have already won more games than they did last season, when they finished 5-17.

CAMINO REAL

With a challenging nonleague schedule, including games against Artesia and Morningside, Serra Coach Dwan Hurt expected the Cavaliers to struggle before the start of league play.

He is disappointed, though, with the team’s 8-6 start.

“I kind of expected a little bit better but, considering the talent we’ve played, I’m not that surprised,” Hurt said. “We’ve played some of the best teams in Southern California and we’ve been competitive in every game.”

But with players such as center Akeli Jackson and forwards Arthur Tate and Michael Boyd, the Cavaliers loom as the team to beat. Their leader has been Jackson, who is averaging 24.8 points and 13.2 rebounds to rank among area leaders.

Serra’s toughest competition should come from St. Monica and La Salle--two teams it defeated on the way to the Division IV-A final last season--and Bell-Jeff.

“The team has made some big strides since early in the season and I’m happy with how we’ve played,” Hurt said. “There’s no doubt we’re getting stronger. We’re playing better defense and we’re playing cohesive as a unit.”

MISSION

Coach Doug Mitchell had high hopes for Bishop Montgomery at the start of the season, but the Knights may have exceeded expectations with an 8-1 record and No. 1 ranking in the South Bay.

Bishop Montgomery’s only loss was to Shorecrest of Seattle in the Katella tournament.

“It’s the best team we’ve had since I’ve been here and I’m hopeful we can be there in the end,” said Mitchell, who is in his fourth season at the school. “I’m real confident about this team and I’m happy with where we are right now.”

If there were any doubts about Bishop Montgomery’s ability to contend for the league title, the Knights may have eliminated them Monday with an 85-53 victory over Crespi in their league opener. The Knights have been led by All-Southern Section forward Andre English, who averages 20.2 points and 11 rebounds.

Mitchell said Notre Dame and Loyola should also contend for the title.

“I don’t make predictions, but I think we’re right there for the league title,” he said. “It’s going to be a solid league, but we’ll definitely be there.”

OCEAN

Despite having three starters who have signed national letters of intent to play for NCAA Division I schools, Morningside has not been as dominant as expected.

But the Monarchs (11-4) have a better record than at this time last season, when they were 8-6 before winning their final 17 games to win the State Division III title.

Morningside is led by guards Stais Boseman and Donminic Ellison and center Corey Saffold.

Mira Costa, which finished second to Morningside last season, is 12-2 and reached the final of three tournaments in December. Last week, the Mustangs won the Walter Wong St. Louis Holiday Classic in Honolulu with a 70-65 victory over Crescenta Valley.

The Mustangs have been led by forward Frank Zeno and guards Josh Branca and Shane Willis. Branca was named most valuable player at the Honolulu tournament.

None of the other teams in the league are expected to challenge for the title, although Redondo (8-6) has been a surprise. Forward Dan Hyde is averaging 20.1 points a game.

PIONEER

With a difficult nonleague schedule and only two returning starters, South Torrance Coach LaMont Henry expected his team to struggle early.

But to Henry’s surprise, the Spartans have an area-best 12-1 record.

“Over the summer, we really didn’t play too well, so I figured it would be a little rough,” he said. “But surprisingly, everyone has come around very fast.”

Henry gives much of the credit to center Kyle McIntosh and guard Jimmy Williamson, both returning starters. McIntosh is averaging 20.1 points and 13.5 rebounds.

“Jimmy and Kyle carried the team through the first four or five games and after that the team has played real well,” he said. “The chemistry is real good.”

Henry expects Centennial, which tied South for the title last season, and Torrance will also contend. The Tartars (7-7) have the area’s leading scorer in guard Michael Dean, who is averaging 36.5 points and 11.8 rebounds.

Perennial powers Morningside and Hawthorne lead the list of entries for the high school division of the Sunkist Invitational indoor track meet on Feb. 20 at the L.A. Sports Arena.

Morningside, which won the Southern Section 2-A title in the boys’ and girls’ divisions in 1991 and finished second in the state meet in both divisions, is expected to be led by Edward Turner in the long jump, Shawn Shamsia-Deen in the 50-meter high hurdles and Tai-Ne Gibson in the girls’ 50-meter dash.

Turner is regarded as one of the premier long jumpers in the state with a career-best leap of 24 feet as a junior. Gibson won the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the 2-A final.

Hawthorne will be led by Damon Oliver in the 440-yard run, Marquis Jones in the 50-meter hurdles, Meshana Mays in the girls’ 50-meter hurdles and Tevita Moala in the football 50-meter dash.

Also expected to compete are Bishop Montgomery’s Leanna DeGazon in the girls’ mile and Torrance’s Suzanne Radcliffe in the girls’ high jump.

The Hawthorne football team, which won the Southern Section Division III title, was the only school to place two players on the 1992 all-state first team selected by Cal-Hi Sports News.

Mostafa Sobhi made the team as an offensive tackle and Tevita Moala was honored as a multipurpose player.

The only other area player honored on the first team was Morningside quarterback Stais Boseman, who was also named as a multipurpose player.

Among the second-team selections were linebacker James Pepe of Carson and defensive back Brandon Moore of Banning.

In addition, juniors Lacy Watkins of North Torrance and Justin Stallings of Hawthorne made the all-underclass team. Watkins made the team as defensive back and Stallings, a wide receiver and defensive back, made it as a multipurpose player.

Notes

The Torrance girls’ basketball team won the Artesia tournament last week with a 67-40 victory over Los Alamitos in the final. The Tartars (9-4) were led by center Ieesha Donadelle and guard Julie Tamashiro, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player. The Tartars, along with West, North and South Torrance, are the Pioneer League favorites. . . . The California Track Starters Assn. is searching for starters to work at prep meets in the South Bay and Los Angeles during the 1993 season. The first training session is Feb. 3. The cost is $23. Information: Henry Moreno at (310) 548-5663.

South Bay Boys’ Basketball Top 10 Selected by Times Sportswriters Through Tuesday’s Games Rank, School, League Record

1 Bishop Montgomery (Mission) 8-1

2 Mira Costa (Ocean) 12-2

3 Morningside (Ocean) 11-4

4 South Torrance (Pioneer) 12-1

5 Serra (Camino Real) 8-6

6 Westchester (Metro) 11-5

7 Peninsula (Bay) 8-5

8 Carson (Pacific) 6-3

9 Torrance (Pioneer) 7-7

10 Inglewood (Bay) 7-7