Eddie Powell is scoring more than he...

Eddie Powell is scoring more than he did last season but the Verdugo Hills High guard is not as accurate from the field.

Powell is averaging 29.2 points but is shooting only 41.7% (105 of 252) from the field. Last season he averaged 24.9 points and shot 56%. Pressure--both mental and physical--has been a factor.

“He feels he has to carry the team, and he’s right, for the most part,” Coach Scott Kemple said. “He’s been shooting more (from three-point range) and he always has at least one guy in his face.”

In addition to scoring, Powell leads Verdugo Hills (2-8) in rebounds (9.9 average) and assists (6.9).

Shooting: Newbury Park’s Leodes Van Buren is shooting 58.1% (43 of 74) from two-point range but has made only three of 26 (11.5%) from beyond the three-point line. “We’re making sure we have enough ice for his elbow so he won’t get sore from trying,” Newbury Park Coach Greg Ropes cracked.

Newbury Park’s Keith Smith, who completed 59.6% of his passes (235 of 394) during football season, is shooting 80% (36 of 45) from the field. . . . Camarillo’s Jim Hansen has made 20 of 51 (39.2%) three-point attempts. Teammate Jaime Jaquez has made 10 of 32 (31.3%).

Simi Valley’s Jeff Barlow has made 14 of 37 (37.8%) from three-point range. Barlow is shooting 49.1% (56 of 114) from the field.

Canyon guard Greg Minor has 26 three-point field goals this season and 41 in his career. He is one shy of tying the school record in both categories.

Grant’s Chi Chen has made 29 three-point baskets in 12 games. . . . Verdugo Hills guard Angelo De Los Reyes has made 33 three-point baskets in 10 games.

The good news for St. Genevieve is that the team’s free-throw shooting has improved; the bad news is that it is still lacking. The Valiants, who had been below 50% earlier this season, are up to 54%.

Scoring: Oxnard’s Brian Gallardo, who has played in only five of eight games because of a swollen ankle, is averaging a team-high 20.8 points. Gallardo scored 23 in a Channel Islands tournament game against Santa Clara. . . . Monroe’s 12-2 start is easily explained. Four starters are averaging better than 10 points: Kenyatta Niles (16.6), Tweedy Stiner (15.9), Jeff Nadeau (12.4) and LaMarco Rich (11.1). . . . Nordhoff swingman Mark Sebek leads his team in scoring (13.5), rebounding (10.1), assists (4.8) and steals (1.9). . . . Each of Crescenta Valley’s 12 victories has been by eight points or more. The Falcons are 12-1.

Miscellany: L.A. Baptist is averaging 18.5 steals. “We’re running UCLA’s old press,” Coach Maury Neville said. “The kids finally understand. It’s been 10 years since we’ve run it this effectively.”

The steals are not being consistently converted into baskets because L.A. Baptist (6-4) is shooting only 40% from the field.

Vernon Simmons leads Simi Valley with 87 rebounds in 13 games (6.7 average). Simmons also has a team-high 17 blocked shots.

Westlake’s Billy Zaruka had nine steals against Royal in a consolation game of the Hart tournament. . . . Canoga Park is 6-5 but has faced only eight opponents. The Hunters have played Monroe three times and El Camino Real twice.

Complete through Sunday