COMMUNITY COLLEGESIf he had his druthers, Long...

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

If he had his druthers, Long Beach City College men’s basketball Coach Gary Anderson said he would prefer to meet longtime rival Cerritos at the end of the South Coast Conference season.

Instead, the two state community college powers, who usually finish one-two in the conference standings, will meet in a conference opener at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Long Beach.

Cerritos is 16-4 and ranked third in the state by the JC Athletic Bureau and Long Beach is 17-5 and ranked sixth.

The teams have played twice this season in tournament finals. Cerritos won the first game, 98-86, in the Orange Coast tournament on Dec. 4 and Long Beach won the rematch, 95-83, in the Modesto tournament Dec. 11.

But Anderson is concerned because his team hasn’t played a game, except for an exhibition against its alumni, in nearly three weeks.

“It’s difficult to say how ready you are with that much time off,” Anderson said. “You just hate to start the season with a game like this. This is the kind of game you’d rather play later on.”

If the first two meetings are any indication, it should be a fast-paced, offense-driven game.

Cerritos has been sparked by center Javan Rouzan, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Lakewood High who averages 18.5 points and 10 rebounds and has made 56% of his shots from the field. Other leaders for the Falcons are 6-2 freshman guard Monty Owens, who averages 10.9 points, and 6-5 freshman forward Wayne Allen, who is averaging 10.8 points and eight rebounds.

Long Beach has been led by sophomore 6-5 forward Kevin Beal, who was named the conference’s most valuable player last season and averages 22 points. Beal has scored 58 points in the first two games between the teams and Rouzan has 47.

Other leaders for Long Beach include 6-0 sophomore guard Marcus Rogers with 18 points and 6-5 freshman forward Mark Neal with 15 points and eight rebounds.

“They’re stronger inside than us and at times we’re a little better on the perimeter,” Anderson said. “Spot-for-spot I think they’re a little stronger than us. We feel very fortunate to have beaten them the one time.”

The teams will meet again Feb. 5 at Cerritos.

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After defeating Harbor, 64-58, last week, the Cerritos College women’s basketball team will play host to Mt. San Antonio in a South Coast Conference game at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Cerritos, ranked 15th in the state, is 13-6 and 2-0. They have been led by 6-3 sophomore center Kate Larrabee, who is averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds.

PREPS

The Lynwood girls’ basketball team is ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division I in the season’s first poll.

The Knights, who finished 31-0 and won the state Division I title last season, are off to another fast start at 14-1.

Lynwood’s San Gabriel Valley League rivals, Dominguez and Gahr, are listed in the Division II top 10. Dominguez, off to one of its best starts ever at 17-2, is ranked third and Gahr is seventh.

Other teams listed in the girls poll are defending Division IV-A champion Valley Christian at No. 2 in Division IV and St. Anthony at No. 9.

Dominguez, which leads the list of ranked area boys teams, is No. 2 in Division II at 13-2 behind undefeated J.W. North (13-0). Among the wins for the Dons was a 65-48 upset three weeks ago against Oak Hill Academy of Virginia--ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time by USA Today.

St. John Bosco is ranked sixth in Division II.

In Division I, cross-town rivals Long Beach Poly and Long Beach Wilson are listed at No. 3 and 6, respectively, and Warren and Lynwood of the San Gabriel Valley League are at No. 5 and 7.

In Division IV, Whittier Christian is No. 5 and Del Rey League rivals Pius X and St. Anthony are No. 8 and 9.

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The Moore League is well-represented in the first boys Southern Section soccer poll of the regular season. Millikan is ranked second in Division II, Long Beach Wilson is fifth and Compton is eighth.

Bell Gardens is ranked ninth in Division III and Valley Christian eighth in Division V.

In girls’ soccer, La Serna is second in Division III, and La Mirada eighth and Valley Christian 10th in Division IV.

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In wrestling, Glenn is ranked first in the Division IV poll. La Mirada is sixth and St. John Bosco eighth in the division and Schurr is ranked fifth in Division II.

COLLEGES

The Long Beach State men’s basketball team, which has won two Big West Conference games in a row after a loss to New Mexico State in its opener, will take to the road for its next two conference games.

The 49ers will play San Jose State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at San Jose and Pacific at 7:30 Monday at Stockton.

Long Beach improved to 7-3 and 2-1 with a 78-66 conference win Monday over Nevada. It marked the first time the 49ers have won back-to-back games since going 3-0 to start the season.

The 49ers have been led on offense by 6-7 junior forward Mike Atkinson with a 17.6-point average and freshman 6-6 forward James Cotton with 11.1 points. Atkinson was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in field-goal percentage last week, having made 74.7% of his shots.

“Mike understands his limitations and plays within himself,” Coach Seth Greenberg said. “The key for him is taking the shots he can make. He consistently puts himself into position to take the high-percentage shot.”

BRIEFLY

Major league baseball players J.T. Snow of the Angels, Brett Boone of the Seattle Mariners and Tim Wallach and Dave Hansen of the Dodgers will be among the guests at the annual 49er lead-off dinner and auction on Wednesday at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency Hotel, 200 South Pine Avenue.

There will be a reception at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7. Proceeds will go to the Long Beach State baseball program. Longtime American League umpire Durwood Merrill will be keynote speaker and former major league pitcher Ken Brett will be emcee.

The cost is $75 a person or $750 for a table for 10. Cost of the reception only is $50. Information: (310) 985-4550.