Sports

LYNWOOD CONNECTION

There’s a Lynwood High connection on the Harbor College women’s basketball team, which is ranked No. 3 in the state by the JC Athletic Bureau.

The Lady Seahawks have three former Knight players on their roster, including starting sophomore guards LaTasha Burnett and JoAnne Williams, who are among the leading scorers in the state.

Going into last week’s play, the 5-foot-5 Burnett was first in the state in scoring with a 26.1-point average. The 5-6 Williams was seventh at 20.6. Burnett was sixth in rebounds (12.5) and fifth in assists (7.2).

Williams should move up on the list after scoring 102 points in three games, including a career-high 42 in her team’s 90-74 win over Long Beach. Williams improved her scoring average to 22.4 points.

The other Lynwood player on the Harbor roster is freshman Teresa Wiseman, a 6-2 center. The Seahawks also have another area player on the team in sophomore Kim Fraser, a 5-6 guard, who played at Compton High.

Perhaps the most important Southeast connection is Coach Louie Nelson, a prep standout at Compton before continuing his playing career at Washington and in the NBA.

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The Long Beach State women’s basketball team has added former Lynwood standout Ja’net Davis to its roster.

Davis, regarded as one of the top prep players in Southern California as a senior, was Southern Section Division I player of the year as a junior at Inglewood Morningside High and was a first team All-Division I selection as a senior at Lynwood.

The 6-4 sophomore took the long road to Long Beach.

She originally planned to attend Kansas but was ineligible to play for the Jayhawks because of the NCAA’s Proposition 48 academic restrictions. She decided to attend Kilgore Junior College in Texas for a semester.

Davis transferred to Long Beach State last January and became eligible to play in December.

But Davis is off to a slow start, averaging only 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in sporadic playing time.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Nine players from the Cerritos College football team have signed national letters of intent to play at NCAA Division I-A or I-AA programs.

Topping the list are cornerback Mario Bradley, who has signed with USC, and offensive tackle Matt Hicks and center Eugene Seminavage, who have signed with Washington.

Other signings include: wide receiver Craig Allen with Purdue; quarterback Larry Haney with Northeast Louisiana; middle linebacker Mark Medlin with Texas El Paso; outside linebacker Aaron Plante with Nevada; offensive guard Alex Toyos with Boise State and wide receiver Bobby Richardson with East Carolina.

Haney completed 153 of 263 passes for 1,813 yards and 14 touchdowns and his top receiver was Allen with 28 catches for 500 yards and seven TDs. His passing total was second highest in school history.

The Falcons, who had one of their best seasons in years at 7-3-1, finished with a 35-24 loss to Riverside in the Orange County Bowl at Orange Coast College in December.

BACK HOME

After its most lopsided Big West Conference loss of the season, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team will return home for a conference game against UC Santa Barbara at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Gold Mine Gym.

The 49ers (8-4, 3-2 in conference play) will try to rebound from a 92-69 loss Monday to Pacific. Santa Barbara is 6-8 and 2-2.

Long Beach has been led recently by junior center and forward Terrance O’Kelley, who scored a career-high 25 points against Pacific. Two other top players for the 49ers are forward Jeff Atkinson and freshman swingman James Cotton, a former St. John Bosco standout who has stepped into the team’s starting lineup.

RIDING A TITLE WAVE

The NCAA champion Long Beach State women’s volleyball team will be honored with a rally next to the University Bookstore at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The 49ers won the title last month by defeating Penn State, 15-13, 12-15, 15-11, 16-14, at Madison, Wis. The 49ers also won the title in 1991.

Long Beach was led by senior Danielle Scott, who was named national player of the year, and All-American first-team selection Nichelle Burton.

In addition to Wednesday’s ceremony, the team will be honored at the Long Beach-Memphis State men’s basketball game Feb. 21 at the Anaheim Arena.

BRIEFLY

Registration is under way for the 13th annual Long Beach Marathon on Feb. 6, which will start in front of Long Beach Convention Center Plaza and follow the city’s shoreline.

There will be seven events, starting with race-walking at 7:30 a.m. The marathon starts at 8.

The cost is $30 for the marathon, $20 for the half-marathon, $125 for the five-person relay and $15 for the health walk. Entries should be postmarked by Feb. 1.

Prize money will be awarded to the top finishers in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair marathon divisions. Information: Bob Fernald at (310) 494-7089.

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The Long Beach State baseball team, coming off one of the best seasons in history, has been ranked in the top 25 in two preseason polls.

The 49ers, who finished 46-19 last season, are ranked No. 14 by Collegiate Baseball magazine and No. 21 by Baseball America. Long Beach won the Big West Conference last season and was third at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.