GAME OF THE WEEK : Rout of Bell Makes Fremont Hungry for City Title

The consensus is that Crenshaw High School has the most dominating team in the City Section. Still, teams are lining up to take a shot at the Cougars, who should repeat as 4-A champs.

Fremont wants a title bout with the ‘Shaw. The Pathfinders put themselves in position for a top seed after pounding Bell, 77-55, Wednesday in a game that matched the two best Southeastern Conference teams.

“Crenshaw may have a better team, but I know that on any given night you can get beat,” Fremont Coach Sam Sullivan said. “I would like to get them on a big court. . . . We’re bigger and faster.”

Fremont (16-5 overall; 9-0 in conference) expects to be a seeded team behind Crenshaw (18-2, 8-0) and Westchester (21-3, 8-0). Carson, Fairfax, Manual Arts and North Hollywood are the other contenders.

But the Pathfinders have additional incentive to play the Cougars in the finals. First, there was the controversial transfer of Tommie Davis to Crenshaw from Fremont. Then there is 6-foot-2 guard Dion Champion, who left Crenshaw to play at Fremont. Champion felt rebuffed by Coach Willie West after playing two years on the Cougars junior varsity.

Champion has developed into a dependable scorer and rebounder for the Pathfinders.

“All those transfers came in and I lost my spot on the varsity,” Champion said. “I feel I’ve accomplished something playing varsity this season.”

The Pathfinders also have been aided by the return of 6-8 forward Louis Radford, who moved back from Denver in January. Radford, who scored 19 points against Bell, shoots well enough outside to switch positions with 6-2 Calvin Patterson, who scored a game-high 26 points.

Point guard Donnie Wilcher, forward Jamaal Johnson and Leon Jones are talented underclassmen.

BELL--Munoz 3, Lopez 22, Alcala 4, Muncuia 2, Espinoza 23, Sulch 1.

FREMONT--Patterson 26, Radford 19, Johnson 6, Wilcher 13, Champion 6, Hines 4, Jones 2, Sims 1.

Records: Bell 9-10, 7-2; Fremont 16-5, 9-0.