Sports : TROPHY SHOPPING

The St. Bernard High girls’ basketball team went bargain hunting in the Bay Area last weekend.

First, the Vikings went shopping at a mall in Oakland. Then they picked up a few free souvenir cups at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

No, it wasn’t a flea market, but the State Division championships.

For the second consecutive season, the Vikings took home the Division IV trophy by beating Bear River of Grass Valley, 53-43, Friday in Oakland.

“We were real loose, not tense before the game,” St. Bernard Coach Lori Pawinski said. “We went to a mall and went shopping beforehand. I wanted the players as calm as possible.”

The game was close for the first 28 minutes as neither team led by more than four points. But with four minutes left, the Vikings went on a 14-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 10-point victory.

The key to the game came when the Vikings (29-4) switched from a 2-3 zone to a man-to-man defense and shut down Jenny Shayani, who made Bear River’s last basket with 4 minutes 9 seconds left.

“Their starters had been in the game for 28 minutes,” Pawinski said. “We figured they were getting tired so we put more pressure on their best shooter.”

The Bruins (30-4) tried to shut down St. Bernard’s Olympia Scott and Marte Alexander, who each had 14 points, but sophomore Tracie Oaks stepped forward with 10 points.

“It feels great,” Pawinski said. “It’s better winning the second time.”

COLD SPELL

The Pacific Hills boys’ basketball team should have brought jackets when they played in the State Division V title game.

The Bruins, who enjoyed a hot shooting streak in Southern California, suffered through a cold spell in Oakland and lost to Ripon Christian, 60-46.

After shooting 76% in the Southern California Regional final, the Bruins (24-9) shot only 27.4% in the state final.

Bryan Sterling, who averaged 21 points a game, and Westley Allen (18-point average) were held to eight points apiece. Danny Brummel led the team with 14 points.

Considering they finished fourth in the Delphic League and needed upset wins over Campbell Hall and Immanuel of Reedley to win the Southern California Regional championship, the Bruins were happy about earning a trip to Oakland. Getting there was another story. Their plane was delayed three hours and eventually redirected to San Francisco.

“I think our offense stayed on the plane and was redirected to Juneau (Alaska),” Pacific Hills Coach John Bobich said. “Someone asked me what was the weather like. I told him it was 57 degrees and clear, but our shooting percentage was 27 degrees, which is well below freezing.”

BASKETBALL HONORS

Danny Walker and Ben Sanders of Westchester and Terryl Woolery of Fairfax were named to the All-City Section 4-A Division boys’ basketball team.

The team was selected by a panel of sportswriters in conjunction with the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles.

Walker, a sophomore guard, averaged 19.1 points and four assists a game. Sanders, a junior forward, averaged 14.7 points and four assists. Woolery, a senior guard, averaged 16 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Walker and Woolery were co-most valuable players of the Coastal Conference.

Crenshaw, the State Division I champion, led the team with four selections, including player of the year Tremaine Fowlkes.

TOP OF THE CHARTS

The St. Bernard baseball team and Crossroads softball team are ranked No. 1 in The Times’ Westside poll.

The Vikings (5-2) have a team batting average of .371 and are averaging 9.29 runs a game. They have eight home runs and 19 stolen bases.

Senior Dana Harrison, the leadoff hitter, leads the team with a .476 batting average and a .615 on-base percentage. Harrison has signed a letter of intent with Long Beach State.

“We’re hitting the ball better than I expected,” St. Bernard Coach Bob Yarnall said. “I thought our pitching and defense would be our strong point.”

The pitching staff has an earned-run average of 2.88.

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With Lisa Longaker and Heather Compton as assistant coaches, it should not come as a surprise that Crossroads has an outstanding pitching staff led by Stanford-bound Jessica Schulman. Longaker and Compton were two of the nation’s top collegiate pitchers when they played at UCLA. Longaker pitched from 1987-90 and Compton played the next three years.

In 23 innings, Schulman has given up only three hits and one walk and has not allowed an earned run.

The Roadrunners (4-1) have struggled offensively, but Coach Tom Gray is optimistic the team can turn it around.

STAT WATCH

Hamilton hurdler Jason Brownlee ran a 40.1-second 330-yard intermediate hurdles to set a school record. He beat Fairfax’s Jason Lewis, who ran a 40.2. The previous record was 40.3, set in 1986 by Lavale Parker. . . . In six games, Brentwood junior Jake Willens is batting .475 with two home runs and 13 runs batted in. Willens, the younger brother of former Palisades tennis standout Heather Willens, led the Delphic League in batting during his freshman and sophomore seasons. . . . Culver City pitcher Kimberlee Johnston has a 7-1 record with 98 strikeouts and has started all of the Centaurs’ games. She has faced 177 batters, giving up two earned runs on 11 hits and eight walks in 49 innings. . . . Benji Cherney shot a 33 at Eaton Canyon Country Club to lead the Brentwood golf team to a 199-210 victory over La Salle of Pasadena in a Prep League opening match.