Sports

BASKETBALL AWARDS

St. Bernard High forward Olympia Scott received the Cheryl Miller Award as The Times’ Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year during an awards breakfast Sunday at the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel.

St. Bernard girls’ Coach Lori Pawinski and Pacific Hills boys’ Coach John Bobich were honored as the Westside coaches of the year. It was the third time in four years Pawinski has won the award.

Westchester guard Danny Walker became the first sophomore to be named Westside Boys’ Player of the Year.

Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive was the keynote speaker.

Scott, who will attend Stanford University in the fall, also received a plaque for being selected to the Westside girls’ first team for the third consecutive season and a trophy for being chosen the Westside Girls’ Player of the Year.

A four-year starter, Scott averaged 18.8 points and 15 rebounds.

Walker became the third underclassman to be honored as the player of the year. The previous two recipients won as juniors: Beverly Hills center Luke Buffum in 1993 and Crossroads center Austin Croshere in 1992.

“Offensively, Danny was as good of a player as anywhere in the Southland,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said. “He could shoot from any distance. He handles the ball like a point guard. He has great vision and sees the court well. And he’s unselfish.”

For the second season in a row, a coach from the Delphic League was honored.

Bobich guided Pacific Hills to a 24-9 record, its second consecutive Southern Section Division V title and a berth in the State Division V championship game where the Bruins lost to Ripon Christian, 60-46. Last season, Crossroads’ Daryl Roper took top coaching honors.

Pawinski led St. Bernard to a 29-4 record and its second consecutive State Division IV championship. The Vikings beat Bear River of Grass Valley, 53-43, to win the title.

RIVALRIES

For the last two seasons, the Western League baseball title has come down to a two-game series between Westchester and University.

The teams may decide the title again when they meet Monday at University and Wednesday at Westchester.

Although the Warriors (12-5-1) have played consistently throughout the season, the Comets started slowly. On Monday, the Comets (8-8) beat Manual Arts, 3-0, to win their sixth consecutive game and eighth in their last nine.

“We’re starting to play much better defensively,” Westchester Coach Ron Kasparian said. “We’re getting timely hitting and the pitching is starting to come around.”

The Comets’ top hitter is catcher Rod Washington, who is batting .435. Center fielder Seka Edwards (.407) is proving to be as good of a baseball player as he was a quarterback. Westchester is also getting timely hitting from middle infielders Henry Jones (.365) and Ramel Greenfield (.352).

The Comets’ top pitchers are senior right-handers Jelani Ferguson (4-3) and Mike Escamilla (3-2).

POWER SURGE

In its last five games, Brentwood has scored 71 runs on 70 hits. The Eagles improved their record to 7-4 and 2-0 in the Delphic League after victories over Whitney, 12-7, and Pacific Hills, 17-1.

Brandon Marz leads the team with a .750 batting average (18 for 25) and junior Jake Willens, a two-time Delphic League batting champion, has a .570 average.

However, David Corletto was last week’s hero, hitting two solo home runs in the same inning--the sixth--against Pacific Hills.

On Tuesday, the Eagles will play Crossroads at 4 p.m. at Cloverfield Park in a battle of potentially undefeated Delphic League teams. Both teams were 2-0 in league play entering this week’s games.

SWEEPING STATEMENT

The Santa Monica softball team won five consecutive games, including three wins over Bay League rival Inglewood last week. Pitcher Heather Marshak and Fabiola Gonzalez each pitched a no-hitter as the Vikings swept Inglewood, 25-0 and 18-0, Tuesday.

In the first game, Gonzalez had a single, triple, a home run and four runs batted in. In the second game, second baseman Nicole Garlind had four hits, three RBI and scored two runs.

The Vikings also beat Inglewood, 8-0, as Marshak earned her eighth win by pitching a one-hitter.

Marshak (10-2) was also the winning pitcher against St. Bernard, 6-1, and North Torrance, 9-3, on Saturday in the El Segundo tournament. Marshak had 29 strikeouts in her four victories.

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There is a three-way tie for first place between Venice, Palisades and Westchester in the Western League softball race entering this week’s games.

Rachel Hankey had a grand slam and a two-run home run to highlight Venice’s 11-8 victory over Palisades Tuesday. But Westchester beat the Gondoliers, 7-3, and Palisades beat Hamilton, 3-2, last Thursday to create the tie.

VOLLEYBALL

The Torrance Volleyball Club is staging tryouts for boys in grades 7-12 for the United States Volleyball Assn. season, which begins Sunday and April 24 at the North Torrance High boys’ gym.

The registration fee is $5. Information: Tim Ittner (310) 429-0905.