Sports : POSTSEASON AWARDS

Jelani Gardner of St. John Bosco and Timicha Kirby of Lynwood were honored as The Times’ 1994 Southeast Players of the Year at an awards breakfast Sunday at the Long Beach Sheraton.

Gardner, a 6-foot-6 senior guard, averaged 26.7 points and 7.1 assists as he led the Braves to the Southern Section Division II-A title. St. John Bosco was 53-6 the past two seasons with the Cal-bound Gardner.

The Times’ Player of the Year award was another in a long list of achievements for Kirby. The 5-11 senior, who will attend Iowa, was the Southern Section Division I girls’ player of the year and named the State Division I player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports magazine.

Randy Castillo of St. Paul and Ellis Barfield of Lynwood were selected as the Southeast boys’ and girls’ coaches of the year.

Castillo guided the Swordsmen to the Division IV-AA finals and the Southern Regional State Division IV semifinals. Lynwood finished 32-2 under Barfield and advanced to the State Division I title game for the second season in a row.

Tulsa-bound Jamie Gillin of Dominguez was named the South Coast Player of the Year and Ron Palmer of Long Beach Poly was chosen the boys’ coach of the year after leading their schools to berths in the Southern California State Regional playoffs.

Blanca Loza of Millikan and Ann Dena Sjoerdsma of Cerritos were chosen as the South Coast girls’ player and coach of the year.

MAN OF THE YEAR

The accolades keep coming for Michael Granville.

The Bell Gardens High sophomore has been named the boys’ Indoor Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News magazine.

In February, Granville set a sophomore record of 57.7 seconds in the 500 yards at the Sunkist Invitational.

Last month, he ran 1 minute 51.11 seconds in the 800 meters in the National Scholastic Indoor championships in Syracuse, N.Y., to cut 3.17 seconds off the sophomore record to move into third on the all-time high school list.

He hasn’t lost a step outdoors, either.

Granville, who ran 47.24 in the 400 meters last year to establish a state freshman record, clocked a personal-best 46.67 seconds to win the 400 meters at the April 15 Mt. San Antonio College Relays. The mark was the meet’s fastest time in more than 15 years.

KICKING IT

Sal Castillo, who helped Bell Gardens to the Southern Section Division III soccer title, has been selected as the Division III defensive player of the year.

Bell Gardens Coach Orlando Brenes, who has guided the Lancers (21-5-3) to three Southern Section titles and 12 league titles in 14 seasons, was selected coach of the year.

Brothers Israel and Hector Amador of Bell Gardens and Juan Carrasco of Schurr were also chosen to the Division III team.

Jose DeLeon and Enrique Lopez of Millikan and Andy Jacome of Gahr were named to the Division II team. Sergio Cano of Norwalk and Jeremy DeBie of Valley Christian were chosen to the Division IV and IV teams, respectively.

TWO OF A KIND

The Compton High baseball team has won only two games this season--both have been no-hitters.

Alonso Alfaro and Eddie Varelo teamed to no-hit Centennial in the Tarbabes season-opener. Alfaro threw a no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over Jordan on April 19 for the Tarbabes’ first Moore League victory since 1987.

The winning streak was short-lived for Compton (2-10, 1-8). The Tarbabes were beaten by Jordan, 11-7, on Friday.

DIRT BAG SWEEP

The Long Beach State baseball team scored three unearned runs to beat UC Santa Barbara, 4-2, Sunday at Blair Field and complete a three-game sweep of the Gauchos.

The 49ers (30-12, 10-5) closed to 1 1/2 games of first-place Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Conference standings with six conference games remaining.

Mike Fontana (8-2) pitched his third shutout of the season, retiring 20 of the final 22 batters, to lead Long Beach to a 1-0 victory against Santa Barbara on Friday. Center fielder Rolando Avila had two doubles and drove in three runs to pace the 49ers to an 11-2 victory Saturday.

Fontana and Avila were selected as the Big Wast Conference pitcher and player of the week.

Long Beach will play host to a three-game series against Grand Canyon starting Friday at 7 p.m. The teams will meet Saturday at 7 p.m. and close out the series Sunday at 1 p.m.

The 49ers, who lost to UCLA, 12-2, on Tuesday, visit Pepperdine on Tuesday before returning to conference play at Nevada Las Vegas on May 6.

ON TRACK

Lisa Moxley, Stacy Pando and Le’Greta Hinds of Long Beach State recorded victories in the UC Irvine track and field invitational Saturday.

Moxley won the 100 meters in 12.31 seconds. Pando and Hinds were victorious in the 1,500 and 400 hurdles in 4:36.03 and 59.73, respectively. The 49ers also won the 400 relay in 48.28.

Patrick Scott leaped 24-6 1/4 to win the long jump and bounded 49-11 3/4 to place second in the triple jump for the 49er men.

WINNING CAUSE

Long Beach State pitcher Stacy Van Essen was 4-for-5, including a home run, and drove in four runs to power the 49er softball team to a 7-6 victory over Utah State in the second game of a Big West Conference doubleheader Saturday at Mayfair Park.

Long Beach (25-21, 10-10), which lost the first game against Utah, 10-2, will play host to New Mexico State today.

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Dion Holton of Long Beach Poly has made an unwritten commitment to attend Cal State Fullerton. The 6-0 guard chose the Titans over UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Montana and Portland.

Gerald Winston has been selected as boys’ basketball coach at Lakewood High. Winston, 37, an assistant at Long Beach City College for the past four seasons, replaces Michael Jackson.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Pius X High officials have devised a plan to appease neighborhood complaints stemming from adult soccer tournaments at the school.

Residents have complained that California Soccer Assn. tournaments at the Catholic school have attracted unruly crowds who park cars in their driveways and leave beer cans and used diapers on their lawns.

A 37-signature petition was submitted to South Gate police criticizing the events. Pius X is in Downey, but the athletic field on Gardendale Street faces a residential South Gate neighborhood.

School officials, meeting last week with the police chiefs of South Gate and Downey, campus staff and a California Soccer Assn. representative, came up with a plan to be discussed at a community forum scheduled for May 14.

The plan calls for banning parking along Gardendale Street, adding off-duty police officers, prohibiting alcohol and providing extra bleachers and restroom facilities.