Sports

STICKING TOGETHER

In the summer of 1992, a team from the Central Torrance Senior Little League made headlines when it advanced to the Senior Little League World Series for youths ages 14 and 15 in Kissimmee, Fla.

The team finished third, the highest finish among U.S. teams.

Barely a month after returning from Florida, the accomplishment grew bittersweet when the team’s standout pitcher, Eric Fadeley, committed suicide.

Nearly three years have passed, and many of the remaining members of the team are flourishing as seniors at the high school level.

Five have played an integral role in the success of Torrance High, which is 13-6 and embroiled in a three-way battle with West Torrance and Peninsula for the Bay League championship.

Three of the players--catcher Kevin Campbell and pitchers Justin Miller and Brad Halland--are regarded as outstanding college and pro prospects. The two other Torrance players, second baseman Anthony Martinez and outfielder Orlando Martinez, have also excelled as starters.

Two others have established themselves at rival South Torrance, which is in a tie for fourth place in the Ocean League, and another is at Narbonne, which is in first place in the Southern League. Center fielder John Knott and shortstop Jon Knott have been two of the all-around leaders at South and Oscar Mora is one of the top pitchers at Narbonne.

“I’m really proud of what all of these kids as a group” have accomplished, said Ron Campbell, Kevin’s father who managed the Little League team and has since retired from coaching. “They stayed together and only one of the kids really had any problems to speak of.”

Campbell said he is especially proud to see how the players are concluding their high school careers.

“It’s really nice to see that it wasn’t just a onetime thing,” Campbell said. “These kids have worked hard and they’ve really earned what they’ve accomplished.”

ALL INGLEWOOD

It was a big day for Inglewood teams Sunday at The Times’ South Bay All-Star basketball brunch at the Guest Quarters Hotel in Santa Monica.

Inglewood High forward Paul Pierce was named winner of the George Yardley Award, which goes to the top boys’ player in Southern California, and he was also named South Bay player of the year for the second season in a row. Inglewood forward Yanick Clay was named girls’ player of the year and Morningside’s Carl Franklin was chosen boys’ coach of the year.

The girls’ coach of the year honor went to co-coaches James Anderson and Maria Johnson of Narbonne.

Pierce, a 6-foot-7 senior who has signed a national letter of intent with the University of Kansas, averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead Inglewood to the Division II-A semifinals. Pierce, who led the Sentinels to the division title the previous season, was named state player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports and Southern Section Division II player of the year.

Clay, a 6-1 senior forward, is also regarded among the top players in Southern California. As a senior, she averaged 21.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots and 3.8 steals to lead the Sentinels in each category. Clay, who will attend North Carolina in the fall, was named to the Southern Section Division II first team and the state third team by Cal-Hi Sports.

After his Morningside team went 9-16 and was winless at 0-8 in the Ocean League last season, Franklin coached the Monarchs to the league title this season. The Monarchs surprised Redondo to win the league title and advanced to the Division III-A quarterfinals before losing to Estancia, 68-62, to finish 17-10.

Anderson and Johnson coached Narbonne to its first City Section basketball title after the team finished 6-15 last season. The Gauchos (19-7), who did not have a senior in their starting lineup, finished the season with 12 consecutive victories, including a 47-40 victory over Chatsworth in the 3-A Division championship game.

Pepperdine Coach Tony Fuller was the guest speaker.

MORE HONORS

Clay also received another honor when she was invited to play in the first California State High School Women’s All-Star Basketball Game on May 7 at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center.

The North-South game will match many of the top players in the state. Clay was one of 10 players selected to the South team, which also includes USC-bound forward Jodi Parriott of Cerritos Valley Christian and K.K. Johns of Long Beach Poly.

PLAYOFF BOUND?

With Cerritos College comfortably ahead in the South Coast Conference baseball race, Harbor’s dream of its 10th consecutive conference championship appears to have been dashed.

But the Seahawks (22-16, 13-6) remain in position to reach the state community college playoffs. Harbor entered the week in second place in the South Coast, a game ahead of Mt. San Antonio (11-6), East Los Angeles (12-7) and Long Beach (12-7).

The top two teams in conference receive an automatic berth in the playoffs, although the others have an outside chance at receiving an at-large berth.

Harbor, which has four games remaining, plays host to Los Angeles City at 2:30 p.m. today and Mt. San Antonio at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Seahawks complete the regular season on the road with conference games against El Camino at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and Long Beach at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The Seahawks moved into sole possession of second place with come-from-behind victories over Compton, 5-4, and East Los Angeles, 9-7, last week.

HELP ON THE WAY

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s basketball team has recruited two top players from the South Bay for next season.

Dominguez Hills Coach Van Girard, whose team finished 22-6, won the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. title and reached the NCAA Division II West Regional semifinals, has signed guard Devyn Johnson of Morningside and guard/forward Lameshia Pittman of Harbor College to national letters of intent.

The 5-10 Johnson was the leading scorer for Morningside, which advanced to the Southern Section Division III-A final and the state Division III regionals. She averaged 11 points, five rebounds and four assists and was named to the Division III and Ocean League first teams.

The 5-10 Pittman played forward for two-time state champion Harbor the past two seasons, although she left the squad before the end of last season. The former Banning High standout averaged 6.5 points, four rebounds and four assists and made 34% of her three-point attempts.

Former Harbor player Joanne Williams, second-leading scorer in the state two seasons ago before sitting out last season because of a knee injury, will also play for the Toros next season.

* The Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball team, which struggled through a disappointing 10-15 season, has signed three high school players for next season.

The Toros landed 6-5 forward Jair Fray and 6-0 point guard Israel Plaza from Fairfax and 5-11 guard Kevin Polk of Gardena.