Playoff Path Gets Bumpy for Crenshaw

Crenshaw High will have a tougher time winning the boys’ and girls’ basketball City Section 4-A Division titles this time around.

The Cougars were top-seeded en route to winning both brackets a year ago, but because of heavy graduation losses, Crenshaw will have to contend with other powerful programs just to get to the final.

Westchester, the third-ranked team in the state by Cal-Hi sports, is the top-seeded team for the boys’ playoffs, which begin Friday and conclude March 8 at the Sports Arena.

The Comets lost to Crenshaw in the final last season but picked up three top transfers in David Bluthenthal Brandon Granville and Chris Osborne.

Westchester finished undefeated in the Coastal Conference, considered the City’s toughest. Westchester will play Locke in the first round.

Fremont, the only other 4-A team to go undefeated in conference play, was seeded second and plays Gardena.

Crenshaw, which has won five consecutive 4-A titles, finished tied with Washington for first place in the Southern Pacific Conference but lost a coin flip to determine the higher-seeded team.

Washington was placed third and Crenshaw fourth, setting up a potential Westchester-Crenshaw semifinal.

Washington will host Chatsworth and Crenshaw will play Van Nuys Grant.

Six of the top seven teams come from either the Southern Pacific or Coastal conferences. One league champion, North Hollywood, is seeded 12th in the 16-team bracket but will play its first-round game at home.

In the girls’ bracket, Harbor City Narbonne--the second-ranked team in the state--was the overwhelming choice as the top team. Palisades, the Coastal Conference champion, is seeded second and North Hollywood, which won a coin flip with Grant, is third.

Crenshaw finished in third place in the Southern Pacific Conference and is seeded seventh. The Cougars will play host to Venice in the first round, with Palisades looming as a possible quarterfinal opponent.

San Fernando, which was undefeated in the Northwest Valley Conference, is seeded first in the 3-A boys’ bracket. Fairfax is the favorite in the girls’ 3-A.

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Friday’s City Section Playoff Schedule

* BOYS’ 4-A DIVISION: Locke at Westchester, Palisades at Taft, Los Angeles at North Hollywood, Grant at Crenshaw, Chatsworth at Washington, Cleveland at Manual Arts, Fairfax at Carson, Gardena at Fremont.

* BOYS’ 3-A DIVISION: Venice at San Fernando, San Pedro vs. Mid-City at Manual Arts, Bell at Marshall, Jordan at Birmingham, Reseda at Hamilton, University at Garfield, Franklin at Sylmar, Poly at Narbonne.

* GIRLS’ 4-A DIVISION: Fremont at Narbonne, Banning at El Camino Real, Westchester at Grant, Taft at Washington, Locke at North Hollywood, Dorsey at Garfield, Venice at Crenshaw, Carson at Palisades.

* GIRLS’ 3-A DIVISION: Wilson at Fairfax, Birmingham at Gardena, Franklin at Poly, Huntington Park at Granada Hills, University at Bell, Marshall at Bravo, Hamilton at South Gate, Sylmar at Eagle Rock.