Player of Year Udeze of Harvard-Westlake Picks Fresno State

Omelogo Udeze of Harvard-Westlake High, The Times’ Valley girls’ player of the year, has accepted a basketball scholarship to Fresno State.

Udeze, 6 feet 2 inches, averaged 21.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in leading Harvard-Westlake to its third consecutive Mission League title and an appearance in the Division III state final.

* Derrick Higgins, who led Cal State Northridge in scoring and steals, was selected the team’s most valuable player by a vote of teammates. Higgins, a senior guard, averaged 13.9 points and 2.4 steals. Higgins was an All-Big Sky Conference selection.

BOXING

* Fernando Vargas of Oxnard, the International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight champion, is tentatively scheduled to defend his title July 31 on HBO at a site to be determined.

Vargas, who has knocked out all 16 of his opponents since turning pro in 1997, likely will face Bronco McKart or Raul Marquez, said a spokesman for Main Events, Vargas’ promoter.

FOOTBALL

* Jeremiah Nesbitt, a 6-6, 285-pound tight end from Moorpark College, signed with Southern Mississippi.

Nesbitt attended Westlake and Thousand Oaks highs but did not play football. He signed with Northridge to play basketball but reconsidered and played football at Moorpark.

BASEBALL

* Brandon Voorhees of Moorpark College is second in the Western State Conference in batting with an average of .472 through games of April 12. Covelli Crisp, an outfielder from Pierce, is third at .465.

Zach Gordon of Moorpark leads the WSC with seven home runs and 22 runs batted in during conference games. John Campanella of Glendale and Jess Sanchez of Oxnard each have a WSC-high seven doubles.

David Turner of Ventura has a 5-1 record, 2.16 earned-run average and 52 strikeouts in 42 innings in conference games, all WSC-leading marks. Left-hander Wes Crown of Pierce is 4-0 in WSC games.

* Matt Hellman of Glendale College tied a school record Tuesday with four doubles in a 13-6 victory over Valley. Hellman had five hits in six at-bats and drove in two runs.

* Four schools that violated City Section rules by playing more than four games in a nonleague tournament will not face sanctions.

Barbara Fiege, City Section commissioner, said the Rules Committee decided the violation was not done purposely and the clerical form used to sanction the tournament was unclear.

Reseda was among the schools facing possible disciplinary action.

TRACK AND FIELD

* Dee Scott of South Bakersfield High is the first woman to sign with Northridge this spring. Scott was a state qualifier the last two years in the long jump, 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles.

DIVING

* Christina Flynn of El Camino Real High, defending City Section champion, has signed a letter of intent with California.