No Matter What, City Boys to Have New Champion

The City Section will crown a new champion and five Southern Section teams will attempt to defend their titles when the boys’ basketball playoffs begin Friday.

The City championship game between Manual Arts and Fairfax will be played Friday night at Pauley Pavilion. The Division final between Jefferson and Sun Valley Poly will be played Saturday at Loyola Marymount.

Four of the Southern Section’s 10 championship games will be played Friday night at the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine. Six will be played at the Arrowhead Pond.

Lakewood Artesia, Glendora, Compton Dominguez, West Hills Chaminade and Verbum Dei will attempt to repeat as Southern Section champions.

Here is a look at all of the championship matchups.

* City Championship, MANUAL ARTS (26-3) vs. FAIRFAX (24-5), Friday at Pauley Pavilion, 8 p.m.: Manual Arts, which lost to Division I state champion Westchester last year, held off Crenshaw in the semifinals to reach the championship game. Seniors James Wright and Curtis Millage give the Toilers one of the most dynamic guard combinations in the state. Center Johnny Hardwick, at 6 feet 10, could be the difference if he has a big game. Fairfax, which last won a City title in 1985, is making its first appearance in the final since 1995. The Lions have been led by senior Joseph Shipp, who is averaging 28 points a game, junior forward Jason Morrisette and senior guard Stan Thorne.

* Division Championship, JEFFERSON (17-9) vs. SUN VALLEY POLY (16-11), Saturday at Loyola Marymount, 3 p.m.: Jefferson is led by senior center Malcolm Overton, senior forward Eric Lewis and junior guard Rodney Smith. Poly guard James Word is averaging 23 points a game.

SOUTHERN SECTION

* DIVISION I-AA, LAKEWOOD ARTESIA (29-2) vs. LONG BEACH POLY (24-6), Saturday at Pond, 6:30 p.m.: For the second year in a row, these local rivals will battle it out in the section’s largest division. Two years ago, Poly won. Last year, it was Artesia. On Saturday, it could well be Artesia again unless the Jackrabbits can figure out a way to stop the Pioneer frontcourt of senior Jason Kapono and sophomores Jack Martinez and Amuary Fernandez. Poly counters with junior point guard Wesley Stokes who must score and set up opportunities for Shea Anderson, Kenny Wright and Joe Travis.

* DIVISION I-A, GLENDORA (30-1) vs. SANTA ANA MATER DEI (30-3), Saturday at Pond, 8:30 p.m.: Defending champion Glendora won an early-season meeting against the Monarchs, but this game is a tossup. Glendora is led by senior guard Casey Jacobsen, who averages 30 points. Twins Chad and Chris Clark give the Tartans formidable scoring punch outside and inside. Mater Dei’s pressure defense was highly effective in its semifinal victory over Simi Valley, and the Monarchs will need another great defensive effort to control Glendora. Guards Derrick Mansell and Steve Scoggin, swingman Cedric Bozeman and forward Mike Bayer are key players.

* DIVISION II-AA, COMPTON DOMINGUEZ (27-3) vs. CERRITOS GAHR (18-10), Saturday at Pond, 2:15 p.m.: It’s an all-San Gabriel Valley League final with defending champion Dominguez expected to be here and Gahr a big surprise. Dominguez guard Keith Kincade, a senior, has been exceptional in the playoffs, 7-1 sophomore center Tyson Chandler is a dominant presence on defense and senior guard Marcus Moore has the capability of bringing the crowd to its feet every time down the floor. Gahr finished third in its league behind Dominguez and Lynwood, but engineered a quarterfinal win over Brea Olinda and double-overtime semifinal victory over Pasadena to reach the final. The Gladiators are led by senior guards Anthony Davis and Michael Williams and senior center Darrell Handy.

* DIVISION II-A, INGLEWOOD (29-3) vs. LAKEWOOD MAYFAIR (24-6), Saturday at Pond, 12:30 p.m.: Noel Felix, Skip Esene and Sandy Fletcher all are capable of big games for top-seeded Inglewood, which beat Hacienda Heights Los Altos, Lompoc and Inglewood Morningside en route to the final. Mayfair finished second in the Suburban League behind Artesia, but sophomore Childress shot down Pasadena Muir with 31 points in the quarterfinals and had 24 in a semifinal victory over defending Division II state champion Santa Margarita.

* DIVISION III-AA, TORRANCE BISHOP MONTGOMERY (24-4) vs. SAN DIMAS (24-3), Saturday at Pond, 10:45 a.m.: Guards Errick and Derrick Craven, who are twins, led top-seeded Bishop Montgomery to playoff wins over Whittier Pioneer, West Covina South Hills and Pomona. San Dimas is led by guard D.J. Hackett. The Saints beat Silver Valley, Brawley and Mission Hills Alemany to reach the championship game.

* DIVISION III-A, WEST HILLS CHAMINADE (23-4) vs. CORONA DEL MAR (18-10), Saturday at Pond, 9 a.m.: Sophomore forward Scott Borchart is the top player for defending champion Chaminade, which defeated Anaheim Estancia and Mission league rival North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake to reach the final in this eight-team division. Corona del Mar beat Banning and Ojai Nordhoff to reach the final.

* DIVISION IV-AA, GARDENA SERRA (17-12) vs. TWENTYNINE PALMS (20-4), Friday at Bren Center, 6:30 p.m.: Unseeded Serra beat Morro Bay, top-seeded Laguna Beach and Santa Fe Springs St. Paul to reach the final. Center Vili Morton leads third-seeded Twentynine Palms, which defeated Rosamond, Lancaster Paraclete and Encino Crespi to reach the championship game.

* DIVISION IV-A, VERBUM DEI (23-7) vs. SANTA MONICA CROSSROADS (19-8), Friday at Bren Center, 8:15 p.m.: Verbum Dei won the division and the state Division IV championship last season behind guard Marlon Parmer and Dalron Johnson. Parmer averages 26 points a game. Johnson takes more than 10 rebounds a game. Crossroads is led by 6-9 sophomore Isaiah Fox.

* DIVISION V-AA, SANTA CLARA (25-3) vs. PASADENA POLY (27-0), Friday at Bren Center, 4:45 p.m.: Santa Clara is led by senior guards Nick Jones and B.J. Ward, both of whom will play at UC Santa Barbara next season. Senior forward Koko Archibong, who has signed with Pennsylvania, and senior guard Ryan Haden lead Poly, which played in the final two years ago.

* DIVISION V-A, PRICE (27-2) vs. ANTELOPE VALLEY CHRISTIAN (20-2), Friday at Bren Center, 3 p.m.: Othel Johnson and Mychal Lynch have led Price to 14 consecutive victories, including playoff wins over Shandon, Orangewood Academy and West L.A. Baptist. Peter Beaudin, Jamal Flanagan and Mathew Nurse lead Antelope Valley Christian.