Narbonne Maintains Grip on Top Ranking

The Harbor City Narbonne girls’ basketball team, ranked No. 1 in the nation by several publications, opens Marine League play Monday at home against San Pedro and plays Wednesday at Carson before traveling to Florida for two games.

Narbonne began the week 13-0 after winning the Ayala tournament.

USC-bound forward Ebony Hoffman scored 32 points and had 16 rebounds in Narbonne’s 71-41 semifinal victory over Chino Don Lugo. Don Lugo’s Diana Taurasi, who will attend Connecticut, scored 26 points and had three rebounds.

Hoffman had 10 points and 15 rebounds in the Gauchos’ 54-41 victory over Ayala in the final.

Two weeks ago, Narbonne won the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions with a four-point semifinal victory over Copperas Cove (Texas) and a two-point championship-game win over fourth-ranked Canyon (Texas).

“It’s not just about blowouts,” Narbonne Coach James Anderson said. “To win close games against some really good teams gives us some validation and sets us up for some tough games later in the season.”

Palisades, Washington and Crenshaw are also expected to contend for the City Section title.

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Manual Arts, Fairfax, Westchester and Crenshaw are among the 16 boys’ basketball teams that will participate in the one-day, eight-game Dream Classic at the Pyramid on Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Manual Arts plays Chino Hills Ayala at 10:30 a.m.; Fairfax plays Westchester at 1:30 p.m.; and Crenshaw meets Upland at 3.

Other games: 9 a.m.--La Jolla Bishops vs. Greensboro Dudley (N.C.); noon--Long Beach Jordan vs. Santa Monica Crossroads; 4:30 p.m--Santa Ana Mater Dei vs. San Diego University; 6 p.m.--Compton Dominguez vs Lakewood Artesia; 8 p.m.--Lakewood Mayfair vs. Torrance Bishop Montgomery.