Fairfax Finds Success on Its Holiday Travels

Although many Southland teams are taking advantage of the holiday break to participate in out-of-the-area tournaments, Los Angeles Fairfax is especially on the move.

The Lions finished third at the Iolani (Hawaii) Classic last week and are in Hillsboro, Ore., this week to play in the Les Schwab Classic.

Fairfax (7-1) lost its first game of the season Dec. 21 to Manhattan (N.Y.) Rice, cutting a 14-point, third-quarter deficit to three with 42 seconds remaining before losing, 66-60. Rice began last week ranked No. 22 in the nation by USA Today; Fairfax was No. 11.

The Lions came back to defeat No. 25 Monteverde (Fla.) Academy, 52-44, in the third-place game. Monteverde, led by 6-foot-7 wing Luc Richard Mbah A Moute of Cameroon, who signed with UCLA last month, blew an eight-point halftime lead.

“It was a good trip for us,” said Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani, who starts only one senior. “Each game is a learning experience.”

The other nationally ranked teams in Hillsboro this week are No. 6 Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, which is coming off victories last week against Lynwood, Compton Centennial and Woodland Hills Taft at the Top of the World tournament, and No. 7 Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian.

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Mission Viejo is still trying to find the chemistry that helped it win the Southern Section Division I-A title last season. The latest setback came Monday in a first-round game against Pomona Diamond Ranch at the Orange tournament at Chapman College. Mission Viejo’s 10-point halftime lead dissolved in the third quarter and it was called for three technical fouls in the fourth, eventually losing, 69-63.

The Diablos (6-6) started slowly this year when sophomore point guard Perry Webster, the team’s lone returning starter, had an ankle injury and four other players were participating in the postseason with the school’s football team.

“I feel it’s partly my fault,” Webster said. “I have to be the guy that steps up at the end of the game. We’re a better team than this.”

Konrad Reuland, a tight end on the football team, scored 19 points and Webster had 18 against Diamond Ranch (10-4). Another key returning player, Mark Sanchez, did not play because he is preparing for upcoming all-star football games.

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THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

DAN ARRITT’S BOYS’ BASKETBALL RANKINGS

(Records through Sunday)

*--* Rk. Team Rec. Div. LW 1 ETIWANDA 9-0 Div. I-AA 1 2 FAIRFAX 7-1 City 2 3 WESTCHESTER 3-1 City 4 4 MATER DEI 8-2 Div. II-A 5 5 DOMINGUEZ 6-1 Div. II-AA 3 6 DORSEY 9-0 City 12 7 VILLA PARK 8-0 Div. II-AA 14 8 TAFT 7-2 City 18 9 FREMONT 4-1 City 15 10 HARVARD-WESTLAKE 6-1 Div. III-A 6 11 CAPISTRANO VALLEY 9-1 Div. II-AA 8 12 COMP. CENTENNIAL 6-2 Div. III-A 9 13 LYNWOOD 2-3 Div. I-AA 11 14 SANTA MARGARITA 11-1 Div. III-AA 10 15 CALABASAS 7-3 Div. II-A 16 16 ARTESIA 6-2 Div. III-AA 17 17 LOYOLA 6-2 Div. II-AA 13 18 EL TORO 9-2 Div. I-A 7 19 CAMPBELL HALL 8-0 Div. IV-AA 21 20 TEMESCAL CANYON 8-0 Div. I-A 25 21 THOUSAND OAKS 8-1 Div. I-A NR 22 CLEVELAND 8-3 City 20 23 REDONDO 6-2 Div. II-A 23 24 VENTURA 11-1 Div. I-A NR 25 L.B. POLY 3-4 Div. I-AA 22

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