Campbell Hall Appears Even Stronger

For the third consecutive season, North Hollywood Campbell Hall made it through December unbeaten. Only this group has had to work a lot harder to get there.

The Vikings (11-0) won their second tournament of the season Thursday in Florida, blowing out tournament host Daytona Beach Seabreeze, 92-49, in the title game.

Joe Ford, who missed the first five games this season because of a sprained ankle, was named the tournament’s most valuable player after posting 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Seabreeze and 29 points and 10 rebounds in a 70-62 semifinal victory over Covington (Ky.) Holy Cross.

“I knew we were going to be OK but I didn’t expect us to be undefeated at this point,” Coach Terry Kelly said. “We bumped up our schedule this season to give us more competition.”

The Vikings proved themselves last summer when they went 11-1 against teams currently ranked in the top 25 by The Times. In addition to its talent and depth, Kelly said the team benefits from chemistry developed over the years.

“Our seniors won a seventh-grade basketball title here together,” he said.

In addition to Ford, a 6-foot-5 guard who signed with Pacific, the Vikings returned seniors Conor Turley, Jason Heard, Sam Handler and Steven Tolbert, who started last season when Campbell Hall finished 25-3 and reached the Southern Section Division IV-AA quarterfinals.

Campbell Hall has also received a big boost from some of its underclassmen. Ford’s brother, Robert, a 5-10 sophomore, took over point guard duties while Tolbert also sat the first five games because of a sprained ankle suffered during the football season. Ford played so well, he has continued to start despite Tolbert’s return.

Kelly considers 6-3 Jrue Holiday to be one of the area’s top 10 freshmen. Holiday came off the bench last week and scored 15 points in the second quarter of a 68-35 first-round victory over Tampa Jesuit, earning all-tournament honors. Holiday’s brother, Justin, a 6-6 sophomore, has also been a key contributor.

“Last week was the first time I felt like the whole squad was on the same page,” Kelly said.

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Westchester hit the court last week for the first time in 16 days at the National Invitational in Houston, and Coach Ed Azzam said his team was rusty from the layoff.

The Comets (6-2) were still sharp enough to advance to the championship game in the National Division but could not get past Middle Village (N.Y.) Christ the King in the final, losing, 49-41, on Thursday.

“We played poorly but that’s not an excuse,” Azzam said. “[Christ the King] defended well. They’re very athletic and well-coached.”

Amir Johnson, Westchester’s 6-10 senior center, saw limited action -- a total of 14 minutes in two games -- for the first time this season since breaking his foot in November.

Azzam hopes Johnson will be ready for the Western League showdown against visiting Los Angeles Fairfax on Jan. 21. “His foot is healed,” he said, “but the muscles around it are not strong enough for him to get any length of playing time.”

Ray Reese, who missed Westchester’s last game before the Houston tournament, a loss to Compton Dominguez in the final of the Westchester tournament on Dec. 11, has returned from a groin injury. The Comets do not play again until their league opener against visiting Palisades on Jan. 12.

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After a disappointing finish at the Anaheim Convention Center tournament two weeks ago, Lake Forest El Toro appears to be bouncing back.

The Chargers defeated defending Southern Section Division I-AA champion Long Beach Poly in the opening game of the Torrey Pines National Prep Classic last week and followed that with victories over 2004 state finalists Concord De La Salle and Oakland Bishop O’Dowd.

El Toro reached the championship game, where it lost to Spring Valley Steele Canyon, 74-64. Spring Valley was coming off a semifinal victory over Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony, which came into the tournament ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today.

The Chargers lost to Orange Lutheran, 60-54, in the third-place game of the Anaheim tournament but came back four days later to beat the Lancers by 42 points on Dec. 22 at El Toro.

“It’s good to have a tough preseason schedule to get us ready for the South Coast League,” Coach Todd Dixon said.

The Chargers (13-3) open league play Friday at Mission Viejo.