Boys’ Basketball : 10 County Teams Set to Begin Playoff Climb

Ten boys’ basketball teams from Ventura County qualified for the Southern Section playoffs, including league champions Buena, Simi Valley, Santa Clara and St. Bonaventure. All first-round games are Friday night at 7:30.

4-A DIVISION

Inglewood (13-10) at Buena (21-2)--Buena is a team with chemistry that has defeated teams with superior athletes all season. The Bulldogs defeated Santa Barbara, 67-65, to win the Channel League title outright Friday night. Inglewood is similar to Santa Barbara in that it relies heavily on one player: forward Harold Miner. The 6-5 junior averages 26.4 points and 11.1 rebounds a game and is considered one of the top underclassmen in the state. Inglewood started last week needing two victories to make the playoffs. Miner responded with 46 points as the Sentinels upset Ocean League champion Beverly Hills, and he followed that performance with a 35-point, 17-rebound performance in a win over Hawthorne. Inglewood’s Coach is Vince Coombs, who is with the varsity for the first time since 1980. That year’s team, which was led by former UCLA star Ralph Jackson and Phoenix Suns starter Jay Humphries, was 29-0. Buena, which has won 14 games in a row, is at the top of its game. Center Shawn Kirkeby, a 6-10 senior, averages 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. “The kids have momentum going for them and they’re confident. That’s important,” Coach Glen Hannah said. The Bulldogs are also pressure-tested. Four of Buena’s games have been decided by two points or less. “We’ve played under pressure and in front of big crowds,” Hannah said. The Bulldogs also have a pair of top-notch guards to complement Kirkeby in Mike Sandoval and Jeff Oliver. Sandoval led the county in assists during the regular season and still averaged 11 points a game. Oliver, who can be deadly from three-point range, averages 18 points a game. “I don’t think of him as a sophomore at all,” Hannah said of Oliver. “He has always played older. Even in youth leagues. He can handle the pressure.”

Ventura (20-5) at Beverly Hills (22-3)--The length of Ventura’s playoff journey depends on which Cougar team shows up to play: The one that started the season 15-0, or the one that lost five of its past 10. Beverly Hills, champion of the Ocean League, was one of Ventura’s early victims. The Normans blew an 18-point lead and lost to Ventura, 58-57, in the championship of their own tournament. Beverly Hills lost only two other games. “They’re playing in their gym and they have a revenge factor,” Coach Chris Taylor of Ventura said of his team’s opponent. But looking at it in a positive sense, Taylor is pleased his team will not be playing in a completely foreign gym. “We won four games in that place, so that should help,” he said. So should the return of a healthy Chris Hantgin. The 6-4 forward missed two games because of the flu before returning to the lineup Saturday, when Ventura met Rio Mesa in a tiebreaker game to decide third place in the Channel League. Hantgin responded with 26 points in the Cougars’ 63-42 victory. Ironically, before the Rio Mesa game, Taylor showed his team a tape of its victory over Beverly Hills. “I said, ‘Look how well we came back as a team. Lets go out and do that,’ ” Taylor said. Now they’ll have to do it again. Beverly Hills is led by guard Chris Plummer, who averages 20 points a game, and forward Derek Patton, who averages 15.3.

Crescenta Valley (14-10) at Simi Valley (22-3)--Simi Valley has 6-10 All-American Don MacLean, 6-5 All-Southern Section Shawn DeLaittre and 6-1 three-point-shooting floor general Butch Hawking.Crescenta Valley has . . . well, Crescenta Valley has 5-9 Brad Adam. Not Brad and Adam, just Brad Adam. He is good, averaging 22.3 points and 4 assists a game while handling the ball about 50% of the time, but MacLean, DeLaittre and Co. he is not. “Can anybody match up with Simi Valley?,” asked John Goffredo, Crescenta Valley’s coach of 10 years. The answer, Simi Valley Coach Bob Hawking hopes, is “no.” Simi Valley was bounced from the playoffs in the quarterfinals last season and was defeated by Muir in the final two years ago. But MacLean (33.8 points, 13 rebounds) and DeLaittre (21.7 points, 8 rebounds) are seniors as is Hawking, who averages 12.1 points and 8.8 assists. Assigned to contain Simi Valley’s big men are 6-5 Mark Schrobilgen (15 points, 9.5 rebounds) and 6-6 Mike Harrison (8 rebounds). “Maybe we’ll hold MacLean to 25 points,” Goffredo said. Crescenta Valley, which only made the playoffs because Muir forfeited all of its Pacific League wins, has qualified for postseason play 17 of the past 20 years.

Thousand Oaks (8-12) at Diamond Bar (21-4)--To gauge Thousand Oaks’ chances, see Crescenta Valley vs. Simi Valley, above. Thousand Oaks is basically a one-man team on the offensive end, while Diamond Bar has several weapons, including a howitzer in 6-7 Brian Hendrick. Brian, a returning All-Southern Section center and son of former major league baseball player George Hendrick, averages 26 points and 15 rebounds a game. Forwards Cris Sams (6-2) and Joey Madott (6-4) each score about 14 points a game and point guard Mike Schumacher averages seven assists for the Sierra League champion. Diamond Bar was headed for its second unbeaten league season when Charter Oak pulled an upset last Friday. “We had been getting complacent and that game shook us up,” Coach Bill Murray said. Thousand Oaks relies on senior guard Kevin Martin, who averages 21.1 points a game and is a threat from three-point range. “I think we’ll try and get the game slowed down,” Lancer Coach Ed Chevalier said. “We’ll try to spring Kevin for as much as he can shoot the ball.” As for Diamond Bar, the question is not whether Thousand Oaks can be beaten, but whether Simi Valley can be beaten down the playoff path. “We have aspirations,” Murray said.

Westlake (15-9) at Santa Barbara (19-5)--Westlake won 7 of its last 9 games to take second place in

the Marmonte League and earn the right to try to contain Paul Johnson, one of the the best players in the Southern Section. Johnson is a 6-5 forward who averages 23.7 points and 11 rebounds a game for Santa Barbara, which finished second in the Channel League. Forward Bill Doering, also 6-5, averages 15.7 points and makes the Dons more than a one-man team. Guard Matt Purdy runs the offense. Westlake counters with its version of The Three Amigos, two of whom were contributors to last season’s Warrior team that was 4-A runner-up. Kevin Logan--who has played exceptionally well of late--Bill Fassl and Kurt Schwan are all 6-7 or taller and rangy on the boards. “Our intensity level is a little higher this week,” first-year Westlake Coach Greg Hess said. “Psychologically, it’s obvious that Logan and Fassl, in particular, are stepping it up because they realize how we have to go at it to succeed in the playoffs.” Westlake guards Bob Grandpre--who was the Warriors quarterback during the football season--and Nate Heyman are not big scorers but present a physical style. “Heyman is a defensive specialist and Grandpre is the ballhandler,” Hess said.

2-A DIVISION

La Puente (17-7) at Santa Clara (16-8)--This edition of Santa Clara is a vintage Lou Cvijanovich team--starless but far from winless. “All the starters average 10 or 11 points a game,” said Cvijanovich, whose teams have qualified for the playoffs for the 28th time in his 30 years as coach. All of Santa Clara’s losses are against teams at a higher level than the 2-A Division. The Saints, who marched through Frontier League play with an 8-0 record, have won 32 consecutive league games. The frontline of senior Kwame Joyner and juniors Bubba Burrage and John McGill are the core of the team. “They pick each other up. When one is down, another is up,” Cvijanovich said. In contrast to the Saints’ tradition of success, La Puente is making its first playoff appearance since 1975. However, this year’s edition of the Warriors finished second in the Valley Vista League and, like Santa Clara, boasts balance. Center Javier Aceves, a 6-6, 210-pound senior, averages 8 points and 8 rebounds, while forwards Artie Miller (6-2) and Bryant Carter (6-3) each average about 15 points a game. Point guard Jose Espinoza, the only regular who did not start last season, averages 8 points and 7 assists a game. Off-guard Bill Santana averages 14 points and is a threat from three-point range. “This is a special group because they have played together so long,” said Bob Poiret, who is in his third season as coach.

1-A DIVISION

Wild-card winner at St. Bonaventure (20-2)--St. Bonaventure has come a long way in a year. The Seraphs had never won a league championship in basketball before this season, and now they’re entering the playoffs as the No. 1-seeded team in the 1-A. St. Bonaventure has won 12 in a row largely because of a stingy defense. “We gave up 39 points a game in league,” Coach Marc Groff said. “We play ball-control offense, but that’s good defense no matter what you play.” The Seraphs like to play a 1-3-1 zone with guards James Bailey and Mike Cadena funneling opponents through the middle to meet 6-6 senior Andy Wagoner, one of the county’s best shot blockers. Groff, unlike most coaches, enjoys No. 1 status. “Some coaches say you’re at a psychological disadvantage,” Groff said. “I think it gets my kids pumped up.” St. Bonaventure’s opponent is the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card game between Brethren and Chadwick.

SMALL SCHOOLS DIVISION

Thacher (9-4) at West Valley Christian (12-2)--Thacher came within three points of defeating defending champion Cate on Friday in a game that decided the championship of the Condor League. The Toads have three players averaging in double figures, led by 6-2 center Chris Ponder, a natural athlete who plays like he is several inches taller. He is averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds a game. The supporting cast includes junior forward Bill McKinley, who averages 10 points and 8 rebounds, and guard Peter Everett, a 5-7 sophomore who averages 10 points and can get hot from three-point range.

Villanova Prep (5-10) at Templeton (17-3)--Villanova made the playoffs for the second season in a row by finishing third in the Condor League. Villanova’s strength is its guards--Jim Amerian and Sal Rivera. Amerian averages 15 points a game. Rivera, who missed seven games because of a dislocated bone in his foot, averages 12 points. Jeremy Leroux, a 6-2 senior, is the Wildcats’ tallest player. Templeton is champion of the Tri-County League.