February 28, 2009 | 9:06
pm
There were radar guns en masse Saturday morning at Lake Forest El Toro to watch 6-foot-7 Chad Thompson of El Toro pitch against Capistrano Valley left-hander Tyler Matzek in a scrimmage.
"I've got some kind of radiation burns," Capistrano Valley Coach Bob Zamora quipped.
Matzek struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced, but Thompson kept the Cougars' bats mostly quiet and helped El Toro come away with a sweep in the two-game scrimmage. Both pitchers were clocked at 94 mph, according to Zamora.
"They're a great ball club," Zamora said of El Toro, the defending Southern Section Division II champions.
-- Eric Sondheimer
February 28, 2009 | 8:48
pm
More Saturday night scores -- this time from the CIF-Southern Section girls' basketball semifinals.
DIVISION I-AA
Cajon 66, Perris 32
Long Beach Poly 46, Troy 34
DIVISION I-A
Canyon Springs 50, Santa Monica 48
Colony 68, Ayala 59
DIVISION II-AA
Brea Olinda 79, Thousand Oaks 43
Edison 45, Mira Costa 37
DIVISION II-A
Beverly Hills 73, Summit 67
Mater Dei 74, Villa Park 24
February 28, 2009 | 8:16
pm
Jules Montgomery, a 6-foot-10 center who has helped West Hills Chaminade reach the Southern Section Division IV-A championship game, had an MRI on Saturday on his injured knee and the results showed no ligament tears, according to Coach Todd Wolfson.
Montgomery, however, faces a week of rehabilitation as the Eagles try to get him sound enough to play against Los Angeles Price.
-- Eric Sondheimer
February 28, 2009 | 5:41
pm
Here are Saturday's CIF-Southern Section division championship scores.
DIVISION I
Dos Pueblos 3, Corona del Mar 2
DIVISION II
Laguna Beach 9, Montebello 5
DIVISION III
Riverside Poly 11, Corona Santiago 5
DIVISION IV
Arroyo Grande 9, Rio Mesa 7
DIVISION V
Los Osos 6, La Habra 5
DIVISION VI
Bonita 9, Malibu 5
DIVISION VII
Cerritos 10, Warren 9 (OT)
-- Austin Knoblauch
February 28, 2009 | 3:41
pm
Fairfax's supposedly potent one-two punch of Renardo Sidney and Solomon Hill?
There was next to nothing doing for the USC-bound duo this afternoon during the second-seeded Lions' 67-45 loss to third-seeded Taft in a City Section Division I semifinal at the Galen Center.
Sidney scored 10 points in the first quarter -- and finished with 13. Hill finished with only seven points.
Taft focused its defense on the pair and let the other Lions do pretty much what they wanted, which wasn't much. Sidney was so tired by the end of the game that he wasn't getting much lift on his jumper and was walking back up the court on defense.
Michael Williams scored 23 points and Nevada Las Vegas-bound guard Justin Hawkins had 20 for the Toreadors, who pulled away early in the fourth quarter. Taft advanced to play top-seeded Westchester in the City final Friday night at the Galen Center.
--Ben Bolch
February 28, 2009 | 3:32
pm
With more than two minutes remaining in his son's City Section Division I semifinal, Renardo Sidney Sr. got up from his courtside seat and walked out of the Galen Center.
It was that kind of afternoon for the Sidneys. Fairfax center Renardo Sidney was a non-factor since the first quarter and Taft pulled off a 67-45 upset of the second-seeded Lions.
Taft will advance to play Westchester in the championship next Friday at the Galen Center.
--Ben Bolch
February 28, 2009 | 3:18
pm
Justin Hawkins made a three-point basket at the end of the third quarter to give third-seeded Taft a 48-40 lead over second-seeded Fairfax this afternoon in a City Section Division I semifinal at the Galen Center.
Fairfax's Renardo Sidney has largely been a non-factor since the first quarter, when he scored 10 of his 13 points. The Toreadors are packing in their defense and daring Lions guard Donte McFrazier to shoot from the perimeter. After a cold start, McFrazier made three three-point baskets in the third quarter.
The winner of this game plays top-seeded Westchester in the championship next Saturday.
-- Ben Bolch
February 28, 2009 | 2:53
pm
It was hard to see this coming.
Unless, perhaps, you were privy to Taft Coach Derrick Taylor's game plan.
The Toreadors are bottling up Fairfax big man Renardo Sidney with multiple defenders, and the ploy paid off in the first half of a City Section Division I semifinal in which Taft took a 31-24 lead into intermission.
Sidney did not score in the second quarter and has 10 points on four-for-10 shooting. The USC-bound center often had to bring the ball up past halfcourt himself to get touches. Three of Fairfax's starters have not scored and the Lions are missing open perimeter looks.
Michael Williams leads Taft with 11 points. The winner will play top-seeded Westchester in the championship next Friday night at the Galen Center.
-- Ben Bolch
February 28, 2009 | 2:30
pm
Taft is turning Renardo Sidney into a part-time point guard, and the Fairfax big man is still managing to get the job done in today's City Section Division I semifinal at the Galen Center.
Sidney is having to bring the ball up past halfcourt himself to get touches because of the way the Toreadors are defending him. They are fronting him with one player and putting one player behind him, daring the Lions to take open perimeter shots that they are mostly missing.
Sidney still scored his team's first 10 points, scoring on a driving layup, a pair of three-pointers and a putback. But Taft leads, 14-13, at the end of the first quarter behind Michael Williams' six points.
It will be interesting to see if this strategy holds up.
-- Ben Bolch
February 28, 2009 | 1:43
pm
It was interesting. For a half.
Westchester's superior combination of size and athleticism then allowed the top-seeded Comets to dominate fourth-seeded Cleveland during the second half of a 71-56 victory in a City Section Division I semifinal at the Galen Center.
Westchester, which had led by only four points at halftime, will play the winner of the upcoming semifinal between second-seeded Fairfax and third-seeded Taft at 8 p.m. next Friday at the Galen Center.
Dwayne Polee Jr. and Jordin Mayes scored 16 points apiece and Dominique O'Connor had 13 for Westchester. Polee also had 10 rebounds.
Jason Johnson scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half for Cleveland. He was saddled with foul trouble for much of the final 16 minutes.
--Ben Bolch
