Sportstars
CIF
Balanced Brentwood attack results in all five starters scoring in double figures in first-round win against Heritage in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 girls basketball playoffs
LOS ANGELES – For all that senior guards Lev Feiman and Payton Sugar have accomplished during their remarkable basketball careers at Brentwood School, perhaps the most valuable contributions for the Eagles aren’t their individual school records, rather, how they have elevated the performances of their teammates, especially during the... Read more
Harvard-Westlake girls basketball team hits stride in second half, scoring 17 straight points to prevail against Rialto in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener
STUDIO CITY – Bella Spencer and Deana Thompson were so focused on stopping the Rialto High girls basketball team at the defensive end that the Harvard-Westlake seniors didn’t even recognize the magnitude of the offensive surge the fourth-seeded Wolverines produced in the second half Thursday night in the opening... Read more
Alta Loma girls water polo team ends unbeaten run of top-seeded Palos Verdes, advances to third straight CIF-Southern Section semifinal, first in Division 1
PALOS VERDES – Carly Berzins knows there is a significant difference between postseason participation and championship experience, and the visiting Alta Loma girls water polo team benefited from that battle-tested background Wednesday against top-seeded Palos Verdes in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals. Berzins, a junior who has earned... Read more
Orange Lutheran girls water polo team finds another gear against Long Beach Wilson in Open Division pool-play victory; Mater Dei also wins
ORANGE – Four first-quarter goals by Allison Cohen, including a pair of 5-meter penalty shots, weren’t enough for Orange Lutheran to deliver an early knockout punch Wednesday night against Long Beach Wilson in their CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo showdown. So, the Lancers decided to unleash their... Read more
Newport Harbor girls water polo team uses five-goal run in CIF-Southern Section Open Division pool-play match to defeat Foothill for fifth time this season
NEWPORT BEACH – Santa Ana Foothill had explored multiple strategies, experimented with different lineups and exhausted every defensive resource in four regular-season matchups against Newport Harbor, only to come up empty against the Sailors in every showdown. But the CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo playoffs provided the... Read more
The Bishop’s School girls water polo team aiming for seventh straight CIF-San Diego Section Open Division crown
The Bishop’s School is looking to continue one of the most impressive athletic dynasties in CIF-San Diego Section history, earning the top seed again in the eight-team Open Division girls water polo playoffs. All Open Division matches are at the Coggan Aquatic Complex in La Jolla, with the opening... Read more
Ontario Christian secures top seed for first time in CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls basketball playoffs, Etiwanda pursuing back-to-back championships
For the first time in school history, Ontario Christian received the top seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls basketball playoffs, seeking the program’s first championship since winning the Division 1-A crown in 1980. The Knights (25-1) – the top-ranked team in the country – headline the eight-team... Read more
CIF-Southern Section Open Division boys basketball playoffs feature largest field since 2017, with 10 teams contending for crown and Harvard-Westlake seeking repeat title
For the first time since 2017, the field for the CIF-Southern Section Open Division boys basketball playoffs included more than eight schools, with 10 teams being divided among two pools and each program receiving a bye during the five-day schedule. Games are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday, followed by... Read more
Inderkum defeats Woodcreek to earn fourth straight Capital Valley Conference boys basketball title, then shuts out Moreau Catholic in final quarter for 18th win in a row
For the first time in more than a month, it appeared the Inderkum boys basketball team might have a game come down to the wire, holding a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter against Moreau Catholic in the second of back-to-back contests at the Super Saturday showcase event at... Read more
Mission Hills girls basketball team records remarkable comeback to secure dramatic 62-61 victory on Westview Senior Night
SAN DIEGO – It didn’t matter how many free throws Mission Hills missed in the fourth quarter Friday night, as long as Bay Cordova made the two most important attempts of the Grizzlies’ season when it mattered most. It wasn’t about the number of times that Westview successfully attacked... Read more
Unbeaten Palos Verdes girls water polo team continues to benefit from youth movement to earn first-round win in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs
PALOS VERDES – Kylie Nishimura played with the poise of a playoff veteran, not a freshman athlete making her postseason debut. Fellow ninth-grader Ella Keene demonstrated the toughness and tenacity of a talented performer accustomed to the challenges of CIF-Southern Section Division 1 girls water polo, not an individual... Read more
Jailynn Robinson helps Orange Lutheran girls water polo team pull away from Foothill in CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoff opener
COSTA MESA – Different year, new playoff format, same exceptional effort from Jailynn Robinson. Although Orange Lutheran begin its pursuit of a third consecutive CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo title competing Thursday night in a pool-play match against Santa Ana Foothill instead of its usual single-elimination contest... Read more