Birmingham-Sylmar More Like Revival

When Birmingham High plays Sylmar for the City Section 3-A Division boys’ basketball title today at Cal State Los Angeles, it will be the teams’ first meeting since the Braves left the Valley Pac-8 Conference in 1994.

Getting an accurate read on the matchup is difficult. Asking coaches who played both teams this season doesn’t help much. Birmingham and Sylmar have undergone significant changes over the course of the season.

The Spartans’ change is more dramatic. Sylmar (18-9) has won nine consecutive games since 6-foot-6 forward Jeremiah Turner returned from a broken hand. When Turner returned, the Spartans lost guard Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs, who was kicked off the team in January, was Sylmar’s only explosive scoring threat. He scored 21 points in the fourth quarter of a game.

“We’re a lot better rebounding team now,” Sylmar Coach Bort Escoto said.

Reseda is the only team to play Birmingham and Sylmar after Turner returned.

But the Regents played Birmingham in the first game of the season, when football players Emmanuel Evans and Jerome Riley were getting into basketball shape.

“It was a really ugly game,” Reseda Coach Dave Enowitz said.

Birmingham (18-9) often slowed the tempo before the 35-second shot clock was installed this year. In the nonleague season, the Braves tried a more wide-open game before gradually settling down in the playoffs.

“It’s taken me the whole season to learn how to use the 35-second clock,” Coach Al Bennett said.

Grant lost to Birmingham twice in December before beating Sylmar by six points in January. Lancer Coach Howard Levine picks the Braves to win their first City basketball title.

“I have to give them a little bit of an edge because of experience,” Levine said. “It will be a contrast of styles.”

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City Section Boys’ Basketball

* WHERE: At Cal State Los Angeles

* DIRECTIONS: 5 South to 10 East. Exit on Eastern Ave. Eastern Ave. North turns into Paseo Rancho. East into school at Campus Road.

* TICKET INFORMATION: $4 presale for students; $6 day of game.

3-A DIVISION

* WHO: Sylmar (18-9) vs. Birmingham (18-9)

* WHEN: Today, 3 p.m.

* WHO TO WATCH: Birmingham seniors Emmanuel Evans, Stanley Fletcher and Fahim Hassankhail lead a veteran team. Evans and Fletcher each average nearly 20 points a game and Hassankhail averages 8.7 assists. Junior forwards Jeremiah Turner and George Wrighster have helped Sylmar win nine consecutive games.

* FAST FACT In the last All-Valley final, Van Nuys defeated Canoga Park, 70-65, in double overtime in 1996.