City Section basketball: Championship preview for each division

LACES point guard Donovan Cornelius has been a four-year varsity player.

Columnist

Feb. 20, 2024 5:19 PM PT

In a season of parity, the City Section basketball championships should produce close, competitive finals this weekend. Here’s a look at the matchups.

Boys

Saturday at Pasadena City College

Open: King/Drew vs. LACES, 6 p.m. It’s the youth of King/Drew vs .the experience of LACES. Junior Donald Thompson Jr. can be an impact player if he’s making his three-pointers for King/Drew. As senior point guard Donovan Cornelius goes, so goes LACES, the No. 8 seed competing in its first ever Open Division final.

Division II: Garfield vs. Roosevelt, 2 p.m. Point guard Jayden Barnes fell short winning a City title in football but will be the player to watch for the Bulldogs. Verdugo Hills has been led by Alexander Martinez, who is averaging 15.8 points.

Division IV: Math & Science College vs. Bernstein, 10 a.m. With a 26-5 record, Bernstein has been surging all season behind guards Troy Agtang and Greg Griffin. Point guard Sergio Lopez is averaging 23 points for Math & Science.

Friday at El Camino College

Division I: Washington Prep vs. San Pedro, 8 p.m. Washington Prep has one of the most talented teams in the City Section after finishing second in the Coliseum League. Briyan Aldridge is a 5-foot-7 guard, but he’s fast and dangerous. Senior Chim Emegwa has come on strong for San Pedro, the second-place finisher from the Marine League.

Division III: L.A. Jordan vs. Carson, 6 p.m. The Bulldogs are on a 17-game winning streak and hold a 49-45 win over Carson in December. Jacob Ortega is averaging 22.6 points for Carson.

Thursday at LACES

Division V: New Designs vs. Horace Mann, 8 p.m. New Designs, located in Watts, has reached the final after going 0-7 two seasons ago. There are five seniors leading the way, including leading scorer Agustin Garibay. Guard Derrick Boston leads Horace Mann.

Girls

Saturday at Pasadena City College

Open: Westchester vs. Birmingham, 4 p.m. Westchester is the defending champion and Birmingham won the title in 2022. The Patriots are top seeded and received a huge boost with the arrival at midseason of Zoee Mitchell, whose size provides big help. Mariah Blake is Westchester’s go-to player. The Patriots better contain her if they expect to win.

Division III: Banning vs. Bernstein, noon. Junior guard Melony Bernabe leads the Pilots, who were fourth in the Marine League. Junior guard Odali Rivera is averaging 21 points for Bernstein.

Friday at Birmingham

Division I: Sun Valley Poly vs. Arleta, 8 p.m. This is a rematch between East Valley League champion Poly and runner-up Arleta. Arleta won both league games.

Division II: Kennedy vs. Van Nuys, 6 p.m. These two teams finished 11-1 in the Valley Mission League and split their two league meetings. Guard Leilani Richards leads Kennedy. Van Nuys is 19-2 and on a six-game winning streak.

Friday at El Camino College

Division IV: Gardena vs. Fremont, 4 p.m. These are the top two seeds. Junior Lauren Tobin-Williams is averaging 11 points for Gardena. Fremont has relied on its defense to reach the final.