Boys’ basketball: Verdugo Hills takes over first place in East Valley League

It’s time to start paying attention to Verdugo Hills (18-4, 5-0) as a possible challenger to Sylmar for the City Section Division II championship.

The Dons took over sole possession of first place in the East Valley League with a 50-38 win over Sun Valley Poly. Albert Marmol scored 17 points and had seven assists. Adrian Gutierrez had 15 rebounds and four blocks.

Grant defeated Monroe, 78-65. Daleshawn Jackson scored 23 points. Udy Ivazov had 18 points and 20 rebounds. Isiaah Bryant scored 33 points for Monroe.

In the West Valley League, El Camino Real broke open a close game in the fourth quarter behind Evan Wardlow and secured a 71-57 win over Taft. Wardlow had 19 points. Chris Terry added 14 points and Kelton Conway 13. Chris Sandifer scored 29 points for Taft.

Granada Hills defeated Birmingham, 77-69. Jason Horosny scored 23 points, Jacob Lilley 22 and Brandon Dozier 17. Sereigne Athj led Birmingham with 19 points.

In the Marine League, Narbonne (14-7, 5-0) stayed in first place with a 65-43 win over Gardena. Eban Jackson scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds for Narbonne.

Westchester improved to 16-4 and 3-0 in the Western League with a 67-27 win over Hamilton. Elijah Stewart had 11 points. Westchester plays host to Fairfax on Friday. Venice defeated LACES, 85-79. Nick Caruso scored 20 points. Palisades defeated University, 75-61. Aaron Johnson led the Dolphins with 21 points. C.J. Sinada had 20 points for University.

In the Coliseum League, Dorsey defeated Crenshaw, 66-52. Rancho Dominguez defeated Amino South L.A., 54-46. William Brooks had 17 points and 14 rebounds.

In the Eastern League, South Gate defeated Huntington Park, 41-39. Joshua Conde had 13 points. Gerardo Zavala had 11 points, including the game-winning shot with 26 seconds left.

Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com