Prep Rally: Nail-biting Time In High School Basketball

Hi, and invited to different version of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s nan last week of nan precocious schoolhouse hoops play pinch location finals Tuesday and nan authorities championships Friday and Saturday astatine Golden 1 Center successful Sacramento.

Basketball finales

It’s crunch clip successful precocious schoolhouse basketball. You either triumph and get to spell connected a travel to Sacramento aliases suffer and nan play is over. Let’s analyse Tuesday’s location last matchups.

Dominique Bentho is each smiles aft Harvard-Westlake semifinal triumph complete St. Joseph. The Wolverines look Sierra Canyon connected Tuesday for nan Southern California Open Division location hoops championship.

BOYS

Open: Harvard-Westlake astatine Sierra Canyon. It’s nan 3rd gathering betwixt these 2 Mission League powers. Sierra Canyon is 28-1 and beautiful overmuch has been unbeaten astatine home. Harvard-Westlake put successful a small scare astatine Toyota Arena, coming wrong 3 points pinch 19 seconds left. The Wolverines will request to rebound good and limit their turnovers to person a chance astatine victory.

Division I: Damien astatine St. John Bosco. This is nan Matt Dunn appreciation game. The St. John Bosco coach antecedently coached Damien to a authorities title. St. John Bosco’s Christian Collins is simply a McDonald’s All-American who’d emotion to show his worldly successful an NBA arena. Damien is reliable to hit erstwhile its players are making threes.

Division II: Palisades astatine Bakersfield Christian. The Dolphins are 1 of 3 City Section teams defying nan accepted contented that City Section talent level has collapsed. The squad is loaded pinch underclassmen and conscionable mightiness beryllium capable to make it to Sacramento.

Division III: Colony astatine Birmingham. The Patriots were eliminated successful nan first information of nan City Section Open Division playoffs and person caught occurrence successful nan authorities playoffs down high-scoring Tekeio Phillips.

Division IV: San Juan Hills astatine Tulare Union. San Juan Hills sewage a 2nd chance successful nan authorities playoffs and hasn’t looked back.

Division V: Sylmar astatine Coalinga. At midseason, Sylmar coach Bort Escorto switched to a Paul Westhead-like Loyola Marymount run-and-gun accuracy and nan Spartans person been scoring truthful galore points and having truthful overmuch nosy they are 1 triumph from playing for a authorities title successful Escoto’s 32nd play arsenic coach.

GIRLS

Open: Sage Hill astatine Ontario Christian. Sage Hills pulled disconnected nan shocker of nan play successful defeating Southern Section Open Division champion Sierra Canyon 57-54 connected nan road. Ontario Christian remains nan squad to hit pinch Kaleena Smith.

Division I: Corona Centennial astatine Rancho Christian. Centennial sewage backmost 6-5 Sydney Douglas from an wounded and is abruptly a formidable opponent.

Division II: Saugus astatine Santa Maria St. Joseph. The St. Joseph boys squad was eliminated astatine Harvard-Westlake, but nan girls are favored to scope Sacramento.

Division III: Leuzinger astatine El Dorado. Leuzinger was seeded No. 5, El Dorado No. 2. El Dorado vanished 3rd successful nan competitory Century League.

Division IV: Palisades astatine Godinez. Palisades was not a facet successful nan Western League during nan City playoffs but has been surging successful nan authorities playoffs. Godinez is nan No. 2 seed.

Division V: Schurr astatine Laguna Hills. The Hawks vanished 3rd successful nan Golden West League but person won 10 of their past 11 games. Sophomore Valerie Sepulveda leads Schurr successful scoring astatine 13 points a game.

Moving on

Drew Anderson gets excited aft scoring 29 points successful Santa Margarita’s 75-71 triumph complete Redondo Union.

(Nick Koza)

It was a nerve-racking week for teams trying to enactment live successful nan authorities hoops playoffs. Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita made each 11 of its shots successful an upset of Redondo Union. Here’s the report.

Damien showed disconnected its three-point shooting successful a triumph complete Crespi. Here’s the report.

Harvard-Westlake fell down 19-3 and rallied to conclusion Santa Maria St. Joseph. Here’s the report.

Etiwanda’s Arynn Finley is guarded by Ontario Christian’s Kaleena Smith during nan Southern California Open Division location semifinals connected March 7, 2026. Finley scored 30 points successful Etiwanda’s 80-66 loss.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Sage Hill and Ontario Christian reached nan Open Division location girls final. Here’s the report.

Here’s a look astatine revelations from 4 weeks of playoff action.

Track and field

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame way coach Joe McNab has produced 3 100 meters authorities champions successful Justin Fargas, Rodney Glass and Khafani Muhammad. Muhammad is now an adjunct coach for nan Knights, truthful watch retired for nan improvement of Quincy Hearn, a 6-foot-3 inferior receiver who began his outpouring way play pinch a 10.52 100 meters.

In Texas, Jorden Wells of Servite came adjacent to California’s authorities grounds for 100 meters moving a upwind ineligible 10.33 seconds. He vanished 3rd successful his race.

At Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Redondo Union’s Bo Ausmus turned successful a monolithic effort of 63-07.75 successful nan shotput.

Baseball

No. 1-ranked St. John Bosco has played 2 games and won some by shutouts. Nothing has changed from a play agone erstwhile Jack Champlin emerged arsenic a ascendant closer. Until opponents fig retired really to people disconnected Champlin aliases get a lead earlier Champlin comes in, it looks for illustration nan Braves will beryllium hard-pressed to lose.

The Mission League originates this week pinch a showdown bid betwixt Harvard-Westlake and Sierra Canyon. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is unbeaten. The convention is filled pinch outstanding pitchers, truthful scoring runs will beryllium tough.

Here’s this week’s apical 25 rankings by The Times.

Softball

There were immoderate surprises successful Arizona, wherever galore of nan region’s apical teams went for nan Dave Kops tournament.

Murrieta Mesa (11-0) emerged arsenic nan champion. The Rams defeated JSerra 2-1 successful nan title game. Lilly Hauser’s pitching and hitting led Murrieta Mesa. She struck retired 11 against JSerra.

No. 1-ranked Norco mislaid games to JSerra 2-1 and Fullerton 3-2.

Oaks Christian is 8-0. Here’s a report.

Jake Brande returns

Rancho Christian pitcher Jake Brande.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

For months, Jake Brande, a pitcher astatine Rancho Christian, has been dealing pinch nan nonaccomplishment of his teenage brother, Johnny, who died of crab past December. He was yet approved to play aft transferring from Palm Desert to Rancho Christian. He and his family person gone done a lot, but sports has been nan distraction they each appreciate.

Here’s a look astatine nan family trying to move forward.

Soccer

The first authorities championships successful precocious schoolhouse shot will return spot Friday and Saturday astatine Natomas High successful Sacramento. Here’s the schedule.

Garfield from nan City Section has made nan 10 a.m. Division V title crippled against Branson. The Bulldogs won nan Southern California location last pinch a 1-0 triumph complete Bakersfield Taft.

Mater Dei’s boys and girls squad are going for authorities championships successful Division 1.

Jason Crowe Jr. ends prep career

Four Damien players salary attraction to Inglewood’s Jason Crowe Jr., nan state’s all-time scoring leader successful his last precocious schoolhouse game.

(Nick Koza )

The fabulous four-year precocious schoolhouse hoops profession of Jason Crowe Jr. has travel to an end. He vanished pinch a state-record 4,718 points successful 124 games playing for Inglewood and Lynwood. He’s headed to Missouri. Here’s a look astatine his last crippled against Damien.

New jobs for Fenton, Herrington

Ray Fenton is nan caller shot coach astatine Orange Lutheran.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Two precocious schoolhouse shot jobs were yet filled past week. Ray Fenton is leaving Los Alamitos to go caput coach astatine Orange Lutheran. Former St. Francis coach Dean Herrington is nan caller caput coach astatine St. Bernard. Here’s the report.

Notes . . .

Mira Costa won nan Best of nan West boys volleyball tourney successful San Diego, defeating Corona del Mar successful nan final. . . .

Loyola’s lacrosse squad had 1 shutout and 1 crippled allowing 1 extremity this past week.

(Andrika King)

Loyola’s lacrosse squad showed its domination this past week pinch a shutout against Sierra Canyon and giving up 1 extremity against Crespi. Here’s the report. . . .

Kristen Sherman, emblem shot coach astatine Orange Lutheran, has resigned to go an adjunct astatine Cal Poly nether her husband, Rod, who was released arsenic Orange Lutheran’s 11-man coach and named this past week arsenic Cal Poly’s first emblem shot caput coach. . . .

Eric Cooper has resigned arsenic boys hoops coach astatine Chino. . . .

Darrell Davis, nan shot coach astatine Castaic, has announced that 2026 will beryllium his last play arsenic coach. . . .

Daniel Fierro is nan caller shot coach astatine Cantwell-Sacred Heart. . . .

Marcus Fakatou, a standout protect lineman from Orange Lutheran and 1 of nan apical prospects from nan people of 2027, has transferred to Sierra Canyon. Here’s the transportation portal’s latest transfers.

From nan archives: Will Gasparino

From 2021, JSerra shortstop Cody Shrier tags retired and Harvard Westlake’s Will Gasparino.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Will Gasparino played precocious schoolhouse shot astatine Harvard-Westlake, past spent 2 years astatine Texas earlier transferring to UCLA this season, and nan 6-foot-7 outfielder has travel into his own, pinch 11 location runs to commencement nan season.

He was selected MVP of nan Amegy Bank College Baseball Series 2 weeks agone aft going 5-for-11 pinch 4 location runs successful helping UCLA hit teams that were classed No. 4, No. 20 and No. 23.

Here’s a story from 2023 connected Gasparino earlier nan amateur draught and his father, head of scouting pinch nan Dodgers.

Recommendations

From nan Los Angeles Times, a communicative connected nan travel of 6-11 Chadrack Mpoyi of Crean Lutheran.

From NFHS.org, a communicative connected really breaking precocious schoolhouse records should return into relationship sportsmanship.

From USC Annenberg, a communicative connected nan emergence of women’s emblem football.

Tweets you mightiness person missed

Until adjacent time....

Have a question, remark aliases thing you’d for illustration to spot successful a early Prep Rally newsletter? Email maine astatine eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and travel maine connected Twitter astatine @latsondheimer.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To motion up and get it successful your inbox, click here.