Articles
April 17, 2014
LAWT Wire Services
The only post-season high school basketball showcase that is divided along sectional lines will turn 16 on Saturday April 19 at Redondo High School and will again feature the best of the best.
McDonalds All American Thomas Welsh of Loyola and headed to UCLA will join a list of Collision alumni that includes NBA stars Russell Westbrook and Darren Collision, but his task will be to draw the Southern Section boys even with their City Section rivals at Collision XVI.
Welsh will be joined by arguably one of the most successful point guards in Southern section history in All CIF Open Division star Justin Bibbins of Bishop Montgomery who is Long Beach State bound. Ian Fox, Redondo Union; Terell Carter, Redondo Union; Bedhart Ghani, 6’4 Loyola; Brice Mency, 6’5 Chino Hills; Jack Williams, Chaminade (Long Beach State), Namon Wright, 6’4 Pacific Hills (Missouri); Joey Covarubias, 6’2 Cantwell Sacredhart; Malik Marquetti, 6’6 Millikan (USC); Brian Beard, 5’9 Orange H. S.; Kameron Murrell, 6’2 Long Beach Poly; and Jerome Bryant, 6’7 Cathedral round out the team.
The City boys, which led the rivalry 8 games to 7, will be led by City Player of the Year Elijah Stewart of Westchester and All City choice Julian Richardson of City champion El Camino Real. Ucheena Okeneme (Narbonne), Reverend Maduakor (Narbonne), Nick Hamilton (Westchester), Cameron Young (Westchester), Devenir Duruisseau (Sylmar), Brandon Crawford (Washington), Darnell Bettis (University) Quincy Thomas (San Pedro), Maleke Haynes (El Camino Real), Olisaemea Nwachie (Fairfax), Sage Woodruff (Fairfax) and Deric Daniels Dorsey
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The Southern Section girls have dominated the City 12 games to 3, but two of the those three wins by the City have come in the last three years.
View Park’s Mareshah Farmer, who led the City in scoring with a 29 point per game scoring average, will lead a City girl’s team that features Narbonne’s Jade Everage Narbonne and Kayla Brady, Judith Espinoza of Eagle Rock, Irma Munoz of Garfield and LACES dynamo of Sara Mills- LACES and Liran Schahaf. Rounding out the team will be Jasmyne Davis and Brianna Wade of Washington Prep, Stephanie Perez of Torres, Lupe Cruz of Southeast, Palisades’ Kylie Bethel and Hayley Hutt-Palisades. Jessica Torres of Garfield will coach the Girls City team.
The Southern Girls roster could be the tallest in the history of the event touting at least five players 6’0 or taller, including St. Bernard’s 6’2 Chenelle Pelle, 6’0 Ella Stepanian of Crescenta Valley, Long Beach Poly’s Jada Matthews and Redondo Union’s 6’1 Tatiana Maimot.
That’s not all, the Serra’s coach McKinsey Hadley will also have the services of Serra stars Caila Haley (Washington State) and Cydney Bolton, Mira Costa’s dynamic All CIF selection Camille Mills and Lynwood’s Priscilla Lopez.
Collision is sponsored by Hank Salvatori, the Coffee Bean and product provided by Jordan Brand.
Etiwanda’s head coach Dave Kleckner will receive the Jim Harrick Life Time Achievement Award and Albert ‘Cap’ Lavin Scholar Athlete of the Year awards will be presented to the top girl and boy scholar during the game.
The event will begin with several outstanding AAU games starting at 11:30 a.m. and also the top 7th, 8th and underclass talent.
The girl’s senior game will tip at 5:30 p.m. the boy’s game will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and only available at the door.