2006 THE YEAR IN SPORTS TAKING A LOOK BACK.

In 2006, there was plenty of excitement in local sports. High school football had two state champions, UCLA went to the championship game in men's college basketball and the long-struggling Clippers got within a game of the Western Conference finals.

The USC football team lost not one but two chances to win the national championship, Kennedy High won its eighth City Section baseball title after winning back-to-back games against national powers.

The Dodgers had a record-tying game in September that didn't win them the pennant but will be talked about for years, and Kobe Bryant set the NBA on its ear with the second-highest scoring game in league history.

Here is a closer look at the year in sports:

1. 81!

With no video of what happened on March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pa., Wilt Chamberlain's mythical 100-point game lives on mostly through the memories of the men who were there that night and a single black-and-white photo taken of Chamberlain afterward.

The same won't be said of the night when Bryant willed the Lakers back from 18 points down in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. It was as real as the picture coming through the television, though no easier to believe.

When the final horn sounded, Bryant had scored 81 points -- second only in history to Chamberlain's 100 -- and turned the NBA world on its axis. Only fiveplayers had scored even 70 points in a game before Bryant did the unthinkable Jan. 22.

He saved the Lakers from what would have been a disastrous loss by scoring 55 points in the second half. It came during a season in which he won his first scoring title (35.4 points per game) and exploded for 62 points in threequarters of a game last December against Dallas.

Although he didn't win the league MVP award, Bryant's 81-point night confirmed his place as the best player in the game. The signature play came late in the third quarter, when Bryant got a hand on a pass for a steal and beat Jose Calderon to the loose ball.

He took it the other way for a two-handed slam. Lakers coach Phil Jackson could only marvel afterward at how Bryant was able to find the energy to finish a game in which he made 28 of 46 shots, 7 of 13 3-pointers and 18 of 20 free throws.

``To sit here and say that I grasp what happened tonight,'' Bryant said afterward, ``I'd be lying.''

Bryant scored a greater percentage of his team's points than Chamberlain did on his night for the ages. As fate would have it, Bryant won a state championship with Lower Merion (Pa.) High back in 1996 in the same arena where Chamberlain scored 100 points.

2. Run of the Bruins

The UCLA men's basketball team had an exciting run through the NCAA Tournament, beating Belmont and Alabama in the first two rounds. In the third round, the Bruins trailed Gonzaga by 17 points in the second half but staged a miraculous comeback and won 73-71 as Cedric Bozeman made a deflection in the final seconds, Jordan Farmar got the ball and found an open Luc Mbah a Moute under the basket for the score. In the regional final, UCLA won a defensive battle 50-45 over Memphis to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

UCLA seemed destined to win in John Wooden's hometown, but it wasn't to be. Wooden watched the game from a hospital bed after developing a case of diverticulitis. He was treated to UCLA's semifinal win over LSU, but UCLA was dominated by Florida 73-57 in the national championship game. Florida's Joakim Noah was unstoppable with 16 points, nine rebounds and a title-game record six blocks. The Bruins were never in it but finished another magical season 32-7.

Farmar left early for the NBA and is now playing for the Lakers, but UCLA picked up where it left off and earned a No. 1 ranking for the first time since 1995. The Bruins (12-0) have won 24 of their past 25games and seem poised to make another run at the national title.

3. Four homers -- then Nomar

On Sept. 18, the Dodgers played host to San Diego. The winner would lead the NationalLeague West with twoweeks to go. Brad Penny gave up four runs in the first inning, but the Dodgers tied the score in the third. Somewhere in the early going, coach Mariano Duncan and SanDiego pitcher Jake Peavy had to be separated. Jonathan Broxton let the Padres go ahead, then Takashi Saito let them go four runs up in the top of the ninth.

Much of the original crowd of 55,831 decided to beat the traffic.

Against Padres reliever Jon Adkins, Jeff Kent led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run. J.D. Drew followed with a homer. (So what? The Padres were bringing in Trevor Hoffman to quiet things down.) Russell Martin hit a homer. (Three in a row, and still it didn't feel that special, because the Padres led by a run.) Marlon Anderson hit a home run. (Pandemonium.)

If you were sitting high enough -- or jumping high enough -- you saw the flashes of red taillights from fans stopping and returning to the park to watch the Dodgers come from behind again in the 10th to win the game on a home run by Nomar Garciaparra.

It was the signature moment of a playoff season for the Dodgers, a streaky season, a stop-and-go season.

Anderson said that night: ``It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in a baseball game in my life, at any level.''

4. USC's Roses come with thorns

The Rose Bowl was the site of twoblown opportunities in 2006 for USC to win a 12th national football championship.

The Trojans seemed to be on their way to a third consecutive national title Jan. 4, up by 12 points on Texas with less than five minutes to play.

Then Vince Young took over the game, completing five of six passes and running in a 17-yard touchdown.

After LenDale White was stuffed on fourth-and-2 at the Texas 44-yard line, Young worked his magic again.

On fourth-and-5 from the USC 8, Young took the snap in the shotgun and beat Trojans defenders to the right corner of the end zone to give the Longhorns a 41-38 victory.

To bookend the calendar year, USC had another devastating loss at the Rose Bowl, this one to rival UCLA 13-9 Dec. 2. That one cost the Trojans a spot in the BCS championship game.

UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, a former assistant under Pete Carroll at USC, devised a plan to frustrate John David Booty with constant pressure.

The result was Booty's first game of the season without a touchdown pass. The Trojans still had a chance, driving to the UCLA 19 with a little more than a minute remaining. However, Bruins linebacker Eric McNeal leaped high in the air to tip Booty's pass and dove to make the interception that ended USC's title hopes.

5. Stating their cases

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village came through with perhaps the finest prep football season in area history, finishing 15-0, the first local program ever to win 15 games in oneseason, capped by a CIF State Div. III title.

Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, running back Marc Tyler and defensive back Marshall Jones were among a dozen top seniors expected to continue their careers at major colleges, with Clausen at Notre Dame and Tyler and Jones at USC.

After routing 14 consecutive opponents to win the Southern Section Northwest championship, including an impressive 46-point nonleague victory over one-time national power St. Bonaventure, Oaks Christian had its first close call in the televised state championship game at Home Depot Center. The Lions were tested by Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa but managed to hang on for a 27-20 overtime victory.

The victory was Oaks Christian's 46th in a row, tying a Southern Section record set by Canyon (1983-86). The Lions finished No. 1 in the state in Cal-Hi Sports' rankings, and No. 6 in USA Today's national rankings.

Clausen, 42-0 as a starter, finished the season with 3,428 yards and 49 touchdowns. Tyler, injured in the first round of the playoffs, rushed for 1,700 yards and scored 31 touchdowns.

Canyon High pulled off a victory of historic proportions, defeating Concord De La Salle 27-13 in the CIF State Div. I championship game at Home Depot Center. At the time, De La Salle was No. 1 in USA Today's national rankings.

The victory was Canyon's 12th in a row following a 1-2 start. The reigning Div. II section champions won the Northern title and stretched their postseason winning streak to nine games over two seasons.

One week earlier, Canyon came through with a thrilling 24-22 last- second victory over Moorpark in the section final, winning on Christopher Chapman's 19-yard field goal in the waning moments.

Coach Harry Welch proved he could build a Canyon dynasty not once but twice. After winning threeconsecutive section titles in the 1980s, he has won two more since returning from an eight-year retirement in 2001.

J.J. DiLuigi rushed for 2,159 yards and scored 39 touchdowns, giving him 82 in two seasons. Teammate Ben Longshore passed for 2,830 yards and accounted for 32 touchdowns (23 passing, ninerunning).

Explosive on offense, Canyon also dominated defensively. The key hitters were linebacker Blake McMartin, defensive lineman Mike Spagnola and safety Kenny Shanahan.

6. Who is laughing now?

They started out as a joke, transitioned into a feel-good story and became championship contenders. The Clippers took quite a ride last season, one that lifted the franchise to heights most thought they'd never see.

Behind the veteran leadership of power forward Elton Brand and point guard Sam Cassell, the Clippers enjoyed a franchise-record season and came within one victory of the Western Conference finals.

They fell short, as the Phoenix Suns took Game 7 of the second-round series, but the Clippers won the most games (47) -- and their first playoff series -- since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1984. Not since 1975-76, in the days of the Buffalo Braves, had the franchise won a playoff series.

``It was a coming-out party for myself and my teammates,'' Brand said.

The Clippers, Los Angeles' unloved losers for so long, shattered old perceptions. Team owner Donald Sterling raised payroll and long-derided general manager Elgin Baylor took NBA Executive of the Year honors.

For a few weeks, the Clippers captivated the Los Angeles sporting scene, as they lasted one round longer than the Lakers. Brand, long one of the NBA's least-appreciated superstars, became a household name, and players such as Cassell, Chris Kaman and Corey Maggette all had their time in the limelight.

With coach Mike Dunleavy and almost the entire roster returning, the Clippers figured to be in good shape this season, but in December they fell into last place in the Pacific Division.

After last season, Cassell said, ``We can't be a one-hit wonder. We can't be a Milli Vanilli. We have to be the Jacksons.'' But so far, the Clippers haven't been able to follow up on their breakout hit.

7. Lots of Love and extra Mayo

Make no mistake, Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo have enough talent to make an NBA roster. The prep basketball stars would be lottery picks in 2007 if 18-year-olds were allowed to enter to NBA draft.

But the NBA increased its age limit to 19 in 2005, forcing the prospects to take their talents elsewhere for at least one year.

A 6-foot-10, 240-pound center from Lake Oswego High in Oregon, Love committed to UCLA in July, making him Ben Howland's top recruit in his threeyears with the Bruins. Love is the No. 7-ranked senior prospect in the nation, according to rivals.com.

Mayo, the No. 5 recruit in the nation, signed his letter of intent with USC on Nov. 15. The 6-foot-5 point guard from Huntington (W.Va.) High has averaged more than 28 points, seven rebounds and fiveassists in each of his first threeyears, and he is expected to take the Trojans to national prominence for one season before jetting to the NBA.

8. Champs have local flavor

The St. Louis Cardinals looked pretty dismal down the stretch and squeezed into the National League playoffs on the final day of the regular season despite winning just 83 games. Once they reached the postseason, local pitchers Jeff Suppan (Crespi High of Encino) and Jeff Weaver (Simi Valley High) took them the rest of the way.

Suppan was named MVP of the Cardinals' thrilling seven-game victory over the New York Mets in the NL Championship Series. Weaver, the former Dodger who was traded by the Angels earlier in the season, recorded a victory in each of the three playoff rounds. He pitched eight impressive innings in the Game 5 World Series clincher, the Cardinals first series victory in 24 years.

Both pitchers excelled just as they were about to enter free agency. Suppan signed a four-year, $42 million contract with Milwaukee in late December. Weaver, who won five games after joining the Cardinals in July, is expected to return to St. Louis.

Tyler Johnson, a 25-year-old left-hander from Newbury Park High and Moorpark College also had an impressive postseason. Johnson, a reliever, had a 1.23 ERA in 10games, with 12 strikeouts in 7 1/3innings.

9. Cougars strike gold -- again

Even with seven City Section baseball titles, Kennedy of Granada Hills no longer had the high profile of nationally ranked rivals El Camino Real of Woodland Hills and Chatsworth. That made the Golden Cougars' eighth title that much sweeter.

Kennedy upset ECR in the semifinals behind crafty left-hander Jacob Miranda, then beat Chatsworth, rated No. 6 in the country at the time, 4-2 in the championship game at Dodger Stadium behind hard-throwing lefty Fabian Williamson.

``Everyone's jumping around, but this isn't a surprise to me,'' Williamson said. ``Nobody thought we could do this, but it's good all the attention was on Chatsworth. There's no pressure on us, everyone always thinks Chatsworth is going to win.''

10. Local wrestler takes state

Crespi of Encino's Sione Fua earned a scholarship to play football for Stanford, but his name will go down in the area record book as the first wrestler from the San Fernando Valley to win a state title.

Fua had to drop 25 pounds after leading Crespi to its second-straight Southern Section Div. X football title to make the 275-pound limit for heavyweights, but it didn't take long for him to round into form.

He won his fourth Mission League title, finished fifth at the Southern Section Coastal Division finals and third at the Masters Meet.

In the state final, he defeated his good friend Romney Fuga of Edison of Huntington Beach, a longtime rival and returning state medalist.

Only 37 area wrestlers previously had earned medals at the state meet, which began in 1973. Only five -- none of them from the San Fernando Valley -- had reached the state final. Just one, Newbury Park 119-pounder Keith Harvey in 1985, had won a state championship.

CAPTION(S):

12 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 6 -- color) Photos by: Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (USC's Reggie Bush), Keith Birmingham/Staff Photographer (Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra), Darron Cummings/Associated Press (UCLA's Jordan Farmar), Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer (Kobe Bryant), Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer (Oaks Christian football), Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (Clippers' James Singleton, right, and Cuttino Mobley)

(7) The Canyon football team celebrates its State Div. I championship victory over De La Salle of Concord.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News

(8) Members of the Kennedy baseball team react after their title-game victory over Chatsworth at Dodger Stadium. It was the program's eighth title.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

(9) Crespi heavyweight Sione Fua became the first wrestler in Valley history to win a state title.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

(10) Cardinals pitchers, from left, Jeff Weaver, Tyler Johnson and Jeff Suppan.

Getty Images

(11) no caption (Kevin Love basketball card)

(12) no caption (O.J. Mayo basketball card)

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