CITY SECTION BASKETBALL: BIG GAME IS HERE TAFT, CLEVELAND TO RESUME RIVALRY.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer Cleveland Cleveland, former county, England Cleveland, former county, NE England, created under the Local Government Act of 1972 (effective 1974). It was composed of the county boroughs of Hartlepool and Teeside and parts of the former counties of Durham and High of Reseda boys' basketball forward Jason Hill barely had time to enjoy Friday's first-round City Section playoff play·off also play-off n. Sports 1. A final game or series of games played to break a tie. 2. A series of games played to determine a championship. Noun 1. victory against Monroe Monroe. 1 Industrial city (1990 pop. 54,909), seat of Ouachita parish, SE La., on the Ouachita River; founded c.1785, inc. as a city 1900. The center of the great Monroe Natural Gas Field (discovered 1915), it has important chemical plants, as well as of North Hills before someone brought up Taft of Woodland Hills. Cleveland and Taft, West Valley League opponents and neighborhood rivals, meet at 7:30 tonight in the City Section quarterfinals in what is one of the most highly anticipated basketball games in the area in years. Hill, aware of the significance, had to smile when Taft was mentioned so soon after the Cavaliers put away the Vikings on Friday night. ``No doubt, it's going to be a great game,'' said Hill, who is headed to Cal State Northridge. ``This is a game everybody's been looking forward to all year. This game is for the championship of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . It's going to be fun.'' Across town, Taft guard Calvin Haynes agreed. ``Everybody wants to see that,'' he said. Haynes, one of the top juniors in the country, predicted a Cleveland victory over Monroe shortly after Taft's first-round win over Kennedy of Granada Hills on Thursday. Haynes, who played a critical role in Taft's City Championship team last year, also predicted the Toreadors had to improve their effort against Monroe if they want to advance to the semifinals Friday. ``We have to play better defense, and we have to play harder,'' Haynes said. ``And we have to come ready to play from the opening tip. We can't wait until the second quarter to get going. We have to come out ready to play as soon as we step on the court.'' The winner will play either Westchester or Washington in the semifinals. --Chatsworth's unsung hero: Last season, Morgan Morgan, American family of financiers and philanthropists. Junius Spencer Morgan, 1813–90, b. West Springfield, Mass., prospered at investment banking. Bennett was mostly an afterthought af·ter·thought n. An idea, response, or explanation that occurs to one after an event or decision. afterthought Noun 1. on the Chatsworth girls' basketball team. As the eighth player in the rotation, she contributed solid minutes off the bench but was never an impact player. But this season, things have turned around. Although her statistics aren't eye-catching (6.4 points, 6.5 rebounds per game), coach Raquel Alotis said Bennett has been invaluable to the team. ``She's been a huge contributor,'' Alotis said. ``Without her, we wouldn't be 22-4. She doesn't have the stats, but in terms of hustle hus·tle v. hus·tled, hus·tling, hus·tles v.tr. 1. To jostle or shove roughly. 2. To convey in a hurried or rough manner: hustled the prisoner into a van. , defense, rebounding and all those other intangibles, she's been great.'' For Bennett, the biggest difference this season has been the commitment she's made to the team. In the past, she missed practices, showed up late and wasn't always focused. But this year has been a different story. ``I've dedicated myself a lot more,'' she said. ``I haven't missed a practice yet.'' Bennett will play a key role tonight when the top-seeded Chancellors play host to No. 9 Crenshaw cren·shaw also cran·shaw n. A variety of winter melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorus) having a greenish-yellow rind and sweet, usually salmon-pink flesh. [Origin unknown.] in the City Section quarterfinals. Crenshaw defeated Chatsworth in the quarterfinals last season on its way to the City championship. However, seven players, including four starters, graduated from Crenshaw after last season. ``We still want revenge,'' junior guard Ayanna Wrighster said. ``Now we've got them here at home so we've got to take care of business.'' Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. contributed to this report. CAPTION(S): box Box: BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS |
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