CITY SECTION PREVIEW: CHATSWORTH LOOKS TO TIGHTEN HOLD ON WEST VALLEY LEAGUE.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

In the shadows of El Camino Real, Grant and North Hollywood, all longtime powerhouses in City Section girls' basketball, the neophytes at Chatsworth came out of nowhere to be last season's surprise team.

Now the secret is out, but the Chancellors have enough talent to go deep in the City playoffs. Not all the way, of course, since national power Narbonne will crush whatever contender dares step in its path. But that doesn't dampen the Chancellors' spirits.

``We're very excited about this year,'' Chatsworth assistant coach Mitch Cannon said. ``We're looking forward to building on what we accomplished last year.

``It's not going to be easy though. Taft and ECR are strong, Granada Hills is improved and even Birmingham and Cleveland are going to be better.''

But the West Valley League is clearly Chatsworth's to lose, as the Chancellors lost just one player from their regular rotation. Junior Liz Sun, a Daily News all-area selection last year, is a versatile player who can break down most opponents. Junior Ashley Shelton moves over to shooting guard to make room for junior Brittany Hamilton, a transfer from Buena of Ventura.

Center Jenny Lang and forward Lindsay Eichler, who provides strong rebounding and outside shooting, complete the starting lineup. Junior Linnae Barber, a transfer from Kennedy, and Porsha Batista provide depth. Summer Johnson broke her arm last spring in a skateboarding accident and is expected back in January.

The rest of the league is less certain, although El Camino Real of Woodland Hills, which tied Chatsworth for the league title last year, and Taft of Woodland Hills will challenge. The ECR-Taft games should be grudge matches, as guard Christina Aguinaga transferred across town to Taft.

The Conquistadores will rely on the inside play of senior forward/center Karen Shun, but Aguinaga's shooting makes Taft dangerous, as does the strong inside play of Shaqua Brignac.

The spoiler team could be Granada Hills, which added guard Kelly Beckler, a strong-shooting guard who transferred from Alemany of Mission Hills, to go with three strong frontcourt players - seniors Kelly Patterson, Ashika Lakhan and Kelly Burch.

The Sunset Six will again be a two-team race with Grant and North Hollywood fighting for first. Grant of Van Nuys won the league title outright last year, ending North Hollywood's nine-year streak of either winning or tying for the league title.

But the Huskies have a slight advantage going into the season. Center Richelle Sherman averaged 14.8 points and 10.1 rebounds last year but was academically ineligible late in the season. Sherman returns to lead the Huskies, who will also feature guard Kaipresha Price and two transfers, seniors Alexis Franklin of Westchester and Melissa Escobar of La Canada.

Grant will not fall off much, if at all. The graduation of guard Leslie Mui will hurt, but the Lancers return first-team all-City selection Alexis Weatherspoon (16.1 points, 10.4 rebounds last season), forward/guard Krystal Clay and guard Deja Cruz.

Canoga Park lost four starters from last year's third-place team but has a pair of strong newcomers in guards Ana Bantug and Tori Tanksley, and the Hunters have their sights set on another trip to the Invitational playoffs.

Monroe finished second in the Valley Mission League, with its only two league losses coming to champion Kennedy. To overcome Kennedy of Granada Hills, Monroe will have to make up a size disadvantage with quick guard play from junior LaToya Jackson and senior Amber Burgin.