Pleasing North Hollywood basketball Coach Steve Miller...

Pleasing North Hollywood basketball Coach Steve Miller isn’t easy.

The Huskies (16-1, 4-0 in Valley Pac-8 Conference play), The Times’ top-ranked team in the area, have beaten four conference opponents by an average of 41.3 points. But Miller said there is room for improvement.

“We’re playing much better now, but we’re not there yet,� Miller said. “I’d say we’re at about 70-80% of where we should be.�

Basketball: Junior forward Jason Hartman can make a case for Thousand Oaks’ most valuable player. Among team leaders, Hartman (6-foot-6) ranks second in scoring (13.8 average), third in rebounds (7.1), second in assists (3.1) and first in steals (2.5). On Friday against Westlake, Hartman had 14 points, five assists and a team-high 12 rebounds. . . .

Ventura center Anthony McCurtis, a 6-7 junior, has 10 dunks. . . . Oxnard rallied from a 16-2 deficit Friday to defeat San Marcos, 51-42. . . . Royal is 2-5 in Marmonte League play, but the Highlanders have lost three games by a total of nine points, including one-point losses to Camarillo (57-56) and Channel Islands (67-66). . . .

Thousand Oaks (17-1) has won a school-record 14 consecutive games and a school-record eight consecutive Marmonte League games. The Lancers won nine in a row in 1984 and their first seven league games last season before losing. . . .

After a 2-5 start, Hart has won 10 in a row--including its first five Foothill League games. . . . Village Christian (13-4, 4-0 in Alpha League play) is off to its best start since 1971 and best league start since 1986. The Crusaders are averaging 12.8 steals a game. . . .

Leodes Van Buren leads Newbury Park in scoring (15.3), rebounding (6.3), steals (2.7) and free throws (31 for 50, 62%). Van Buren also has improved markedly in three-point shooting.

After making only three of his first 20 attempts, Van Buren now is 14-for-61, including 11 of 35 in seven Marmonte League games. Van Buren made four of seven three-pointers Friday in an 87-71 loss to Agoura. . . .

Crescenta Valley guard Adam Jacobsen, the Southern Section’s all-time leading three-point shooter, has made 76 of 160 shots (47.5%) from beyond the arc this season. . . .

Wendell Nunnery of Hueneme has made 30 of 48 (62.5%) three-point attempts. . . . Verdugo Hills’ Angelo De Los Reyes, who averages 14.1 points, has made 40 three-point baskets in 12 games. . . . Royal’s Steve Hodge has made 33 of 67 (49%) three-point attempts. . . . Thousand Oaks reserve Aviv Hever has made 10 of 22 (45%) three-point attempts. . . .

Hart senior forward Matt Steffe leads Foothill players in scoring (22.0) and rebounding (9.6). . . . Hoover’s Chad Reese has scored 20 or more points in 18 of 19 games. . . . Reseda junior guard Trenton Cross has made 80 of 100 free throws. . . .

Chatsworth won two games last week by a total of nine points because of free-throw shooting. In a 72-66 victory Wednesday over El Camino Real, Chatsworth made 20 of 28 free throws, including 11 of 14 over a stretch of the fourth quarter. In a 54-51 victory Friday over Reseda, Chatsworth made 14 of 15 free throws.

Girls’ basketball: Shaneya Harris of Kennedy outscored Taft single-handedly with 37 points in the Golden Cougars’ 67-31 victory last week. Harris leads all area girls with a 27.9 average. . . .

Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks came within three rebounds of her single-game school record when she had 25 against Channel Islands. She piled up 59 points and 37 rebounds for the week, leading the Lancers to their 18th and 19th consecutive victories. Jones is averaging 22.6 points and 13.8 rebounds. . . .

Ventura ended Nordhoff’s school-record 17-game winning streak with a 53-37 victory Saturday. Nordhoff’s 6-3 center, Rachel McSorley, who transferred from Ventura this fall, scored 21 points on her former home floor. . . . Village has Christian a school-record six consecutive victories.

Girls’ soccer: Chatsworth and Grant, the two teams in the City Section championship Friday, have outscored opponents, 72-4, and 110-2, respectively. . . . Grant’s top scorers are sophomores. Midfielder Nicole Bucciarelli has 37 goals and 10 assists. Striker Jamie Jacobs has 28 goals and 17 assists, and striker Jamie Mond has 17 goals and 19 assists. The trio has accounted for 74.5% of Grant’s scoring.

Boys’ soccer: Moorpark goalkeeper Aaron Linder has five consecutive shutouts and 10 for the season. The Musketeers have outscored opponents, 59-8. . . . Buena goalkeeper Gustavo Hurtado has a four-shutout streak of his own. Hurtado has shutouts in five of the Bulldogs’ seven Channel League matches.

Statistics through Monday.

Regional Basketball

Top 10 Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Lst. Rk Wk Team League Record 1 1 North Hollywood East Valley 16-1 2 2 Thousand Oaks Marmonte 17-1 3 5 Crescenta Valley Pacific 16-2 4 3 Ventura Channel 15-2 5 3 Notre Dame Mission 16-4 6 6 Simi Valley Marmonte 16-4 7 9 Hart Foothill 12-5 8 7 Monroe Mid-Valley 13-3 9 NR El Camino Real North Valley 10-4 10 NR Santa Clara Frontier 15-5

NR--Not ranked.