Repeat of ’98 Sounds Good to Southland

Last season’s boys’ state basketball championships featured a sweep of all five divisions by Southern California regional winners.

This weekend, it could be more of the same.

Santa Ana Mater Dei, Compton Dominguez, Verbum Dei and Oxnard Santa Clara will represent the Southland against Northern California regional champions in finals at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Fresno Washington Union will play El Cerrito in Division III.

Here is a look at the four games involving Southland teams:

* DIVISION I--Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-3) vs. Oakland Fremont (28-4), Saturday, 8 p.m.: Mater Dei is making its fifth appearance in the state championship game, its first since 1995 when the Monarchs defeated Fremont, 71-67, in overtime.

The Monarchs also won state titles in 1987 and 1990. Their only loss in a championship game came against Jason Kidd and Alameda St. Joseph in 1992.

This season’s Mater Dei team lacks an individual standout. The Monarchs lost sophomore swingman Cedric Bozeman, arguably their most talented player, because of a leg injury, but still defeated Glendora for the Southern Section Division I-A title and advanced through the Southern California Regional with impressive victories over Chula Vista Bonita Vista, City Section champion Manual Arts and Southern Section I-AA champion Artesia.

Mater Dei’s championship run has been keyed by 6-foot-10 sophomore Jamal Sampson, who gives the Monarchs a dominating presence on the boards to complement the guard play of Derrick Mansell and Steve Scoggin and the inside play of forward Mike Bayer.

Fremont is led by Josh Shavies, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a victory over Concord De La Salle in the Northern California regional final. Shavies made 10 of 12 shots and had three blocks.

* DIVISION II--Compton Dominguez (32-3) vs. Sacramento Grant (34-3), Friday, 8:15 p.m.: Ever since guard Marcus Moore transferred from Redondo, guard Steve Moore transferred from Santa Monica and forward Larry Johnson transferred from Irvine University for this season, it has been almost a foregone conclusion that the Dons would win the Division II championship. And with the way 7-1 sophomore center Tyson Chandler has elevated his game during the playoffs, there has been no stopping Dominguez.

The Dons won Division II titles in 1996 and ’97 and probably would be going for their fourth consecutive title if Tayshaun Prince, now at Kentucky, had not been injured during the Southern Section playoffs last season.

Chandler has been a dominant defensive presence throughout the season and continues to dive for loose balls and hustle with abandon. But it’s the offensive part of his game that was showcased during the regional playoffs.

Power forward Keith Brooks is as physical as a high school player can be.

Ronald Dosty scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds in Grant’s regional final victory over Chico, and James Pugh made eight of nine shots, but the Pacers have not played a team with as many options as Dominguez.

* DIVISION IV--Verbum Dei (30-7) vs. Sacramento Christian Brothers (28-8), Saturday, 11 a.m.: Verbum Dei is trying to win its second consecutive Division IV title, its third in four years. Senior guard Marlon Parmer is the main reason the Eagles are expected to achieve their goal.

Parmer, a lightning-quick left-hander, was overshadowed by other guards in the Southland before the season began. Not anymore. Parmer had 32 points in a December victory over Lakewood Artesia, averaged 26 points through the regular season and capped the Southern Section IV-A playoffs with a 40-point performance in the championship game against Santa Monica Crossroads. Parmer had 26 points in the Eagles’ 68-62 victory over top-seeded San Diego Horizon in the regional final.

Senior forward Dalron Johnson, who has signed with Nevada Las Vegas, has also been a force in the playoffs for second-year Coach David Greenwood, the former Verbum Dei and UCLA standout who played in the NBA.

Christian Brothers is led by Cedric Franklin, who scored 15 points in his team’s 55-53 victory over Colfax in the regional final. Christian Brothers tied the score on a three-point basket by A.J Jennings. It won the game on two free throws by Glenn Maley’s after Colfax Coach Ron Pucci was assessed a technical foul for calling a timeout when his team had none left.

* DIVISION V--Oxnard Santa Clara (29-3) vs. Modesto Calvary Christian Temple (29-5), Friday, 4:15 p.m.: Santa Clara Coach Lou Cvijanovich has hinted that this could be his final game. It would be a quite a way to go out for a man who has 828 victories, the most in state history. Guards Nick Jones and B.J. Ward have been outstanding throughout their senior seasons and both are headed to UC Santa Barbara. Santa Clara won the Southern Section Division V-AA championship, then beat La Jolla Country Day, Price and El Cajon Christian en route to the final. Calvary Christian Temple is led by guard Nick Tabari, who scored 31 points and had four assists and four steals in the regional final victory over Hoopa Valley.