Campbell Hall Goes to Court

It is back to court today for the CIF Southern Section, which has had its share of legal troubles in recent years.

The plaintiff this time is Campbell Hall High in North Hollywood, which is seeking a temporary restraining order that will allow its boys’ basketball team to participate in this week’s playoffs.

Campbell Hall won the Delphic League with a 14-8 record but had to forfeit eight victories for using an ineligible player, junior Rowan Pearson. The forfeits dropped the Vikings to 6-16 and out of the playoffs.

Pearson, a 6-foot-3 forward averaging 10 points per game, attended Granada Hills High as a sophomore, but transferred to Campbell Hall last fall. To gain eligibility, Pearson’s family had to move from their Northridge home to an apartment in Van Nuys. But Southern Section officials said Pearson has continued to live in Northridge, a rules violation regarding dual residency.

Campbell Hall appealed the decision to the Southern Section Executive Council and to CIF Commissioner Thomas Byrnes. Both appeals were denied.

If the temporary restraining order is granted, the Vikings will be allowed to participate in the section’s Division V-AA playoffs, which begin Friday. The 32-team bracket will have to be redrawn. Campbell Hall won the division title last season.

“It would really create a lot of problems for us,” said Stan Thomas, Southern Section commissioner. “It means that a school that followed the rules would be bumped out at the last minute and replaced by a school that broke the rules.

“I just can’t believe one of our member schools would litigate their own organization,” he said.

The CIF is an organization made up of former school administrators, athletic directors and coaches that are chosen by its member schools. It is high time those schools started accepting decisions reached by peers whom they put in the position to make those decisions.

Campbell Hall broke the rules and must live with the consequences.

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It has been a difficult season for the Glendora boys’ basketball team, and things only got worse last week.

The Tartans, without ace guard Cameron Murray, who suffered a concussion against La Verne Damien on Feb. 9, lost to Chino and Claremont. The defending Baseline League champions finished in fifth place.

Glendora, which won the Southern Section Division II-AA title last season, qualified for the playoffs as an at-large entry. The Tartans (18-8) play at Moreno Valley on Friday night.

“It’s been a fun season despite some of the setbacks,” said Greg Plutko, Glendora’s first-year coach. “Hopefully, we’ll have Cameron back by the end of the week.”

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The Santa Ana Mater Dei boys’ basketball team has such drawing power that Southern Section officials are thinking of making the Division I-A championship its showcase game.

Division I-AA, which includes the section’s largest schools by enrollment, is scheduled to play its title game on Saturday, March 6, at the Sports Arena. It is preceded by the I-A championship. But if Mater Dei goes all the way, look for the starting times of the games to be switched.

“Mater Dei always brings a large crowd,” said Dean Crowley, the section’s associate commissioner. “If the team makes it to the finals, we don’t want their fans clearing out of the arena with another game to go. We’d rather have them around until the end.”

Crowley said a decision will be made the week preceding the finals.

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Security was heavy at Lynwood last Thursday when the Knights played host to Compton Dominguez in a San Gabriel Valley League boys’ basketball finale.

Los Angeles County sheriffs frisked fans at the door and stayed to make sure no problems occurred during the game. The last time these teams met, Jan. 22, a fight broke out in the bleachers at Dominguez and the game was called off with nearly five minutes to play.

It was resumed on Feb. 6, and Lynwood held on for a 79-76 victory.

It was a different story Thursday. Dominguez led from start to finish and won, 78-66.

No problems were reported.

Prep Notes

Mimi McKinney, an All-American guard at Palos Verdes Peninsula, suffered an injury to her lower right leg last Saturday night in a nonleague loss to New York Christ the King and is questionable for the playoffs. Peninsula (16-8), the defending State Division I champion, begins the playoffs Saturday. . . . Bill (Rocky) Moore returned as the boys’ basketball coach at Pasadena Muir last Friday and led the Mustangs to a 71-56 victory over Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta. The victory clinched the Pacific League title for Muir. Moore had been on paid administrative leave since last Tuesday as district officials investigated allegations he physically and verbally abused two of his players. No wrongdoing was found and Moore was reinstated.

More than 1,000 high school track and field athletes will participate in the Sunkist Indoor Invitational on Saturday at the Sports Arena. The featured event is the boys’ mile, which features Bob Keino, a junior from Ridgewood, N.J., who is the son of former Kenyan Olympian Kip Keino. Bob Keino will be challenged by Brian Wilkinson of Merced and Ryan Wilson of Agoura, among others.