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Few Clear Favorites for League Titles : Basketball: Here is a look at the top 12 prep squads as area teams begin their league schedules.

TIMES STAFF WRITER

For the first time in several years, the Southeast/Long Beach area does not have an undefeated high school basketball team as league competition begins.

Many area teams appear to be rebuilding. For instance, perennial Moore League champion Poly High of Long Beach, 21-7 last season, is 7-8 as it prepares for its league opener Friday night against struggling Millikan (3-10), also of Long Beach. Defending Suburban League and CIF Southern Section Division II-A champion Artesia (10-3), which was upset by cross-town rival Lakewood, 59-52, Tuesday night, appears to be the only clear-cut favorite to win a league title.

No teams from the Whitmont League, which opened league play Wednesday, rank among the area’s top teams, but the spirited race is expected to go down to the wire--as it usually does--with as many as five teams having a shot at the title.

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The San Gabriel Valley League is too close to call, with Lynwood (9-3), Dominguez (9-3) and Gahr (11-3) expected to be pressed by up-and-coming Downey (9-2) and improving Paramount (6-6).

Ironically, the race for the league title may be decided by a technicality. Last week Dominguez learned it will have to forfeit its final game of the regular season against Lynwood because school administrators violated a Southern Section rule by scheduling too many preseason games.

Following, in order, are the 12 area teams expected to have an impact on league races this season:

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1. Lakewood (12-3)--Can the Lancers make the final step to a Southern Section playoff final? In each of the past five seasons under Coach Tim Sweeney, the Moore League team has advanced to the semifinals, only to be turned away. The Lancers are a slight favorite to win the league title this year. Wilson, which plays at Lakewood on Friday, and Jordan are expected to be contenders. Eddie Cochran, a 6-foot-6 senior forward who is averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds a game, was the most valuable player of the Carson City, Nev., Tournament, which Lakewood won. Senior center Javon Rouzan is averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Tamar Ross, a 6-foot-1 senior, has averaged 10 points and 4 assists.

2. Lynwood (9-3)--The rule violation that caused Dominguez to forfeit its season finale has been disappointing to the Knights, who have always had a spirited rivalry with the Dons. Because of the misfortune to Dominguez, Lynwood rates a slight favorite to win the San Gabriel Valley League title. Senior post Jamal Lawrence, 6-foot-7, who has signed with Pepperdine, is averaging 20 points a game, and junior guard Rod Malloy is averaging 14.5 points a game. Junior post Nathan Ware averages 11 rebounds and the same number of points each game.

3. Artesia (10-3)--Led by 6-foot-6 junior guard Charles O’Bannon, 6-foot-11 junior center Avondre Jones and 6-foot-8 senior forward Jae Park, the Pioneers won the St. Monica and Vista tournaments. O’Bannon and Jones were all-tournament selections in both. The Pioneers have some impressive statistics. O’Bannon is averaging 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Jones averages 18 points and 9 rebounds and Park averages 13 points and 7 rebounds. In addition, Jones averages 3.5 blocked shots. Artesia defeated Dominguez and Fairfax of the City Section, but lost to Lakewood.

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4. Gahr (11-3)--The Gladiators should challenge for the San Gabriel Valley League title. Gahr took second in the Gahr and Glendora tournaments and first in the Brea Tournament. Brandon Titus, a 6-foot-4 senior guard who was an All-Southern Section choice last season, is averaging 22.4 points. He was the most valuable player at the Brea Tournament and was named to the all-tournament team at the other two. Center Wynton Cox has averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds.

5. Jordan (11-4)--The defending Southern Section 5-AA champions return three players: Everett Ratleff, who leads the team in scoring with a 15.2 average, Kenny Johnson and DeAndre Smith, the team’s leading rebounder with 8 per game. The Panthers won the El Dorado Tournament, with Smith being named the MVP, and finished third at the Estancia tournament. Jordan, which has been idle since Dec. 30, opens Moore League play at Compton on Friday.

6. Wilson (11-3)--Are the Bruins ranked too high? Wilson surprised a lot of people when it won the Beverly Hills tournament, but must open Moore League play at Lakewood. The Bruins have relied on guard Peter Sverkos, 6-foot-7 center Mike Kellison and forward Charles Thomas. Sverkos and Thomas combined to score 35 points as Wilson rallied from behind for a non-league, 49-46, victory over visiting Alhambra on Monday night.

7. Dominguez (9-3)--The talented Dons may be rated too low. Larry McGlothin, a 6-foot-6 1/2 senior forward, averages 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Guard Raynell Dunbar, a 6-foot-1 senior, is averaging 11 points and 6-foot-5 junior forward Chris Blanton is averaging 17 points. The Dons won the title of the Palm Desert Tournament and McGlothin was named MVP. He also was on the all-tournament team at Artesia. Blanton and Dunbar were all-tournament at Palm Desert. Dominguez defeated Lakewood and Pius X, but lost to Artesia, Westchester and San Marcos by an average of 17 points.

8. St. Anthony (12-3)--Jason Wright, a 6-foot-1 senior point guard who is averaging 22 points and 7 assists, can be an offensive force. He was the MVP at the Loyola Tournament, where his jump shot at the buzzer led the Saints to a 75-74 victory over Buena. Rick Price, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard who is averaging 18 points, has complemented Wright well. A big question is how well the front line can perform for first-year Coach Ray Lokar. It will have to produce if the Saints hope to be a force in the Camino Real League, which is considered to be the most balanced five-team league in the Southern Section.

9. St. Paul (9-3)--The Swordsmen were upset by Alemany, 59-49, in their Mission League opener Friday. Led by senior guard Brandon Ertle, St. Paul won the Century Tournament title. Ertle was the tournament MVP. He has made 40 three-point shots and was an All-Southern Section selection last season. Senior forward Matt Lenzen averages 16 points and 7 rebounds. First-year Coach Richard Wiard is the Swordsmen’s third coach in three seasons.

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10. Pius X (8-5)--First-year Coach Dennis Ginger got his team off to a good start with seven consecutive victories, including a 74-69 win over Gahr. But the Warriors stumbled into Camino Real League play at Serra on Wednesday, having lost four in a row, including a 54-48 defeat to Poly. Michael O’Quinn, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, was named the MVP of the Cerritos-Gahr Tournament, which the Warriors won. The team’s troubles began in the Las Vegas tournament, where it lost three of four games. O’Quinn averages 19 points and 7 rebounds. Senior guard Ryan Brass leads the team in assists and averages 12 points, and junior forward Jacoby Thompson averages 12 points and 7 rebounds.

11. Downey (9-3)--Four senior starters make the Vikings an experienced club entering San Gabriel Valley League play. Guard Mark Morales is shooting 47% from three-point range. Center Darious Rutledge has made 60% of his field goal attempts and has combined with forward Damyn Claxton to grab 17 rebounds a game. Forward Mark Rind is “the guy that holds us together,” according to Coach Larry Shelton. The Vikings won the Bosco Tech Tournament and Rutledge, who averages 14 points, was named MVP. Morales made the all-tournament team. Schurr upset Downey on Monday, 66-57.

12. St. John Bosco (10-4)--The Braves are rebuilding under first-year Coach Brian Breslin, who has former Pepperdine forward Tom Lewis on his staff. Artesia transfer James Cotton, a 6-foot-5 junior, has the potential to have an impact in the Angelus League, where Mater Dei of Santa Ana (15-1) is expected to run away from the pack.

Times sports writer Mike Coil contributed to this story.

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