Los Angeles West Adams senior quarterback Karrington Jones has accepted a scholarship to Portland State as a defensive back.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Bell, one of the favorites to win the Eastern League title in the City Section, came away Wednesday with a 5-3 victory over East Valley League power Sun Valley Poly to improve to 5-0.

J. Lopez had a double and triple for Poly.

-- Eric Sondheimer

As a freshman, Mater Dei's Jordan Adams was the starting point guard for one of the best girls' basketball teams in the nation.
 
But with that honor came a lot of pressure. 
  
"Sometimes you forget how young these guys are when they come in," Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan said. "It's hard for a freshman to be a leader on a varsity team, especially a high-profile one, on or off the court." 
 
Everyone was talking about her, and under that intense spotlight her self-confidence dwindled. She even considered quitting the basketball team and leaving the school.  

Instead, she pressed on.

Adams is currently the No. 1-ranked sophomore in the nation, according to ESPN, and averages close to a triple-double a game for the Monarchs (27-1), which play in the Southern Section Division 2A championship against Woodbridge on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Cal State Long Beach.

When she was tempted to walk away from it all, she thought about her younger siblings.
 
"My brother and sister look up to me," Adams said. "Sticking through it and showing them that no matter how hard it is you got to push through it, I'm leading by example by doing that.”

Harrison Steed of San Juan Capistrano JSerra, one of the top high jumpers in the state, has committed to California, according to the Orange County Register.

-- Eric Sondheimer

SOUTHERN SECTION

Championships

Friday at Mission Viejo

Girls' Division 7: #1 CAMS vs. #2 Sierra Vista, 4 p.m.

Boys' Division 4: #1 Corona del Mar vs. La Mirada, 7 p.m.

Friday at UC Santa Barbara

Boys' Division 2: #1 Santa Barbara vs. Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.

Friday at Warren

Boys' Division 5: #4 Salesian vs. #3 Animo Leadership, 4 p.m.

Girls' Division 4: Sultana vs. #2 Granite Hills, 7 p.m.

Saturday at Mission Viejo

Boys' Division 3: Paramount vs. #2 Santa Ana Valley, 11:30 a.m.

Girls' Division 6: #1 Lancaster Desert Christian vs. #3 Malibu, 2 p.m.

Girls' Division 3: #1 Corona Santiago vs. #3 King, 4:30 p.m.

Girls' Division 1: #1 Esperanza vs. #2 San Clemente, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday at Warren

Girls' Division 5: Notre Dame Academy vs. #2 South Torrance, 9 a.m.

Boys' Division 6: #1 Oak Hills vs. #2 Mountain View, 11:30 a.m.

Boys' Division 7: #4 Santa Clara vs. #2 Avalon, 2 p.m.

Girls' Division 2: #1 Harvard-Westlake vs. #3 Beckman, 5 p.m.

Boys' Division 1: Harvard-Westlake vs. #2 JSerra, 8 p.m.

Since the inception of the McDonald's All American Game in 1978, there has been at least one boys' player from California that made the team every season. But not this year.

Is it an oversight? Is it an aberration? Is it an indication that California is suddenly without talent?

In some ways, I think players have been punished for being unselfish and not averaging above 20 points a game. That's the case with three talented Santa Ana Mater Dei players _ Tyler Lamb, Gary Franklin Jr. and Keala King.

Each is headed to a Pacific 10 Conference school, and they're more interested in winning than scoring lots of points to impress people who select all-star teams.

In the case of Allen Crabbe from Los Angeles Price, I think he became well known too late in the process to get picked even though he's deserving.

In two or three years, when we see how well the class of 2010 is doing in college, we'll know more if the talent level really dipped this season.

-- Eric Sondheimer

La Puente Bishop Amat football player Austin Lacy was hospitalized Monday after flu-like symptoms turned out to be a heart infection, according to a report by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Lacy is a junior linebacker and basketball player.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Steve Smith, a football-basketball standout at Woodland Hills Taft who went on to star at USC and become a top receiver with the New York Giants, is organizing a free basketball clinic for boys and girls from elementary school to high school that will be held Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gym at Birmingham High.

There will be guest speakers. Smith is hoping to give back to the community he grew up in by sponsoring clinics and travel teams.

-- Eric Sondheimer

CITY SOCCER

Championships, at Contreras

Friday

Girls' small schools: #1 Northridge vs. #2 Los Angeles CES, 4:30 p.m.

Boys' small schools: #8 Annenberg  vs. #2 Elizabeth, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Boys' third place: #8 San Pedro vs. #18 Locke, 10:30 a.m.

Girls' Division II championship: #1 Fremont vs. #6 Narbonne, 1 p.m.

Girls' Division I championship: #1 El Camino Real vs. #6 Sylmar, 3:30 p.m.

Boys' City championship: #4 San Fernando vs. #14 Narbonne, 6 p.m.

CITY GIRLS' SOCCER

Division I

Semifinals, Tuesday

El Camino Real 2, San Pedro 1

Sylmar 1, Granada Hills 0

Division II

Semifinals, Tuesday

Fremont 2, Huntington Park 1

Narbonne 2, Belmont 1

Small Schools

Semifinals, Tuesday

Northridge 5, Sherman Oaks CES 0

Los Angeles CES 4, Foshay 0

SOUTHERN SECTION

BOYS SOCCER

Semifinals, Tuesday

DIVISION 1

Harvard-Westlake 0, Edison 0 [Harvard-Westlake advances, 4-3 on penalties]

JSerra 2, Northwood 0

DIVISION 2

Santa Barbara 4, Katella 1

Dos Pueblos 0, Bell Gardens 0 [Dos Pueblos advances, 3-2 on penalties]

DIVISION 3

Paramount 0, Canyon Country Canyon 0 [Paramount advances, 4-3 on penalties]

Santa Ana Valley 1, Coachella Valley 0

DIVISION 4

Corona del Mar 3, North Torrance 0

La Mirada 2, Laguna Hills 1

DIVISION 5

Salesian 3, Baldwin Park 2

Animo Leadership 3, Garden Grove Santiago 1

DIVISION 6

Oak Hills 0, Brentwood 0 [Oak Hills advances, 4-1 on penalties]

Mountain View 1, Pasadena Poly 1 [Mountain View advances, 4-3 on penalties]

DIVISION 7

Santa Clara 3, Bishop 2 (OT)

Avalon 3, Mammoth 0

GIRLS SOCCER

Semifinals, Tuesday

DIVISION 1

Esperanza 2, Santa Margarita 0

San Clemente 1, Long Beach Wilson 0

DIVISION 2

Harvard-Westlake 4, Redlands East Valley 0

Beckman 2, Flintridge Sacred Heart 2 [Beckman advances, 4-3 on penalties]

DIVISION 3

Corona Santiago 3, Sunny Hills 1

King 2, San Luis Obispo 0

DIVISION 4

Sultana 1, Bishop Amat 0

Granite Hills 1, Los Altos 0

DIVISION 5

Notre Dame Academy 5, Lakeside 2

South Torrance 0, Marymount 0 [South Torrance advances, 1-0 on penalties]

DIVISION 6

Lancaster Desert Christian 4, St. Margaret's 1

Malibu 1, Ontario Christian 1 [Malibu advances, 3-2 on penalties]

DIVISION 7

CAMS 2, Animo Leadership 1

Sierra Vista 2, Alverno 1

A memorial service for Mater Dei pitcher Brianne Matthews will be held on Friday at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex. 

Matthews committed suicide on Feb. 25 at her home in Anaheim, according to the Orange County coroner's office.

The Matthews family has asked all high school softball players attending the 3:15 p.m. service to wear their uniforms to pay tribute to Brianne. Softball players who don't play for their school were asked to wear their travel ball uniforms. 

For more information, click here. 

-- Melissa Rohlin

Former Bellflower St. John Bosco Coach Kiki Mendoza has told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that he is no longer a candidate for the vacant Los Altos position.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos guard Kendall Williams has committed to New Mexico. He committed to UCLA as a sophomore before the Bruins and Williams mutually agreed to part ways.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Joe Hay from Garden Grove will coach the North team and John Shipp from Fountain Valley will coach the South in the 51st Brea Lions Club Orange County North/South prep all-star charity football game set for Friday, July 16 at 6 p.m. at Orange Coast College.

-- Eric Sondheimer

SOUTHERN SECTION

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

DIVISION 6A

Semifinal, Monday

Calvary Baptist 56, Lake Arrowhead Christian 54 (OT)

CITY SECTION BOYS' SOCCER

City Championship

Semifinals, Monday

San Fernando 2, San Pedro 1

Narbonne 1, Locke 0

Small Schools

Semifinals, Monday

Annenberg 4, Vaughn 2

Elizabeth 5, Orthopaedic 0

There was an underclassmen combine held in Southern California over the weekend, and freshman running back Dionza Blue from West Hills Chaminade was the combine most valuable player.

Another Chaminade freshman, Eli Sibrian, was named overall top offensive lineman. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Khalfani Muhammad received the overall top running back honor.

-- Eric Sondheimer

The opening Southern Section championship game on Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Honda Center is the 3A final between Gardena Serra (29-2) and Compton Centennial (25-5). The players are going to need a 6 a.m. wake-up call, and who knows what time their fans need to get up.

It might be the second-best game of the day behind Santa Ana Mater Dei and Etiwanda, but that's life with so many games to fit in at the Honda Center. Somebody has to go first.

A warning to all the teams playing at the Honda Center: If you think you're going to win by simply making three-pointers, you'll be leaving disappointed. I've seen prolific three-point shooters in high school struggle in championship games because of the different background and larger dimensions.

Serra Coach Dwan Hurt said his team has been focused on working on its inside game, with 6-foot-9 Jordan Mitchell, a Cal State Northridge commit, and 6-8 junior Ronnie Stevens.

-- Eric Sondheimer